Lighter, Easier Travel

Here's everything it holds, and it includes a pen!

I love to travel, most especially when I am not slowed or weighted down with many belongings.  This summer I spent nine weeks in South America with only a backpack and a handbag.  Admittedly though, I took twice as many belongings for nine days in China this March.

So I haven't entirely mastered the art of traveling lightly... but I have mastered carrying minimal weight onto the plane (as in after checking one heavy bag).  One item that contributes significantly to light and quick travel is a leather passport cover.  Not only does it hold my passport, but also the one or two credit/ATM cards I choose to travel with, my boarding pass, my customs documentation, those pesky immigration papers some countries make you carry throughout your travel (ahem Peru, China), and an emergency Benjamin to pull out in a pinch.

However, I find that it is difficult to remove my passport from its cover first at security, again at the gate, again through customs, and finally at the hotel.  Pulling it out from the main compartement so many times makes it easy for an important document to slip out unnoticed.  So here is the solution I stumbled upon recently: Bellroy's Leather Passport Sleeve Wallet (quite the mouthful).  Bellroy thoughtfully crafted a light sleeve with deliberate slots for all your important documents.  Because the passport resides in the center slot, away from any other documents, you never risk misplacing papers in the airport.

I love that it is thin and that it includes a small pen for filling out immigration forms.  What do you think?


Bellroy Passport Sleeve from Bellroy on Vimeo.

All American Fashion

I could not be more in love with my new white Keds. And what could be more American than baseball, blue jeans, and spiffy white Keds anyways?

I personally think they are the perfect shoe for sporting events, concerts, and quick lunch dates. Sometimes I even pair them with casual summer dresses and skirts to make the outfit more youthful looking. They are über comfy and even more so if you slip in one of those Dr. Scholl rubber arch support pads.

The only draw back is dirt!! I wore mine to a concert when it started to pour, thus creating some icky mud. I can definitely still wash them and take a speck of bleach to the white canvas but be forewarned! If you are a messy soul like me, perhaps opt for navy or another bright color!

Time to Get a Watch

Balancing school, work, an internship, and my social life can be quite difficult.  I spend my days running driving all around town and quite literally between two states and a district.  Admittedly my iPhone helps me wake up and tells me when my parking meter will expire, but I don't like using it to check the time five times an hour.  My solution?  These adorable watches from a company called TRIWA.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="487"] Alabaster Nevil watch, $305[/caption]

The name is actually an acronym (in some way or another) that stands for "Transforming the Industry of Watches."  This witty and honest quote from their website pretty much sums up their business: "We are deadly serious about being playful and unpretentious and we don’t mind being provocative in a creative, uplifting way."

While the TRIWA watches run at a high cost (roughly between $150-$300), I gravitate toward their classically modern styles and their guarantee of high quality.  I particularly like TRIWA because the company focuses predominately on building durable and creatively designed watches.  TRIWA isn't a spin off of a clothing or shoe line like Burberry or Michael Kors, rather built off of innovation in the watch industry.

My favorite watch is the one up top (also the most expensive, yikes).  Some less expensive alternatives are shown below.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="487"] Hurricane Nibel, $205[/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="487"] Aqua Lomin, $205[/caption]

What do you think?  Recommend any other high-quality brands?