Scarves Rule

Since my husband and I travel exclusively with one carry-on bag each, no matter how many days/weeks we are on the road, I’m always on the lookout for items that add style to the simplest outfit. For ladies, scarfs are the key to looking stylish without taking up too much room in my small suitcases (I’ve been known to get by on a two week cruise with a simple black dress, a few tunics and leggings, and a selection of scarfs--and no one was the wiser!)

One of my current favorites thanks to its quality (silk and cashmere options) and a wide selection of beautiful patterns is the scarf collection by Scarflings, which boasts a product line of over 400 scarves. Available in a wide variety of sizes and patterns, the scarves are versatile, giving women a simple way to change their entire wardrobe and look by simply adding a scarf.  I took this lovely scarf on a recent cruise and wore it draped across my shoulders for special dinners on board, as a shawl to keep warm on my morning walks on deck, and even as a swim suit cover up for lounging by the pool. Talk about versatility and style—without taking up that precious luggage space.

Made to Order

Leggings and light-weight pants are in integral part of my travel wardrobe. So when I came across the RedThread Ankle Pant, which can be custom tailored to a perfect fit based on my exact measurements, I was totally intrigued.

Being on the tall and leggy side, I’ve never really had a pant that gave me a length that didn’t stop above my ankle and wasn’t baggy in other areas. But I gave up on finding the ideal pant years ago….until I learned about RedThread. This San Francisco-based company makes it their mission to guarantee their customers a beautiful fit. Their 3D scanning studio can automatically detect your measurements from just a few photos, or you can use their easy diagram and a measuring tape.

To ensure complete customer satisfaction, RedThread also offers a generous “Try Before You Buy” program. Just pay $4.99 shipping and try out your custom piece for one week. Love it? The balance will be charged to your credit card. If not, RedThread will refund the full amount.

Now that’s a return policy you simply can’t resist!

It used to be that only the rich and famous could afford tailor-made clothes. This company’s logo is “Join our mission to create a size-less world.”  

And that they did.

The Silk Road

Did you ever find an article of clothing that you loved so much you wonder why you waited so long to add it to your wardrobe? That’s how I feel about the Papinelle pure silk slip/nightie I brought along on my recent Viking Ocean cruise through the Mediterranean. Papinelle is an Australian sleepwear and lifestyle brand, launched in 2003, that has made its mark by creating comfort nightgowns and pajamas that also bring a bit of luxury to the bedroom.  My nightie felt so light soft on my skin, owing no doubt to the high quality of silk used to create it.  Papinelle prides itself on using sustainably sourced, natural fibers to create its collection.

Worn and endorsed by the likes of Emma Roberts and Jessica Alba, you can find the sleepwear collection at Nordstrom department stores. Or let your fingers do the walking and log on to the Papinelle website and explore what a luxurious experience such perfect sleepwear can offer.

Needless to say, I’ll never go back to flannel jammies again!

And On to technology. ..

Technology is every traveler’s friend, but with the boggling array of tech items popping up each day on the market, it isn’t easy at times to hit upon a product that is right for you. Here are some “winners” we came across recently we’d like to share with our readers.

A Mighty Mount

While most of our travel is done in the air, we do often travel by car (in our reliable Ford Escape) to cover travel destinations here in California and surrounding states.  That is when we heavily rely on our phone’s Google Maps to direct us smoothly to our destination.

We’ve gone through numerous car mounts over the years, none of which were ideal. We learned to hate windshield suction models, as they inevitably lost their grip eventually and fell off in our laps (not to speak of obscuring our vision of oncoming traffic due to their position on the glass). The only place on our dash board to mount a phone was on our heat/air-conditioning vent, but we never found a system that used that option effectively until we learned about Pure.Gear’s wireless car charger vent mount.

This is a self-gripping system, as the arms close automatically when the wireless charging pad senses your phone. It’s in the perfect position, right there on your vent next to the steering wheel, to offer a safe view of your phone (and maps) while exploring unknown roads while driving.

Let’s Communicate

If your travels take you around the world, as ours do, you can’t always assume you will be able to communicate with locals in English every place you visit. While we used Google translator in the past to get us through some interesting circumstances in our travels (like ordering lunch in rural Japan or buying cold meds in a Slovenian village), the process wasn’t ideal since you had to refresh each time you wanted to read or send a translation.  The activity also gobbled up our phone’s precious battery life.

That’s why we found CM Translator an ideal alternative for our next foreign trip, no matter where we venture, as it currently supports a whopping 42 languages. Weighing a mere 2 ounces, it slips conveniently into your pocket or purse and when fully charged, the battery has an amazing 180 days of standby time.

The company logo is “One Click….one World” and we can see why. Just press and hold to start a 2-way real-time instant translation.  We tried it out with our cousins visiting from Sicily and it works like a charm (and we learned a few expressions in the meantime, so it is also an excellent language learning tool). We’re anxious to try it out at our next exotic travel destination and will report again in detail on our experience.

Keep Charged Up

If you’re like me, you have a drawer filled with chargers of all shapes and sizes, none of which charge up our arsenal of electronics quickly enough while on travel. That’s why I jumped at the chance to test out the British-made MuOne, the world’s thinnest 45 Watt universal charger for smart phones, laptops, notebooks, and similar devices. With its embedded detection circuitry, the MuOne can identify the connected device and deliver the correct charging parameters for it. Its compact size makes it an ideal traveling companion, as it can be slipped into a pocket or easily packed away.

Since I travel internationally quite frequently, I use the MuOne International which is equipped with three interchangeable, foldable, low profile power plug adapters for the US, UK, and Europe. It can be used in over 200 countries, so no matter where in the world your travels take you, chances are you can charge up in lightning speed with this handy product.

Disclaimer:  Please note that the opinions expressed in this review are strictly my own and will not receive any future compensation based on sales arising from my recommendations. My goal is to share my favorite travel tips with my followers, in an effort to improve the travel experience for us all.