I never thought that I would ever be a “carry-on” person. The idea of fitting all that I needed for my trip in to the overhead compartment or underneath the seat in front of me was daunting—a fact that was only reinforced by the TSA liquid restrictions.
At this point I should probably admit that I have always been a bit of an over-packer. I plan for everything and bring outfits for the impending rain, sleet and snow. There are the must haves: I always pack a bathing suit—because there might be a pool— and my yoga gear—because I may need to blow off steam. And I bring plenty of jewelry and far too many hair and beauty products. With that packing list, I had chocked myself up to being a perpetual checker, and then the baggage fees were introduced …
I started to travel to New York and L.A. more often for our cover shoots, and dropping $40 a pop on my luggage seemed excessive. It was time for reform, a packing revolution, and so an experiment began. I was to carry-on, no matter what.
The first trip to New York was traumatic. I was under-packed, and what I had tossed into my bag was far too warm for walking in the city’s oppressive summer heat. Operation Carry-On’s first mission was deemed unsuccessful, and I ended up heading to Zara for reinforcements.
The experiment continued. There were flights to L.A. and New York and back to L.A. again. I scouted out the best in travel-sized goods (I am now obsessed with Bumble & Bumble hair products and La Prairie's face wash). I opted for a solid perfume (Fracas to be exact) rather than a spray. Wardrobe followed suit, and I narrowed in on the basics that I can mix and match.
And so, I have begun to fall in line with the ethos of this so-called “carry-on” culture. I like it. It is convenient. It saves time. Next up is finding the hotels with the “good” products so I can leave some of mine at home—to make room for more jewelry, of course.