I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting (#MC) for Reebok. I received a product sample to facilitate my review and a promotional item as a thank you for participating.

I am currently en-route to Boston for a work trip. And by “en-route” I mean, I am literally on an airplane as I write this post! My bestie also happens to live in the area, so I get to see her and meet her new baby while I’m town! I’ve traveled since I was quite young. My mom and I have been on several adventures over the years. I learned the art of minimal packing from her. I know many girls have a problem with over-packing. I think if you’re prepared you should be able to get your essentials in a carry-on.

Here are my travel day essentials:

1) Comfortable Shoes

Lucky I’ve only had to RUN* through a very few number of airports over the years. But there is always the possibility of a last-minute gate change, a delayed flight that equals a super short layover or other unforeseen reasons that you’d have to get yourself to a new gate in a HURRY. Wearing comfortable shoes on travel day is a must. I’ve even changed shoes after a conference before I headed to the airport on occasion. For this trip I left straight from my house, so I’m wearing my new Reebok Skyscapes from Kohls with jeans. They are very light-weight (only 5 ounces), easy to take on and off (hello, airport security) and since they’re water resistant, they’d be easy to wipe off if they get dirty.

The Reebok Skyscape is made with the same manufacturing techniques and processes as molded form bras, but obviously optimized for movement and stresses placed on your feet all day. As you can imagine that makes them very flexible. Oh, and have you seen the Miranda Kerr ad for these shoes? The first time I saw it was on Hulu, it’s quite clever. And, well if only we all looked that fab in yoga pants. If for some reason you don’t like hot pink (pretty sure all Genpink readers do, though) they come in several colors and patterns. There are over 100 reviews on Kohls about them! I might need to get the Leopard ones.

2) Headphones

Whether you bring your own music or opt for in-flight entertainment I always recommend bringing at least one pair of headphones. I have two that live in my travel bag. They’re great for drowning out cry babies, chattering passengers or just getting in the zone. HGTV’s house remodeling show is playing in my headphones at this very moment.

3) Power

Hi, I’m Elysa, and I’m a technology addict. The idea of running out of battery on a traveling day STRESSES me out! I generally have a digital boarding pass, the address of my hotel, and of course, all of the apps on my phone. If my phone were to run out of juice before I arrived at my destination I’d have a hard time navigating to my hotel. I have a Mophie and  PowerRocks charger with me.

4) Snacks

At the last minute I grabbed a few KIND bars out of my pantry as I was heading to the airport. Funny enough when I was walking to my gate I saw that the airport store was selling those same bars for $2.50 each. Youch!

5) Entertainment/Productivity Essentials

If I had a free 3.5 hours to lounge on a random Sunday I’d probably spend it watching Hulu or reading blogs. Both of these forms of entrainment require Internet. So, I had to prepare for what I’d do on the flight sans Internet. I’m currently testing out an iPad app called Next Issue, where you can download unlimited magazines! I now have the latest issue of Glamour, Shape, Fast Company and Real Simple available to read during my flight. I also have a notebook if I decide to do some brainstorming during the flight.

*So, I wrote this post on my way TO Boston, and apparently jinxed myself by saying I hadn’t had to run through an airport in a while. I ended up missing my flight home, after running 33 gates.