This past week, we traveled back to one of our favorite family destinations, Oahu. My family and I discovered so many great vacation essentials on this trip. Our experience was amazing, but it reminded me that as much as I love to travel, packing can be downright stressful. So, today I’m going to share some of my favorite vacation essentials, along with some packing tips for your next summer getaway!
Top 5 Packing Tips for Vacation:
1. Packing Cubes
If there’s one item travel experts, frequent travelers, and even Marie Kondo, swear by, it’s packing cubes. Packing cubes and other organizational bags make packing and unpacking easy. I almost never put any loose clothing or cords into my luggage and bags. Everything has its own bag in my luggage and you can even assign a color to each kid. This helps me easily locate things I need and keeps me organized throughout the trip. Plus, you can use them to keep worn items separate from clean clothes.
They’re especially handy when you’re traveling with only carry-on luggage. If packing light feels impossible but you want to avoid checking a bag, packing cubes help you to maximize space in carry on bags.
Some additional packing bags I like to use are:
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- Hard Case for Chargers
- Travel Jewelry Organizer
- Waterproof Toiletries Bag (no plastic bags necessary!)
2. High Quality Travel Sized Toiletries
My hair is always a tangly mess after the pool and beach, so I love investing in travel sized, high-quality products for both my hair and body. There’s something so refreshing about a post-beach shower in your hotel and smelling your favorite luxury products linger on your body for the rest of the day. This is why I love investing in Oribe’s travel set. Two of my other favorite Oribe products are the texturizing spray and body creme. Both are under TSA’s 3.4 ounce limit, so you can keep them in your carry-on.
3. First Aid Kit
My favorite travel-sized first aid kits are by Welly. They have a large variety of different kits you can buy and all of them come in a high-quality tin container. I always throw one in my bag in case the kids have any small casualties while playing. For this trip, I used the waterproof bandages the most!
4. Insulated Reusable Water Bottle
As a family of 4, we go through water quickly in the hotel room. We stock up on large jugs of water for the hotel room and rental car. For instance, I like to fill up our reusable insulated water bottles with ice and water from the hotel so the kids can stay hydrated throughout the day.
5. Reusable Storage Bags
One of our first stops after checking into our hotel is always the convenience store and/or grocery store. We stock up on snacks that we can take on the go. Afterwards, I put them into our reusable storage bags so the kids can always have something to snack on in between our activities and meals!
Top 5 Tropical Vacation Essentials:
1. Women Sport Sandals with Yoga Mat Insole Hiking Sandals Light-Weight Shoes
My older daughters and I all got a pair of these shoes and they were one of only a couple of shoes we wore for the entire trip. They are comfortable, waterproof, lightweight and you can even go hiking in them. Black sandals are a must for ensuring that everything mixes and matches easily, without the need for extra items.
2. Maui Babe Browning Lotion
This is the only browning lotion I use and I buy one as soon as I land in Hawaii. You can find it on Amazon or at most stores in Hawaii. This gives you the perfect sun kissed glow after a day out by the pool or the beach.
3. Coola Sunscreen
No packing list is complete without sunscreen. I love their fragrance free scents and their tropical scents! It automatically puts me in the mood to go to the pool or beach. I also like that it doesn’t leave that white residue on your face.
4. Waterproof Phone Case
These waterproof phone cases are the best. I wore the strap around my neck during all of our water activities and never had to worry about my phone getting wet. Without this, I wouldn’t have been able to get some of my favorite family photos and videos!
5. Straw Hat
This hat gives great coverage and I can conveniently hang it around my neck when I don’t want it on. It also secures under your chin so it doesn’t fly away on windy days. It got pretty windy at the beaches so this was the only straw hat I was able to wear on some days.
You can find a full Amazon shopping list of the rest of my favorite vacation essentials here.
I hope that you found these tips helpful and that it helps you stay organized for your next vacation!
