Jen A. Miller Consulting

Category: Travels the World

How to Pack Your Beauty Products

8 Must-Know Packing Tricks for Your Next Trip

This week I take off for a 10 day trip to Europe to visit two countries I’ve yet to explore. First stop–Cannes, France where my boyfriend and I will meet up with a group of his old college friends. Beach days, bike rides, and shopping the open air markets are all on the agenda. From there we head off to Vienna, the current residence of one of our travel mates. With no formal plans, our main mission is to soak up the city like a local.

France and Vienna fall somewhere on the list as the 32nd and 33rd countries that I’ve had the pleasure of visiting. Most of my travel was done in college through study abroad, service trips, and a short stint interning at an airline. Though post-graduation, I’ve made it a point to spend time abroad at least once each year.

All of this to say that, over the past decade or so, I’ve grown into a fairly well-seasoned traveler. While I don’t claim to be of Samantha Brown or Anthony Bourdain status, I do have quite a few travel tips and tricks up my sleeve. One particular area I’ve learned to master is the art of packing.

5 years ago when I paid my first visit to Europe, I brought with me the largest suitcase I could find and had it packed as full as it’s zippers would allow. Trust me– you only make that mistake once. My new rule of thumb is to never pack more than a carry-on. Of course, with limited space and TSA rules to abide, this poses a certain set of challenges, especially when it comes to packing beauty products. However, I promise that with the right know-how and a little creativity you can pack everything you need without upgrading to a checked bag.

Read on for 8 of my favorite tricks on how to pack your beauty products. And if you’re wondering what to pack make sure to check out my favorite beauty travel essentials!

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August 4, 2014
The Single Diaries Guide to Outside Lands Food

10 San Francisco food favorites to try at Outside Lands

It seems that every year a new music festival is born somewhere in the world. Outside Lands premiered in Golden Gate Park in 2009 and, true to its culinary capital roots, one of the festival’s signature features is its outstanding selection of food. It is the one festival our crew attends at which we look forward to experiencing the eats rather than chowing down on a substantial meal to keep us going the whole day. At Outside Lands, you plan your agenda around musical acts and what you’re eating in between. There’s ChocoLands, BeerLands, Food Truck Lands, and more. Trust us, you want to be aware of all your options before you settle for something that doesn’t feed your heart as much as the next stand might. I encourage you to check out the 2014 restaurant list ahead of time. In true SF fashion, composting bins will be available; make like a local, and put your waste where it belongs. Read on for 10 San Francisco food favorites that stand out at the Park and on the streets of the city.

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July 30, 2014
Leaving Home for Home

After 9 years in Los Angeles, Catherine reflects on her decision to move to San Francisco

PHOTO: Tara Freese.

I moved to Los Angeles in 2005, fresh out of high school and ready to tackle my first taste of freedom. The rivalry between the Bay and L.A. was palpable among my friends at LMU, and shortly after starting my freshmen year, I was already homesick for San Francisco. Every opportunity I had to fly home for an extended weekend, I took. Then after opening my eyes to the world and studying abroad in Florence, my perspective changed. My senior year I embraced the limited amount of time I had left in college, took an off-campus internship, and really started to explore the city I had lived in for three years beyond the neighborhood around LMU.

Though I started to find my groove—particularly once I was working full-time at a magazine and working events in glamorous Beverly Hills and exciting West Hollywood—it wasn’t until a couple years after college that I finally admitted to all my Bay Area friends that I loved L.A. I even started to feel a sense of pride in the city (though I will never ever support the Dodgers), especially when people told me how much they hated it.

Many people decide to start fresh after college by moving to a new city; I was not one of those people, though I did face the obstacle of making new friends after my college friends slowly but surely left the area. The last time I really felt like I started a new chapter in my life was when I originally left home. Serendipitously, while cleaning out my place, I found the video from my cotillion and watched it with my parents. My 18-year-old self gave a speech about leaving for college, moving to L.A., and what I’d learned up to that point in life. It was so fascinating to look back at the girl I was before I started this L.A. adventure… and to feel the difference in what I went through then versus what I’m going through now.

Back then I had so much direction and focus: I knew my purpose in moving, I knew what I would study in college, I knew what I wanted to do after (though at that point I thought I would be a high school English teacher first). Now I’m leaving L.A. with more life experience and a better sense of who I have become, though what the future holds may still be hazy (or should I say foggy).

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July 25, 2014
How to Stay Safe While Traveling Alone

Planning a Solo Vaca this Summer? Shalini has 10 Tips to Help You Be a Smart, Single Traveler

A few months ago, I decided that this was the summer I would go to Europe. The only issue was that I had no one to go with. For a while, I frantically tried to find friends to travel with me, but then I realized that I had never truly gone anywhere by myself. I went to the same college as my older sister, and I had friends in all the places I’ve moved to. I never knew what it was like to go somewhere completely alone where I would have to figure things out for myself. Since, I didn’t have anyone to go with, I figured now was a great time to test myself to see what I can do.

I decided to go to Italy, and today wrapped up the last day of my one-week solo vacation. Looking back, I want to brush my shoulder and say, “That was a breeze!”, but, in truth, a lot of planning, preparation, and worrying went into this trip. However, since I arrived, it has been one of the most enjoyable experiences I have ever had, and I am so happy I made the decision to come. I prepared for this trip by researching tips from other solo travelers, and I learned a few valuable lessons that every Single Girl traveling alone outside the country should know. Here are my top bits advice to help you stay safe while traveling alone.

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July 17, 2014
Summer Travel Beauty Essentials

Jen shares her favorite summer travel beauty and hair product picks

Summer Beauty Travel Essentials by jenhacker featuring a tarte blush

As a rule of thumb I never pack more than a carry-on when I travel. I learned this practice the hard way during my study- abroad trip in college. Back then, I opted to go for the largest suitcase I could find and to pack it until the zippers were ready to bust. Needless to say, rolling that monstrosity through the train stations of Europe was less than enjoyable.

Since, I’ve learned to be a much smarter traveler and have migrated my packing practices towards the simpler side. In doing so, I’ve picked up a few tricks of the trade on packing tight and light. The most obvious of the tricks–sticking to travel sizes of my favorite products.

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July 9, 2014