5 travel lessons learned while sightseeing across London, Paris, Rome and the Amalfi Coast

Is it possible to travel light? Traveling light for 13 days as a woman is hard to do. I dare say if you’re a fashionista its down right impossible. Ask me how I know!! Ha! What really makes it hard too to travel light is automation! When there is a human weighing your bags and interacting with you they may let you slide with your bags being 5 lbs overweight. With a machine however, there is no leeway and you get that polite message. “Your bag is overweight. Please pay 70 Euros or we will return your bag to you.” Say what???  It was almost comical to see myself and my girlfriends on the floor of the airport in Paris and Rome shifting stuff around and over to our carry on bags to avoid paying overweight charges!

As such I’m sharing a couple travel lessons I learned on this trip that I intend to implement moving forward. Especially if my next trip entails lots of sightseeing and shopping!

Travel Tips:

• Plan your outfits for everyday down to the jewelry and the shoes! Beyond planning though STICK TO YOUR PLAN. So I did…this however, wellllll, what had happened was…(insert laughing emoji) I took just in case outfits which I could have left at home! Stick to the plan!

• Know your schedule, transportation mode, expected weather conditions and the city you’re visiting. Like the Caribbean, Europe calls for a lot of walking. A LOT! The metro has zillion steps! Sometimes, without the option of an escalator. Besides the metro there’s the trek to and through the city sights, sometimes on cobbled streets. So, unless you’re renting a car or taking Uber everywhere, comfortable, cute flats are your best friend. (Hellllloooo Vionic!) I alternated between 2 pairs of sneakers for 90 percent of my trip! The one time I dared to wear some cute slides my feet screamed at me, “what are you doing?????” My Vionic sneakers were a life saver! I even took them to visit the queen…kinda. Ha!

• Cute sunglasses are a must. On vacation you take way more pictures than usual. Or is that just me?? Nevertheless, wearing makeup everyday may become tiring especially with late nights followed by an early morning start. Our trip to Naples, Italy and the Amalfi Coast had us catching a 7:55 AM train! Someone please pass me my lipstick and sunglasses. The perfect camouflage for no makeup days! I took several pairs though I stuck with some inexpensive ones from Forever 21 that looked fabulous on me!

• The makeup, late nights, long days, and junk food binges could take a toll on your face. No matter how light you want to pack you cannot skimp on skincare! My Clarisonic made the trip as it served as my cleansing brush and then with a quick brush change to my Clarisonic Fundation brush and it applied my makeup flawlessly!

• Alas I am addicted to connectivity! I need to be connected to my husband and my daughter no matter where I am, and always. My TEP Wireless device was a lifesaver and an affordable option to keep me connected whether I was on the Amalfi Coast of Italy or in the heart of Rome! Wireless on the go is a must have when traveling! Andddddd if you use my code FASHNCURIOUS you can get 10% off!

My next trip to Europe I may very well take an empty suitcase and shop there! Sounds like a win to me…my husband may or may not agree though.  Hop over to our Instagram stories to see more pictures and stay tuned for more reviews from my travels!