I travel a lot. And I’ve gotten pretty good at packing. I’m the person you come to if you need Advil, or forgot your hairspray. With that said, there are a couple of things I can’t travel without. And once I tell you about them I doubt you’ll be able to either.

1. Luggage Scale After numerous flights trying to check overweight luggage, someone turned me on to a device designed with travelers in mind: digital luggage scales. Just hook the gadget to your bag, lift, and the weight is displayed in black and weight (and in pounds or kilograms). I go back and forth between two different models, dependent on my needs. Balanzza has a strap that snaps onto your bag while EB Excalibur features a hook that is good for luggage as well as helpful in the home and office. (This one saved me a post office run because I was able to hook a package onto it and buy the appropriate amount of stamps online.)

2. Travel Weights Nobody ever WANTS to work out while traveling, but we know we probably should. Before, excuses were as easy as popping another Oreo into your mouth. That is until AquaBells Travel Weights. These portable weights look like a pool toy, but when you inflate them with water, they hold up to 16 pounds per dumbbell. When you’re ready to return home, simply remove the water and they’re small enough to fit in your carry-on, weighing only 24 ounces.

3. Great Phone Plan I’m probably not the first person to tell you about Skype, but if I am, I’m about to change your world. Skype is a free software you download to your computer (or now mobile phone) that enables you to call anyone, anywhere in the world for FREE as long as they have Skype too. And even if your family and friends aren’t in the 21st century and don’t have computers, you can use Skype to call landlines and cell phones for less than a penny a minute.

4. Comfy Clothes Trying to figure out which clothes to bring is always the hardest part of packing. But I can never go wrong with a trunk full of Nike. They carry a ton of Dri-Fit pieces which are a must for traveling. From their Rib Tank to their Cotton Tee, they’re ideal for layering, and are made of moisture wicking fabric in a ton of great colors. Pair them with their comfy Bottom Bar pants (essential for long flights) and lightweight LunarGlide+ running shoes that are functional, and cute to boot.

5. Face Lotion with SPF Traveling can take its toll, which is to be expected, but it shouldn’t show on your face. Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Moisturizer SPF15 takes care of that. The lightweight lotion is the American Express of your makeup bag… never leave home without it. It’s gentile enough for everyday use, but strong enough to protect you from the sun. Unless of course you want to look like you got some rays, and then there is the tinted option (available in Light, Medium, and Dark).

Have you ever realized that the majority of golf gear, accessories and gifts are geared toward men? I hadn’t until I went looking for a golf-themed gift for my soon-to-be mother-in-law and couldn’t find a thing that didn’t ooze testosterone.

I did finally stumble upon this great SporteeGal Golf Journal specifically designed for the casual or serious golfer gal. The
pages within the journal are structured to help you organize your
thoughts, yet leave plenty of “open space” to be creative.

Buy one now and get $5 off and FREE gift wrapping for the month of
December only (in addition to $1 donation to Newborns In Need for each journal
sold!).

GIVEAWAY!
We’re giving away a SporteeGal Golf Journal to one lucky reader. Just leave a comment below and tell us what you would do with this journal. Contest ends Wednesday, December 10th, 2009. Good luck!