Faceplant Travels Well

My sixteenth birthday changed everything. Teenage angst convinced me that Grand Rapids, Michigan was a cultural dearth from which I needed to escape.  With insatiable wanderlust, I saw my driver’s license as a ticket to freedom. Lucky for me, Denny and Alice were not helicopter parents. Lucky for them, I was pretty responsible in my wandering ways.

My adventures started out small. Three hours to Detroit for a concert. Three hours to Chicago to shop Water Tower place on Michigan Ave and then to Ed Debevic’s Diner to enjoy world-famous snarky service.

Soon after, I was driving to Florida beaches and through the western mountains of Utah to meet my new-born nephew. By age nineteen, I packed up my car and moved to San Diego.

Many years later, my professional career afforded the opportunity for extensive travel, and I soaked in the beauty of the world.  I sometimes travelled from one continent and climate to the complete opposite on a single trip and packing effectively and efficiently became an obsession.

A few hard and fast packing rules I’ve picked up over the years:

1. A great pair of boots with a low heel will take you places in this world.
2. Wear the boots. Pack a pair of athletic shoes. That’s it for footwear. (In the summer, a black wedge sandal replaces the boots).
3. Black. That’s all. It goes with everything. Scarves, jewelry and the occasional colored tank will pull the look together without taking up much space.
4. Roll your clothing instead of folding. It allows you to tuck pieces you thought wouldn’t fit in empty corners of the bag.
5. Loose knit sweaters are one to a trip. Wear it, don’t pack it.
6. Always bring a bikini. It doesn’t take much room, and there might be a hot tub!
7. Avoid checking bags whenever possible.
8. Don’t overpack.
9. Clothes that require ironing are the Devil’s tool!
10. Don’t count on finding laundry service at your destination.
11. Comfort is king.

Like all rules, some are made to be broken. Going to your own wedding? I’ll allow you may need another pair of shoes and I wouldn’t be so rigid on that ‘black’ rule. Snowboard trips require snowboard boots added to the mix and might have some wiggle room on the sweater rule. But all in all, I stand by my list.

A lifetime of packing experience, however, has shown that “the final 4” are not-to-be-broken rules. With the foundation of rule 7 (Avoid checking bags whenever possible), rule 8 is an obvious requirement. But how can we ensure we hold fast to rules, 8, 9, 10 and 11? Read on for packing secrets that will take you round the world and all the way back home…

Faceplant Bamboo® packs a tight punch. What makes the softest fabric you’ve ever felt even better? You can roll it and fit more pieces per cubic meter of suitcase than you can wear in a month of Sundays. Bonus – simply unroll and hang in the bathroom while you shower and voila! Any wrinkles fall right out.

Faceplant Bamboo® travels from cold business meetings to the warmth of beach yoga. Unlike many brands of loungewear that are made of polyester or other plastic compounds, our fabric doesn’t cause sweating. It breathes and keeps you cool when it’s warm and warm when it’s cool. With a range of styles all in our signature fabric, Faceplant will take you places.

The swing jacket is an easy packable layer for cold plane rides. Throw it over the tulip pants and tank with a scarf and hoop earrings for your first meeting. The Maya pants and a tank easily guide you through a beach yoga class that flows right into sleep. A careful selection of styles will have you outfitted for 2 weeks of travel in less than 1 week of packing space!

Faceplant Bamboo® stays fresh longer. Polyester brands hold moisture close to the skin making them the perfect petri dish for bacterial growth – that means you do more laundry. And that stinks! Unlike many loungewear brands, Faceplant’s Rayon from Bamboo has a unique capillary action that draws moisture away from the skin allowing it to evaporate, keeping you and your clothing fresh. Less Laundry. Less packing.

Get comfortable.  Rule 11 has no wiggle room: Comfort is King!  Whether changing time zones or just sleeping in strange beds, the comfort of Faceplant Bamboo® will bring familiar comfort in the most challenging of travel situations. With our signature buttery soft finish that drapes luxuriously, you can snuggle into your own world, even when you’re in someone else’s. Our generously cut silhouettes aren’t binding or restrictive on long plane rides and the temperature regulating fabric allows you to hop off the cold plane on a hot tarmac and be ready to face your day.

 Love,