Packed & Ready to Go.

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Hopefully by now you’ve all seen via Instagram that I spent this past weekend in Florence, Italy on behalf of St. Regis Hotels & Resorts and their #GrandTourista experience. We travel quite a bit for work (was in Palm Springs this time last week and will be in DC next!) so I have packing down to an art.

St. Regis Hotels and designer Jason Wu collaborated on the perfect travel tote inspired by luxury, style and elegance for the modern day traveler and here is what I never leave home without (from the top down) when traveling:

  • A good magazine. So PDN might be a bit photo-geeky, but it’s one of my favorite industry reads.
  • A soft scarf. This purple & green Chopard scarf was a gift handmade in Italy & perfect for chilly moments.
  • Sunglasses. Just in case you get off the plane and the paparazzi are waiting… jk, but if your eyes look less than perky this will keep the rest of the world from knowing.
  • Eye mask. This is my favorite and yes, I always sleep on flights so I can hit the ground running.
  • Makeup, Jewelry, Amenities. The floral clutch, blue pouch and larger pink pouch are all handmade items from Of a Kind and where I keep my makeup, lipsticks, travel sized perfume, lotions, pills, and travel mirror. This is my favorite NARS all-in-one red lipstick to travel with; I never leave home without this elixir; planes tend to make skin very dry so I have Josie Maron Argan oil, Kiehl’s Lip Balm #1, and Olivina Fig Hand Cream.
  • Entertainment. iPad with books, movies, and games to pass the time & a super classic Tiffany & Co. iPad case. (Also, FYI, the iPad has become an amazing tool on location shoots to pull up inspiration photos to share with the model on set for what we are trying to achieve!) 
  • A camera. Any camera, because you never know when you need to snap a photo. I just acquired an old Olympus film camera after being inspired by this book given to me by a dear friend. I love it for being small and easy but ready to roll.
  • Writing utensils. I always take a journal and pen for moments when ideas come to me or someone suggests a restaurant I must go to where I’m traveling. My red journal was made in Florence with paper marbling edges, so beautiful.  You can buy it in NY in the seaport at Browne & Co. For a good pen, I *love* my Parker Pen with its beautiful old fashioned tip.
  • Last but not least, the passport. Here is a story to show you how much of a perfectionist I am: I went to three different stores to have my passport photo taken because I was unhappy with the quality of camera or quality of light used. I think of documentation photos as pieces of my history, I want my grandchildren to discover this one day and see me at my best! It has also been very popular among passport control.

What do you put in your travel tote? Am I missing something I shouldn’t be living without?

The Grand Tourista Bag by Jason Wu for St. Regis Hotels & Resorts—for a new generation of global travelers experiencing a new grand tour.

  • Grl.li

    Gorgeous bag, always good to be reminded of the minimum we need for travel, thanks.

  • justine ariel

    the only thing missing is chocolate!

  • Quick question- I travel to and from the East & West coast fairly regularly (at least 2-3x per year, but sometimes more) and I am always terrified of packing my camera (Nikon D3000) into my checked bags. I’ve had enough sentimental items, Christmas gifts, and personal stuff broken or damaged en route than I care to admit, and if anything happened to my camera I’d be beside myself. However, it’s quite bulky and I usually don’t -need- it on my flight so I end up with a bulky bag. I noticed that you don’t have any of your gear in your carry on- how do you store it in your luggage? Are you ever worried that it’ll get damaged? What do you do to prevent that and/or have peace of mind?

  • S

    Have a great trip!!!

    style-squared.blogspot.com

  • It’s called grand for a reason; all of that fit into it? Awesome. I have the same Olympus camera at my Mom’s house, which I used back in the day 🙂 Loved following your Florence journey and am excited to enter the contest, too!

  • Melissa Jemmett

    Where is your passport photo then? I want to see. I know what you mean though. I hated my Visa photo for the UK but I didn’t go and get another one taken. Wish I had haha.

  • Isa

    I just want to travel with that bag! Beautiful! Also it looks big enough to actually hold the insane amount of stuff you carry!

    http://lasaloperie.blogspot.com.br/

  • very nice bag Jamie! I put more or less the same things when I travel, but I’m hunting for the perfect small cases so that I can arrange the content a bit, otherwise when I put my hand inside my bag, it’s not always obvious to find what I’m looking for 🙂

    and seriously, can we see your passport photo? 🙂

  • J.W.

    I always have a large bottle of water to help stay hydrated and a neck pillow.

  • Mary MacArthur

    I used to have that same Olympus camera, stuck to it long after all my friends had gone digital, until it died. I miss it so.

  • nnenna1881

    i like the bag….its simple enough to go with varied outfits and roomy for all the essentials. i always travel with my LV monogram artsy -tons of pockets and very roomy. i am yet to find anything that can’t fit into it. I always take water, camomile tea which greatly aids sleep, a hair scarf to keep hair off my face and neck, chewing gum…have safe travels

  • Naomi

    Wow, you seem to have exciting traveling adventures. And the Grand Tourista Bag seems fabulous for such excursions! It looks so durable and spacious… Thanks for sharing with us what you carry; they’re great travel tips. I have to try Kiehl’s Lip Balm #1 after hearing about it since my lips have been super dry this winter.

  • Alexa

    really love the tote !! great pics! http://www.alexavoncanisius.com/blog/