A notebook
Pack a small journal or your phone/tablet equipped with your note-taking app of choice. This will be an experience to remember for a lifetime. You’ll surely take hundreds of pictures, but there is also something special about remembering the names of the restaurants where you ate, the song that was playing at the bar, the type of pastry you couldn’t get enough of, what made you laugh so hard you cried on the train. As a bonus – when you get home you can use one of the photo-printing websites to compile your shots into a keepsake book with detailed captions.
A collapsible tote bag
Give yourself permission to gather a few souvenirs of your special trip. Pack a collapsible tote bag or duffle that takes up little space in your suitcase but gives you some extra real estate on the way back. A lightweight tote also doubles as the perfect beach bag, or bag to sling over your shoulder as you wander a local market.
Blister BandAids
Right now you’re likely mostly focused on deciding how much of your lingerie and new outfits you can cram in your suitcase. But don’t forget that more than likely you’ll end up wanting to take an impromptu stroll and spending some time exploring your destination on foot. You’ll want a comfortable pair of walking shoes, and I’ve found there is nothing better than the band-aids designed for blisters to help a new pair of shoes feel old and worn in (they even stay put in the water). You don’t want to cut any adventure short because your feet can’t cut it!
Style Me Pretty Contributor – Chloe O’Sullivan is a freelance writer and sales director based in Washington DC (soon relocating to Northern New Hampshire). When she isn’t writing, she can be found trying new restaurants, planning her next trip, or hiking with her soon to be husband.
