Travelling Chic

                               

I wrote this in 2016, and forgot to post it. So, here goes:

I have just had 3 days away with 3 friends. We went to some very rustic & highly therapeutic natural hot springs. These sort of hot springs are highly mineralised. They are in quite a few places in New Zealand, but to find some that are also therapeutic in cost, which these ones are, is just such a treat. Sadly many of our more well known ones are out of the range of many of us kiwis. "User-pays" culture gone mad.

We went to a really inexpensive lodge & just chilled out, & soaked. So special. I am constantly amazed at how lovely our country is, & how there is still so much that absolutely anyone can do & see, cheaply. It really is beautiful, hauntingly so, in many places. And I always ask about the history of any place that I go to ... there is always someone with fascinating stories.

It was not one of my more chic weekends. I had a sore chest (it's winter here), & was quite debilitated with it, however one long soak in the appropriate pool .... & a miracle happened: my chest started to heal.

And I took the wrong food. We were staying somewhere with a big communal kitchen, & just prepared our own food. My group shared food. Why did I take organic muesli & almond milk for our breakfast? Everyone, myself included, just wanted toast. And no-one wanted the tins of tuna that I took, either. Mistake number one. I'm clearly not sure how to do this travelling food thing.

We stopped at a cafe going to the springs, & back to Auckland. It was a long trip. Why do we stop & eat a full meal size snack when travelling? It's not as though we are expending much energy, sitting in a car. Out of a city the food is either really bad or fantastic. No midway here in this country! Mistake number two. Water & a bit of fruit or piece of cheese to nibble on would have filled me up. And, it would have been more chic.....

I pared down my skin care, but not enough: mistake number 3. Next trip anywhere it's wipes for cleaning, bio-oil to get off any make-up & for night cream, plus day cream with spf. No time to luxuriate with body lotion when you're sharing a bathroom. I keep soap freebies from hotels & take one with me, deodorant, & small containers of shampoo, conditioner, & hand cream that I have decanted.

And now, 2018 update:

My most recent visit to the above hot pools in Northland, last year, was a disaster. I felt sorry for the person whom I travelled with. I was a terrible travelling friend as I had big allergic reactions on the way up and was very sick. It took days for me to recover. I now have anti-histamine pills permanently in my handbag for any sensitivities. There is absolutely no chicness in travelling and getting sick!!

It's late autumn and I have again been travelling, staying with family, for four days. I went with:

• two pairs of jeans
• a few tops
• a jumper (which I didn't need.....)
• a jacket-cardigan thing 
• walking shoes
• pjs
• 2 bras 
• 5 pairs of knickers
• 2 pairs of socks

So you can see that I travel really lightly. I feel that this is less invasive for my family, as I take up less room with my bits and pieces. And being rather short, I definitely don't take up much room!

And I must confess that I am not one of those bloggers who have lovely outfits on their blog: I simply do not have a big enough wardrobe for that. (And, others do it better than me)

I take a small everyday handbag, and everything else fits into my old medium sized travel bag. It's not a flash bag, it's a tidy one, and has travelled far and wide with me.

I also took minimal make-up:

• Antipodes mineral powder and Thin Lizzy brush
• eyebrow powder (it's actually an old eyeshadow) and brush
• mascara
• eyeliner
• lipstick
• all of this except my lippy, goes into a small make-up bag

And minimal other stuff:

• facewipes for removing make-up
• tinted sunblock 
• shampoo and conditioner decanted into small containers
• small soap, conveniently taken as a freebie from some hotel stay
• toothbrush
• small tube of toothpaste
• deodorant
• hand cream
• all except the hand cream goes into a toilette bag

So, to recap, these are my tips for chic travelling:

• sort out The Food Thing 
• take and drink lots of water
• decant your skin and hair care into small (labelled) containers
• take minimal hair, skin, and make-up products
• take a mindful wardrobe with you