VERB TRAVELS: What’s In My Luggage?
By Vanessa Jubis
Many moons ago, I was the type of packer who loved to throw in all kinds of “just in case” items into my luggage. My suitcase was affectionately nicknamed ‘The Coffin’ because of its size. Thankfully, I’ve seen the light, and that’s all in the past. These days I try and travel reasonably light. It’s been at least 10 years since I’ve travelled with anything larger than a carry-on. With limited space, I try and make the most of what I bring.
I’m just back from a week-long trip to Paris, and here’s what I brought with me, what I should have done differently, and what I brought back (I’m a sucker for a good souvenir).
Longchamp Le Pliage Tote Bag L Purse: This is my all-time favourite carry-on purse. It’s incredibly lightweight and folds up into next-to-nothing. It’s durable, and has room to fit so. much. It’s also a breeze to clean up and clean out. There’s a reason this bag has sold 30 million.
Inside my purse I was able to fit:
- A tanned leather cross-body purse that I used in the evenings as my fancier bag.
- Passport: In a bright orange leather passport holder. I may* have misplaced my passport a time or two, so now I’ve learned to keep it in a bright holder that’s easy to spot in my bag when I do my hourly passport checks.
- Wallet: I lightened it up before leaving. It only contained the 100 euros I brought in cash, my debit card (for extra cash if needed) my main credit card, and a back-up credit card in the event my first was compromised.
- iPhone: When traveling, I rely on Google Maps a ton. To avoid any unwanted, astronomical data charges (or relying on free wifi), I pre-purchased a 20GB data plan via Amazon before I left. I popped it in on the flight and it worked like a charm as soon as I landed, no issues at all.
- iPad: I left my laptop at home and brought my iPad, mostly for Netflix. I didn’t end up using it all that much this trip and probably should have left it at home.
- Kindle: I’ve been a diehard Kindle fan since they came out. It weighs next-to-nothing, has a built-in light that doesn’t strain my eyes and has a long battery life. As a bonus, the books are often cheaper than the hardcover and paperback versions. I loaded up two new books for the trip, David Koepp’s Cold Storage, and VERB’s Book Club pick Lori Lansens’ This Little Light.
- Foot Hammock: I’m a short gal, so my feet dangle on planes. That’s fine for a short-haul but it gets pretty uncomfortable on longer flights. I was served an ad for this product on Instagram and purchased it instantly. It’s a mini hammock that hooks on to the back of your tray table and gives your feet a place to rest. It was a bit of a struggle to get it sized just right, but overall it did help make the economy journey a little more comfortable.
- ZipLock Bag: It contained my liquids. Concealer, perfume, shampoo, conditioner, body and face wash, toothpaste and lotion. I knew my AirBnB wouldn’t be proving any toiletries so I brought along some travel-sized bottles I saved from my trip to Asia earlier in the year.
- Travel Socks: A nice thick pair I only wear when I fly, to keep my feet warm on flights.
- Slippers: I saved the lightweight slippers I received from my Asia flights and brought them along. They were great for the flights, as well as in my AirBnB which had a chilly tile floor.
- Cosmetics (the non-liquids: Keeping things pretty basic, I packed blush, mascara, lip balm, and red lipstick for my evenings out.
- Change of Clothes: I landed at 8am and check-in was only at 3pm, so a change of clothes in the airport upon arrival helped me feel fresh while I was out exploring my first day.
- Headphones/Earplugs: I used the headphones to watch in-flight movies and listen to the podcasts. I put the earplugs in when I attempted (without any real success) to get a few hours of sleep, to help dull the noise of the engines and fellow passengers.
- Portable Battery Pack: My phone loses power faster than I’d like these days, especially when I’m using Google Maps directions and snapping lots of photos. My battery pack holds enough juice for three full phone charges, plenty to get me through the day. I’d recharge it at night, and be good to go!
- USB Cord: necessary for charging my phone and iPad.
Since it was an overnight flight, I dressed comfortably in layers. I wore yoga pants, a tunic shirt, jean jacket and Toms shoes. I didn’t bother wearing any jewelry on the plane to help speed things up going through security. My Toms were well broken in (perfect for the 12km-20km of walking I was doing each day) but I knew they were on their last legs and planned to ditch them on my last day.
Heys Carry On: VERB Interactive has a lot of love for Away’s luggage, but I’ve been loyal to my Heys. It’s just the right size, lightweight, had four wheels, and just the right number of compartments. It’s also expandable, should I need a little more wiggle room on my way home.
Inside my suitcase:
For my additional wardrobe, I kept my colour palette neutral, so I could mix-and-match as much as possible. I also went with light layers since the weather at this time of year can fluctuate pretty quickly.
- 1 Pair of Madewell jeans (they fit great and never get baggy around the knees)
- 1 Navy Satin Long Coat (was good for the evenings when it cooled down)
- 1 Black Blazer (an easy way to dress up the other items I packed)
- 1 Little Black Dress (a wardrobe staple for a reason)
- 1 Rust-colored jumper (I wore it over my white T-shirt)
- 1 White T-shirt (can’t go wrong with a basic)
- 1 White Button Down (a crisp white shirt is always in style)
- 1 Black Cashmere Sweater (this came in handy when the weather took a turn and cooled down later into my trip)
- 1 Hermes Silk Scarf (If you’re gonna wear it in one place, it’s gotta be Paris!)
- 1 Pair of patent leather red flats (dressy enough for evenings, but comfortable enough to do a few kms in)
- 1 Pair of tanned leather Chelsea boots (comfortable for walking around, and also protected my feet in the rain)
- 1 Black T-shirt (Did not use)
- 1 B&W Polkadot Blouse (Did not use)
Additional in my suitcase, you would have found:
- Jewelry: One necklace, one bracelet, and two pairs of earrings.
- Hair Straightener: To help tame my wild curls.
- Shower Cap: To keep my wild curls from reappearing before I wanted them to.
- Tide Pods: Renting an AirBnB helped me keep my clothing to a minimum. I did one load of laundry mid-week, which mostly did the trick.
- A Laundry Bag: It stored my dirty clothes in my AirBnB until I washed them, and then on the way home, it kept my clean and dirty clothes separated in my luggage.
- A Backpack: I planned on bringing back some wine, so I knew I’d have to check my bag on my return flight. Packing a backpack left gave me extra room for my souvenirs, and I was able to use it as my carry-on bag on the flight home.
Hindsight being 20/20, here’s what I should have also packed:
- An adaptor: Upon arriving at my AirBnB, I went to charge my phone and realized I forgot to pack one. It didn’t end up being a big deal since my place thankfully had two USB ports. The only thing I couldn’t use was my hair straightener. I had it styled the day I left, so I was able to get by with dry shampoo until my family arrived halfway through my trip and brought me one.
- An umbrella: I took a gamble and didn’t bother packing anything for the rain. I had beautiful blue skies for the first four days. And, then, the rain came. It rained hard enough one day en route to the Eiffel Tower that I ended up purchasing a heinous pink poncho. I regret not packing a small travel umbrella or at least a rain-resistant jacket with a hood.
- Another pair of pants. On my second last night, probably thanks to more than a couple* glasses of wine, some of my delicious (and dark) coq au vin sauce ended up on my only pair of jeans. It was too late in the trip to bother with laundry (the French aren’t big on dryers) so since it was too cold for the dresses I had brought I had to carry on with my stained pair.
- In terms of things I packed but didn’t need? There were just two shirts that I didn’t end up wearing, so overall I was pleased with my packing efficiency.
What did I buy?
- Sezane Fall Coat: A beautiful caramel coloured coat from one of my favourite stores, that I will hopefully have for years to come.
- Olive Oil: At the impressive Duty-Free shop at the airport, I picked up 500ml of A L’Olivier olive oil in a reusable stone bottle.
- Tomato Sauce with Summer Truffles: It was right next to the olive oil at Duty-Free and I’m a sucker for truffles.
- A Postcard: Of a Monet painting from his Rouen Cathedral series (I lived in Rouen for 6 months so that series holds a special place in my heart). I purchased it at the Musée Marmottan Monet.
- A Parisian Patisseries Book: From my favourite bookstore, Shakespeare and Company.
- Wine: I purchased a red Burgundy, which I mostly bought for the label featuring a cat in a beret, and a Champagne from Davino, a small, local wine store. I wrapped them well in my luggage (my ugly pink poncho came in handy) and had no issues with them breaking.
- Butter: I’m a firm believer that the French make the world’s best butter. I brought back two blocks of my beloved Bourdier salted butter (made in small batches in Normandy) and a block of Echiré, a butter so prized, it has a store in Tokyo devoted to it. I kept it all in a ziplock bag in the freezer until I left for the airport, and it survived the 15+ hour journey without melting or squishing.
- Salted Butter Caramel Sauce: Also from Bourdier, perfect for pouring over a little vanilla ice-cream.
- 2 Diptique Candles: Gorgeous, and expensive. These were a splurge, one of them is for my hard-to-shop-for best friend’s birthday.
Because I packed light and brought along a backpack, I was able to fit everything snugly in for the journey home. And that’s a wrap on what’s in my luggage, until my next trip of course!
Looking for more travel inspo? Check out our latest VERB TRAVELS article, here.
Vanessa is the Paid Social Lead with VERB Interactive — a leader in digital marketing, specializing in solutions for the travel and hospitality industry. Find out more at www.verbinteractive.com.
