Friend Friday: Packing for Summer Vacation

I haven't done a FBFF in a while, but this weeks topic I just absolutely couldn't pass up.

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. 

via

1. When it comes to packing for vacation what’s your mantra? 

My mantra is always to pack light.  

Then right before we leave, I feel like I'm forgetting something, and throw all those random "I think I may need this if there is an avalanche in the Bahamas" things into my suitcase.

It never fails that once we get to the airport, the ticket agent is staring at me and saying "This bag is heavy ma'am". Whoops!  (Its never heavy enough where I have to pay. Usually right at the limit, or a pound over.)

Same thing for weekend trips. I always pack one or two extra outfits "just in case" on top of the just in case outfits that are already packed. 

2. What are your must packs? 

Aside from the essentials that are clothes and shoes, my absolute must packs are my camera , sunglasses, and iPod (and their respective chargers). Cant leave home without them!

3. What are you happy to leave behind? 

The hustle and bustle and my laptop!! And with pleasure! When I go away, I go away, mind body and soul. Disconnecting from the world and just focusing on my vacation surroundings is what I look forward to the most. I wish I could leave behind my cell phone, but I cant in case of an emergency. However, unless we are out and about, it is usually off and away (bottom of the suitcase away), especially if I'm abroad/in the middle of the ocean (hello roaming fees/no service).

4. Any packing secrets that help you get everything into one  suitcase? 

I'm a list person. So before I even pull out the suitcase, I make a list: a list of toiletries, necessities, what goes in my carry-on, outfits by each day, time of day, so on and so forth. Once that is done, I lay everything out on my bed, and then pack.
In addition, I like to pack things that I can wear more than once ie a black maxi dress that can be worn during the day, as a cover up and then dressed up for night. Doing so leaves room for the essentials-my shoes.

5. Beach reading... what are you taking with you to read in the sand?

If I'm at a beach somewhere like St. Maarten, I don't bring any type of reading material, since I'm either in the water, building sand castles, taking pictures or laying out. If I'm going to a beach near home, I'll bring a magazine from my "back log" of magazines (since I never get to read them on time) since the only thing to do at beaches here is lay out.

The only times I ever read on vacation are en route to, or by the pool in the quiet, adult only areas. My vacation reads this year include Bethenny Frankel's A Place of Yes and The Ellements of Personal Style which I purchased awhile back.

Happy Friday everyone! Hope you all have a great weekend!