I dread packing. I almost always wait ’til the night before a trip before I really get my shit together. It’s the worst packing & waiting ’til the last minute. I strive to be better but I am a work in progress. I do, however, always pack the right stuff. My mom taught me well, she was ALWAYS prepared. She packed everything from necessities to leisure, right down to the last matching Barbie shoe. So here is my check list to packing & making sure you are PREPAAAARED (in Scar singing voice):
Make Outfits: try on your outfits before you pack them & definitely with enough time to get a new one if you don’t like it. Documents the outfits (mirror selfies) so you remember what you liked paired with what & don’t be afraid to reuse items.Being prepared helps for anything that might come up on the itinerary, especially if you are going on a group vacation.
Make One Extra Outfit: You never know what is going to come up while you’re away & you may need an additional outfit for a certain activity. Or maybe one of your friends likes to raid your suitcase, as well. Don’t worry, you came prepared!
Pack Something Warm: even if you’re going somewhere warm pack something warm! You never know! I went to the Outer Banks last year and the week before was all 80s and the week after we left was all 80s…the week we were there was all 60s-70s… Be prepared for unexpected weather changes.
Bring Comfy Clothes: one night you might just want to lounge around the ABNB & not go out. One day you might have one too many all inclusive cocktails & desserts & want to wear something a little more comfortable & forgiving! Max loves turning the AC up in hotel rooms, so I always have a comfy hoodie & sweats to snuggle up in, so I don’t into Elsa over night, although that wouldn’t be the worst thing!
Bring a Comfortable Pair of Shoes: yes, life is a fashion show but you can get super cute comfortable shoes, so bring them. Depending on where you go you may be walking a lot & don’t want to worry about buying over priced band-aids or slowing down the group & don’t get me started on walking around barre foot!
Bring Workout Clothes: you should always try to work out on vacation! This is just a must. I always try to workout on vacation. If not everyday every other day. You can always sneak some type of workout in. Especially on the beach, just go for a walk or ask some one to go for a hike. Every hotel has a gym, plan for a late night or early morning workout based on your itinerary. You won’t regret bring a sports bra & sneaks!
Pack the Essentials: you can find my plane travel essentials in this post & literally whatever you know you can’t live without. All the toiletries & then some.
Medicine: anticipate the worst. No one plans on getting sick during their vacation but it happens. Bring some meds. I got super sick on the last two days I was in Jamaica & had to buy WAY TOO over priced medicine at the resort. Try to avoid this at all costs.
Bring a Book: on the nights you want to lay low & lounge what better way to do that than curled up with a good book?? Also, you can only read so many magazines before you start reading the same story about the Kardashians over & over again! Don’t get me wrong I love my Kardashian reruns & all the latest about that family, but diving into a great book really passes the time on long exhausting flights!
Headphones!! If you have noise canceling ones you’re lucky. Plane travel, these are essential. Sleeping next to a snoring boyfriend or sharing an ABNB with a bunch of people who don’t sleep, you’ll be thanking me you brought these…I promise!
Tampons…you never know, they’re unpredictable sometimes & really decide to come at the worst times!
Eye Patches: these were also in my essentials for plane travel post but they are essential for any type of travel. Traveling is tiring so you’ll need a little help to bring the liveliness back into your eyes!
I hope this helps make the dreadfulness of packing & double checking six times over go a lot smoother & hopefully you don’t forget your sunglasses!
Bon Voyage!
That’s all…xxTay!