Travel with a Cocktail

Must Pack

1. Lens wipes – small and individually packed. I have these in my travel bag and beach bag to wipe sandy sunglasses

2. Plastic straws – don’t hate me but nothing ruins my drink faster than a soggy paper straw. I always pack a zip lock baggie of real straws and throw it in my beach bag.

3. Water shoes – because a rock cut or sea critter sting will ruin your afternoon and maybe your trip. More realistically though, I just don’t like when sea grass touches my feet. Mine were from Dollar General like 6 years ago for $5 and I throw them in the washer when we get home to get all of the sand out of them.

4. Waterproof pouch – you know when you get to your resort and your room isn’t ready but you were prepared and packed your swimsuit in your carry on and you go to change clothes and are ready to hop in the pool but you don’t know what to do with your passport and $100 in one dollar bills? You put it in this waterproof pouch. And on the other days of your trip, you put your room key and tip money and phone in the pouch so you can leave your beach bag on your chair and never have to worry about your money when you go to the buffet or the bathroom. Never leave without the waterproof pouch 🙂

5. Floaties – There is something so nice about floating in a pool or the ocean without needing to actively swim the whole time. Plus they make it easier to hold onto your drink! These floaties take up very minimal space and we’ve taken them on several trips. Bonus if you bring this teeny-tiny air pump to blow them up!

Leave it at home

1. Curling iron – maybe its my fine hair but as soon as I get to these humid climates, my hair frizzes and curls in the most unpredictable ways. Even on the days I do curl my hair, it immediately goes simultaneously flat and fuzzy at the same time. I should have left it home and saved the suitcase space.

2. Mosquito everything – on our last trip to Punta Cana, I had read about msoquitos (who usually eat me alive). I packed bracelets, spray, and a Thermocell. I took up WAY too much suitcase space and never used any of them at all. While I’m grateful we didn’t need any of them, in hindsight I could have just packed the spray or bracelets.