Background: Traveling

Travel pillow, Silk Sleep Mask, Bose Wireless Headphones, Fendi Tote Bag, Speedo Goggles

One: Luggage

Good luggage is key to traveling with ease. I cannot stress this enough. Ever since I was little, I've always invested in quality luggage and it makes all the difference in your travels. I grew up loving Tumi, and while they have been some of the most reliable luggage I have ever owned, I entered into the tech craze and joined the bandwagon of Raden smart luggage in 2016. My luggage has a tracker, battery pack, and a TSA-approved lock on it. The Raden carry-on is perfect for an overnight trip, but too small (IMO) for a long weekend trip, and I don't like checking bags. While I think the Raden luggage does travel nicely, I think that I prefer simplicity and functionality the most, so I've upgraded to some classic Rimowa pieces (26" and 22"). 

Tumi Umbrella

Duffle Bag

Black Backpack

Two: On The Plane

Before the flight, I always download a few episodes from my latest go-to series from Netflix (you can watch it easily on their app) and I make sure that I am up-to-date on my Podcasts and the playlists I want off Spotify are in offline mode. Depending on the airline, I may pre-order a special meal like a fruit plate so it's easier to digest. You should always try and eat something on the plane, but sometimes the processed food isn't good and will make you feel bloated and sick. 

Either take a zippered tote bag, a zippered duffle bag, or a small zipped carry-on luggage as your one of your carry-on's. Use these bags to store all of your in-flight gear. On a red eye flight, I generally don't travel with make-up on. Before the flight in the lounge, I'll usually put on a Korean sheet mask while drinking some hot tea. Then when aboard the flight, I put on Dr. Hauschka's Hydrating Mask with rose wax and shea butter (it goes on entirely clear and you can leave it on for the duration of your flight) to prevent dehydration from the plane air and afterwards, I put on La Mer's Moisturizing Soft Cream to lock in the hydration. I also use SK-II's Signs Eye Mask to prevent any dark circles, so I look as rested as possible when I land. I'll follow this with an acid-alkalizing tea that I bring on board myself. This helps the body to find the correct acid-alkaline balance, the harmoniously matched herbs have been chosen to also be relaxing whilst strengthening the immune system, which you need on a flight. I usually only fly direct, so depending on where I land, it's usually not a very long flight, so most of the time I have to pull myself together pretty quickly in order to de-board the plan, grab my luggage, and find my Uber. I like to store all my in-flight skincare products into a see-through bag from Muji. That way, it's easy to see when you are on the plane and in a cramped environment. 

Generally speaking, I wear layers on flights- tons of layers upon layers because I get cold easily, and I try to wear one color to make it easy and monotoned. I wear an oversized scarf that doubles as a blanket that I designed, an eye-mask to put over my eyes (so no one can stare at me as I'm sleeping), a pair of thick socks from Muji, and slippers so that I can remove my shoes and wear those throughout the flight. My favorite slippers are by a little cobbler in Shanghai that are silk with hand-stitched designs on them. I have a few that are custom and a few that are his designs, but I love all of them. Almost always when I travel, I will peak into a little shop that is custom to that city and pick up a souvenir or two. I also bring my memory foam rectangular pillow for any flight over 5+ hours.

Travel tea bag + tea pouches

Cashmere Socks

Neck pillow

Toothbrush/ Marvis

Travel Nue Co Protein

Hand Sanitizer Jurilique

Three: Skincare

Traveling kills your skin, so even on the road, I bring a lot of skincare products. I have my 10-Step Beauty Routine that I do at home that I have outlined here, but I'm not as aggressive when I'm traveling. I always bring my Beauty Water from Son & Park, which is really an all-in-one solution for cleaning your skin, 

I try and protect my skin as much as possible from the sun- especially on my face, so I always wear large brim hats if the sun is strong, and non-toxic sunscreens like La Roche Posay. If I wear anything higher than 15 SPF on my body, I won't tan at all, so 15 SPF is usually enough for me and I prefer Clarins's 15 SPF Sunscreen Oil. It goes on really well and it's easy to travel with in a plastic container from Muji. 

Four: Makeup

My makeup routine is quite simple. I don't wear a lot of makeup generally, but I use Laura Mercier's Oil-Free Tinted Moisturizer with SPF 20 every day and Hourglass bronzer and highligher for some color. I also use Chanel's pencil and liquid liner and some combination of their lipstick. If I want to add more contouring for evening, I use Nars eyeshadows. My favorite thing to do is be adventurous with a pop of color on my lips. I get my eyelashes done twice a month too.

Five: Haircare

I care about my hair probably more than most people, but you have to in order to make sure your strands are healthy for years to come. I colored my hair a lot when I was younger, so I have to make sure I watch and use appropriate products. At home I use Kertain Complex, but on the road I usually use Keratase. 

Six: Electronics

When I travel for a week, I bring a minimum of 2 battery packs completely charged with 8 charges available per battery. When I travel for two weeks, I bring four. My favorite ones are Anker and I buy them from Amazon in bulk. They will change your life. I store all of these into my carry-on bag (you are not allowed to check batteries) and organize all the wires together in a small bag. I bring three iPhone chargers, a charger to charge my external batteries, my laptop charger, Macbook Pro, battery charger for my camera, extra camera batteries, extra SD cards, SD card converter, Canon 5D, camera lens (usually 50mm), and iPhone X. I know it seems like a lot, but the most important thing in the world to me is to capture moments, so without a camera of some sort, I end up with a camel when what I am looking for is a horse.

Go Pro

Running Headphones

Bose Sound Isolating Headphones

Seven: Outfits

I never travel on trips without planning out my outfits. Everyone wonders why I am able to pack so efficiently and for so long, and it's because I carefully curate each outfit. I bring a few extra pieces just in case I change my mind or the weather isn't cooperating, but for the most part, each day and night are carefully planned in advance. When I’m not being photographed, I keep my style super simple. I always travel with basics: a leather motorcycle jacket, a white collared shirt, a white tee shirt, a white linen tank, black turtleneck (if it's going to be chilly), leather leggings, vintage denim cut-offs (if it's hot), and my Outdoor Voices tech kits that double as workout clothes and athleisure. The secret to traveling is to never unpack! I usually carry one to two luggages with me at any even time depending on where I am going, so I often leave both of those entirely packed.

Eight: Accessories

I have a small bag of accessories that I almost always take on any trip (rings, bracelets, earrings, belts, scarves), so I keep those packed that way I can just take it whenever I need it. For any costume jewelry or other accessories, I add those in at the last minute when I know what my outfits are going to be. I usually always pack one variation of white trainers (Ked's for summer with my dresses, Common Project's for winter, Stan Smith's for in-between months, Miu Miu if I'm feeling adventurous), a simple black pump (Louboutin), a loafer (Gucci), a black boot (Saint Laurent, Chanel, or Acne), and my sling backs (Chanel). 

Chanel Ballet flats

Nine: Exercise

If I'm on the east coast, I do a variety of things including boxing, pilates or barre a few times a week. I also try and walk everywhere I need to go, so sometimes if the weather is nice, it I could be walking about the city runnings errands for miles. If I'm on the west coast, I walk about 4 miles in the mornings, bike, or surf. If I am Europe, (usually spend most of my time in Paris or London), I walk and walk and walk. If I'm in Paris, I have a bike there, so usually bike around since its quicker or take the metro. In London, I take the underground, then walk the rest of the way. 

Ten: Food

I try not to eat processed food, especially when I'm on the road, but it's usually difficult. When I travel, I always plan ahead with food options (you can see some of my favorite spots in my City Guides) and I find these places from local friends, design magazines, OpenTable, Yelp, etc. It's really important to me to find places that offer fresh and healthy food. My favorite meal when I am traveling through is sushi, so long as the fish is really high quality and fresh. I'm not a big drinker in general, so I shy away from alcohol especially during my travels. I also walk everywhere when I get to a city, if I can. At home, if I am cooking something easy, I like to eat rice bowls with seasonal vegetables (right now: lots of garden kale roasted, with carrots, and other bright varietals) and one of my homemade sauces. I rarely shop in large super markets, except for Whole Foods, but I really try to buy all my food local and organic from sustainable farmers when I'm local or staying somewhere for a longer duration of time.

The food that you put into your body is so important. If you approach eating well from a place of love and expansion, then it becomes your lifestyle versus a chore. If you see it as a chore, no matter how diligent you are about your calories, food choices, etc. you will not have long-lasting results. If you approach eating from a place of self-love and appreciation for your body, then it becomes something natural. I see eating well as treating myself every single day.