This is one of my favorite posts to do all year. I get to spend time searching the internet for the most fun, interesting, and useful gifts. And boy did I find some! Bring on the shopping.

Flight Comfort

The Cabin Cuddler is a great gift for anyone who travels long distances! It’s super warm and cozy, is easy to pack, and includes a pillow. Travel slippers would also be great on a long haul trip, plus they would be nice to wear around the hotel room during the winter. Eye masks are great for helping travelers sleep on planes or in a hotel room, and this one is super cute! Finally, compression socks are a must have for long flights. Keep your loved one’s ankles and feet from swelling and reduce their risk of DVT.

Passport cover

Give your favorite road warriorette a passport overhaul. A fun passport cover can liven up boring travel docs. Love this one from Ruche.

Fun travel toiletries

A little pampering makes frequent business travel more bearable, and this Oatmeal Whoopie Pie scented body wash sounds verrry luxurious. And tasty.  Another option is this Travel Spa in a Box. It includes anti-bacterial aroma mist, anti-bacterial hand oil, a lavender flax eye pillow, lip balm, and others. Fabulous. Not only is this little bag from Etsy shop Aunt Meep’s Attic very cute, it’s made of oilcloth so it’s easy to clean, and can be used for makeup or non-liquid toiletries.

Luggage tag

Help your favorite traveler keep track of their bag with these brightly colored, fun luggage tags.

Kindle/iPad case

Seriously I am putting this on my list. I didn’t even know they made Kindle cases this pretty!!! And don’t forget a Kindle or iPad to go inside of it

Travel mug

Travel mugs keep your beverage warm and reduce trash. This clever mug from Mighty Leaf is made specifically for tea drinkers, and would be a great gift for the traveler in your life! (Enter our contest, and you could win one!)

Readers, what are you shopping for this holiday season?

It’s early in the week, but there are already some interesting travel stories out there.

CNN has an interesting look into the future of airport security. What does the future hold? Well, thermal lie detector tests and cloned drug and illness sniffing puppies, for starters. Yowza!

Worried about keeping clean on the road? MSNBC has a roundup of some very interesting products designed to keep you refreshed, germ free, and, well, less smelly.

Nuts About Southwest has a post with details about Southwest Airline’s long awaited Rapid Rewards Shopping. Today only earn double points when using the portal. Yay shopping!

Dry airplane air, late nights, red-eye flights, travel stress…. All of these can wreak havoc with your skin and hair. For me, looking my best helps a ton with confidence when I’m super stressed or busy.  That’s why it’s so important to have the right supplies on hand. With that in mind, here are the things I need the most for grooming while travel.

1. Moisturizer. I use Eminence Organics Caramel Latte Tinted Moisturizer SPF 25. It works amazingly well, plus it’s organic and smells amaaaazing. My skin just drinks it up after a long flight.
2. Mascara. It was hard to pick my favorite cosmetic! I love my Makeup Forever Aqua Cream eyeshadow, but if I had to pick one thing I would pick my mascara,  Lancome Hypnose in Black. It turns my short blond lashes into long, thick, eye-framing lashes that wake me up even more than a Venti Americano.
3. Curling iron. My hair is curly. Mostly. Well, it’s kind of in the middle–there are straight pieces and curly pieces. After years of trial and error, I’ve discovered it’s much easier to curl the straight pieces than straighten the curly pieces. So now my Revlon curling iron is MVP in my suitcase. One time I left it in a rental car trunk and didn’t realize until I was on the plane. I freaked out, and my first stop once I landed was Target to replace it.
4. Shampoo and conditioner. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. I can’t use 95% of hotel-provided hair products–my hair is just too sensitive! I pour small amounts of my home products into refillable bottles and bring ‘em with me. Right now I’m using Aveda Be Curly shampoo and conditioner, and I love it.
5. Hydrating mist. For any flight over two hours, I make sure I have my Juice Beauty Hydrating Mist on hand. It refreshes my face, keeps me from getting dried out, and smells nice.
6. Honorable mention: For long-haul flights, I’ve got to have my Korres Pomegranate face wipes on hand. I love being able to get my face clean without using airplane bathroom water, which just feels kind of icky.

Okay Readers, now it’s your turn! What are your top five grooming necessities?

P.S.: I am guest posting on Corporette all week!! Check out the fun clothes I picked out for the morning TPS reports.

For some reason, I’m always surprised when I learn a new toiletry packing tip. I guess I think I’ve heard so many there cna’t possibly be any more! But they just keep coming. In the past, we’ve talked about using contact lens cases for small amounts of creams and liquids and soaking cotton balls with makeup remover. Here is one more genius space saving tip from Real Simple. Dip a q-tip into your eye shadow and put it in a plastic bag, saving even more room in your makeup bag. They suggest doing this to several q-tips, with concealer or lipstick as well, and keeping them all together. I don’t actually think that would work, as the various types and colors of makeup would rub off on each other. But certainly one q-tip can have a color on each side. This is a great idea for people who don’t use more than two eyeshadow colors most days.

It makes me wonder what great toiletry packing tips are around the corner. You can never save too much space!

Have you ever gotten to the airport and realized, “Dangit! I forgot my toothpaste/deodorant/razor?” I know I have. Well, that won’t be a problem anymore. If you forget some critical toiletry item, you can now purchase a replacement at GroomingZone. You all know I love a good vending machine (Sephora anyone?), and The New York Times calls it “The New Touch Face of Vending Machines.”  I would say it’s probably 20 times nicer than a mere vending machine, as GroomingZone does not disappoint. It has all kinds of products, including:

• Razors and shaving cream
• Deodorant
• Toothpaste, toothbrush,  and whitening strips
• Shampoo

Many products are available as stand alone or part of a nice little kit. Granted, a lot of the brands are more male-oriented, but there are definitely things here that ladies can use. They are also launching a more female-oriented BeautyBar at a variety of malls across the country on September 5. They sent me a lovely bag of sample goodies from the BeautyBar, and I can tell you that there will be some great products in there. (Maybe one will end up in an airport sometime? We shall see!)

GroomingZones have been set up at DFW in Terminal C (near Gate 28), SFO Terminal G, and ATL Terminal C.  So if you have a few minutes, or forget your toothpaste, check it out next time you’re at one of these airports.

You may remember how I neglected to make a list for my last trip to Boston. Well, in addition to being ill-prepared for the rain with footwear, I also completely forgot to pack my contacts case. Normally, I leave it in my non-liquids travel bag all the time, but after a recent trip to the lake I had taken it out and neglected to put it back in. This is kind of ironic, because I actually have three other contact lens cases in my liquids bag, each filled with various lotions and hair products. While I thought about cleaning one of these cases and using it, I didn’t trust that I could get all of the lotion out. I also briefly considered just leaving my contacts in and sleeping with them, but I really hate doing that because they get so dried out. So I searched around the room for something, anything, that I could use. Inspiration struck when I noticed that I had two water glasses. I ended up squirting just enough contact solution into the bottom to cover my lenses and setting them up side by side on the bathroom counter. More solution was used than normal, but at least I didn’t have to sleep in my contacts.

The moral of the story? Check your list before you leave home! But if you forget something, look around your room. The possibilities for turning something random into something useful can be surprising!

Readers, have you ever forgotten something and adapted a hotel room staple to replace it?

In honor of my fabulous traveling companions, and all the people who told me that it is so hard to condense toiletries, I give you the Toiletry Travel Tips Roundup. Here are my favorite and most effective tips for making the most of your liquids bag.

• I take three bags–my liquids bag, non-liquids bag, and makeup bag. It is easier to shove three small bags in various spots in my suitcase than one huge one.
• Don’t put anything in your liquids bag that doesn’t have to go there. For example, deoderant, contact solution, glasses, makeup, etc.
• Use those contact lens cases! You can get them for super cheap from drug stores, and store small amounts of liquids in them. I keep my face wash, moisturizer, hair glaze, and curly hair cream in there.
• Dip q-tips in make-up remover. This way you don’t have to take along a full bottle.
• Get small bottles from Aveda or Amazon and fill them with your favorite shampoo, conditioner, and body wash. I use lotion from the hotel.

Readers, what are your favorite toiletry packing tips?

Last week’s toiletries post sparked some debate over the weekend at my parents’. My mom said that she sees people clearly staying somewhere overnight, traveling with suitcases, who don’t take out their liquids bag for security. I always have, and I think most people I know always do. But do most frequent fliers? I remember one time forgetting to take it out and no one saying anything to me. But I also remember one time accidentally leaving a large bottle of sunscreen in my backpack from a camping trip that was found immediately by TSA. So I decided to do a poll, because I am very curious!

Do you take your liquids bag out to go through security? If no, have you ever been busted by TSA? Do you think it makes going through security faster if you don’t take it out?

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A year ago, I gave you all a list of my favorite travel toiletries. It was a good list, I still use a lot of those products. However, due to some evolutions in my beauty routine, as well as some updates on what is considered a liquid by the TSA, the contents of my liquids bag has changed.

What’s the same:

• Opti-Free contact solution
• Any body wash
• Crest toothpaste
• Frederic Fekkai hair glossing cream
• Skyn Iceland eye pen
• Juice Beauty Hydrating Mist

What’s new:

• Eminence Lemon Face Cleanser. Love, love this stuff! Smells amazing, made from all organic ingredients, and works great. I keep it in a contact lens case and refill it every couple of trips.
• Aveda Tinted Moisturizer. It’s perfect, really–light, creamy, works great, and has SPF. I also keep this in a contact lens case.
• Lotion. Now that my Rosemary Mint has run out (sob) I just use whatever is available–usually one from a hotel.
• Prive Concept Vert Shampoo and Conditioner. This is the best. shampoo. ever. I am doing a full review next week, suffice it to say it will make your hair soft and lovely and the packaging is too cool.
• L’Oreal Eye Makeup Remover. Now that I’ve got so many things in contact lens cases, I have freed up a lot of room in my bag. So now I can carry eye makeup remover with me, instead of using moisturizer.

What’s not in there anymore:

• Deodorant, lip gloss, mascara. Yes! TSA has changed the rules and I don’t need to have this stuff in my liquids bag anymore.
• Korres face cleansing cloths. Cleansing cloths are great for long days, but don’t have to be in the liquids bag.

I actually carry three extra contact lens cases with me these days, with face wash, makeup remover, and moisturizer in them. This bag holds everything I need for my full beauty routine, with space leftover. I am one happy traveler!

Readers, what’s your favorite travel toiletry item?

For the last few years, I have gone back and forth on my liquids bag. Sometimes it’s a heavy duty Ziploc and other times it’s a heavier plastic bag that comes as part of a cheap toiletry kit. Here are my thoughts.

Ziploc bag. These bags are cheap, plentiful, and can hold a lot of stuff. They also may burst open if you don’t close them properly, creating a potentially embarrassing mess. After a few trips, they will often develop rips. Even so, I always have a couple in my suitcase just in case, and they have saved me on more than one occasion.

Heavier bag. I have received several skin care sets recently, and so have a lot of plastic zip top bags (similar to what comes with this toiletry set).  I like them because they won’t rip, will hold a lot of stuff, and feel more substantial than plain Ziplocs. Unfortunately, if you pack them the wrong way, the zipper will just pop off, leaving you with a useless bag. This has happened to me multiple times in the last two years.

At this point, I am going to bite the bullet and pay for a heavier plastic bag with a real zipper, such as this one from Flybags. I don’t want to be wasteful and throw away a Ziploc bag every month or so, but I also don’t want to spend a ton of money trying to figure this out. I will try this nicer bag, and report back after a few trips.

To see what I keep in my liquids bag, see Business Travel 101: Toiletries.

Readers, what kind of bag do you use for your liquids bag?

Well, exciting to those of use who travel a lot.

Due to the cleverness of many of my readers, I have a list of updates about what does and does not have to be in your Ziplock going through security. If you know of any I missed, please share!

• Deodorant. Stick deodorant is fine in any size and does not have to be in your Ziplock. Gel and aerosol deoderant mus be 3.4 oz or less and must be in the liquids bag. (Source: TSA blog)
• Makeup. Common size facial cosmetic and medicinal products in a tube, for example mascara, lip gloss, and lip balm are not required to be placed in the 1 qt. bag. May I just say, hallelujah. (Source: TSA blog)
• Contact solution. According to the TSA site:  You may bring all prescription and over-the-counter medications (liquids, gels, and aerosols) including petroleum jelly, eye drops, and saline solution for medical purposes. So, let’s just go with it. It still needs to be in a resealable bag, and it still needs to come out for screening. It just doesn’t have to take up room in your other liquids bag. (Source: TSA site)

Most of these came from the TSA blog, and if you have a minute check out some of the comments. There is a lot of good information and experiences there.  Of course, if you get frustrated easily that may not be a good idea……