Lone Traveler: How to do it like a BOSS

Well Hellloooo there strangers, did you miss meeee ? I know I know it's been a really long time since I've hopped on here && I really appreciate the support ! So if you're still hanging in there I am going to talk you through a few things that I have ran into when traveling. Things that worked, things that didn't && how you can travel like a boss !

PLAN LIKE A BOSS

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In all my travels I have always gone with at least one other person, however, lately I have had to do some traveling on my own and at first that freaked me out a little bit. The only way I could calm my nerves was to plan down to a T what it was that was going to happen in my days of travel. HALLALUYAH to transportation apps like Uber & Lyft because it cost an arm & a leg to rent a car if you're under the age of 25, where as I am 23, and driving gives me anxiety....so it's a hard NO if I am in a different city.

PRO tip: Depending on the reason for your trip, in my case I was going to be taking classes, it's best to find hotels in the surrounding area.

Trip Advisor, Google Earth, Trivago and even Yelp could give you perspective of the type of location you'll be in. The latest and my personal favorite is Instagram location and the hashtags. I recently stood in a hotel that was 5 minutes away from the facility and to my luck it was nestled in a cute little town with tons of places to eat and things to see and do. i just needed to find them !

PACK LIKE A BOSS.

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The very first thing you should know is your baggage situation with your airline. Some flights offer first checked bag free, while others, you have to pay & there's a weight limit. My most recently trip took me from Tampa to Atlanta, that's an hour flight, && I was in and out in less than 48 hours.

I chose 3 shirts, and 2 pairs of pants along with countless undies and 2 pairs of shoes (does fuzzy slippers count?) That saved up just enough space for all the makeup, haircare and toiletries that come with me like a package deal. Through out my travels I mixed and matched things according to the weather and my activities for the day.

My personal "carry on" tends be like a pop up survival pack as I have heard horror stories of baggages being lost or stolen, or flights being delayed over night and you could be at a lost if this happens to you.

Pro tip: Keep deluxe samples from personal care or makeup brands. They tends to be flat or small enough to keep in a makeup bag.

Because I did not do my research on the weight requirement, I had to shave off 5 pounds from my luggage. My toiletries bag acts like a little luggage on its own so it was easy to haul it around. However, being mindless after a redeye flight I missed placed it and ended up not having my daily/ nightly neccesaties. BUT FEAR NOT, because I buy makeup so often I have tons of foil packets and samples of products. So in my makeup bag I had my handy dandy facial cleanser, makeup remover and moisturizer. I also carry a separate "makeup bag" (theres no makeup in it lol) that contains things like mini lotion, lip balm and deodorant for the flight.

ENJOY IT LIKE A BOSS.

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Wherever life takes you E N J O Y every step of the way. Whether it's a business trip or one of pleasure go out and explore. Some people have more, ehemmm , balls than others and they get to-talking and they end up meeting people that they don't mind hanging out with for the duration of the trip or their night. BE VERY CAREFULLLLLLLL. In my case I had made a friend that was attending the same class as me and we coordinated. After day one of class, we went out separate ways to rest up and after we met up for food, drinks and a good time ! Again she used Yelp, while I stalked the Instagram pages/ locations of places that we had heard about. Although I like to travel, I don't like to be a tourist and go sight seeing. I like to be knee deep with that cities culture, and find "hole in the wall" places to eat and local businesses to enjoy. && that my friend is hands down the way I like to enjoy my travels.