A Type A Girl Living in a Type B World

The 10 travel essentials that keep me organized on the road

I’m a Type A girl living in a Type B world.

Yesterday I was late to a meeting because one more thing needed labeling.

It was a planning meeting. I’ll let that sit for a second.

On Wednesday I leave for almost a month. Twenty-six days, several countries, more time zones than I want to count. Part of it city, part of it jungle. I’ll be gorilla trekking in Rwanda before it’s over. And celebrating our nation’s 250th birthday on a rooftop over the Potomac by returning to Florida.

So this week I’ve been decanting things into smaller containers. TSA-approved, which means everything I own is now in a vessel it doesn’t normally live in. I label each one. Not because I’m fussy. Because three weeks from now I’ll be reaching for something at an hour my body doesn’t recognize, jet-lagged, off my circadian rhythm, awake when I shouldn’t be. And I will not trust myself to know what’s what.

The lotion and the shampoo look the same in unmarked travel bottles. I don’t want to wash my face with shampoo or put lotion in my hair.

So I label. So that disoriented me, somewhere unfamiliar, knows exactly which packing cube has the pajamas and where the charging cord is. I rearrange my whole life around TSA’s rules so the bag that matters never leaves my side. And TSA doesn’t trash my belongings. I’ve had that happen before. It’s expensive mistake.

I was in the middle of it yesterday. I got caught up in it again today. It’s part of my DNA.

My daughter took a "Snap" of me at the Container Store. Admittedly my favorite place. My husband captured another of me with my label maker.

And somewhere in the middle of it, a few minutes past the time I should have arrived, my girlfriend texted me. Are you coming?

I shot her a quick text back that my voice note got as rocky as I was in the moment: a little bit of grace I am almost there I am a type a girl living in a type B world today it’s been a little rocky trying to roll like a square

Here’s what you should know about me. My house is categorically categorized. Labeled. Someone else could move in tomorrow and find the batteries. The safety pins. The things that were notoriously lost, never findable, in the many homes I grew up in.

I built this. On purpose.

And I love it. This isn’t a confession. I love the hyperorganized, diligent part of me.

It’s not for everyone. I get that.

But here’s what I believe: the work you put in to build the foundation creates ease everywhere else.

The hours this week are not lost hours. The label maker is not a quirk I’m sheepish about. The version of me reaching for something three time zones from home, she’s calm, because the version of me standing here today did the work. That’s the trade. Front-loaded effort for future ease.

So yes. Sometimes the same instinct that makes me ready makes me late. A few minutes other people would never spend, spent on a label they’d never think to make.

My late husband George used to say I lived on my own time zone.

He wasn’t wrong.

Some days I’m trying to roll like a ball. But I’m a square. So the path is a little rocky.

And it’s still my path. I’ve watched my daughter grow into the same wiring. The same desire to have structure. Organization. A home for everything that needs a home.

It’s a part of me I have grown to love and rely on.

Others rely on me for it now too. It’s become a gift.

Ultimately the label isn’t the thing that slows me down.

The label is the thing that means future me never has to search. That is the grace.

Always EDITing,

Leslie

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P.S. If you’re wired like me, here’s how I keep myself contained and feeling closest to home on the road. And if you’re not, here’s what to get the square in your life.

These are the ten I don’t leave home without. Not a ranking. The whole list.

Packing cubes and an extra bag for dirty clothes. You can find cubes anywhere, and I’ve tried many over the years. What I like about these: they zip all the way open. I’ve had others that don’t, and that’s frustrating when you’re trying to pack things flat without wrinkling them. The compression is key too. Not the vacuum-sealed kind, those leave everything too wrinkled. These ones are great. And the extra bag for dirty clothes, when I forget it, I always regret it. Rolling up one extra takes no space and saves you every time.

RIES airless pump travel bottles. Mine are the set of three, 1.7 oz, TSA-approved and leak-proof. I use them for shampoo, conditioner, and face soap. They’re refillable, BPA-free, easy to use, and I’ve never had one leak. They turn at the top. One note: they come marked shampoo and conditioner, but I find the labels hard to read in the shower. As I said, I’m a little old these days and can’t quite see the way I used to. So I take a Sharpie to them. Of course I do.

Cadence travel containers. I use the Daily Routine set, magnetic containers with lids, four mediums at 1.32 oz and three smalls at 0.56 oz. My favorite for condensing face products. The magnets mean they snap together and don’t roll around, and the sizes cover everything from shampoo to pills.

The Simplehuman light-up mirror. Compact, lit, and 10x magnification. I can’t live without it. Hotel bathrooms have terrible lighting. My eyes are aging. If I have any intention of wearing makeup, or just want an honest look at my own skin, I can’t rely on anything but this. The magnification and the light together make it worth the price.

Katie Loxton makeup bags. I have them in three sizes. They fold open. They’re durable. I’ve tried so many others. These are my favorite by far.

Pill bags. I’ve shared these before. Each day of vitamins and supplements goes into its own little reusable bag. They’re also great for jewelry. Hair ties. Coins. Nearly anything small. I don’t like things rolling around the bottom of my bag. And here’s a small trick I’m proud of: you can peel the label off a medicine bottle and reattach it to the bag. I did that with my malaria pills for Africa and got to recycle the bottle.

5-in-1 portable charger. This one seems obvious. But I’ve forgotten a charger before. What I love about this one: it has three cables built in plus a wall plug, so it covers everything and I don’t need to pack separate cords or adapters. You never know if you’ll land next to an outlet, on a plane, in an airport, or anywhere else. This one has been with me across the globe.

The red exercise band. Mine comes in a five-pack, and the red one is my go-to. Just the right amount of resistance. I’ve used these consistently for years. It weighs nothing and I can do an entire workout with it. Core work, all of it. There are so many things you can do with one band, and it takes up zero space. It keeps me on track when my routine is anywhere but home. It also makes a great bookmark, if you want it to. There’s always one in my bag.

AirTags. This goes without saying, but it occurred to me today when I went to buy replacement batteries for them. I popped mine into little holders with a clip, so I can attach them right to a zipper inside the suitcase. That way it’s not rolling around and feels a little extra secure. If you do have to check a bag, they’re an extra layer of comfort. Lost luggage happens. When it does, it helps to know exactly where it is.

The Tumi Just In Case Tote. This one is a gem. It costs hardly any room, but if you find yourself needing more space on the way home, souvenirs are sometimes a must, it fits more than you think. You can consolidate into it and suddenly you don’t look like a bag lady. The two-bag rule can be frustrating. This lets you put bags inside bags and wheel on board without an issue.

Finally, a reminder. When you’re shopping for any of this online, check Rakuten first. If you’re not using it, I can’t say enough about it, and the thousands of dollars I’ve earned back over time. True cash in my pocket. If you want to know more, I wrote about it in my piece called Girl Math. You won’t regret it. Neither will your bank account.

GIRL MATH: Spend Money to Make Money

Wow… if you got all the way to the end… THANK YOU for reading.

Type A or Type B? And what's the one thing you'd never leave home without? Tell me what I missed.

Each week, I write about the patterns we don’t see until we name them. Motherhood. Marriage. Grief. The roles we keep playing. Two pieces a week. Tuesday and Sunday. Follow along.