Jewelry To Take With You While Traveling

Venice - photo taken during the starter marriage honeymoon

It seems like everyone I know is traveling right now. I am leaving the husb and little one at home and heading on a two-week Mediterranean cruise with one of my BFF's later this June. This is the exact honeymoon cruise I took with my first husband. I like to call that my starter marriage.

I am dreading packing for the trip. Think about it: fitting two weeks worth of clothing into my Bric's trolley suitcase that will need to fit into our 222-square foot cruise ship cabin. A cabin, mind you, that will be holding two women with lots of beauty products and shoes, size 11's no less.

Pack the Basics, Focus on Accessories
One solution I have found is to focus on accessories. My packing philosophy for long trips is to bring basics: shorts, a pair of jeans, a skirt or two, some simple blouses and one or two dresses. I mix up my looks with accessories like jewelry and scarves, which are easy to roll up in your luggage.

If you choose wisely, jewelry takes up no room. As much as I want to, I won't be bringing any Hermes XL bangles with me. Instead it will be stylish, delicate pieces that can fit into one travel roll I carry in my purse.

California-based jewelry designer gorjana makes jewelry that fits the bill perfectly for travel as well as every day living. The designs are on-trend yet have a timeless quality about them that endure.  Double bonus, the pieces are packable and versatile.

Scroll through to browse jewelry perfect for a trip or every day.

As for actually packing the pieces, a good jewelry roll can be your saving grace. I put my pieces in a freebie jewelry roll (similar here) I have had for years. It's about the size of a deck of cards with separate compartments for bracelets, rings, earrings and necklaces. Pack your earrings with your earrings, bracelets with your bracelets and so on.

Remember
NEVER pack your jewelry in your luggage. ALWAYS carry it with you. You don't want to risk it getting lost with your checked baggage.

The Takeaway
Smart accessories help you get multiple uses out of the same clothing on a trip.  Wear different accessories with the same dress and you have a different look without adding unnecessary bulk to your luggage.

A Closer Look at The Parisian Diet

Eat sumptuous food and lose weight? On The Parisian Diet you can do it.

La Duree

Parisian Diet mastermind Dr. Jean Michel-Cohen is a popular French nutrition expert. He released a cookbook Light French Recipes: A Parisian Diet Cookbook here in May.  There are three phases to the diet:

• The Cafe Phase - a kickstart, lasting 8-10 days which includes plenty of liquids
• The Bistro Phase - a 2-3 week period in which you consume fiber and protein-rich meals
• The Gourmet Phase - the longterm phase you maintain until you reach your ideal weight. 

The main tenets of his diet are simple:

• Quality, not quantity - meaning smaller portions of food.  No supersizing.
• Savor your food and avoid mindless eating.  A meal is a ritual in which to celebrate, not chow down at your desk.  I have a bad habit of doing this. 
• Don't deprive - skip a salad if you don't love it!  Instead eat a smaller portion of something you love rather than a large salad you'll hate consuming. 

It's somewhat along the lines of Mireille Guiliano's French Women Don't Get Fat.

I tend to lose weight when I visit France (and any other foreign country, for that matter).  But what's interesting when I visit France is that I indulge.  Granted, we usually walk about five or more miles a day but there isn't one bit of restraint.  We eat cheese, drink wine, eat desserts, macarons and sumptuous, multi-course meals.   Here's the thing: the portions are small and the ingredients are fresh.

Here is a typical Parisian vacation diet, in pictures.

Breakfast

I visited Eric Kayser every morning to pick up pastries. 

This was my daily breakfast which is a departure from my normal routine of a green smoothie, oatmeal or toast and peanut butter.  We would get four pastries: one for me, my husband, my daughter and one to share.  Notice how these aren't huge.

Lunch

Lunch at Ma Cocotte

This was a normal lunch.  We would usually also have salad and dessert....and a few more glasses of wine.

Dinner
The final meal of the day was either one of two things: a blowout dinner or not much at all.

Dinner at Maxim's

Dessert at Maxim's

Treating my daughter like a queen! 

We celebrated my birthday in 2013 at Maxim's at around 10pm one evening.  Sure it's touristy but it was a wonderful experience.

Crepes, cheese, champagne and fruit for dinner

On other nights, after having a large lunch we would eat a smaller dinner featuring what you see above.  The thing about dinners in Paris is that there is no late night snacking, something I struggle with at home.  Once the kitchen is closed, it's closed.  No more food after dinner.

The ubiquitous bottle of wine

We had wine at almost every meal.  Generally a bottle split between the two of us.

Oreos! Mon dieu!

Don't think the French are perfect.  Look what I found at the grocery store...processed food!

The Takeaway 
The Parisian Diet isn't a new concept.  It's one that most nutrition experts advocate: eat real food, smaller portions of it, be mindful when you eat and enjoy your food.

Whether in Paris or not, that's something most of us can do every day.

What foreign eating principles do you like? I love the Mediterranean approach to eating. Please share your favorite foreign diet concept in the comments section.

Buy the Books Mentioned in this Post:

Awesome Hotel Options in Austin

Fresh from a much-needed quickie getaway in Austin, I'm completely smitten.  The W Hotel in Austin, which opened in December 2010, offers one of the most unique, cozy and downright fun atmospheres I've seen in a Texas hotel in while.

Located in the Second Street District and right next to the world-famous Austin City Limits music venue, it's a good option if you're staying downtown.  We visited right after the Texas/Kansas basketball game, where my daughter got her first taste of her father's frustration with passion for all things UT sports. 

Despite the Longhorns 64-69 loss to the Jayhawks, it was a chamber of commerce day in the state capitol.  Perfect to sit outside and enjoy the patio.  We had done just that at the Austin outpost of Coal Vines and decided to enjoy the Living Room Bar inside the W Hotel.