OrganizingLA Blog

How Martha Stewart's Spontaneous Yet Organized Travel Habits Resulted in Jam from the Santa Monica Farmer's Market

Martha Stewart leaves wiggle room in her carry-on travel luggage to accommodate regional finds in Los Angeles, and elsewhere.

Martha Stewart may seem like a meticulous person, but she does leave room for one spontaneous purchase when planning and organizing her travel bags:

“I once bought a flat of apricots from the Santa Monica farmers’ market—and carried the whole flat home on the plane because I wanted to make jam.”

What's in Martha's packing list?

• A cashmere shawl that doubles as a blanket;
• Slip-on Merrell clogs “for running through airports";
• Louis Vuitton or Tumi roller suitcase;
• Carry-on tote for office paperwork in clear sleeves;
• Towelettes to wipe down seats;
• Emergency vitamins;
• A neck pillow bought right before boarding (and then usually left behind or lost);
• Ipad and a camera;
• Carefully coiled chargers (with a plastic bag for each device).
• Fragrance (Fracas);
• Moisturizer (Yon-Ka or Mario Badescu rose spray);
• Jewelry.

Just how organized are you when you travel? We've blogged before about obsessively-tight schedulers who don't always appear to allow for any surprises. But Martha Stewart is one celebrity who seems to be very prepared yet allows some wiggle room for spontaneity.

Your Turn to Comment

What are your packing secrets? What are some of the things you take home with you when you travel? Let us know here in the comment section or you can tweet us @johntrosko on Twitter. You can also check me out on Instagram (@johntrosko).

Martha Stewart's Packing Habits Are Even More Precise Than You Imagined

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Curb Your Car Clutter And Make Your Commute Care-Free

Abundant sunshine, urban sprawl and a demand for convenient leisure trips to the mountains, beaches and deserts pushed Southern Californians to build a series of "stop-free express highways" (as they were originally proposed to voters) to connect us to our friends and activities like no other geographic area in the nation could.

Not only did Southern Californians practically invent our intense mobility, but 60-years later we seem to actually live in our cars. Bob Hope once called the Hollywood Freeway (pictured above) the "biggest parking lot in the world." Years ago, Hope received his very own exit ramp in his honor on the Ventura Freeway (134) just next to his home in the Toluca Lake neighborhood of the San Fernando Valley.

These days, we may not be able to spend less time in the car, and you may not have your own exit ramp named after you, but we can spend it more efficiently — by getting your car organized, and therefore, making your commute more enjoyable. Here are some must-have tips no matter where you live, or drive: