The Travel Toiletries Test Drive - this is a good time to prepare!

This looks really nifty, but it seems terribly small.  Or does it?

I think the hardest part of travelling is getting all of one's toiletries and personal care products sorted out and ready to roll. For years, I would pack a lot of things that I never used, or that I only used a little bit.  Finally, I decided that there had to be a better way.

So I got all of my products assembled and into their appropriate bags, and starting on the first of the month, I used NOTHING but what I had packed.  NOTHING.  In fact, I found that this was a particularly good opportunity to sort through all sort of cosmetics and other items that were... languishing... in my bathroom.

I found, after a few weeks, that I had been carrying enough shampoo with me, on every trip, to last at least a month.  I couldn't have used all of the moisturizer I had packed if I stayed away for 90 days.  Frankly, there was absolutely nothing in my bag that couldn't be minimized, pared back, cut down, or flat out eliminated.

So get things assembled, and start living from your luggage on September 1. See if you can learn something, and pack a little bit lighter in the future.

my liquids...