Footwear: If you want to look your best when traveling to moderate climates, plan to get by with two sets of footwear. One should be suitable for business, while the other stands ready for adventure activities. For me, this means a pair of high-heeled knee boots and sturdy hiking sandals. Every dressy outfit I pack works with the boots, while the hiking sandals function on trails, cobblestone streets and rocky beaches. If by chance I need something more pedicure-friendly, flip-flops are always available for a song at the nearest street-side stall.

Clothing: Since I’m usually not climbing Kilimanjaro, I can get by with one exercise top and a couple of thin dressy T-shirts suitable for dressing up a pair of jeans or wearing under a pantsuit. Aside from one heavy pair to deal with unexpected weather shifts, I keep it thin on the sock scene as well. Target has an affordable selection of quick-drying black dress socks by Merona that includes a variety of styles to suit your shoe preferences.

Storage: I’ve found that carrying a small, expandable clutch gives me access to everything I need for an evening out with clients or a day of shopping and exploration. It’s just slightly larger than a regular women’s wallet and moves easily between business totes, rolling duffels or whatever I happen to be using at the time. It also has a tabbed section for receipts, which helps me stay organized for things like expense reports and tax records. Many men prefer messenger bags when functioning on the road as a digital nomad. They’re more discreet than an expensive briefcase, and the extra space allows for the transport of files, gear and clothing.

Streamlining: Whether I’m combining business and adventure travel into a single excursion, or tackling back-to-back to back trips with different agendas, I’ve found success by maintaining similar routines and packing procedures for both. Certain categories of things such as tech cords, cosmetics and accessories always get packed in the same small pouches. Also, while varying climates and gear requirements have been known to get in the way, I try to use the same pieces of luggage for both types of trips whenever possible. This helps me handle unexpected travel stress related to logistical snags on autopilot, as opposed to digging around in an unfamiliar bag for critical items.

Photo Credit: o5com

This Canadian travel gear company has been making road warrior products for some time now, and all three of the hats I’m reviewing in this piece feature two of the features Tilley is known for: secret security pockets and discreet, tuck away ear warmers. While the secret pockets will be easy to find for those familiar with the product line, others will have to search for a bit. I know I did. And that’s a good thing. Any extra bit of security you have access to while traveling is an asset.

While the pockets won’t protect you against a good wind – that’s the job of the ear warmer flaps – they are a great place to tuck an extra 20 bucks in case you get caught somewhere unprepared. Speaking of the flaps, when you don’t need them, they tuck discreetly away inside the winter caps. When the wind picks up, pull them down for extra warmth.

The Cosmopolitan Hat

This is more an uptown city hat for the daily commuter or urban tourist on a road trip. There’s a slit in the back to allow to accommodation of a winter coat collar, and stylish leather hat band trim with ribbon-width bow in the back. This gives the cosmopolitan hat an extra touch of femininity without being over the top, in my opinion. There’s no hidden size adjuster in this one as far as I could tell, but the ear flaps and secret pocket are included as usual. With the way I travel, I would probably only use this hat on day trips, or vacations where I’m taking my own vehicle. Since it isn’t an easily packable piece as far as daypacks, briefcases and luggage go, you’ll need to make sure you’ll be wearing your hat for most of the day or have room in the back seat of your car for a small hat box. Still, it’s a stylish hat made of wool felt and has a classic style that will take you through the cold weather seasons year to year. Pair it with a cashmere sweater and fun scarf, or perhaps a trench coat.

The Pub Cap

As a travel writer and on-the-go media professional, I give this one props for being the most packable and portable. It easily tucks into a tote or section of my messenger bag to come out when I need it. The pub cap is new to the Tilley winter hat collection, and provides fashion support for a variety of looks, from Bohemian to classic Euro, and even a fun menswear look if that’s what you’re into. In addition to the ear warming flaps and secret pocket, the pub cap also has an easy size adjustment strap stitched to the inside. While it doesn’t show from outside at all, you can easily tweak the firmness of your fit to suit the inclusion of a headscarf, elaborate hair style, etc. I wore this cap to a media outing and paired it with a mid-hip tunic sweater, denim skirt and black leather knee boots. It looked great and packed easily into my gear tote when I needed the brim out of the way for shooting images.

The Tec-Wool Cap

I found this cap particularly interesting because the Tilley site has it listed as a unisex item and pictured on both male and female models. The tec-wool cap has an internal size adjustment tab just like the pub cap and would pair well with standard winter jackets as well as with the military-styled fashion items that seem to be all the rage these days. Wearing a simple tee shirt with cargo pants? You’re good to go. Trench shirt with military styling and waist band? Also a fun pairing.

There are several more hats in the Tilley line obviously, but these three offer classic style options along with flexibility and warmth. Any current Tilley fans out there? How have you enjoyed your gear purchases?

Photo Credits: Tilley

Editor’s Note: In order for me to thoroughly and properly review the products in question, the Tilley corporation forwarded samples of these three hats for my research. The opinions expressed here are my own, and were uninfluenced by the people of the Tilley company.

Let’s face it, ladies. When we’re backpacking for adventure, some of the first things to get cut when we’re trying to pack light are those little girly bits that make us feel like . . . well, girls. Fortunately, it is possible to glam things up affordably, even when traveling in the developing world.  Here are my five favorite ways to feel like a girl while spending months on the road living out of a pack.

Glitter lotion.

Available at dollar stores in both silver and gold, this stuff is just as much fun to wear out to dinner in Siem Reap, Cambodia as it is for New Year’s Eve or Valentine’s Day back home. It takes up minimal space in my luggage and is one of only two suggestions on this list that I actually pack ahead of time.

Local jewelry.

Packing the good stuff from home is nothing but an invitation to thieves in many parts of the world, particularly backpacking destinations.  However, these same destinations tend to have numerous market stalls brimming with inexpensive beaded trinkets. Pick up a pretty necklace, bracelet or set of earrings to enjoy. If they only last for a few days, then at least you’ve helped support the local economy and had the chance to get your girl groove on for a little while.

Hair accessories.

Personally, I’m a fan of decorative hair sticks. But if combs, barrettes or beaded ponytail holders are your thing, go for it. You can purchase hair accessories for pennies on the road, and they really help you feel like you have some way to change up your hair routine when you find yourself with access to a nice restaurant in the middle of nowhere.

Sandals.

I’m not talking about industrial strength adventure sandals here ladies. I’m talking about having some serious girl shoes to wear after days of tramping on roads covered in dust or mud. No, you’re not going to find designer footwear in the street stalls of Cairo or Bali, but you will find some cheap fun bundles of strappy goodness that some local person of limited means has worked very hard on.  Enjoy them while you’re there, and donate them to someone needy when you leave.

Nail care.

I always carry basic nail care tools to pull of basic manicures and pedicures on the road. That way, even if there’s no room for polish remover or my favorite nail enamel color, I can pull off neatly trimmed nails. Buffing in a bit of olive or coconut oil adds a touch of shine.

Girl glamour doesn’t have to cost a lot. By making small strategic purchases on location, and packing minimal supplies, it’s possible to feel feminine for less while saving money to put towards travel experiences you’ll remember for a lifetime.

Photo Credit: Pink Sherbet Photography

On a recent trip to South America, we needed something that would allow my husband and I to implement cross-packing with ease.

With airline travel being as logistically challenging as it is today (and getting more so all the time), cross-packing is a strategy my husband and I like to use to reduce the risk of either of us being stranded without access to necessary items.  It’s not fool-proof, but it does help. The item we used on this trip was the double-sided packing cube by Eagle Creek.

By strategically using thin, quick dry items as our main wardrobe elements, we were able to get one-two days of outfits each in our smaller-sized cube. We got ours from L.L. Bean, but they are also available on Amazon.

My only concern with these is that if we had been doing the long term travel / living out of one bag gig again instead of a three-week trip based mainly in one location with a couple of two-day road trips worked in (how’s that for a mouthful?), we would have had to try something like stuffing the entire thing in a compression sack, which sort of seems like overkill.

I’m not saying the cube ended up being overly bulky, mind you. In fact, it was more than reasonable size-wise for your average small suitcase on a weekend getaway or business trip. It just seems like we’d be including an extra unnecessary item by using both the cube and a compression sack. Perhaps this means the cube is better suited to short-term adventure travel, weekend getaways and business travel.

What think you, Trek Hound readers? Have any of you used the double-sided packing cube before? Do you see it as suited to a particular type of travel more than others?

Photo Credit: Amazon.com