Hey y'all! It's been a while and although I wanna say I've been super busy, I've actually just been enjoying my free time. Stephen and I moved into our new apartment in Plano at the end of June. I applied for (and was offered!) a position as a Codecademy Pro Advisor. Seeing everyone at their internships and jobs makes me eager to start working. But first! I am beyond excited to travel to Seoul and Tokyo.
In 10 hours, our 14-hour flight takes off to Seoul. We'll be in Seoul and Tokyo for 3 weeks. Although I'm looking forward to being there, I can't say I feel the same about the flight. I've done my best to prepare for the long haul. I've done my share of watching "What's in My Carry-on?" videos on YouTube (they're up there with apartment tours and DIY videos when it comes to things I like watching on YouTube) and I think I've got a good selection of things to a) keep myself entertained and b) keep my skin hydrated in the dry air at that altitude. I was inspired by those "What's in My Carry-On" videos, so I decided to do my own version!
Usually, I would take a backpack big enough to fit my MacBook and a suitcase. This time I opted for a smaller leather (and frankly, cuter) backpack as my personal item, which I plan on using while we're out and about exploring, and a smaller suitcase with a front compartment for my laptop that I can easily access during the flight.
Despite it's size, the backpack surprisingly fits everything I need besides my computer. Of course there are the essentials like my passport, wallet, a pen, and portable phone charger. I also threw in the fish-eye and wide angle lens for my phone. For entertainment, I packed my Nintendo 3DS and iPad for games, a succulent coloring book with fine-tip coloring pens, and headphones I can use to listen to music on my phone (using Spotify offline mode).
I also included some Dramamine, ibuprofen, and melatonin, because we'll need all the pain and sleep relief we can get. And because I want to look and smell at least a little human when we land, I packed my oil blotting sheets, sheet masks, pressed powder, bronzer and highlight compact, a tiny face palette from The Balm, an eyelash curler, my brow pencil, some chapstick, and deodorant. Some might think this is overkill, but it all fits neatly in the little pouch so it's not a hassle at all.
Luckily since this is an international flight, I was able to bring most of the full-sized products in my daily routine, which if you read my skincare post, you would know that I have a lot of. So, for my allotted quart-sized back, I focused on products that would moisturize my skin. These include a moisturizing facial mist, heavy duty moisturizer, hado labo hylauronic acid, and tea tree essence. Some other skincare essentials are sunscreen, first treatment essence, cleanser, spot treatment, and facial wipes. A few other items I include in my "no makeup" makeup are a small pot of foundation, mascara, brow gel, and under-eye concealer. I also have contact solution, lotion, and rollerball perfume.
In my suitcase, I packed mostly clothes for 2-3 days. But I also packed the electronics/tech items that wouldn't fit in my backpack in here. My MacBook + charger, external harddrive with movies and TV shows (hello, Scandal!), iPad charger, 3DS charger, instant camera + film, and selfie stick all fit nicely in the front compartment of my carry-on (it's the Delsey Helium Aero International Carry-on, in case you're wondering).
As for checked luggage, we have one large suitcase that we're sharing for the rest of our clothes and toiletries. Our Airbnb's in both Seoul and Tokyo have washing machines in the unit, so we decided to pack enough clothes for just half of the trip and do a load of laundry during our trip. This saved us a lot of room for souvenirs in our checked bag - the Delsey Helium Aero 29". We got both of our suitcases when they were on sale and they seem great so far.
If you're interested in following along with our trip at all, I will be sharing on Instagram, so feel free to follow me!
Instagram: @christinadannn
Thanks for reading,
Christina