• Home
  • About
  • Blogmas 2019
  • Travel
  • Personal

The Life of Alana

Travel

Weekend Travels | Packing Tips and Tricks

March 19, 2019 Leave a Comment

I recently traveled to Pittsburgh, PA and used this trip as an excuse to update some of my luggage staples! I was in desperate need of a new suitcase, travel bottles for shampoo, lotion, etc., and a durable over the shoulder bag that I could use while running around the city all weekend.

Here are some tips and suggestions for packing for your next weekend trip!

Please note that this post contains affiliate links. You won’t receive a discount using affiliate links, but I will receive a very small percentage of the sale of the item and that percentage helps me continue to create great content for my blog. Thank you!

Luggage

Unless I’m flying what they call a “budget airline” (where you pay for every little detail), I will usually take advantage of a carry on suitcase and use a weekender bag as a personal item.

Personal Item Tip: I specifically use a Vera Bradley weekender bag that is approved as a personal item and fits comfortably under the seat in front of you, even when packed to capacity. I usually use this weekender bag for anything I’ll need on the plane – laptop, phone, chargers, wallet, snacks, etc. – and also use it to carry my toiletry and make up bag. Those two items do take up room in my weekender bag, but it’s so much easier to grab those two smaller bags when going through security than it would be to unzip your whole suitcase to retrieve them.

Suitcase: This suitcase was new to me. I really liked it! It looked somewhat small when I first opened it, but fit all the stuff that was stacked up on my couch while packing. It also zipped easily when I was finished packing. It fits perfectly in the overhead compartment of a United plane, which I think most airlines have similar sized overhead compartments.

Two views of the suitcase.
All of the items that I packed in the suitcase. (Only thing missing were two pairs of shoes.)

I did check this bag a few times throughout my trip. (I’m usually the one who will volunteer for my bag to be checked at the gate if there’s a full flight.) The only downside to this suitcase is that it was easily scratched when put under the plane. That’s a complaint that I’ve heard of most hard shell suitcases, so I’m guessing that it’s not specific to this particular one. Even with the ease of scratches, I still highly recommend this suitcase.

Toiletries

Oh, how I wish we didn’t have to follow the TSA rules of the 3oz bottles of liquid! Now, before you say anything, I do love a good travel size of everything. But I have a few things in particular – hairspray, moisturizer, dry shampoo – that are 4oz or 5oz and those would be so easy to pack! But, rules and rules and we must follow them, so we don’t end up being that person who holds up the entire security line.

Travel bottles: I found these bottles on Amazon and they are amazing! They are made of silicone, so they can fit and form into tight spaces and you can fit more into your small, clear bag. They did not leak AT ALL, which was probably my favorite thing about them. I’m in love with these bottles and will be grabbing more to use in the future. (Tip: If you use these bottles, don’t take the entire cap off the bottle. There is a middle part that comes off where you can pour the liquid in from your big bottle. I made the mistake of taking the entire top off and it wouldn’t fit back on the bottle.)

Two of the travel bottles from Amazon.

Reusable toiletry bag: This is a new item as well. The Amazon item that I bought comes with three of these bags, so you could share them with the people you’re traveling with. I went through security in two airports (AUS and PIT) and had no issue at all with using this bag. It also fits A LOT! I fit two of the travel bottles, travel sizes of shaving cream, deodorant, dry shampoo, toothpaste, my nighttime cream, and my under eye masks. And, honestly, the bag itself didn’t take up much space in my personal item/weekender bag. This was an excellent buy and I will be using them for every trip!

Makeup Carry Case: I’ve used this makeup case a few times while traveling and it’s extremely handy. It folds up into a convenient size to be able to pack, but folds out to feature four zipper pouches that fit quite a number of makeup and hair accessories. Tip: For the items I needed to pack in the case, I spread them out equally through the four zipper pouches, so that it folds up very easily.

Everyday Items

I have a few items that I take with me during a trip that I use everyday, and for this trip in particular, I needed to find an over the shoulder bag to carry them all in.

Over the Shoulder Bag: This is the perfect over the shoulder bag for traveling! I don’t use fancy and/or cute bags when I’m traveling because I need my essentials with me at all times, need them to be close by, and I don’t have time to be carrying a cute, small bag that won’t fit anything. The bag that I found on Amazon is great! It can fit a lot of stuff, has plenty of pockets, and is anti-theft and slash resistant.

In my over the shoulder bag, I carry a small travel wallet, tripod/selfie stick (don’t judge), headphones, a portable charger, and whatever lipstick I’m wearing that day. All of these things, besides the headphones and lipstick, can be found on Amazon and are very affordable! I actually wouldn’t recommend buying headphones from Amazon. The experience I’ve had hasn’t been good – they either don’t work or they only work in one ear. I stick to the Apple issued headphones that came with my phone.

I hope these item suggestions and tips help you pack for your next short weekend trip! If you have particular products that you like to use when traveling or if you used one of these products and loved it, please let me know! I’m always looking for the best items to use and want to know if what I’m suggesting is working for you.

Thanks for reading… and Go Penguins!
-Alana


Previous:
Monday Hockey Thoughts | 2.25.19
Next:
48 Hours | Pittsburgh, PA

You might also enjoy

A Quick Trip to Disneyland! | Blogmas 2019 Day 5
Tips for the Perfect Girls Trip: Disneyland Edition
Beach Trip Highlights | May 2019

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Welcome!

Hello! I’m Alana (uh-lane-uh)! I love hockey, cupcakes, and my dog, Stark. I’m currently on a mission to visit every NHL arena, meet as many hockey fans as possible, and share our stories. To read more about me and my blog, click here!

Archives

Insta-Lana

Instagram post 2197435234865552837_7749678720 I’M BACK! My trip to Pittsburgh threw me off of my #Blogmas goal. (It’s totally okay - Pittsburgh is worth it!) But I’m back today and talking all about my super quick, 3 hour trip to Disneyland back in October! I know I share mostly hockey on this account, but I’m also a big Disney fan, and Disneyland is one of my favorite places in the world! Check out my tips (and fun photos) for how to take advantage of any trip to the Happiest Place on Earth! 🏰
Special shout out to my friend, @greenbergtm, for running around the park with me that day! Tasha and I randomly connected on Instagram last year and became fast friends! I’m very thankful for her and her friendship and had the best time hanging out with her in person! Can’t wait to see you again, friend! 🙋🏻‍♀️
Instagram post 2193842797727378722_7749678720 Alana in her truest form: shaking her ass, doing some weird arm dance, screaming, and cheering because the @penguins scored, even if it was an empty netter. 🏒
Instagram post 2193311483983003706_7749678720 It’s good to be home. Pittsburgh, I love you. ♥️
also, #LetsGoPens 🐧
Instagram post 2191885888673562472_7749678720 The post for day four of #Blogmas2019 was a fun one to write! I shared all about my trip to the State Fair of Texas that I took with @beccaannallen back in October! We had the best time and enjoyed all the fair classics! Now I’m just keeping my fingers crossed for Big Tex to make an appearance at the #WinterClassic - and he better be wearing a @dallasstars jersey! 🎡
Have you been to the @statefairoftx? If so, share your favorite thing about the fair in the comments! 🗣
Instagram post 2190426323016749361_7749678720 This is my current suitcase situation, but organized just a little better for a photo. 🤣 The @nhlblackhawks jersey is being replaced with the @penguins for my trip to Pittsburgh this weekend to welcome back Phil Freaking Kessel to @ppgpaintsarena! I’m also packing my Penguins Christmas sweater to wear while I’m doing all the fun Christmas activities this Friday! 🎄
I’ve been asked a few times (by my family and co-workers, who are confused by my travel schedule) how I plan my travel. Well, I answered their questions with a post for day two of #Blogmas! I listed out all of the apps and websites I use to plan my hockey travel and provide a few tips to help you plan your next trip! (I also tagged those resources in the photo.) Check out the newest Blogmas post in the link in my bio! ✈️
Instagram post 2189580673534467818_7749678720 Happy December, everyone! This year, I’m challenging myself to complete Blogmas - where I post on my blog each day leading up to Christmas! Can I do it? Yeah, we’ll see about that... 🤣
For day one of Blogmas 2019, I found a bunch of random questions on Pinterest and answered them - kind of a random Q&A to get to know me better! One fun fact about me: this is my current favorite picture of myself! It incorporates a lot of my favorite things: I was visiting Pittsburgh, about to go to a @penguins game, and I was drinking a Diet Coke! What could be better?! 🐧
What’s a random fact about yourself that not many people know or something that is just fun to know about you?! Check out the link in my bio to read more random stuff about me. Happy Hockey Days, everyone! 🎄
Instagram post 2186660533440445062_7749678720 #GratitudePost I’m always thankful for hockey and the @penguins, all day every day. This year in particular, I’m incredibly thankful for the hockey community here on Instagram and all that it has brought me. It’s been amazing getting to connect with all of you, become friends with a good many of you, and getting to meet several of you in person! I’m also incredibly thankful for all of the traveling that I’ve gotten to do this year, the most exciting being my first (and soon to come second) trip to Pittsburgh! I’m just feeling a lot of love for my community and my travels and my sport today, so I share with you  a not very well put together caption and one of my favorite pictures of the year! I love you all so very much and wish I could host you all in my home during Thanksgiving! 💛
AND happy, happy, HAPPY birthday to my favorite city in the world! 💛
Instagram post 2185328567898101602_7749678720 #GratitudePost There were many reasons why my visit to Chicago was so exciting, two of those being that it was my first time visiting the home arena of an #OriginalSix team and it was another checkmark on my “Visit Every NHL Arena” bucket list. But the main reason why it was so exciting was because of the love I have for the @nhlblackhawks . While my team loyalty does not belong to them (#LetsGoPens), I have such a special memory of my first season of watching hockey and watching the Blackhawks win the @stanleycup in 2010. It was my first experience seeing the passion of this sport - seeing players work so hard to accomplish such an incredible goal and watching fans experience so much joy because the team they love the most achieved that goal! As much as I loved hockey before that experience, I can easily say that watching the Chicago Blackhawks win the Stanley Cup in 2010 solidified my love for hockey. 🏒
Very thankful that I was able to celebrate the anniversary of the 2010 Cup win with the fans last Thursday night and be a part of that joy. Also, I got to take a cute picture with a replica banner while wearing my authentic @reebok jersey that only cost $40 on @officialnhlshop! ♥️
Happy Thanksgiving week everyone! 🍁
Instagram post 2182456613134455531_7749678720 Feeling extremely grateful to be in Chicago this week and getting to be a Blackhawks fan. I knew that my first visit to an Original 6 team would be memorable and it has not disappointed. Crying a lot of happy tears tonight. Go @nhlblackhawks!! 🏒
Shout out to my friend and favorite Blackhawks fan @thehockeylady for making sure I was in my seat before the national anthem! 🇺🇸
Load More... Follow on Instagram







2019 The Life of Alana. All Rights Reserved. Design by SkyandStars.co
Back Top

Copyright © 2019 · Yoon Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in