Fishers Finery Packing Cubes: Review

When planning our 3 week trip to Europe this summer, I knew we would need to be smart about our packing situation. I knew we would be going from place to place and that we would be on a cruise ship with limited space. Because of our on-the-go itinerary and the fact that we got cheap flights because they charge extra for baggage, I decided that we would only take one carry-on and one backpack each for our trip.

After I decided that, I looked at tons of articles on Pinterest to see if there were any secrets to packing for 3 weeks in a carry-on (I'll be doing my own post on that in the future). After much searching, I found out about an item called packing cubes. I was intrigued as to why a little bag that held your clothes that you just put inside of your suitcase would be such a big deal. But the more I looked into it, I realized that we needed some packing cubes.

As I scoured the internet (mostly Amazon) for the cheapest packing cubes possible, I came across Fishers Finery. They had a set of 3 packing cubes (small, medium, and large) that looked like they would fit our needs. And they were so much less expensive than the packing cubes I was finding other places.

The Fishers Finery Packing Cubes come in three different colors: black, blue, and red. We ordered the black ones and the blue ones so that we could each have a set. They are made of durable material that is still lightweight and they have great zippers.

In the smallest packing cube, I found that it was perfect for packing our smaller items like underwear, socks, and swimming suits.

The medium cube held our shirts, my skirts, and a pair of shorts or two.

 

The large cube we used for our bulkier items like dresses, nice shirts, pants and Ben's suit for our cruise.

I was amazed at how much I could fit into each cube! I found that the best way to pack the cubes is to roll up each item of clothing as tightly as you can and then lay next to each other in the cube. Depending on the size of the cube, I was sometimes able to get 2 rows of rolled clothes in each cube.

Another thing that I loved about the packing cubes was the ease we had finding our stuff in our suitcases. I knew exactly which cube I needed to pull out to get a clean shirt or where my extra socks were. I didn't have to dig through my suitcase to find the one item I needed.

Throughout our trip, we re-packed our bags a few different times. Sometimes Ben and I had clothing in each suitcase that we had. It was so nice that we each had our own color of packing cubes because I could just find the medium black one and know that that's where my shirts were or I could pull out the small blue one to get some socks for Ben so he could go rock climbing.

Packing cubes were definitely a game changer for us in the way that we pack and plan for trips. I
highly, highly suggest that you invest in some packing cubes before you go on your next big (or small) trip. They are so awesome and really helped keep me from feeling like we were living out of suitcases for 3 weeks which made our vacation so much more enjoyable.

**This post was not sponsored by Fishers Finery, we just love their product and want to share it with you! There are Amazon affiliate links in this post though if you do wish to purchase these awesome packing cubes. We will receive a small portion of the purchase which will help to support us in writing this blog for you!**

Packing Your Personal Carry-On

After flying and traveling across the world for 3 weeks, I came to discover what I actually, really, really needed in my backpack/purse. While traveling, I tend to overpack. I like to be prepared and ready for any situation. But after traveling a lot in the last year, especially on quite a few flights, I think I have come up with the perfect list of things to pack in your personal carry-on item. I've found a good balance of things that I need as well as a few things that are nice to have that don't weigh down my bag. There's nothing worse than hauling too many pounds of stuff that you don't actually need through the airport.

1. Phone and Charger: This one is pretty obvious right? Make sure to load up your phone with an audiobook or two or some podcasts. 
2. Power Bank: This is a great way to give your phone a boost, or even to totally charge it, when you can't get to an outlet. 
3. Headphones: These are key to getting some peace and quiet while flying. I always use Skullcandy ear buds because they are comfy on my ears and they are super good at blocking out outside noise. I also keep my ear buds in a little pouch to keep them from getting too tangled. 
4.  iPad: Load it up with games, coloring apps and books. 
5. Kindle: I absolutely love my Kindle, especially when we are traveling. While some people might not need this and an iPad to read on, it is much easier on my eyes to read on an e-ink screen than it is to read on a backlit screen. Plus, if you're planning on reading outside, a Kindle is much easier to see. And it has a good battery life. I read on it a lot while we were in Europe for 3 weeks and I only had to charge it once. BONUS TIP: Instead of buying new books for your Kindle, check out your local library. Most libraries  nowadays have digital collections where you can download ebooks and audiobooks for free!
6. Zipper Pouch: To keep my things organized, I put all of these electronic items in a zipper pouch. Then when I sit down at my seat on the plane, I just pull this guy out and stick it in the seat pouch in front of me. This way I don't have to keep getting in and out of my bag throughout the flight. The one I have is from RuMe and I really like it. 
   
7. Journal and Pen: I am a journaler. I write in my journal every night. I like to bring my journal on my flight with me because sometimes I like to write while we fly or I will use the paper and make lists, plan out our music videos, or simply doodle. 
8. Camera: While I don't use this on my flight, I definitely carry my camera with me instead of checking it or putting it in my carry-on suitcase. 
9. Passport: Definitely needed if flying internationally. 
10. Wallet: I love having this wallet with a wrist strap. (Similar wallets here and here.) It is big enough to hold my cards, gift cards, coupons, a change purse with cash, and even my phone! It fits nicely into my various purses in different sizes and makes transitioning easy from bag to bag. It also is easy to find when it is in a large tote bag or backpack while traveling. 
    
11. First Aid Kit: Inside of another small zipper pouch I keep a mini first aid kit that holds medicine, bandaids and any other personal medication I'm taking. 
12. Snacks and Gum: I need to eat something every 3-4 hours or else I can get super cranky and start to feel sick so it is super important that I carry snacks with me wherever I go. I almost always have a granola bar of some kind with me. Ben and I also NEED gum on our flights. During take of and landing chewing gum helps our ears to pop and not hurt. 
13. Chapstick: Airplanes always dry out my lips so I always bring my chapstick. This brand is my favorite. 
    
14. Sunglasses: I almost always take my sunglasses with me, that way I know they have a smaller chance of  breaking. 
15. Sarong: My parents got me this sarong while they were in Hawaii and I absolutely LOVE it while I'm traveling. In addition to using it as a swimsuit cover-up, I use it as a blanket on the airplane. On our long-haul flight to Europe, the plane got so cold! And I liked having my own, light-weight blanket with me to use. Sarongs are nice because they can be big enough to cover you (I'm 5' 10" and my sarong fit me perfectly) but they can still fold up to be pretty small. Here is one from Amazon that comes in lots of fun colors. 
16. Water Bottle: Read here about my favorite water bottle
17. Neck Pillow: Definitely a must if you are planning on sleeping on your flight. Even if you're not, I liked to have mine around my neck when I was watching movies or reading. This is the same brand as mine and I really liked having it.  If you don't like light while you sleep, you also might want to pack a sleeping mask. 
18. Compression Socks: These I would recommend if you are flying for more than 2 or 3 hours. I have bad circulation and was worried about sitting for so long on some of my flights, but these compression socks helped a lot with my circulation. They also helped with keeping my feet and legs warm while flying. Here are some similar to mine on Amazon.

Other Things:

• I also will wear a cardigan while I travel. I like them because they are lightweight but keep me warm. I also can fold (or wad) it up and throw it in my bag without it taking up as much space as a jacket or being as heavy. Only if I'm traveling in winter do I take a coat with me. 
• I also always wear a scarf while I travel, again this helps with keeping me warm but if I get too hot I can always take it off and throw it into my bag. This is my favorite scarf for traveling! 
• My destination determines the type of bag that I use for my personal item. If we are just going to visit my family in Minnesota, I take a large purse or a tote bag. If we are going some where for a longer vacation or are going on a more adventurous trip, I will take a backpack. 

**This post contains some affiliate links**

Pierron Designs Travel Scarf Review

We just spent the last three weeks in Europe for a wonderful vacation. We were able to explore parts of the world that we had never been and our eyes were opened to how other parts of the world operate.

We had been planning this trip for about 6 months and during that time I was looking into ways to travel safely. I knew we would be going to very popular places that were known for pickpocketing and I wanted to find travel accessories that would be able to carry the things we needed while helping me have piece of mind knowing that our important things (passports, money, debit cards) wouldn't get stolen.

While researching, I came across travel scarves. These are scarves with a hidden pocket in them so you can store your passports, phone, money, or cards right in your scarf without worrying about them being lifted right out of your pocket.

As I was looking into getting a travel scarf for our trip, Ben came across a company on Etsy called Pierron Designs that specializes in these scarves. We reached out to them and they gave me a scarf to use on our trip in exchange for a review of their product.

And I have to say, I am absolutely in LOVE with my scarf!

Pierron Designs is a husband and wife duo (Chad and Jessie) who love to travel and create. Jessie is behind the sewing machine and creates high quality scarves in absolutely beautiful fabrics. While Chad does amazing photography and takes care of the Internet stuff.

I received a 100% cotton travel infinity scarf in a teal watercolor print. While this fabric is not currently in their shop they still have other amazing fabrics and patterns. My wardrobe has lots of greens and blues so I knew that this scarf would go perfectly with most of the clothes I was packing for our trip.

Jessie cutting out my scarf!! (Photo from @pierrondesigns on Instagram)

This scarf was the perfect accessory. It made my boring wardrobe of only t-shirts pop with a little extra something. But more than that, it was USEFUL! I wore my scarf when we were traveling through airports both to and from Europe. It was able to perfectly hold both of our passports as well as my phone. It was super easy to pull out our passports as we were going through security and boarding our flights because they were right in front of my face; I didn't have to dig around in my backpack to find them.

While we were out and about traveling, I liked to keep my phone as well as my debit card and some cash in the pocket. It made me feel so safe to have my most important items with me right in front of my face.

Now part of the problem with a travel scarf is that while it replaces the need for a purse in a lot of situations, it isn't a purse. That being said, you can't load down the pocket with too much stuff. If you do, it will start to drag down. The only time I had that problem was when we were in the airports and I had two passports and my iPhone 6s in the pocket. But, because we were mostly just sitting at gates waiting for planes it didn't bother me too much. And after we boarded the plane, I took out the passports to put them away in my backpack and added gum and headphones to my pocket so I wouldn't have to constantly be getting in and out of my backpack while we were flying.

So if you can handle only taking the bare essentials in your scarf (phone, debit card, cash) then it works out perfectly. In additional to traveling to Europe, I used my travel scarf when I took my first graders on a field trip to the zoo. It was perfect to hold my phone, my debit card and a list of my student groups. I love how I can use this scarf all the time, not just when I'm traveling.

I love my scarf so much that I can't wait to get one of their jersey knit scarves. While I did use my scarf a lot in the airports and quite a bit while we were in Paris, once we hit the Mediterranean on our cruise, I didn't use my scarf as much because the weather was SO HOT and the fabric was a little heavy for 95 degrees with high humidity. If I had had a jersey knit scarf as well, I probably would have used it during that part of our trip.

Jessie and Chad are so wonderful to work with. They really care about their customers. And their packaging is absolutely gorgeous. It is an experience on its own opening up your scarf from them.

Now come on, isn't this the cutest packing you have ever seen! (Photo from @pierrondesigns on Instagram)

I seriously can't say enough kind words about Pierron Designs. They make beautiful, high-quality products with breathtaking packaging. They are also very kind, happy people.

To see their latest work, go check out their Etsy site here. They have some good discounts going on right now on some of their patriotic merchandise. And to stay up to date on their newest designs as well as some behind the scenes info, check out their Instagram feed.

Here are three of my favorite scarves they currently have in their shop:

Navy Polka Dot (100% Cotton)        Beige/Black Aztec (Jersey Knit)       World Map (100% Cotton)

**We received this scarf free of charge to review on our blog. All opinions are 100% my own.**

Review: Eddie Bauer Stowaway Backpacks

When you are traveling, especially while you are hiking, one of the most important items to have is a good backpack. Enter in the Eddie Bauer Stowaway Backpacks.

We purchased these backpacks earlier this year and we have been so happy with them! We bought them after our Grand Canyon trip. On that trip, we used another Eddie Bauer backpack (similar here) that was great, but it was a little much for what we needed.

These Stowaway backpacks are lightweight, collapsable and the two different sizes are perfect for what we need on our hikes and while traveling.

Ben has the smaller, sling style backpack. It has one large pocket and one smaller pocket on the front of the bag. On the strap it has a small mesh pocket that perfectly holds a cell phone. It also has a water bottle pocket on the side that is perfect for carrying your water bottle or a yellow van. In this backpack we usually carry our DSLR camera in the larger main pocket. It makes it super accessible for me to pull out the camera while we are hiking since I am the main photographer. We also put our selfie stick and Gorilla Pod in the main pocket. In the smaller pocket, we usually keep the yellow van.

I have the larger, normal style backpack. It has one large, main compartment as well as two smaller pockets on the front. One pocket is towards the top of the bag and is a half circle style. This pocket is perfect for holding small things that you don't want to get lost. I usually keep my phone and charger, battery pack, and chapstick in this pocket. The other small pocket has a vertical zipper that opens into a pocket that takes up most of the front of the backpack. In this pocket we liked to keep maps and sunscreen. The main pocket held all of the random things we might need on the hike like sweatshirts, hats, a gallon water jug and snacks. My backpack also has two water bottle pockets on the sides. One always held my Atlasware water bottle while the other one often held a can of sunscreen.

One of our favorite things about these bags is that they are collapsable; they fold in on themselves to create tiny pouches that make it so easy to store! Instead of taking up the room of a normal backpack in our closets, they fit nicely into our box of travel items. Sometimes when we travel, we don't need the backpacks for the actual travel, but rather for an activity once we get to our destination. It is so nice to just throw them into our suitcases and then unfold them when it's time to use them. When folded up they have a nice handle that you can clip a careener to and then clip the folded up back onto another bag as well.

We are so pleased with these Stowaway backpacks from Eddie Bauer. They are very high quality, lightweight, and don't take up too much space.

**We did not receive any compensation for reviewing these backpacks. We just think they are a great product**

*This post contains affiliate links*