I know this is a random topic, but I hope it’s helpful! If you haven’t seen me with glasses on in my IG Stories, then this might be news. I don’t have perfect vision, I actually wear a -6.0 and can’t see much without my lenses on! I’m always traveling with contact lenses, solution, glasses, and all you need to be able to see. By now, it’s second nature, but here are some of my best tips for traveling with contact lenses.

Tips for Traveling with Contact Lenses

1. Write down your prescription in case you need to buy more
2. Never forget your glasses as a back-up
3. Bring an extra 2 sets than what you think you’ll need just in case
4. Keep a set in your luggage and a set in your carry-on
5. Consider daily lenses – they don’t take up that much space, feel fresher when traveling, although they usually cost more
6. Buy extra moist contacts to combat drier climates and the dry air in planes
7. If you’re picky about lens solution for your whole trip, make sure you have enough as you won’t find anything but the basic solution (ie: ReNu) in many countries

Bonus: check how easy it is to buy contacts in a foreign country! It might be way cheaper and easier than your home country. I actually stocked up in India on my Acuvue Oasis Hydraclear for about a 1/4 of the price of what they cost in the USA. I brought a year’s worth of them to Mexico.

What to Buy

A nice, durable contacts case

I actually travel with a spare in my carry-on!

Both large and small bottles of solution

Keep one in your carry-on and one in your luggage in case your luggage gets lost.

Blink drops

This is my favorite brand after trying many kinds.

Another note on drops: there are some I love called [easyazon_link identifier=”B07BVYZL88″ locale=”US” tag=”Hipinhee-20″]Lumify[/easyazon_link]. They take away ALL redness in the most insane way and are only recently approved (they were glaucoma medicine before). You cannot use them with your contacts in; you have to use them then wait 10 minutes to put your lenses in.

Hand Sanitizer

While traveling in India, sometimes I’ll end up on a long car journey and want to nap. It’s always key to use sanitizer before taking your lenses in and out.

Where I Buy My Glasses

I’ve always bought my glasses at Warby Parker. I have a high prescription so the lenses can sometimes be thick – or they can be thinned, but you have to pay extra. With WP, they offer the highest level of lense that is thinner for just $20 bucks more. It’s usually around $120 for the glasses with the lens. Pretty much cannot beat that. Plus, I can get my prescription anywhere and just scan it and send it to them. I’ve sent them mine from India without issue. You just need your pupillary distance as well. I’m due for a new pair this summer and cannot wait to shop! The ones I had on in the photo above are 6 years old, haha! I have other ones that are newer but I wear those the most. They haven’t scratched at all and have been through a lot so the quality is great.

When you order from Warby Parker, you don’t pay upfront. You order 5 pairs for “home try on” and you can choose the one you want, then buy it OR you can say nevermind, I didn’t like any – and send them back with their pre-paid box. You won’t be charged at all. It’s awesome.

I currently have the “Sullivan” glasses which is pretty ironic – that’s going to be my last name in six months!

For more packing tips:

• Best Travel Shoes
• 17 Travel Packing Hacks
• Eco-Friendly Travel Products You Will Love

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Keeping your money safe while you travel is imperative and as the years go by, I think about it a lot less than I used to. I wrote an article about how to keep your money safe while traveling and wrote about my hate for money belts in the past – I shared tips on how to hide extra cards and cash. You can read all about those tips here. For me, it’s about traveling as you would at home but having back-ups set aside. You also have to be more alert. Money belts aren’t exactly inconspicuous! But these days with people talking about bag-slashing and such, readers ask me ALL THE TIME about buying anti-theft bags. There are tons of them on the market but as I always go for Ebags brands (they tend to be of the same quality but cheaper price tags), I decided to try one out and share it with you. This is an Ebags anti-theft purse review!

When searching for an anti-theft bag, it was key to find one that was not “ugly” because I care way too much about my outfits (lol) or obviously anti-theft, so that it didn’t draw attention. This bag was the best find, although it’s not “cute” perse, it’s not ugly and it’s better than the other ones I came across.

The bag I tried out is the Ebags Anti-Theft Crossbody (Medium). I could have chosen the small for this trip and if I didn’t have a camera, I would have. I actually ordered both and have the small at home for when I do trips that I can just use my phone to take photos. Let’s check out this bag and see what makes it anti-theft.

Ebags Anti-Theft Purse Review

I took this bag with me on a two-week to Panama to try it out. This was my FIRST time in Central America and to be honest, I didn’t know how safe it would be – particularly Panama City. FYI: it was totally safe but there were some areas that we had multiple locals come up to us and warn us to keep our cameras hidden as to not get robbed so I think there are some issues with theft and pickpocketing. Panama City seemed like the perfect first place to take this Ebags anti-theft purse and try it out.

Here is what makes this Ebags purse “anti-theft” from their website:

• Pacsafe’s RFIDsafe pockets help keep your personal information safe from unwanted scanning
• Proprietary features, including Turn & Lock security hooks and Snap & Lock mechanisms help stop bag snatchers
• Innovative Pacsafe features like eXomesh® slash-guards and Carrysafe® straps protect against cut and run theft
• Premium self-repairing YKK® RC coil zippers ensure a lifetime of opening and closing

Ebags anti-theft purse review: how organized is it?

It’s no secret I love to be organized when I travel, from packing with the KonMari method in mind to loving my Ebags professional Type A backpack to bits, I always look for items to keep my things in place when I’m on the road. This one has the bonus of safety, but it still needed to be organized for me to like it and luckily it was. Let’s take a look!

I’ve put inside my airport essentials and just took these before heading off to my flight from Panama to Mexico. I’ve got a separate slot for my Kindle, the main slot for a portable charger, camera lens I don’t like to throw in my carry-on, wallet, and sunglasses. Then a pen slot, passport slot, and on the top left you see “RFID” where I’ve hidden another debit card and some money.

I’ve got these other bits to add but no worries, there are more secret pockets and it expands.

• There is a little quick-snap pocket on the back for things you don’t need to “hide away” and want to access quickly.
• Exterior organization pocket, and side stash pocket perfect for tucking away your phone.
• There is a lined pocket inside for your Kindle or iPad. It also separates the two big pockets of the purse inside.
• The lining on the inside is thankfully not black but silver, so that you can actually see inside of it.
• You’ve got two pens pouches inside, two pouches for small items, and a key leash with drop pocket to keep keys handy but secluded from your other belongings.
• Expandable main compartment for extra capacity when you need it – like when you buy souvenirs! Just me?

These three photos are to show you 1. the way the locks work 2. secret pockets, and 3. how it expands. If you look at the top left photo, you can see the way the zippers are locked so it can’t be pulled open, but let’s say someone did fiddle with it and got them undone – they cannot pull at the zipper still, as it has to be slid through the fabric, as seen below.

This purse has many elements that make it safe and the more I played with it and used it, the less I cared it wasn’t “cute”. It is plain enough to blend in (and let’s be honest with my camera out as a blogger I look like a tourist anyway), and it’s so organized that this is a YES for me. Especially for big cities and for those readers who ask me about traveling in India and keeping your money safe, I highly recommend this bag.

Interested in this purse? You can click here to buy it directly from Ebags.com for $84. Compared to other Pacsafe bags, this is a very good price. You can choose grey, eggplant, black, or blue. I think the black is the best to go with everything – fingers crossed they come out with a tan/neutral color!

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At the start of the year, I did a reader survey and many of you mentioned as feedback that you want me to share more styles of travel clothing for all body types – not just my body type. Some girls mentioned having more cleavage or not wanting to wear a crop top. So, I made it my goal this year to show you some more styles of travel clothing – starting with this Vacay Style review.

Vacay Style Review: My thoughts on the Sayulita 5-piece collection

How Vacay Style Works

Have you heard of Vacay Style? They are already quite a popular brand and known for being one of the top clothing brands for travelers. What they offer a variety of collections of capsule wardrobes; currently they have 8 collections.

A collection would be items that max and can be mixed and matched to create a capsule wardrobe – which basically means you have just a few pieces but can make loads of outfits out of them. For all collections, they offer 5 pieces and you add 2 basics. With that, you will then have 15+ versatile outfits for vacation.

You can look at their collections to see which one has the designs that you like. They are all quite different and choosing the collection you want is the hardest part. I went for the Sayulita! I then messaged my mom to get her opinion and it was her favorite, too.

The clothing is made from travel-friendly materials (aka it’s not going to wrinkle) and is manufactured in San Fransisco.

The Vacay Style Sayulita Collection

The Sayulita collection is brand new and like the other collections came with 5-pieces. I am wearing the size small but would size down to an x-small on my next purchase.

My basics: you need to add two basics, a top and a bottom, to make the 15 outfits. I added a pair of jean shorts and a white crop top. Now, if this were my mom, she’d add a pair of white capris (which would dress up many of the outfits) and a white cami. You can add the basics that make it comfortable for you.

I somehow ended up with 16 outfits instead of 15, but that’s kind of the beauty of it – there are so many ways to wear these pieces. I figured the best way to show these is a little collage but you can right-click on each image and say “open in new tab” to see a larger image of each one.

So, the pieces that you see here are being worn so many ways! You can see in photo one, there is a maxi skirt which is being worn as a strapless dress in photo #4. The tie from that dress matches the shirt so I wore it as a headband for another outfit.

If you look at image #3 you can see that it’s the cutest top with jean shorts, but if your “basic” was a white Capri, that would dress it up so much. It’s up to your travel style. You can also see that the flower top is long but in some outfits, I have it tied up as a crop top to match my style more. You can also leave it long as you can see in the second to last image. The flower skirt is also worn as a top in the bottom row!

This is the bare minimum of outfits you can make – there are more! This is also with their recommended two basics, but if you threw in a couple of other basics you would have dozens of outfits. The white dress in the last image comes with a slip so you can wear it as a dress or without the slip as a swimsuit cover-up.

Overall, the quality of the fabric is high. The blue cotton items (top and maxi skirt) are very stretchy and just the right thickness (not see-through at all, but not heavy either). My favorite items were the one in the image just above (the printed top and skirt) and it’s one that I know I’ll be wearing a lot on my future travels.

Buy It: Vacay Style Discount Code & Pricing

Within the US, shipping and returns are free. They ship all around the world at low rates. I recommend you reach out to Vacay Style if you are outside the USA so you can talk to them about sizing and see what is best for you. They offer sizing advice; contact them at info@vacaystyle.com

Vacay Style offer $100 off any purchase of $500 or more with the code VACAY so if you and your friend or mom want one, order together.

Most capsules are originally priced at around $500. I know this sounds like a lot when it comes to treating yourself to travel clothing but if you break it down, it’s $33 per outfit. If you see a capsule you love, think about it per outfit. If you went to a store and bought 15 outfits, it would be a lot more than $500 and they wouldn’t mix and match.

But, you won’t be paying $500 anyway because there are almost always discount codes on their website. Check and see if they have $100 off right now, which would make it more like $25 per outfit.

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When I look back at my most read blog posts, many are about fashion – even though I try not to write that many as a “travel” blogger. But, I do love fashion, packing for trips, trying new luggage or beauty products when I travel, and having cute outfits. It seems like you guys like shopping, too, based on the fact you tend to click more on “best shoes for travel” than you do “how to travel more in 2018“.

I love to travel but I also love shopping and when I’m in Bali or Morocco, I have lists of top boutiques I want to go to or a textile shop I want to buy cotton from and make my own outfit. My DM’s on my Instagram are always questions about my outfits, so I thought I’d try out posting an article where I share where I bought everything from. Some of what I wear is expensive – I spent nearly $200 on the button-up shirt below while I was in the USA and my dad was like “WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU” when he heard me tell my mom. I shop only once a year for the most part (in the USA) so I do go for quality over quantity and will spend on things I know I’m going to wear a lot. Case in point, the striped trousers I got from Anthropologie for $100 that I wear all the time on planes now.

Let me know if you guys like this idea and I can do it more. I sort of tried this with my recent trip to Rajasthan with the article 13 outfit ideas for Rajasthan. Ideally, I could do a round-up like this after a big trip. For now, here is what I’ve been wearing in Goa lately.

I have some other things I’ve been wearing as well which I haven’t taken photos in or posted to Instagram that I’ll add toward the end. Most of these ones will eventually pop up on my Instagram soon!

Don’t forget to pick up my Insider Guide to Goa and my Guide to India

General Goa Travel Tips

• Safety Tips For Solo Female Travel in Goa, India
• BEST Places to Visit in Goa in 3 Days
• 50 Things to Do in Goa

What I’ve Been Wearing in Goa, India

A post shared by Rachel Jones Hippie in Heels (@hippieinheelsblog) on Mar 21, 2018 at 10:32am PDT

I love wearing silk pants in case you didn’t catch on to that with the other 20 pairs I’ve posted about. This pair is sold out, but these are cute pink silk trousers from the same brand, FARA, are “dhoti” style in the same color (I have these ones in black). They are $57 on Etsy which for high-quality hand-dyed silk is a steal.

A post shared by Rachel Jones Hippie in Heels (@hippieinheelsblog) on Apr 2, 2018 at 7:15am PDT

I wear this all the time. It’s my favorite crochet bikini top and I mix and match it with bottoms that I have. It’s just $34 and works great as a bra, too. I have it in three colors: cream, peach, and a greyish-purple color. This is also sold on Etsy. It’s handmade by the shop owner!

A post shared by Rachel Jones Hippie in Heels (@hippieinheelsblog) on Mar 30, 2018 at 6:18am PDT

This is the “rose kaftan” by FARA. It goes for $80 on Etsy. I have been wearing this all the time and *might* get it in another color. I love the blush shade, that it’s easy to wear, and it’s not too long or heavy.

A post shared by Rachel Jones Hippie in Heels (@hippieinheelsblog) on Apr 15, 2018 at 6:40am PDT

I love this Melissa Odabash “Bali” swimsuit. I have been such a big fan of Melissa Odash since a few years back when the brand sent me one black bikini – it fit like a glove and I wear it all the time now. This year while I was home, I bought this one is the Bali color/style and love the top. The bottoms are a little bit low for me, I like high-waisted ones now, but luckily you can mix and match.

This striped Anthropologie button-up shirt is the best thing I bought while I was home. My friend Ariells says her Grandpa had one like it – and my dad agreed my grandpa did, too. But, it’s the comfiest most practical thing. I can wear it with leggings on a plane or over a swimsuit at the beach – or as a dress out to dinner. It’s lightweight and comes in three colors. I’m tempted to buy another color but this is the best color, so I’m stopping myself.

The sandals are from Fergie and are legit such a good random find. They are the perfect causal boho style shoes – they are all frayed and worn in but have some tiny studs that dress them up just enough. They are just $40.

A post shared by Rachel Jones Hippie in Heels (@hippieinheelsblog) on Apr 17, 2018 at 6:34am PDT

Never have I ever had a swimsuit fit so well. This L*Space one-piece swimsuit is so soft and slinky. I just wore this again to the Grand Hyatt brunch because, after all-you-can-eat brunch, I do need to hide my food baby. I have loads of L*Space swimwhere but this is a favorite. It has a gold clasp in the back that is a nice touch and I love the tied-up sides.

A post shared by Rachel Jones Hippie in Heels (@hippieinheelsblog) on Apr 19, 2018 at 6:40am PDT

PLEASE do yourself a favor and get the best fitting Levi’s. These are my favorite. They are just under $100 and you will wear them basically every single day. I’m so in love with these. They came in the mail while I was still in India and my mom opened the package. She called me and is like “You got some “wedgie” Levis’s. What is that?” Levi’s calls these the wedgie fit because they make your butt look good, ha!

I’m also wearing Laneway Boutique’s linen shirt in Aloe. I love love love this shirt. They actually sent it to me as a gift and I LOST it in the market here in Goa. Like, took it off, sat it down, and 5 minutes later it was gone. So, I’m going to save up for another one and probably get the same color as the Aloe is really really nice.

I’m sure you’ve seen me wear the [easyazon_link identifier=”B074WFPC5K” locale=”US” tag=”Hipinhee-20″]James Smith “Stevie” stacked platform slides[/easyazon_link] in basically every photo I take. You can get these on Amazon but I orginally got them in Bali. They are worth every single penny and I take them on every trip, always.

A post shared by Rachel Jones Hippie in Heels (@hippieinheelsblog) on Apr 8, 2018 at 12:23am PDT

This little crochet top from Studio Tia is made by local women here in Goa in collaboration with Project Tres. They are taught the pattern and they make them as fast as they can. They are sold out now, but she’s always adding more to her Etsy site. It’s a great way for the local women to make some extra cash (some ladies that I know personally) and it’s just too cute of a top!

Some more things I’ve been wearing

I found a new brand called Pondicherie who make amazing clothing in India. They are all naturally dyed, organic cotton, hand-woven, and give back to empower local female artisans. My favorite pieces are the wrap skirt (literally so soft and perfect for travel), the Tara kaftan, and the Vinita kaftan. These are luxury pieces for sure, and you can tell when you touch them – they should be hand-washed so they stay perfect for years and years. I love buying from companies who make clothing in India and run organizations that give back in some way.

But, I also buy from big stores like Anthropologie, even though these pants were probably made in India, too! These linen pants  & the cutest sneakers ever made are keys in my wardrobe now. If you’ve seen my Instagram stories, I wear these striped pants every time I get on a flight now. They are literally the pair of pants I have been looking for for years. I ordered them in the blue color as well, but won’t get them from my mom’s house until June! I was afraid if I waited, they’d be out of stock. #ExpatProblems. The sneakers are the “TYE” from UGG. They are suede (I think) and I got them in Slate. They match the pants, hence wearing them together in basically all my photos. I used to wear Tom’s a lot as my “cute sneakers” but these have now won the top spot.

This new suede tote (images: above at the airport and below in Goa) is my go-to bag now. I have a tan one from Etnika as well that I love but this is great for travel as it’s so scrunchy and zips closed.

I’ve also been wearing two tops a lot: this scrunchy crop top and this super-soft crop top (pictured below in white). Also below is the Levi jeans I talked about above, the striped grandpa shirt, and my James Smith shoes. It might seem like I shop a lot but really I just wear the same stuff over and over with different mix and match ideas.

Lastly, I have been wearing this jumpsuit in every color for like two years now. I’m also living for this jumpsuit. I have it in blue and pink as well (okay, okay, I have it in black checkered too). I’m also pretty in love with this cute yellow dress that I wore in KL. It’s from Free People and was $59 full-price which is basically unheard of.

Let me know if you would like more posts like this every few months showing you where I’ve been shopping so you can get similar pieces. If you find this annoying and too unrelated to travel, I’m sorry! You can tell me that, too.

The post Shop My Instagram: What I’ve Been Wearing in Goa, India first appeared on Hippie In Heels.

The post Shop My Instagram: What I’ve Been Wearing in Goa, India appeared first on Hippie In Heels.

Although I spend most of my time in warmer climates, there are the occasional trips I take to cooler ones! This autumn I’m visiting both London and Dublin, which are both much cooler in September and October than Goa. Here’s my perfect little travel capsule wardrobe for fall to help you pack for your later trips.

Perfect Travel Capsule Wardrobe for Fall

1
Leather Jacket

If you aren’t traveling with a leather jacket then you are missing out on being able to look instantly cooler than you actually are! I can be wearing skinny jeans and a tee shirt, throw this on, and suddenly look cool. Leather jackets just have that going for them! I have two black ones; one is thicker and one is lightweight. If I had to only pick one, it would be the thicker one.

2
Bottoms

1 Jamie Skinny Jean & 1 leggings

Skinny jeans are the bomb for travel! I have the Jamie Topshop in THREE colors: black ripped, green, and dark blue. They are high-waisted and make me look way skinnier than I am. I also take a pair of black leggings. Topshop’s Jamie jeans are my absolute favorite.

2
Pairs of Shoes

1 Pair of Ankle Boots &
1 UGG high top sneaker

These are my two go-to pairs of shoes for travel. I have both in black since my leather jacket is black. I can then dress up the ankle boots with a dress/leggings/jacket or I can be casual with the UGG sneakers. I cannot explain how much I am obsessed with both of these pairs of shoes.

3
Sweaters

Three is a good amount of sweaters to take. I usually wear each one more than once and take enough camis to wear underneath them. I love gray because it matches everything but if not gray, I go for a tan/cream.

3
T-shirts

Comfortable but cute tee shirts: you would think it would be easy, but actually it’s not! I don’t like to waste money on ones from H&M that are going to fall apart. I’d rather buy ones that are quality, won’t stretch, and last a long time. These are some favorites.

3
Midi Dresses

Although I take leggings for under short dresses, I pack Midi dresses so that I can wear them with ankle boots and no leggings if the day is a little warmer. I love the length of all these dresses and can’t get enough of the yellow one!

Extras

• Tote Bag
• Thick Scarf
• Socks
• Underwear/bras
• Sunglasses

For More Packing Posts:

• My New Personal Item for Flights
• Best Travel Shoes
• The Smartest Luggage Invented

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The post Perfect Travel Capsule Wardrobe for Fall first appeared on Hippie In Heels.

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