My Travel Uniform + Travel Must-Haves

July 16, 2015

meghan donovan I travel style I wit & whimsy

If you’ve been following this blog for quite some time you know I travel a lot. I recently shared my Nashville travel diary and my travel style for weekend getaways and I feel like I spent my 20s honing my travel routine. My family is spread across the country (and currently the world with one brother living in Africa for the summer) so I visit them, I travel to see clients for work and for events and then revel in getting to explore U.S. and beyond (as we all do, of course.)

wit & whimsy I travel style

When I first started traveling for work, I couldn’t make 5 days work in a carry on suitcase. When work travel became more frequent (I was doing trips to NYC every 6 weeks from San Francisco) , I had to figure out how to be more efficient. I started rolling my clothes to maximize space, cut down on my toiletries and making a more conscience effort to bring pieces that had more versatility (tops that could be paired with skirts + heels and with jeans, etc.) Nowadays I can work a whole week in a carry on – hachacha!

wit & whimsy I gap jeans I vince leather jacket

I’ve also learned what I have to have with me when I travel…

1. Bose QuietComfort Noise Cancelling Headphones:

HOLY Game Changer. While they don’t get rid of all noises, they certainly help you not hear that background lull of the plane and they seem to help in getting less annoyed with the crying children or noisy chatty Kathys on the plane. I really can’t believe it took me to being 28 to get a pair of these. A life changing investment if you travel frequently.

2. iPad:

I primarily bring my iPad for reading because I always have a solid amount of new reads downloaded on it. It’s slimmer and more convenient than lugging books around. I just finished The Love Affairs of Nathaniel P., am currently reading Big Little Lies and downloaded My Paris Dream (at Taylor’s recommendation) and Astonish Me for my next reads.

3. A good suitcase aka The Delsey Belfort:

My carry on broke on a trip to Dallas in December. Handle damn well came unscrewed and bent and lord knows how it all happened but Jess and I spent a good twenty minutes in our hotel room trying to sort it out. We were requesting power tools to no avail and then resorted to tying a lanyard on the top handle, forcing me to drag my bouncing suitcase around DFW and LGA. What a site I was. My woes were solved by the acquisition of this amazingly sleek, super lightweight Delsey suitcase. I love it. It’s come on at least four trips with me already and I’m pretty obsessed with how chic and European it looks. Not to mention it has all these great interior features and a lock that will ward of anybody thinking about putting their hands on it – ha!

4. Longchamp Tote:

I’ve tried to be the person who carries one of my more expensive, nicer bag when they travel but all that ends up happening is the bag begins to look worn down. So I now almost exclusively travel with this Longchamp. It’s durable, sleek and fits my laptop, my headphones, wallet and my pouch with all the little essentials and more.

5. Eye Mask:

I wrote about my need for an eye mask here but trust me when I say it actually helps a considerable amount with sleeping on planes. (Particularly when combined with the aforementioned headphones). I take about 3-4 Red Eyes a year and this is my trusted combo (plus one of these!)

meghan donovan I travel style

And my travel uniform these days? It focuses on comfort and consists of a T-shirt (this censor tee is hilarious so I had to have it but these are my other favorite tees for travel- only $15!) + distressed denim (favorite pairs here and here) + leather jacket (best investment I made last year) + Tieks. Comfortable and no worrying about shoe issues at security or being cold on the plane. I shot these photos just before heading to the airport to fly to San Francisco last month and I’ll be repeating this same look when I take flight in a week to head back out there!

p.s. if your week needs a pick me up…I’m doing a pretty stellar giveaway on Instagram with some of my favorite bloggers! 

Shop the Post:

Cynthia Rowley Tee (I also love this one and this one that are equally as fun- and both on sale!)

Leather Jacket

Gap Jeans

Tieks Ballerina Flats (c/o)

Celine Sunglasses

Delsey Belfort Plus Spinner Carry-on Suitcase (c/o)

Longchamp Tote

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[Bekka Palmer Photography]

comments +

  1. I love that shirt! Noise cancelling headphones are a mus while traveling! There is nothing worse than a child crying on a redeye. Well, maybe being the parent of the child crying, but still. 😉

    Her Heartland Soul
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