favorite trends: floral

one not-so-great part about traveling is the functional travel gear that tends to come in solid, neutral colors. not so this season! floral prints are everywhere this summer, from handbags and pouches all the way to luggage and sleeping bags. such a refreshing look; i hope you enjoy them as much as i!

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1. miss modern iphone case, $35 2. florabunda sleeping bag at anthropologie, $188 3. liberty scalloped tank in phoebe floral at j. crew, $89.99 4. tumi ‘super léger’ wheeled carry-on, $395 5. jack wills fortrose make-up bag, $29.50  6. vintage roses pattern luggage tag, $8.95 7. tory burch printed robinson dome satchel, $395

my favorite products: swimwear

well, memorial day is here. and whether you’re spending it on the beach, at a bbq, or in an office (oh, just me?), one thing is for sure: summer has arrived. finally! it’s my favorite season of the year for its endless days, warm nights, and weather that allows for copious amounts of grapefruit juice and mcdonald’s soft serve. weather that also allows for poolside parties, which call for a cute suit. i’m loving this year’s high-waisted bottoms and green hues, and have picked out a few of my favorites i’d like to pack for my summer jaunts. enjoy!

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1. zimmermann wanderlust printed swimsuit, $310 2. xhilaration zig zag yellow swimsuit, $32.98 3. mossimo green print bikini, $39.98 4. dolce and gabbana striped bandeau bikini, $660 5. green leaf longline bikini at topshop, $68 6. xirena giselle zuma bra, $73, and paloma zuma panty, $46 (lingerie that also doubles as swimwear!) at steven alan 7. mara hoffman frida printed bandeau bikini, $195

my favorite products: the crossbody

when i travel, i tend to carry a lot of items with me: a camera, tour book, wallet, my passport (safety first), some lipstick, etc. finding a (cute) bag to hold all of this while not weighing me down can be a challenge (free tip – ok i totally stole it from rick steves – buy a small tour book or tear out only the pages you need!). since i like to keep my hands free while exploring, i’ve searched for a few good cross bodies that are big enough to hold my gear, but still small (and cute!) enough to carry all day and even into the night. enjoy!

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1. the lovelock minibag from madewell, $98 2. sheltered island colorblock crossbody from marc by marc jacobs, $398 3. top-handle small satchel from kate spade saturday, $140 4. the craig camera bag from rebecca minkoff, $195 5. ostrich flap crossbody from merona at target, $26.99

my favorite products: travel journals

when i was ten, i took my first trip away from home without my mom. it was a trip to disney world with my cousins, and my mom gave me some valuable advice: write everything down. turns out, my fourth-grade self was pretty hilarious, and my cousins and i have been very entertained flipping through our old travel journals. reading through my journals is one of my very favorite things about taking trips. i have a horrible memory, and i’ve found that if i don’t write down the funny, the interesting, and the strange as it happens, i won’t remember them in even a couple of days.

i now prefer the small, brown moleskin notebooks for my travel diaries. they are small enough to slip into my pocket or clutch, have lined pages (being an accountant, i’m really not one for going outside of the lines), and i can draw on the cover if i feel any artistic inspiration (that happened once in a park in mendoza, argentina, and i wish i could tell you the outcome wasn’t regrettable).

though the moleskins are my favorite, i’ve seen a lot of super cute journals recently that make me want to branch out a little. see below for some of my favorites. are there any you recommend?

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1. pantone notebook, $12.99 2. field notes, $9.95 for a 3-pack 3. leather gamma journal from anthropologie, $24 4. secret agents i met and loved journal from archie grand, €12.45 5. moleskin volant mini ruled notebook, $5.95 for a set of two