Summer is pretty much here and that means school is almost out, oceanside towns are opening for business and every single influencer you follow is headed to the Amalfi Coast or the South of France.
Michael and Lauryn are well-seasoned travelers. As CEOs, entrepreneurs, speakers and podcasts hosts you can image they’ve nailed down some systems for packing, making trips memorable, and keeping things easy and efficient without knocking you off your wellness and exercise game.
In this post you’ll find their favorite luggage and some items you should always pack, how to keep your wellness routine going and take advantage of the services at your hotel, and how to fit in exercise and self-care.
So whether you’re doing a staycation at a local hotel, going on a two day business trip, heading to a cabin on the beach, taking a bougie trip to Paris, renting a villa in Spain or not going anywhere at all, these tips come in handy for any trip.
MICHAEL’S TRAVEL TIPS:
The best luggage you’ll find.
Lauryn and I love to use Tumi Alpha Extended Trip Garment bags. It’s an investment but this is the best I’ve found. It comes with 2 outside pockets for packing cubes, inside liners for smaller items, 2 toiletry bags and it holds 4 pairs of shoes and 4-6 Tumi hangers. Each hanger can hold 2 pairs of pants, 2 shirts, and jackets or dresses. The hangers keep your clothes nice and flat so when you get to the hotel room you just take them out of your bag and hang them in your closet. This specific bag holds more than Tumi’s biggest suitcase. We took these for 1 week in St. Barths and it was more than enough. If you want to see a video on exactly how it works, check out this YouTube video.
No need to overpack.
There is something about traveling light that is more ‘cultured’ than overpacking to me. In my opinion, it’s in bad taste to bring everything you own and then some. Instead, focus on some staples to mix and match.
I write out how many days I’ll be away, then do 1.5 times what I think I need. So if my trip is 7 days long I’ll pack 11 outfits. This doesn’t mean 11 shirts and 11 pants. It means I pack versatile pieces that can be worn more than once.
Men should always bring these 3 items.
Men should always pack a nice pair of black or blue jeans, a white button up shirt and a blue, gray or black blazer. No matter where you go these items can come in handy for a nice dinner, unexpected meeting, or just a casual coffee. When you go to places like the South of France or Italy, men are very well-dressed.
I also find it helpful to have a running list in your phone or in your suitcase of things you always need to bring. Whether it’s a trip for 3 days or 10 days. Things like chargers, adapters, toiletries etc. This way you will never forget them.
Utilize the services at your hotel.
Lauryn and I travel a lot for work, maybe more than most. We stay at the Beverly Hills Hotel a lot so they actually store some things for us like supplements, toiletries and stuff for the kids. A lot of hotels will do this for you if you’re a frequent guest.
We also ship things to our hotel so we don’t have to pack them. We usually do this for diapers, wipes, water, or just things we know we’ll need. All you have to do is go on Amazon, create a shipping address for the hotel, and send your order there.
If you’re visiting somewhere unfamiliar to you, be sure to chat with the Concierge. You can email them ahead of time and get them to help you with an itinerary for your stay. Even if I’m familiar with the city we’re going to I always stay friendly with the Concierge and have them help book reservations and set up things to do.
Keep Your Wellness Routine.
So many people go on vacation and make it this gluttonous free for all. We let the wheels fall off and I’m not even talking about keeping up with fitness. It has to do with eating poorly and drinking. Which in turn has you sleeping badly, leading to more bad habits.
Anytime I travel, even if I’m indulging, I always make sure my main course has tons of protein. This means I don’t have so many cravings, I’m satiated, somewhat maintaining my muscle and don’t feel bloated and gross. I still have bites of the indulgent stuff but never go overboard. While you’re not exercising, having fun and relaxing, you may as well keep your diet strong.
On that note, here are the supplements I always take away with me:
Momentous Omega 3 and sleep packs (code SKINNY for 15% off)
Alkamind Vitamin D3K2 and minerals (code SKINNY for 20% off first purchase)
Kion Creatine and Aminos (code SKINNY for 20% off)
Beekeeper’s Naturals Throat Spray (code SKINNY for 25% off your first order) and Argentin 23 silver spray (I triple dose both for the entire flight)
LAURYN’S TRAVEL TIPS:
Bags I always use to keep me organized.
Love a clear moment so I use these clear toiletry bags when traveling. It’s easy to see what’s in them and divide everything by category. I just pull them out of my suitcase and pop them into the hotel bathroom drawers or keep them on the counter. I also like to use these magnetic pill cases to organize supplements.
Caitlin Jaymes makes the best bikini organizing bags. I have these for myself and my kids swimsuits. The bikini bags keep your drawers or closet looking organized and makes packing so much easier. I also use these for toiletries and to keep some little things organized in my carry all for the airplane. Like gum, sanitizer, wipes, lip balm, anything that’s small really.
They’ve been incredible for keeping my house, suitcase, handbag and hotel room organized. For more on why I love these, check out this post.
Packing cubes.
I’m sure you’ve heard of packing cubes because they really are so efficient and useful when traveling. Michael and I use the Tumi ones that come with our bags, but I also love these ones. They fit so much and keep you organized. Once you get to your destination you just put them in your drawer and it keeps things streamlined for your whole trip. This one is great for bras to keep their shape.
Some people like to organize their packing cubes by category, others like to do it by outfit. Play around and do you, but no matter how you use them, I promise you’ll love them.
Depuffing 101.
Planes make me puffy so the second I land I try to get a lymphatic drainage facial. It helps so much. If you’re not able to do this you can do facial massage with your hands.
+ LIFT your eyes by pinching your brows up.
+ SCULPT your jawline by running your index and middle finger along your jawbone.
+ SMOOTH your forehead by using both index fingers to gently massage.
I always travel with the Mint Roller. It’s literaly why we created it. It’s easy to take on the go, ask your attendant for a glass of ice on the plane, pull it out of your bag to contour at any time. It’s just the perfect travel companion.
Wellness while away.
A really good tip I heard about from a few people is to have a different wellness routine than the one you have at home. I’ve been doing this over the last year or so and it really helps to keep things fresh and not so monotonous. It’s essentially adjusting what you’d normally do to something that fits your travel schedule. It’s pretty simple. Saying that, here are some simple things you can do while you’re away to keep your wellness in check.
+ cold showers (when you don’t have a cold plunge)
+ resistance training (just do 10 minutes of movement in your room – try PVOLVE (code SKINNY) or Pilates with Bryony (code LAURYN)
+ meditation (you can do this sitting quietly or walking – love MWH and you can use code TSC for one month free)
+ morning light (easy to do during your walking meditation or sitting outside with a coffee)
+ up your aminos (when not exercising, taking extra aminos can maintain your muscles – more on this here and use code SKINNY for 20% off)
How I pack my outfits.
A while ago @steph_shep posted about how she uses a rolling rack to pack her outfits. I immediately ordered this one and started using it for all my trips. It makes it so easy to pull everything you WANT to bring, then mix and match what will work and set aside what doesn’t. You can lay versatile shoes that will go with every look below and use the hooks on the end for your handbags. Seeing everything vertically like this, opposed to laid out on your bed is a gamechanger.
Save this post as a resource for your future trips and let us know if you have any amazing travel tips we should know about. Where are you going this summer?
Let us know everything below. And if you need some inspo for outfits, be sure to stalk Lauryn’s LTK.
x, The Skinny Confidential team.
+ Check out this Lake Como travel guide.
++ Michael’s tips for beating jetlag and what you should always pack in case you get sick.
SHOP TRAVEL HACKS:
