My boyfriend and I are lucky enough to reward ourselves with another trip down south. I love going down south, specifically when the winter is harsh. Ok… This year the winter hasn’t been so harsh, however, I can’t remember last time we saw the sun…
I love getting prepared for the trip, usually I think of my outfits long in advance and I prepare a list and I purchase a new bikini… This year has been a bit different…
This is our 6th trip together, so I am fairly aware of what is waiting for me, also, I have been traveling a few time for business purpose, the airports, plane and travel in general are not scary for me anymore.
These past few weeks have been pretty hectic, with Christmas, preparing the move, the wedding preparation… I haven’t prepared a list for packing, I just decided to use the list I used for my previous vacations.
I do not define myself as an overpacker, I don’t pack any make up when we are going on vacation, but I need to assume that I am pretty high maintenance. We always use our beloved luggage set we purchased at Sears in the US back in 2014. We wanted something bright that you can easily recognize on the carousel, the downside is that I am being judged when I use this set on business trip, but who cares! I would have prefer a pink one, but white and purple were the only colors available at that time.
I first start with the important things, which means in this case, bikinis and swimsuit cover-ups. I am not super fancy for my cover-ups, I use pareos (sarong) and surf shorts, I just dump everything I might need on my bed and then make sure I have enough for the week when I fold the clothes.
I like to pack my swimsuit in ziploc bags, this way, even if they are still damp when we fly back, they don’t ruin my other clothes.
Right after the bikinis, come the clothes, I usually pack three pairs of jeans (real shorts) shorts and a flowy skirt along with cheap, light and bright T-shirts and tank tops. I also always have this wishful thinking that I will have a few training during my stay (LOOOOLLL) on my first trip, I brought like 4 or 5 training kits (LOLLL) I ended up with a strained calf muscle on the second day after a run in the sand, I was not able to run anymore, I could barely walk! On the next trip, I brought 3 or 4 kits, thinking that I would train at the gym (LOOOOOLLLLL) here in North America, the gyms are chilly if not cold, down there, the gyms are barely, and sometime not even, air conditioned. This time, I bring only two, and I hope I will be motivated enough to train at least once.
Since I take the larger suitcase, I pack with me all the toiletries and other necessities. When I decluttered the cupboards above the washing machine, I took the opportunity to cluster all our travel accessories in a single bin. So now, whenever we are going on a spontaneous getaway or a more planned trip, the toiletries are easily accessible and almost already packed. The pink metallic bag is a bag I bought at Victoria’s secret and it always contains the essential toiletries (shower gel, toothpaste, shampoo…) I only have to pick it up and place it in the suitcase.
I always pack the small items in separate bags (such as the pink metallic one) the large pink one is for medicine, when we go down south I tend to be paranoiac, I am afraid we won’t be able to find advil, lactaid (I am lactose intolerant), gravol… So I bring a complete medicine cabinet with me. Similar items are packed together and so on, so I have a separate bag for my face cleanser, micellar water, cream and so on, a bag for my hair accessories, I tend to bring a lot of elastic to compensate for the one I will lose and the one that will break while I am doing my ponytail.
And finally, here is the final result! I always pack the toiletries at the bottom of the suitcase, this way, if one of the bottle explodes, the leak won’t be covering the entire suitcase. I also finish my packing with covering the top with either a towel, or in this case our beach bag to secure all the clothing and bags in place.
Also, when traveling down south, don’t forget to bring gifts for the maids, I took my decluttering quest to my advantage, I will bring purses, shoes and make up.
Princess on Daytime, Housewife at night 