Sure‚ there are many people who find light packing a breeze. Those brave souls who come alive at the thought of living three weeks in a foreign country out of a carry on bag. But then there’s the rest of us. The ones who work ourselves into a headache trying to load our suitcases with every possible outfit that could be needed for the trip…because you never know when you might need a parka and flip-flops on the same trip. (Hey‚ it could happen! The Alps have hot tubs!) But luckily‚ there are a few tips and tricks that chronic overpacker can incorporate to help them feel truly prepared‚ without having to jam their entire closet into a suitcase. That’s where the “333 packing method” comes in. 333 packing seems to come from—or at least be inspired by—minimalist fashion blogger Courtney Carver‚ whose “Project 333” encourages people to declutter by committing to only 33 items of clothing for 3 months. But the concept seems to have taken on a life of its own on TikTok‚ and its helping travelers of all kinds pack with peace of mind.The rules of 333 packing are pretty straightforward: pack three tops‚ three bottoms‚ and three pairs of shoes. These basic ingredients potentially create dozens of outfits‚ all of which fit into a carry-on.The trend really started blowing up after influencers began striking poses in all their different ensemble combinations‚ tallying upwards of 20. @ayeshayeshbaby6 the 333 method is a life saver for me when im traveling. it helps me come up with tons of outfit ideas and not overpack #capsulewardrobe #traveloutfit #stylingtips #CapCut ♬ original sound - Ayesha @itssarasmiles The 333 method really helped me narrow down exactly what I needed for my trip so that I wouldn’t overpack #vacationoutfitinspo #styletips #packinghacksfortravel #333method #stylishtravel ♬ original sound - Style with Sara @daniela.brkic The 333 method is a lifesaver for not overpacking when travelling + creating heaps of different outfit ideas! #capsulewardrobe #traveloutfit #girlstrip #stylingtips #stylingideas #capsulewardrobeideas ♬ ♡ ᶫᵒᵛᵉᵧₒᵤ ♡ - SoBerBoi However‚ there are some caveats. It helps if you keep your clothing choices stick to basics in neutral colors‚ since they are the least likely to clash and can be zhuzhed up with an accessory or two. Plus‚ for areas where there are large changes in climate‚ you might be better off packing an extra layer. Many found that even if they customized a bit—allowing themselves 1-2 “fun” items‚ for example‚ or switching up the ratio to 5 tops‚ two pants‚ etc.—they still benefited from being completely intentional about getting the most out of whatever went with them on their travels.“Every time I do it‚ I stare at my bed where all my clothes and shoes are and think‚ ‘Wow this seems too simple. There’s no way I can make 17-18 outfits out of just this.’ But then I do‚” fashion influencer Krista Lavrusik and 333 outfit aficionado shared with HuffPost.Bottom line: it might seem like we are easing our anxiety to prepare for inevitable loss of control that comes with traveling to new places‚ but often we still end up just as stressed by having to lug around so much. If this sounds like you‚ give the 333 method a whirl. You just might save time and luggage space. Oh‚ and‚ you know‚ actually enjoy that vacation you’re packing for.

Imagine going out for a hike along the Appalachian Trail when you find yourself accompanied by an orange tabby cat‚ who not only walks along with you but lets you know when you've strayed off the beaten path. That's what happened to Sebastian Cocioba when he and his partner stayed at an Airbnb in Phillipstown‚ New York. "Went with my partner upstate and the AirBnB host's cat took us for a guided hike along the Appalachian trail‚" he wrote on X. "Apparently this is what she does with every guest. She would complain when we took a wrong turn off the trail and knew the way back.""Amazing cat‚" he added. "Would apocalypse with." What Cocioba didn't know at the time was that the cat wasn't a she but a he. He's 8 years old‚ his name is Cinamen‚ and according to his owner‚ Trisha Mulligan‚ this is just what he does. — (@) “I call him the concierge‚ because he just loves people‚” Mulligan told Backpacker magazine. “You know‚ each color‚ they have different personalities. And there’s something about an orange cat that’s very social‚ and we have a very social cat.”Other guests have left reviews sharing their adventures with Cinamen and some have shared with Mulligan how he kept them from getting lost on the trail. Some people even return to the Airbnb just to have Cinamen be their trail guide. “There’s this one guy‚ this Russian guy who comes back regularly. He never leaves reviews‚ but he always sends me pictures—he’s a photographer—and he books because he wants to be with Cinamen and he wants to do the trail with Cinamen‚” said Mulligan.Of course‚ Cinamen is a cat‚ and in typical cat fashion‚ he cannot be coerced into anything. Mulligan said that he comes by his guiding behavior naturally—no training involved—but there's no guarantee that he's going to join anyone on a hike. (Or that he's going to refrain from judging you if you go too slow‚ as Cocioba can attest with his "camera roll full of judgment.")At times she judged the crap out of us for being too slow. I got a camera roll full of judgement‚ lololol pic.twitter.com/shxtU6lQwK— Sebastian S. Cocioba🪄🌷 (@ATinyGreenCell) March 12‚ 2024 People love the idea of having a cat as a tour guide."Pretty sure the cat is the host there‚" wrote one person."Please drop the bnb so I can book them for a year just me n the travel cat‚" wrote another."That cat was originally a human and is desperately seeking for one of the guest to take a hint and complete the necessary ritual to transform it back‚" shared another.Even Airbnb weighed in with "the purrfect trail guide."Some people shared that they've had similar experience with Airbnb host's pets in other places. "My daughter and her bffs had the same experience with their AirBnB's dog! Apparently the dog is the unofficial tour guide and person herder--not only did she lead them to a couple of cool waterfalls but she kept everyone together and not wandering off‚" shared one commenter."My family &; I once went for a walk and were joined by Labrador who'd been at end of his driveway‚" wrote another. "We weren't sure of route and ended up following the dog. We did a full circular walk back to the dog's house. Later met the owner who said dog often did this when he fancied a walk.""I remember when we toured kasteel de haar in the netherlands‚ there was a cat who toured us around the grounds too‚" shared another. Perhaps that should be a new feature hosts can tout on their Airbnb listings: "Pet tour guide provided." Judging by people's responses to Cinamen‚ it could be a big draw.You can find Cinamen's listing on Airbnb here.

In a parody video titled “Museum-worthy‚” renowned artists Vincent Van Gogh and Frida Kahlo must navigate the constant influx of “creative input” on their masterpieces from cheesy middlemen dressed in period garb and spouting marketing mumbo jumbo. Even though the sketch was created to encourage professional creatives to enter a contest for the Association of Independent Commercial Producers (AICP)‚ anyone who has had to deal with cringey corporate culture will get a kick out of it. Van Gogh is informed that while “the client was super happy” with his “Starry Night” painting‚ they wanted it to make it a “sunny day” for a happier tone. Also‚ his painting unfortunately failed a focus group since it did not make viewers “more comfortable about the plague.” So‚ of course‚ an influencer‚ aka Father Anton‚ is brought in “to break through and resonate with younger audiences.”Meanwhile‚ Kahlo is told her unibrow is “too confrontational” and is politely asked to remove the monkey from her self portrait in favor of an animal that “scored higher on trust‚” like a puppy.Give it a watch below:Triggered? You’re not alone. Just take a look at some of these comments gleaned from Youtube:“The people who made this commercial really captured what its like to deal with these people. Especially the influencer part.”“For me this really showed me how ridiculous corporate control and content-isation really is. We're so used to it that we don't think about it any more‚ but can be soul sucking.”“Okay‚ I actually LOL'd at the end No lies detected‚ though.”“This ad was BRILLIANT and so on POINT!”“I love this…it also made me uncomfortable‚ as it’s just toooooooo relatable.”Art is subjective‚ but it seems we can all agree that a) this ad hits the nail on the head‚ and b) we are ready for corporate cringe to be done‚ please and thank you. By the way‚ if you want to see more of what happened during that focus group for “Starry Night‚” you can check out an equally funny companion piece here.

At Upworthy‚ we've shared a lot of memorable "America's Got Talent" auditions‚ from physics-defying dance performances to jaw-dropping magic acts to heart-wrenching singer-songwriter stories. Now we're adding Angelina Jordan's "AGT: The Champions" audition to the list because wow. Jordan came to "AGT: The Champions" in 2020 as the winner of Norway's Got Talent‚ which she won in 2014 at the mere age of 7 with her impressive ability to seemingly channel Billie Holiday. For the 2020 audition‚ she sang Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody‚" but a version that no one had ever heard before.With just her Amy Winehouse-ish voice‚ a guitar and a piano‚ Jordan brought the fan-favorite Queen anthem down to a smooth‚ melancholy ballad that's simply riveting to listen to.Especially considering that Jordan was only 13 years old when she did this. Watch:What this video doesn't show is Heidi Klum hitting the Golden Buzzer faster than you can say‚ "Nothing really matters to me." The judges were blown away by Jordan's performance‚ as were the people in the comments. "That's a ONE in A BILLION voice right there. Just amazing‚" wrote one commenter."I am typically not a fan of songs being redone particular to such a magnitude‚" shared another. "They almost always fall short of the original. But to completely rearrange a song in the manner that she has‚ from a legend‚ and then make you forget about how the original even sounded because her rendition is so good is utterly amazing.""As Freddie once said‚ 'Do whatever you want with my music as long as you don't make it boring.' I think he'd really like this‚" shared another.Though Queen's lead vocalist Freddie Mercury is no longer with us‚ the band did offer words of praise for Jordan's performance‚ retweeting her audition video with the comment‚ "Wow! What a rendition of #BohemianRhapsody." "Bohemian Rhapsody" is such an iconic song‚ it's hard for anyone to do a cover of it justice. But 13-year-old Angelina Jordan managed it masterfully. Jordan would move on to the Top 10 in "AGT: The Champions‚" and though she didn't take home the top prize‚ she did impress the audience with another classic rock tune‚ Elton John's "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road." You can enjoy that performance below‚ and you can follow Angelina Jordan—who is now 17 and still singing her heart out—on YouTube and TikTok. Become Angelina's patron at Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/angelinajordanThis performance on Angelina Jordan's TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@angelinajor...This article originally appeared on 9.30.23

"Love" is one of the most powerful words in the English language‚ yet it's also one of the most broadly defined. We use the word "love" for so many things that are neither the same nor equal—our families‚ our friends‚ our romantic partners‚ our hobbies—even our favorite foods. When we think of a "love story‚" we almost exclusively imagine a tale of romance‚ but that's not the only kind of love story there is. Sometimes the strongest‚ most meaningful loves of our lives aren't romantic at all.David Shane creates videos in which he approaches couples in public and asks them to share three things they love about each other‚ resulting in some major #couplegoals moments. But one "couple" he approached had a surprising answer to that question‚ one that moved both them and the people watching the video afterward to tears. Blane approached a man and woman sitting on a bench at a mall and asked his signature question—"Excuse me‚ could you give me three things you love about each other?" The woman responded‚ "Well‚ this is my brother‚" and proceeded to share that she loved that they were related and that they care about each other—typical family stuff. But as she started elaborating‚ the beautiful bond they share became more and more apparent. This is one you just have to watch: See on Instagram People were understandably moved seeing this brother and sister express their love for one another through serious life challenges."This is what love looks like. 🥹 What a truly beautiful sibling relationship‚ 😭🫶🏽" wrote one commenter."I gotta stop watching these right after I do my makeup‚" wrote another. "Gosh‚ I love questions like this that remind us to SEE two people sitting in a mall as the true‚ precious humans they are‚" shared another. "We walk past people every day‚ all day long and never get to know their story. There must be so many stories we miss. This is the beauty of social media. I wish both of these sweet souls the very best. So glad they have each other."Many of us have people with whom we share a deep connection but may not always share our feelings freely. This video is a good reminder to let our loved ones know what they mean to us and to treasure all the love stories in our lives‚ whether romantic‚ platonic or familial. This article originally appeared on 9.29.23

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