Planning, packing and the pursuit of perfect travel

Greetings from Budapest, Hungary. I’m going to try to blog daily about this amazing trip and take you along with me. We are on the Viking River Cruise ship Jarl and we are sailing the Danube river from Budapest to Nuremburg.

Let’s start with travel style. I had a reader text me and ask me to blog about the following. “How do you travel at night wearing comfortable clothes and still look stylish, then get up and get ready using a bathroom the size of a broom closet while eight strangers wait to get in next and not look like an unmade bed when you land.” Hence the reason for the first picture. That is exactly my look when I departed. I have some simple rules for travel.

1) Always look pulled together yet be comfortable. You will notice that I wear neutrals and I never travel in heels. These khaki shorts are loose and I have on a starched, white cotton button down blouse. If you start with it starched you have a better chance of not looking wrinkled when you get off. Another good choice is a soft cotton maxi dress.

2) I travel with my own cashmere wrap. This pink one is from Abi Ferrin and I absolutely love it. I do not trust airplane blankets. There is no possible way they can keep up with the laundry demand. Yuck!

3) My luggage of choice is Tumi. On international trips I have one roller bag and a matching Tumi bag that get checked all the way through. I carry on my large LV tote bag and my LV monogram sack holds my laptop and reading materials. I bring a cute cross body bag for site seeing.

4) On travel days, I get a professional blow out. You can do this at your hair salon or at The Dry Bar ( I have a membership). Why? If I get a blow out and ask for no product to be put in my hair, I can get three days out of great hair. Your travel pictures will look much better and you will feel great.

5) Have small toiletries in your carry on bag. If you do not get upgraded to business or first class, you will be on your own for a toothbrush and toothpaste.

In general, I try to drink lots of water on the flight and sleep as much as I can. When I arrive at my destination, I immediately unpack and try to get out the door for a walk and fresh air. Getting on and staying on the new time zone is key to overcoming jet lag. This time I booked our hotel through Jetsetter. We opted to come in a day early before our voyage departed and I am so glad we did. I highly recommend the Corinthia Hotel Budapest. It looks like The Grand Budapest Hotel (movie) when you enter.

My travel style – Shorts: J. Crew / Top: Joe Fresh / Belt: Hermes / Hat: Joe Fresh / Cashmere Wrap: Abi Ferrin / Sunglasses: Ray Ban / Shoes: Tkees / Luggage: Tumi / Cross body bag: Elaine Turner

I have shown you a snippet of pictures from our arrival in Budapest. There is much more to come. Follow along with me as we cruise the romantic Danube river.

Fun fact: Hungary is in the heart of Europe and landlocked by seven countries. Can you name them? xoxo- Tanya