Packing! Packing! Packing! Everyone dreads the ordeal. My husband and I recently spent four days in the Big Apple for business and pleasure. I accompanied my husband, who is part of an NGO under the real estate umbrella of the United Nations, to a luncheon and business meeting at the UN. Business attire was needed for this occasion. That evening we attended an intimate cocktail party at the home of a friend and went on to an Italian bistro for dinner. We were with the same people so naturally, being girly, I wanted a different look. The next day we shopped and that evening the two of us dined, alone, at La Grenouille, the most glamorous, gorgeous and intimate restaurant in Manhatten. It’s French with gigantic bouquets of flowers, crystal light fixtures and it is beyond romantic. The crowd adds to the elegance. I dressed for the occasion, darlings. Here is what I decided to pack and a little advice from an avid packer.

1. one elegant black Armani suit with a silver clasp at the waist and a sheer Wolford black top underneath.
2. For the luncheon, a pair of black trousers with an interesting top that was not a jacket but gave my outfit a suit look.
3. For shopping, the same black trousers with a grey wool Wolford bodysuit and a sheer grey black and white sleeveless top over it to give it a different look.
4. One pair of shoes for four days. Black suede platform half boots that were comfortable.
5. That was it. Of course, I packed great earrings, an evening bag and my trademark silver and gold neckpieces as well as lots of undies, feminine nightwear and my Burberry black trench coat with liner. Voila! Done.

There is no doubt, packing is an ordeal made palatable by the adventure that lies ahead. The hardest part of packing is opening my closet door and thinking to myself, “Now what.” The easiest part is putting my clothing into a suitcase.

My packing routine

I have my personal packing routine down to a science and it is guaranteed to work.

1. CARRY-ON:  The 1st rule of thumb is to pack all medications, jewelry, good belts, evening handbag, laptop, chargers for iPhone and computer, set of undies, small amounts of make-up and a great novel in your carry-on. I do this because luggage gets lost and good items may disappear from your luggage.
2. LUGGAGE: The 2nd rule of thumb is to pack all outfits (I pack for my husband, darlings) on hangers and cover them with plastic dry cleaner bags. Upon arrival all outfits are removed from their plastic bags and hung in the closet.
3. I pack all of my undies in zip lock bags from the Container Store or from my kitchen drawer.  I take them out of the suitcase and put them into the drawer of the hotel. This trick is a time saver. I want to go out and explore, not refold my undies.
4. Sweaters go into Container Store see though plastic bags that come in all sizes.
5. Shoes go into see-through baggies.
6. All my cosmetics are in a hanging see-through long cosmetic bag that I hang in the bathroom on a bathroom hook. I have girlfriends that pack their cosmetics in small Container Store see through bags and then store them in a larger cosmetic bag. Not for me. I prefer to see everything in plastic in front of me.

Because of my routine it takes little time to unpack. My clothing never wrinkles because they are placed in plastic bags and laid flat in my suitcase.

ITEMS I PACK

1. A magnifying travel mirror.   LEIGH PLEASE FIND ONE. MINE HAS NO NAME. IT IS OLD
2. Extra Red Kabbalah Strings, our lucky charm, to guard and protect us incase ours fall off.
3. My 30 year -old black leather Channel backpack. Hands free everywhere!
4. My tinted sunscreen, SkinCeuticals, SPF 50 has a perfect finish and is ( LEIGH FIND A NEW ONE WITH 10 % ZINC BECAUSE I USE ONE FROM DERMATOLOGIST
5. My Apple MacBook Air 13
6. My moisturizer, La Mer
7. My curling iron, Moroccan Oil
8. A small umbrella – my gorgeous Chihuli
9. Photos of passport and credit cards.
10. Credit card without foreign transaction fee
11. My ultimate concierge

What to pack for a cruise

First, know the dress codes and second, for first time cruisers, you will probably not see your bags for the first five or six hours so pack a swimsuit and cover up or a casual outfit in your carry-on so you won’t miss a half day of pleasure.

1. Hanging make-up organizer because a typical cruise bathroom vanity has no room for cosmetics.
2. Extra hangers if you don’t pack ‘my way’
3. A power strip for your computer, hairdryer, phone, etc..
4. Dramamine for motion sickness
5. Sneakers
6. Alarm clock
7. Cruise travel insurance policy and a picture of your passport, extra passport pictures
8. Suitable attire for cruise ship formal night( a tux is no longer customary)
9. Tote bag for shore excursions
10. A small umbrella
11. Reading material  LEIGH NAME A FEW BOOKS.
12. Binoculars
13. Small bills for tips
14. Windbreaker

How to pack in one carry-on bag

My ultimate concierge and I were at O’Hare last week and ran into close friends. They were on their way to New York for five days. Each had one carry-on bag for the entire five days. Period. I asked her for a few tips. She told me she layers her outfits and rolls many items.

There are many pluses to traveling with only a to carry-on.  If you decide to travel with just a carry-on the first rule of thumb is to do your homework and invest in the best. Here a few pluses: LEIGH NAME A FEW. HIGH AND MEDIUM

1. Your carry-on will never get lost.
2. You do not have to check your luggage or pay a baggage fee.
3. You arrive at the airport and leave avoiding the baggage claim and saving a lot of time.

The question: how and what to pack? For almost all advice on how to pack in one carry-on for different locations around the world here is my advice: GOOGLE IT, DARLINGS. I did and found so much information.