All those who wander, are not lost.
Back in 2013 when I first started blogging, I only covered men’s fashion and style. There’s only so much you can do when blogging about men’s fashion and style. It becomes a little repetitive after a while. I reached a point, around the same time of my website launch, that I had to tap into different categories that men also follow and aspire. The first, and one of my favourites, travel!
Not only is traveling an incredible experience on its own, it opens your mind and imagination to whole new worlds, encouraging differentiation when producing content. An array of architecture, cultures, colours, people and races, just wander and don’t look back.
Soon after, travel became a huge part of the blog and something I continuously encourage people to do on a regular basis. Though, to travel well, you must pack well. Here are my Top Ten Tumi Travel Tips.
1. How to pack a blazer
When explaining something, a demonstration is always the more educational medium. So I’ll let video, as part of The Brief series, do the talking:
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2. Pack a Lint Roller
Trust me, this will become a lifesaver. Some materials pick up lint particles from other garments within your suitcase, especially wool jumpers. You can spend an hour wiping them off with the palm of your hand, or you could invest in a lint roller that’ll do the job in a few seconds.
Assume you haven’t yet invested in a pair of shoe trees to place inside your shoe to maintain the shape, the next two tips are old school, efficient and effective.
3. Place socks into shoes to maintain shape
My old man always taught me to roll up my socks and stuff them in to my shoes when packing for a trip. You’re being efficient by utilising the space, as well as helping maintain the shape of your shoe.
4. Place fragrance bottles inside shoe
If you’re heading on a business trip and will only be spending a couple of days abroad, you obviously won’t have enough socks to fill your shoes when packing. Another option, and one of my favourites, is to place your perfume bottles inside your shoe and then stuff the socks after.
This helps protect the glass bottle from being damaged as well as fills up the shoe to maintain the shape.
5. Have shoes packed in a dust bag
Now that you’ve filled your shoes with a shoe tree, socks or bottles of perfume, it’s time to protect the outside of the shoe. With your Tetris cap on, always place your shoes adjacent to each other in the dust bag like so:
6. Take advantage of the groove within the carry-on suitcase
My Tegra-Lite Max International Expandable Carry-On, like any other suitcase, has two groves that run down the middle of the case where the handle is protected. These groves can be used to your advantage. Like I’ve done in the below image, you can perfectly fill these grooves with shorts, ties, pocket squares, briefs and even socks.
7. Pack a toiletry bag
Hygiene standards must remain at the highest level when traveling. To do so, a toiletry bag with your bathroom essentials must accompany you on the trip.
My top five would have to be a toothpaste & brush, shampoo & body lotion, shoe horn, deodorant and a range of medicine.
8. Protect your laptop
If you’re like me, your laptop means a lot more to you than just a piece of technology. When you’re travelling, your bag or backpack can move around a lot in the overhead compartment, which runs the risk of your valuables being damaged.
Solution? A durable laptop cover. This will also make is super easy when passing through customs. All you have to do is whip the laptop case out and place it in the tray. Personally, I use the Tumi Alpha 2 laptop cover that also comes with a number of features that accommodate for any extra cards, USB sticks, devices, external hard drives.
Now that your laptop and small accessories are safely packed into your case, you need a briefcase. The design of the new Alpha Bravo Earle Compact Brief warrants for both a business and smart casual themed style.
9. Travel with a universal adapter
You don’t want to travel without a universal adapter, trust me. Even though most hotels have them handy, you need to have all your electronic devices charged up.
Laptop case, camera, headphones, pen + notepad, travel itineraries and chargers all need a safe home as well. Alpha Bravo Kingsville Deluxe Brief Pack should be your go to backpack to keep everything safe and in the one place.
10. Always use a passport holder
A couple of years ago, I wasn’t a huge fan of passport holders. Though, with constant travel and things all over the place, I really needed to invest in one. They help keep all your business cards, international currencies, backup passport photos, credit cards and other identification cards all in one, secure and accessible place. My Tumi Chambers passport case does an incredible job. With over half a dozen card slots, you’ll never have to search frantically through your holdall again.
Now that you have your passport holder stocked up with all your essential travel documents, you need somewhere safe to keep it right? In come the Alpha Bravo Barstow Crossbody.
Basically a crossbody side bag where you can keep essentials like your passport holder, smartphone, pocket perfume spray, watch and sunglasses handy.
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If you’re on the go regularly, you need a solid carry-on suitcase. One that can withstand the punishment you will put it through on cobble stoned streets in Rome, flights of stairs in London and different pavements in Paris. The Tegra-Lite Max International Expandable Carry-On has been through all that and more over the past six months, and it still powers on!
That wraps up my Top Ten Tumi Travel Trips! If you’re planning on heading on a summer getaway anytime soon, check out my travel essentials featured in last month’s Condè Nast Traveller Middle East edition:
