How to Pack a BIt Lighter and a Lot Smarter

I despise packing for a trip.  To be precise, I despise it immensely.  I loathe every last detail so much I am ashamed to admit, a few times, I considered canceling my trip just because I didn't want to pack for it. And if you knew how much I enjoy seeing new places you would understand that I have a problem.

And, to make it even more tragic, I think I passed my "hate packing gene" to one of my daughters. One time before we left for a trip when we had an early flight to catch, I opened her bedroom door to remind her of the time. There, I found her throwing her entire closet in a suit case just because - you guessed it - she hates to pack and had procrastinated and left the task to the very last possible moment!

5 Natural Beauty & Health Multitaskers To Pack On Your Next Trip

Despite my shuddering at the thought of packing, I know travel is necessary to connect with those I care about and to stimulate my mind (all part of a healthy lifestyle!).

One trick I implement is creating travel size containers of items that can multi-task. And I always refill them each time upon my return from my trip so that they are ready for the next dreaded packing task. (Check! One less thing to pack!) And, believe it or not and as strange as it sounds, five of them are food items. Here they are and how and why I use them:

1.   Baking soda: It is inexpensive, and I can use it as a facial skin exfoliator, toothpaste, bee sting remedy and more. Here are some 31 other uses.

2.  Coconut oil: I use it as a body moisturizer, eye makeup remover, hair conditioner (on the tips if needed on the beach), and lip moisturizer before bed. I use this on my carry-on for long flights too, which I wrote about here.

3.  Raw honey:  Raw honey is best over the processed variety and here's why. You can sweeten your tea and wash your face. This is the method I have used.

4.  Lemon: I throw wedges in to make my morning lemon water, and if I am going to the beach, sometimes my daughters and I rub it in our hair to lighten.

5.  Pink salt: I wrote about how this is the preferable salt to use for cooking but I can also use it as a body scrub and a sore throat elixir.

7 Other Packing Hints, Travel Links and Tips

I am not the one to offer you major packing methods - indeed not! But, I present you with others that can (as well as a few other words I have about travel) below:

1.  Oh my! This guy is a packing ninja and takes 15 minutes to do it.

2.   International traveling takes a bit more thought. Here are things to consider.

3.   Squeeze the most out of your travel adventure with these methods.

4.  You can't miss this fun and fantastic video on packing tips!

5.   I think these make the best souvenirs.

6.  I don't think I could manage this, but I sure do admire those that do: pack for a month in a carry-on.

7.  Get every last detail here on packing lightly.

Please share any packing suggestions, tips or let us in on your secret on how you psyche yourself to do it! After all, I need all the help I can get.

Need a bit more?

• Consider these other natural skin treatments, too!    

• Better check that bath and shower and see if there are some things you could easily replace with healthier options. 

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photo credit: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/frauboeb/6055572354/">Frau Böb (buuusyyyy)</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/">cc</a>