Friend Friday: Summer Vacation

It's Friday, and it looks like I actually have time to blog (Yay!), so here I am answering some Friend Friday questions.

I couldn't resist this week because I am in full on countdown mode for our huge family vacation in July. So, in Katy's words:

Now that summer is in full swing here… and vacations are coming up, let’s talk about what you’re packing to take on vacation.

Okay, so here we go:
Summer Vacation

1. When it comes to packing for vacation what’s your mantra?
"No one will know that you already wore that three times this week." Truth. Even before I started thinking critically about how much to pack, I noticed that I'd reach for the same seven to ten pieces while I was on vacation. Why pack more if that's all I'm going to wear?

2. What are your must packs?
Because most of my vacations involve the beach (I'm from an island; I need some ocean in my life!) and I hate cold weather, this will skew tropical (or at least warm weather).

• One dress for going out
• Two to three sundresses
• Basic skirt
• Comfortable sandals for walking (I'm obsessed with my Rainbows for this purpose)
• Lightweight cardigan
• One or two swimsuits (like I said, I love me some beach)
• One or two sarongs
• Three more pairs of unders than days of vacation
• Socks
• Pajamas
• Three to four tops
• A pair of heels
• A handful of accessories
• Toiletries and make-up 

3. What are you happy to leave behind?
So, this is not what the question is looking for, but I'm happiest to leave work behind.  For real.  Also, I like the creativity and simplicity of a limited wardrobe.  Is that me just putting a positive reinforcement spin on this question?

4. Any packing secrets that help you get everything into one suitcase?
Right, so I'm an Army brat, I have always lived hundreds of miles from most of my family, and I'm an avid traveler - all of that means that I have a lot of packing experience.  Oh, and B and I packed for three years in six suitcases.   Here are my tips:

• Repeat to yourself: "No one will know if I wear the same thing three times in a week." 
• Pick your favorite items, because you already know how to remix them.  
• Roll.  You can pack so much stuff in a bag when you roll!
• Wear your heaviest, bulkiest items and plan to wear that same outfit when you travel back home.
• Pack solid toiletries whenever possible: shampoo bars, conditioner bars, solid perfume, soap in bars.... They take up less space and spare you the hassle that is taking out liquids for airport security.
• Travel and sample size liquids are your friends.
• Limit make-up: bronzer, powder, blush, and mascara usually do it for me.  
• Carry a big purse - put a change of clothes - and pajamas - in it.  (You never know when you'll lose a suitcase.)
• You can check out my packing posts here.  

5. Beach reading… what are you taking with you to read in the sand?
Whatever's free for Kindle on Amazon.  That is the reason I read three or four books a week these days....  


Now I'll be thinking of what I'm packing for our vacation in July - a week long Caribbean cruise to celebrate my parent's thirtieth wedding anniversary.  They're the cutest, y'all - they're celebrating by taking both daughters with their husbands (and my sweet niece) on a cruise.  I'm beyond excited to get some sun because while you're enjoying summer in the Northern Hemisphere, here in Costa Rica, we're experiencing "invierno" - rain, rain, and more rain.

So how about y'all?  Any tips for packing?  What do you take with you on vacation?  What the heck should I pack for a cruise?  

12 days, one backpack.

So we're going to be in Turkey for twelve days of sight seeing, basketball watching, sun bathing, and eating. We're also going to be staying at at least three different hostels/hotels, so I wanted to keep our baggage to a minimum since we'll be using public transportation to get around from place to place. This is the longest trip I've done with a carry on, and we'll see how it goes.

One thing about traveling with nothing but a carry on is that you should expect to be a little dirty. I packed some Febreze to mitigate some of the funk factor, but other than that, it's remix city.

Also, I'm pretty sure I've over packed yet again, but I like having options.


So this is my bag, which you can find here. It's not massive, but it's also not terribly small. I really like that it's got a lot of compartments and padded straps, which are nice.


I started with the essentials. I always pack my toiletries first because this is what I'm most likely to forget. I've got my quart-sized zip top bag with liquids, which I'll keep in my purse. Then I have my make up bag and my additional toiletries. Additional toiletries, you ask? I've got a bar of shampoo, a bar of conditioner, soap, and deodorant.


Now for the fun stuff: a swimsuit and a sarong. I chose my most modest swimsuit for this trip. Also, sarongs are the best thing ever for travel. They work as towels, as sheets, as skirts, as dresses, as scarves.... Yeah, they're gifted multi-taskers.


I chose six tops: two tanks (one casual and one fancy), two tee shirts, and a 3/4 sleeve tunic style top. These will be mixed and matched with my bottoms.


I've got three simple skirts: black pencil skirt, brown skirt, and grey jersey.


I'm taking two dresses with sleeves and two without. These might be worn as either shirts or skirts as well if I get either very bored or very creative.


I've got a pair of leggings for covering my knees at some of the sights. I figure I can wear these under my dresses or skirts for a little added modesty. They might also work as sleepwear at some point, I won't lie.


Two sets of pajamas and a giant bag of unmentionables.


A variety of belts for spicing things up. Also, I've got a handful of jewelry that will serve the same purpose. Of course, I didn't get pictures of that....


These cardigans will cover my shoulders for modesty's sake at different locales and will keep me warm if it's a little chilly.

As you can see, I clearly subscribe to the rolling method of packing. I roll things up tightly and layer them in, pretty much in the same order that they're pictured here. I packed the sarong in B.'s bag since I'll use it as a blanket on the plane and want it to be close at hand. I'll also admit to packing a pair of pants in his bag as well. Even though all my research tells me that Istanbul is a very cosmopolitan city and that women dress pretty much the way they do elsewhere in Europe, I may have freaked out and decided I needed a pair of pants so my knees are covered.


All of those things add up to one very full bag.

Oh, and I will not be barefoot. I put two pairs of sandals in the very bottom pocket of my bag and a pair of red wedges in the side pocket. I'll be wearing one additional pair of sandals, which puts me at four pairs of shoes.

I'll be wearing jeans and a woven top on the plane with an additional cardigan and a scarf, so expect those things to be thrown in the mix, too.

Packing

I'm back from Atlanta and I'm just getting settled in. I still haven't uploaded my pictures yet, so I'll have to wait to show how I used these items on my trip, but I figured I could do a packing post today before catching up and going on to regularly scheduled outfit posting.

So I knew that B. and I were going to be in Atlanta for about five days, and I knew that there would be a picnic and some swimming, but I had no idea what we'd do the rest of our time there. I never know what to expect when I get together with my girls, but I know it's guaranteed to be a good time. This uncertainty about ATL events is partly to blame for my compulsive over packing. The other part of it is my own compulsive over packing gene - I swear that exists. Anyway, I like to think I'm getting way better with the over packing, but I'm still trying to pare down my packing list...


This is what I pulled out Thursday as I was packing, and I ended up wearing the jeans and the white tank, so they weren't in my suitcase. I figured that dresses would be best for the 90 degree weather, so I packed plenty of them, and I threw in a skirt that can be easily dressed up for a night out.


I brought four pairs of shoes, five if you count the other pair of sandals I wore on the plane. This is always the hardest thing for me, leaving my shoes behind. I almost threw in another pair of heels, but I figured these red wedges would work for any situation that called for a heel.


So here's my suitcase after the first stage of packing, before I threw in my shoes and all that extra stuff. I added a sarong, my jammers (pajamas), leggings, and a clutch.
Clearly, I subscribe to the rolling method of packing. My daddy was in the Army for nearly thirty years, so we moved often and I have definitely been infected by the travel bug, so I feel like I am forever packing. Rolling allows me to fit more things in my suitcase and to keep the wrinkling to a minimum since I pretty much never iron. I hate ironing.


This is stage two of packing. Now I've got my shoes, my jewelry, toiletries, swim suit, and a blanket. I knew I would be sleeping on the floor at least one night, so I needed some "bedding" that wouldn't take up too much space.

In the end, I wore four of the five dresses, both of the tanks, the jeans, three pairs of shoes, two of three belts, and my swimsuit. Could I have left a few things at home, of course. But I'm glad I had the variety available just in case.

B. and I have a few more trips planned between now and November, so we'll see if I can get this pared down further for the next one.

World Cup inspiration: Brasil!

Yellow dress: New York & Co.
Green plastic flip flops: Target
Blue and silver earrings: New York & Co. (remixed)
Brazilian flag: too much fun with Picnik

This is a big game, y'all. Not because either Brazil or Portugal need to win to make it to the Round of 16, but because these are two really good teams. I might not have fingernails by the end of it.

Anyway, the outfit is super simple: just three pieces, but since it's still over 90 degrees here, that's what I'm going for.


I don't generally wear plastic flip flops, but I found these in my closet while I was looking for my other green flip flops, and I figured, "Hey, I need to do my toes and these are pretty much disposable," so I put these on instead.


This outfit feels way more flag inspired than my last tribute to Brazil, and I kind of like that, but it is crazy bright. My mom hates this dress. She says it looks like una batita - a nightgown or a muumuu. I still love it, though, especially for crazy hot days like today.


These earrings have gotten a lot of use this past week, especially considering I've had them since this fall and I didn't pull them out until last Sunday. No joke. But they've grown on me, and I like them for summer, all bright and lightweight.


So B. and I are going to Atlanta tonight and returning Tuesday, and I don't think I'll be able to post much while we're down there visiting friends and hanging out with other Mission Year folks, but I promise to return with outfit photos and a packing post.

I confess: I am a terrible over-packer, mostly because I think I'm going to want options and what if I need two evening outfits and what if something goes terribly wrong and I need to change three times in one day? And then I get to wherever I'm going and I wear the same three things for two weeks. But I can always manage to pack for four to five days with nothing but a carry-on. (Just because you can fit it all in a carry-on doesn't mean you didn't over pack.)

In the meantime: here's a sneak peek at what's going with me: