Packing Tips

Our family trip is quickly approaching and I have made it my goal to not over pack this year! I say that for almost every trip but my suitcase is always stuffed… not this time! I am determined to not over pack!

I have been scouring the internet looking for tips on not over packing. Most of them were common sense tips that I already knew but it never hurts to try them again! Here are some of the tips I will be considering when I start packing!

1. Use travel-sized toiletries and beauty products.

I agree with this…. But that could also be because my shampoo bottle is rather large!

Using smaller bottle keeps your toiletry bag from being too bulky and taking up too much space. I found these super cute pink bottles at Target!!

I found a great tip that said to use a contact case to store things such as gels and lotions! This is perfect for my face lotion... It comes in a large bottle but I only use a small amount,

 

2. Use clothing that can be worn more than once.

This is one of those tips that I just can’t follow. The only items I like to re-wear on trips are bathing suits, cover ups, shorts, and shoes! My biggest goal for this trip is to only pack one outfit for each day… usually I have enough for each night and then about three or four extra outfits.

3. Roll your clothes.

I am a huge fan of rolling clothes. Every time I pack, I roll as such as I possibly can… it saves so much space plus it helps keep some clothes from wrinkling! Just remember, the tighter you roll it the less space it will take up!

4. Don’t overdo it on the accessories.

Shoes can take up a lot of room in a suitcase. I try to limit myself to four pairs of shoes… workout shoes, two pairs of nice sandals, and flip flops for the beach.

 

5. Make a list.

I find it is easier to over pack if you don’t have a list. Personally, I start grabbing anything I can find because I worry I won’t have enough. Planning outfits out ahead of time really helps eliminate that fear of not having enough or forgetting something. Knock Knock has a cute packing list pad that is only $7.00!

 

 

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Flight 001

I know I have posted about my packing methods before and with my family trip approaching I thought I would revisit this topic! I am one of those people who puts a lot of thought into my packing... Not just what I am going to pack but how I am going to make it all fit!!

Flight 001 has some amazing products!! I have already posted about one of the go clean bags but here are a few more!

The products I need the most are the spacepaks! They compress two weeks of clothing! This would solve so many of my packing problems! I cannot wait to buy them!

This is by far my favorite!! The cargo carry-on!

 

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Family Trip!!!

Sorry for the lack of posts recently. Last week was our family vacation to Turks and Caicos and I have been having a hard time getting back to reality. I always have a hard time adjusting back to normal life after a week of total relaxation! We had a wonderful time on vacation and exploring a new island…. I still prefer St. John but it was a great trip!

Things weren’t looking to good when we went to get our rental car for the week…. A blue minivan. Not just a normal minivan, a minivan unlike any I had ever seen before. Ben referred to it as the Mystery Machine!

Everything changed when we saw the house! It was amazing! I absolutely loved everything about it… the open floor plan, the furniture, the appliances, even the security system was amazing! The doors didn’t have keys, just codes to lock and unlock them!

I am pretty proud of myself for stepping out of my box on this trip. I ate raw conch, pulled a conch out of its shell with my hands, and kayaked with sharks… I didn’t actually know there were sharks in the water at the time!! When it swam under us, Ben told me it was a really big fish (it was a baby shark)!! Haha he knew I would have flipped out!!

Number one place on the island is definitely Da Conch Shack. Most amazing conch fritters and rum punch I have ever had!! They actually get the conch from right in front of the restaurant. You can watch the employees bring the them in from the water and they even sell the shells after they are cleaned! It was a really fun place!

Another place we really enjoyed was Grill Rouge at the Grace Bay Club. We ended up eating there twice and the second night we ran into a girl we went to high school with who was there on her honeymoon… Small world!! The Infinity Bar is also at Grace Bay Club and Libba kept saying she wanted to go there for a drink. It is the longest bar in the Caribbean, stretching 90 feet “across Grace Bay Blub to the shores of Grace Bay Beach” accounting to the website. Sounds pretty cool right?! Sadly it does not go to the water, or the beach. It’s pretty much just a long table in an outdoor bar/restaurant. Good drinks but not as exciting as we were expecting! However, The Lounge was really nice. Same drinks but better set up! Top photos are from infinity bar, the bottom from the lounge!!

We did a day on a boat and it was probably the best day of the whole trip! The two guys who ran the boat were awesome and they made it fun for all of us there! The first spot they took us was the reef. It is actually the third largest barrier reef in the world! Then they look us to find some conchs! Once we had about five, they took us to a small island, let us pick three and then showed us how to prepare them… That is where I ate the raw conch!

I think the little ones had a great time!! They both loved playing in the sand. Hollis and Bill took Lawson with them in the kayaks to go to Iguana Island. It is this small island across the channel from our house that is home to tons of iguanas!!

Overall we had a great time!!

 

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Family Vacation

 

Ever since I was a little girl, my family has gone on wonderful family vacations! We have been to some incredible places and made some great memories. My personal favorite is St. John. We have been going to St. John for around 11 years and we have loved everything about it!!

This year we are trying something different... We are going to Turks and Caicos! I will admit I am having mixed emotions about this trip. I am very excited and grateful for the opportunity to explore a new island but it is kind of sad that we will not be going back to St. John!! I think it's sad because we know the island so well. We know the best beaches, the best restaurants, where to get the best drinks... My husband is very worried that Turks won't have the mango beer he loves and I am worried that the conch fritters and painkillers won't stand up to those on St. John!! But I also think it is good to try new things and this trip will be full of new adventures!

I am definitely more excited than sad!! It has been almost a year since my last vacation and I am really looking forward to having some time out of the office and getting to relax! There is something very calming about the crystal clear waters of the Caribbean.

This will also be the first time the little boys will go. I think they will have a great time... Especially Lawson! At first I was worried about having a one year old and a three year old in the house.... They wake up really really early which is not my idea of relaxing. After looking at the layout of the house, I think we will be ok!!

 

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