Teapots and Transits

How To Travel Light (and still look great)

2009-07-18T11:47:00.000-07:00

I've always found that travelling light is always a challenge if you're a female. But, with each travel, I get *smarter*. So much so that I even travel lighter than an average male now (in smug tones).

Now, with all these budget flights with luggage constraints, travelling light is certainly a must, especially if you can't resist shopping when travelling!

So, how do I do it?

Tip #1: THE BIKINI TRICK

Image taken from www.speedo.com

You've got a one-week's stay, why bother bringing a stack of bras and underwear which take up at least a good one-fifth of space in your little bag? Use a BIKINI!

They're comfortable and you can easily wash them at night, hang them up to dry (because they dry so easily) and in the morning, you have a clean set of 'underwear' to wear again!

Tip #2: THE LIP BALM TRICK

Image taken from www.thebodyshop.com

Yes, yes, you usually have this whole sleuth of hair spray, hair cream and hair serum which you use at home. But really, they take up too much precious space, don't they? Not to worry, use LIP BALM!

I find that Body Shop's solid lip balm works best for me. After smoothing it over my hair, it works just as well as any hair cream/spray and even leaves my hair with a nice fruity smell! Besides, it's soooo tiny - I can't help loving it.

Tip #3: THE MINI TRICK

Clinique's mini travel set
Image taken from www.fragrancesandcosmetics.com.au

What about facial wash, face moisturiser, toner, foundation and perfume? These are pure essentials! We can't do without them!!! The answer is...go MINI!

I make it point to always have a pack of really mini essentials. My facial wash, face moisturiser, foundation are only 15ml and my perfumes are 5ml! They fit really nicely into a small bag and best of all, they're all below 50ml which means I can carry them in my hand bag even for international flights!

Tip #4: THE DISPOSABLE TRICK

Image taken from www.recyclethis.co.uk

Toiletries are ever necessary and surely can't take up THAT much space, could they? Well, not if you have toothpaste AND toothbrush AND shampoo AND body shampoo AND conditioner. The trick is to use DISPOSABLE ones!

This is really where those toothbrushes, toothpastes, shampoos, body shampoos and conditioners, which you've been busy swiping from the hotels (oh come on, you can admit it, I won't bat an eyelid) come in handy. They're tiny and can be disposed off when you're about to lead so that they won't take up precious souvenir-space in your luggage.

Tip #5: USE A SHAWL, NOT A JACKET

Jessica Alba does the shawl thing too!
Image taken from www.pashminaprincess.co.uk

You're not travelling to a freezing cold climate, but sometimes, it can be cold, especially on the plane. Besides, that conference that you have to attend might be in a hall where the air-conditioning could be irrationally cold. But, apart from that, you don't see much use for your jacket/blazer - and it's big, bulky and heavy. So, use a SHAWL!

Shawls are unbelievably versatile. They could go from formal to semi-formal to casual, depending on what you're wearing! Bring along a nice reasonably thick shawl or pashmina and you could wear it with your work clothes, or even when you're strutting around town in your jeans!

*****

Five quick tips to lighten up a good few kilos from your luggage and more space for your souvenirs too! In fact, I've managed to go so light, so much so that people have invariably never failed to remark that I don't look as if I'm going for a trip! *Winks!*

Oh, and did I mention that without a ton of luggage, it adds to the whole chic and cool look?

How To Travel in Style (while on a budget)

2009-06-26T21:40:00.000-07:00

Ever wonder how some people look fashionable even when traveling?

Ever look at your photos and felt that you look like you have not changed your clothes for days?

Well, if you are used to being chauffeured around even while on holiday, then you can pack your whole wardrobe into your suitcases and look like Victoria Beckham everyday!

But, if you are like me, and have to take the trains, climb up and down subways, then all you can afford to bring is whatever that can be stuffed into your backpack.

For my last trip to Europe, I managed to survive and look good while traveling with a backpack not weighing not more than 10kg (and this is in addition to my 1kg rice cooker!!)

How did I do it?

Read on for a few of my time tested tips.

Tip 1:
Colour coordinate your clothes

- the 1st rule (if not the only rule) to remember is to bring clothes that are colour coordinated
- choose a colour scheme that you want to work with and stick with it, eg black and white with red to add colour or brown and beige with red to add colour etc
- choose a basic colour (neutral colour like white/black/brown) then add another bright colour (it can be your favourite colour/ a colour that flatters your complexion)
*personally, I like the black,white, red combination as most of my clothes come in those colours
*it is best to choose dark colours for pants/skirts – as they wear well, do not show up creases as much and stains don’t appear so obvious

Tip 2:
Choose lightweight materials

- it is easy to pack when traveling in the height of summer; but even when packing for temperate climates, you can still get away with thin materials
- the trick is to layer the clothing eg a clinging spaghetti strapped top as the 1st layer, then a form-fitting long-sleeved T shirt as the next layer, then a close-fitted cardigan as the next layer, then a jacket as the last layer
- thin/lightweight materials make it easy to layer (without ending up looking like an Eskimo) and dry fast when washed

Now, my best tip of all……….

Tip 3:
Use scarves/pashminas - – it’s easy to pack, versatile and never goes out of style

- one way to look like you have a LV trunkful full of clothes when in fact all you have is a bunched up collection of rags stuffed into your 10 year old backpack is to bring an assortment of scarves
- you can use it to wrap around yourself when it’s cold, or tie it artistically around your neck and when it’s windy, tie it in the Grace Kelly style
- even if you do not change your clothes everyday, just change the scarf and trust me, you’ll look different in your photos

Getting Rid of WASPs in ALCoves

2009-06-18T22:06:00.000-07:00

If you are staring at a particular corner of your house in perplexity with the following questions running through your mind...

How do I maximise little/tight spaces in my house?
How do I arrange my furniture when I have space constraint?

...then you've come to the right place! It is really typical of those terrace or linked houses to have that little alcove smack right in the middle of your staircase. You know...the part where your staircase does a little turn? I call it the ALCove, or in other words...

"Annoying Little Corner"

Annoying - because it's just too small for you to do anything with and inevitably results in the WASP problem:

WAste of SPace

Well, one day, we had this really GREAT idea and wandered over to the nearest furniture mall to purchase our great bargain:

A 6x2 feet RM250 shoe cabinet

There: effective use of the space!

We were pretty happy and patted each other's backs. No more irrititaing WASPy ALCoves.

After a few days however, we started despairing again. The more we looked at our ALCove with the shoe cabinet staring back at us, the more our brains criticised it. Finally, we had no choice but to acknowledge it:

The WASP problem was back again

We also discovered that we had no place to dump our bags whenever we came home from work/shopping/sports. Strewing those bags on the ground, albeit temporarily, proved to be too much of an eyesore. A quick, practical solution was needed.

Thanks to IKEA (one of our favourite jaunts), we discovered this wall hook which besides being aesthetically pleasing, also had the advantage of being totally affordable. We call it the Butterfly Hook.

Two Butterfly Hooks did the trick. Now, we had a place to hang our bags instead of unceremoniously dumping them on the floor.

But, what about the WASP problem?

Tadaa!

Unfortunately the photo had to be made overly bright in order for you to see the SKUBB organiser clearly

Again, at IKEA, we got this wonderful L-shaped bracket (only RM9.90) and the SKUBB organiser (RM25) to hang from the bracket. We pushed the shoe cabinet all the way to the right to fit the SKUBB organiser.

Behold our Butterfly Hooks and SKUBB organiser in action! Note how you can stuff your shoe boxes into the cute cubby holes of the SKUBB organiser!

Of course, to spice things up a little, you could also get those handy little MALMA mirrors from IKEA too for only RM6.90 for a little decoration!

Happy Ending: No WASPy ALCoves

You Only Need 5 Euro A Day In Europe For Food

2009-06-13T14:40:00.000-07:00

Warning: If you own an LV bag, stop reading now. This post is only for sensible people like me: Budget Travellers and proud of it.

You're in Paris, that beautiful romantic city, where peddlers sell you roses on the streets and couples smooch with carefree abandon. Everything's perfect - except for one thing. You only have 20 Euro in your pocket. And you really WANT to go to the Louvre.

Entrance fee to the Louvre = 8 Euro
Audio tour = 5 Euro
Balance = 7 Euro for two meals and the ride back to the hotel

Gasp! What could you possibly eat?

The answer of course lies in...

My One-Litre Rice Cooker!

With this wickedly tiny shorter-than-a-milk-carton rice cooker weighing only 1kg, I have managed to survive on less than 5 euro a day. Eating out in Europe easily costs 12-15 euro for a sit-down meal! If there are two of you, that'll be 20 euro! That's like RM100 (exchange rate as of May 2009) FOR ONE MEAL!!!

So, what do you do with the rice cooker?

You cook!

"Cook!!! Cook? While I'm on holiday??? NO WAY!" If you think that way, you should of course stop reading right now. I mean, really, I wouldn't want to bore you with mundane trivialities. Really. There're so many other things you could do instead. Like shop for LV bags online.

Still reading? Great! I'm glad you chose the sensible path, because I have more tips to share!

For starters, you should always visit the nearest supermarket. They're a treasure trove of cheap food!

Choosing to cook allows you to have your little luxuries too! Ice cream + beer! Yum yum.

More reasons for you to carry a rice cooker in that backpack of yours:

1. It can be used to cook instant noodles – a staple diet for the Asian traveller.
Easy to pack and tastes much better than cup noodles. A simple 3-step process is all you need:
One - Pour water into rice cooker
Two - Press down the lever, close the lid
Three - Wait for the water to boil, then put in the noodles with seasoning.

For extra nutrition, add in eggs and vegetables.

Tip: all supermarkets in Europe sell packed mixed salad / spinach – already washed and cut; other options include: sausage, chopped meat, roasted chicken meat, frozen seafood.

2. It can be used to cook instant rice or risotto – very tasty and easy to cook.

In London, I found packets of instant rice with various flavours, much like instant noodles. Similarly, add eggs or anything you desire – just let your imagination run wild, with the options available at the supermarket.

Risotto and salad with tuna

3. It can be used to boil water for beverages
One recommended way to save money is to save on breakfast. And who says you can't choose?

1. 3-in-1 Milo
2. Cereal drinks
3. Breakfast bars
4. Biscuits
5. Any other thing that you can pack in that nifty bag of yours

Having your capuccino from the cafe may be tempting but would you really want to spend 2 euro on just a hot drink? Every day?

Tip: Bring along a small flask that can double up as a mug. Hotels in Europe not only do NOT give you a kettle, there is also no mug or cup provided (except for plastic cups). The flask is also useful if you want to have a hot drink during the day when you are out sight-seeing.

4. It can be used to cook hard-boiled or par-boiled eggs
Just put in the water as above with the eggs – wait for the water to boil, let it boil on for a while and voila! you have hard boiled eggs. For par-boiled eggs, just let the water boil first, then put in the eggs once it has boiled and unplug the electrical cord. Easy peasy.

5. It can be used to cook or warm-up soup
Instant soup is another option – either for breakfast or a quick dinner.

*****

I am sure there are many other ways of using the rice cooker – maybe my next travel will inspire me! Supermarkets in Europe provide many different types of instant/pre-cooked/half-cooked food available. If there is a can-opener (sometimes provided in B&Bs), then the options are even wider.

*****

Oh, and don't forget your fork and spoon. But even if you happen to forget and suddenly remember it while cruising along at an altitude of 1000 feet above sea level, don't despair. Now, I'm not saying anything, but you know...some airlines provide stainless steel cutlery...

The Origins of Ms Teapot and Mdm Transit

2009-06-12T19:28:00.000-07:00

All tales have a beginning, and so it was the same with Ms Teapot and Mdm Transit.

Dedicated to rid the world of nastily-designed houses and determined to help travellers who don't believe in arranged tours, Teapots and Transits was born.

We do feel very passionately about roaming the world on an independent basis and are somewhat house-proud. The best part? We have no qualms about sharing our views with others who care to read them!

Stay tuned for house-updates and bugs. Travel bugs, of course!