
Hidden Things to Pack
Wear passports in the ugly but super soft and practical money belt under your outfits. The fabric is soft, and no one will see it.
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Here is a video about (like in the sports bra padding).
Inside the airplane just take your wallet/clutch with you if you do not trust your seatmates, or wear this band. TIP: you cannot wear this in the TSA line even if you have PreCheck fyi. I use it to walk my dog. But it fits 2 passports in one of the long pockets, and it has a zippered one. You slide it over like putting on shorts. And size Medium is snug for my size 10 waist.
Our travel tip for foreign currency is to get it before you leave or in ATMs over there with 2 important tips: do not exchange money in the airport b/c it is way overpriced. And do not wait until Sunday night to get cash b/c like here they will be empty. Most travelers are saying that almost all of Europe has done away with accepting cash. So you would need to easily get to your credit card.
For the airplane, my tip is to wear your heaviest shoes so you can save space in your luggage.
TIP: plan your shoes strategically.
Wear them several times during your river cruise so that you can pack fewer shoes. I suggest Skechers because they so easily swell with you during the long flight and are easy to put back on in airport security. Another shoe to wear in the airplane as well as with your vacation outfits is a or sneaker with Dr Scholls compression socks. I have black and will wear them with black jeans. Do not go cheap on compression socks. Blondo is another great brand for touring because they are usually waterproof for touring during rainy seasons. I just ordered these waterproof boots because they also have a and uneven pavement.
Pack band-aids in case you get blisters. If it will be cold, I love Hot Chillys socks. Remember to pack shoes or slippers for the inbetween times while onboard the ship.

Outfit Tips Before You Pack for a River Cruise:
Daytime: First check the weather.
Here are outfit ideas for a river cruise:
I can give you tips from my mother-in-law. She packed 3 pants: black, khaki and blue. Then she packed 4 tops: red, black, gray and blue.
Love Talbots tees because they easily go from day to nighttime looks for a restaurant.
Packing Hacks:
Pack a sheer short shawl or jacket, a small scarf and a longer scarf so that you can rewear outfit pieces.
I may pack 1-2 bright colors for when I have a black color scheme. I would choose a patterned shirt that matches with 2 of the bottom pieces including my airplane outfit trousers.
But a monochromatic look is one of the easiest ways to look dressier. So with a blue shirt, a blue pair of trousers would look pulled together and enough.
You can see all of my . I trust, based on 20 years as a pilot wife packing in only a for cobblestone roads!
Travel Hack That My Pilot Wives Do:
I can see where this hack would help when packing and touring all day in unpredictable weather. Pack a . Mine from Walmart may not be availabe anymore. I just got this one from It looks adorable in person. Here is what my friends do: they wear thicker clothing but pack that paper thin rain coat. Mine can be packed in my clear stadium bag from when my teen played soccer..who is now heading off to college at Kansas State! But now I can plan a river cruise!!!!!
Here is what I learned: you need a hood that cinches in case the wind is also blowing when it’s raining!
Pack a converter if you will be using a curling iron in your river cruise ship.
Remember to pack sunglasses and a refillable bottle for water. I love reusing my Perrier plastic bottles. They are thick!
I would take and pack pics of medicines and email them to yourself or watch a YouTube video to find out how to add pictures to the Notes section of your phone. You can also add documents to your Notes section. TIP: type the address and phone number of your ship or a hotel if staying over just in case you get lost.
If you are traveling in Asia, take your dry medicines in their original bottle with the prescription. If going to Europe, you can pack them anywhere. This is the best pill organizer I have found and it great for large fingers to open while not popping open if it gets jostled.
Tip: pack meds in personal item in case carry-on gets checked b/c of no overhead bin space.

Pack a hat and sunscreen. My favorite for travel is SuperGoop.
Maybe pack some tummy medicine if eating a wide variety of new foods.
I pack Tylenol for dry air in plane and jet lag groggy feeling, and I hardly ever forget to pack eye drops.
I highly recommend traveling with this crossbody bag because it has slash resistant straps, and can remove the straps and use as a wristlet if cocktail hour or comedy show onboard the cruise ship. Checkc the zippers. If they go over the edges, the bag will open wide for packing essentials. If you like a larger style, this is pretty in blue. Both bags have a light colored lining which makes it easy to get in and out of your purse in a crowd of tourists and pickpocketers!
In room of ship:
Pack a travel fan in case there is hardly any air flow. Travel ones can plug into a charger instead of the wall outlet.
Makeup-neutral!
Pack skincare-nothing new; swap out any liquids for dry things like a shampoo bar from Lush or cleansing cloths.
Do not pack your entire routine products for a river cruise. I am over that now that I am 51!
I pack a valet tray for jewelry or hearing aids mainly so I will not forget my jewelry or key card for example. A friend sewed me a little tray.
Binoculars is what we forgot to pack for South Dakota.
Pack a journal for writing places and memories.
If you want some travel hacks for your hotel room or stateroom, grab that freebie below and say hi!

As a pilot wife I have learned from so many mistakes over 20 years of packing in carry-on only. If you have more travel essentials to pack for a river cruise, add them to the list. Thank you for stopping by! If you have not flown, here is a that will help you be prepared but excited about the new updates.
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