Month: January 2019

My dear friend Melissa is a very busy gal these days.  As if moving to a new home wasn’t enough, she also drove to Philadelphia to rescue a furbaby!  During all of this she and her husband planned a vacation to the Florida Keys. February in the Florida Keys sure beats being in North Carolina during that time.   I thought no problem when she ask for my help putting together her capsule wardrobe for her trip.  But, here’s the kicker, they are renting a motorcycle in Miami to ride to Key West!  Well, I am all about carry on only no matter the length of your trip or destination, but this is a new one for me.  No matter, Global Girl can do this!

First of all, we have to take into consideration safety.  Then we have to consider the amount of space we have to pack everything and the length of her trip.  When we are done, Melissa is going to be packed light, tight, and stylish!

Since her riding attire will be her heaviest clothing, I recommend she wear them on the plane.  So her travel day outfit will consist of riding jeans, boots, thin (not cotton) socks, long sleeve shirt (not cotton) and leather riding jacket.  Also, a small cross body purse for her ID, credit cards, money, lipstick, phone, etc…

In her backpack or saddlebag she should use packing cubes to keep everything organized.  Because she will only have a small backpack to pack everything I suggest  slim packing cubes . I have these exact slim packing cubes and it is amazing how much you can pack in one.

Packed Clothes  ****All tops should match all bottom***

• 1 pair black leggings or long pants
• 1 pair shorts
• 2 short sleeve tops (not cotton) or 1 short sleeve top and 1 tank top
• 1 lightweight dress or skirt/top to wear to restaurants or cocktail lounge
• 1 light weight cardigan
• 1 light weight fleece
• 2 bras or 1 bra and 1 sports bra
• 5 pair of panties
• 2 bathing suits
• 1 pair thin socks (not cotton)
• Neck buff  or bandana to wear while riding (optional)
• Beach cover up
• Sleepwear
• Flip flops
• 1 other pair of shoes if you think you may need something else to wear at night or for walking around Key West

Cosmetic, Toiletries and Meds and First Aid

• Tooth Brush and tooth paste
• Deodorant
• Lip Balm
• Few individual packs of Aleive
• Neosporin
• Olay face wash/makeup remover wipes
• Moisturizer
• Sunscreen
• Make up
• Band Aids
• Hair brush

Miscellaneous

• Sunglasses
• Dry bag
• Hair ties

With smart packing in the packing cubes and a capsule wardrobe all of this should very easily fit in a backpack!

I didn’t list shampoo, conditioner or soap because all of this is supplied by the hotel and space is at minimum.

Florida has as many Walgreen’s as it does retirees, so she can just pick up more sunscreen there and anything else she may need.  You maybe wondering about beach towels.  Since space is at a minimum, I would pick up a couple of cheap ones once at Walgreen’s.

I’m sure you maybe wondering why I keep repeating “no cotton”.  Cotton is NOT a traveler’s friend.  It wrinkles, it’s heavy, it doesn’t keep you warm when it is cold and it doesn’t wick moisture or breath when you are hot.  It also retains moisture  and odors, and is very slow to dry.    Much better fabrics are synthetics that breath and merino wool is the best fabric of all.

Now I have Melissa all ready to enjoy her ride through the Keys.  Maybe when she returns, she will give us a “debriefing” on her packing success!

To find out more about Melissa and her rescue furbaby, Bella, checkout Forever Dreaming Farm and Sanctuary on Facebook.

 

 

 

<a href=”https://www.bloglovin.com/blog/19727503/?claim=ahgtqk4fu9m”>Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

The most wonderful time of the year for me is vacation planning!  I love all the wonderful destinations that are available on this big planet and we have the opportunity to visit.  Some locations are relatively easy to plan while others require a little more in depth research and planning.  I don’t care where the destination is, I’m always ready to go!

So let’s just start with the basics.

Who is going?  Is this a romantic couples trip?  Solo trip?  Group? Family?

What type of trip?  New destination? Old favorite? Adventure? Relaxed? Cruise? Road trip? City escape?  Quick weekend getaway or extended international trip? Special interest or hobby?

So, you get the picture.  Lots of decisions to make to get the ball rolling.

How do you decide where to go?  Decision, decisions, decisions.   My main source of inspiration is Pinterest.  I have Pinterest boards for every corner on earth.  Anytime I see a something that peaks my interest, I pin it.  This is how I ended up going to Maine last year,  I saw a picture on Pinterest of a cafe in Camden that struck my fancy.

I also have an ever running Goggle Doc that I am continually adding ideas and links for future reference.  It has no rhyme or reason and is now about six pages.  It is fun to go back and read it to see what was on my mind two years ago or even just 6 months ago.  One day, if I am brave, I’ll share it here on Global Girl Around the World.

A major fail for me is Trello.  A colleague  suggested I try Trello to organize my travel thoughts and ideas.  I have tried and tried, but I just can’t get the hang of Trello.  If you use Trello and enjoy it, please let me know and help me figure out why I just can’t get on board.

Another way to choose your destination is using Google Flights.  Say you want to go to the Caribbean and lay on the beach for a week.  You can search Google Flights by region and find the island that has least expensive flights from your outbound airport.

Sometimes your destination is chosen for you.  If you have a business trip somewhere exotic or just strikes your fancy, tack on a vacation at the end.  Meeting in San Francisco?  Stay on a view days and do a southbound road trip on the Pacific Coast Highway.  A few years ago we had the opportunity to attend a destination wedding in Puerto Morales, Mexico.  Wonderful marriage celebration was also a great vacation.

Timing is everything.  High season for a destination means high crowds and high costs.  Consider going during shoulder and low seasons for fewer crowds and better rates.  The Mona Lisa still hangs in the Louvre whether you visit in March or July.  The aurora borealis will NOT appear during a full moon, so check your almanac or visit accuweather.com to check the phases of the moon. Can you believe some days during the summer the port of Venice, Italy has 17 cruise ships in port?  That makes the number of visitors in any city unbearable.  If you want to visit a location that is also a popular cruise ship port checkout Crew-port.com.  This a great tool to use when making your itinerary so you don’t end up trying to squeeze into St. Mark’s Basilica or Doge’s Palace with 10,000 other people at the same time.

Now that I have inspired you to start thinking about your next fabulous vacation, select your destination.  Next time we will hammer out how to find the best flights and accommodations.

Let me know where you are planning your next vacation or I can give you some suggestions.  I love telling people where to go!

Until next time, Happy Travels and don’t forget to SHARE! SHARE! SHARE!  with all your peeps on Face Book, Pinterest, Instagram and Twitter!!!