Travel Preparation - Routine and Items

I have a holiday and a work trip coming up and it got me thinking about my travel preparation routine. Personally I love packing and getting ready to travel. I love writing lists, buying new toiletries and getting myself feeling fresh for the trip to come. All of it! 

I suffer from anxiety, so to help combat that I like to be fully prepared before I travel anywhere. That usually means a few rituals I like to do so I feel ready to go. 

As it's holiday season, I thought I'd share my travel preparation routine and the items I like to use. Even for people who aren't going on holiday this year, these things are still great to do for self care, so keep reading and see if there's something new for you to try! 

Skin Care

Face Mask 

Travelling always makes my skin feel awful and gets very oily. For my work trip, I'm taking the train and for my holiday I'm flying which means both modes of transport are going to make my skin feel icky. 

Before I travel, I love to do a face mask so I know I've fully cleansed my skin before I go. I almost see it as a clean slate. Fresh faced and ready to go!

My favourite mask at the moment is this Lush Mask of Magnaminty face and body mask. As the name suggests it smells very minty so it makes me feel as though I've brushed my teeth but...my face. It has an exfoliating element to it that makes my skin glow after I use it. My skin also feels soft and cleansed meaning I only need a little face cream afterwards. I usually use this once a week anyway but I will defiantly be using it before my trips so I feel fresh and prepped.   

Sun Cream 

If I'm travelling abroad it's usually a good idea to apply my sun cream before I go as otherwise it will be stuck in my suitcase when I arrive at my destination. It means when I get there I'm already prepped for the heat and the sunshine.

The sun cream I'm using at the moment is Solait 30SPF High Moisturising Sun Lotion. It doesn't sit too heavy on my skin and just felt as though I'd put my normal face moisturiser on. Perfect for travelling!

Body 

Body Cream 

Now, I personally love to have shaved legs because I like to feel all silky and smoooth. (Not because of societies stupid conception that women need to be as smooth as a new born baby!) So I don't have to shave much during my trip, I try and shave the day before so I'm nice and prepped. But if I'm going abroad it means heat, which means dryness which means...itchy legs. 

It's vital for me to put a moisturiser or a body lotion on where I've shaved so my skin isn't totally dried out. That way I don't spend my entire journey kicking the back of the seat in front of me while I scratch all the skin off my legs. 

A personal favourite of mine is Champneys: Summer Dream Rewarding Butter Soufflé. I've had this aaages and it's lasted so long, even when I've used big scoops. It also helps it smells very summery and gets me in the mood to drink cocktails by the sea. 

Hand Cream

Despite my face getting oily when travelling, my hands get very dry. Especially, over the last couple of years where I sanitise my hands after everything I touch in public. This means, I need a really good hand cream that's going to keep my hands feeling soft right until I reach my destination. 

On a day to day basis, I don't often like using thick hand creams. Otherwise I have to sit around for a while whilst my hands dry. However, if it's to prep my hands for a long journey then it's better to have something a little thicker that'll lost longer. 

Due to the horrific heat in the UK at the moment my hands have been getting very dry so I've started to use Lush Helping Hands hand cream. It's a thick product so I do have to sit with it to let it dry (I tend to use it before bed) but it really does well...heal my hands!

Nails 

I haven't always been able to afford to get my nails done but luckily my Mum is a trained nail technician so she's taught me how to paint my own nails very well. The only downside to this is my Mum has instilled a nail varnish obsession in me...I'm not complaining it just means I have a colour for every possible mood and occasion! 

My favourite nail varnishes of all time have to be any from Barry M. The colours, the pigments and the durability of their nail varnishes are unmatched. I also use Rimmel London 60 Seconds Super Shine top coat and I find my nails can last up to 2 weeks! 

The colour I'm going to use for this trip is Rhubarb. 

Hair 

I know for a fact I'm not the only one that likes to organise their hair wash days in line with their plans. For me, that means washing my hair the day before a trip so I don't have to get up even earlier and wash and sort my hair the day of. 

Recently I've been trying to use quite natural products on my hair and have been using Simple Gentle Cleaning Shampoo and Gentle Care Conditioner. My hair always feels super soft after I use these which is wonderful for when I'm travelling. 

Entertainment 

Book 

It's important to me to have the right book at the ready when I plan to travel. I try to at least read a chapter or so of the new book before I leave so I know it's going to keep me entertained for the journey. If I'm going on holiday I will also bring a second book just in case I finish the first one. 

This is a potential book for my work trip (I'm going to France so it seems appropriate) but I may change my mind by Saturday!

Portable Charger 

It's only been the last couple of years that I've realised the importance of having a portable charger. If I need to use Google Maps when travelling I don't want to be panicking my phone is going to run low on battery. Which is why it's handy to have a fully charged portable charger at the ready. 

I got bought this one from Typo and it doesn't charge my battery all the way but does manage to keep it at a reasonable level so I don't stress. Plus the pattern is cute! 

I hope some of you found this useful and if some of you already do all of those things that's amazing! If you have any products to recommend or even anything I don't already do please let me know in the comments. Bon Voyage!