Okay, I know I’m not alone in this fact: I am an overpacker. So when we decided we were going to St. Marteen I knew I would have to be pack smarter and not harder. Hence why I did all carry on. Now this seemed very daunting to someone like me. You mean I couldn’t bring the three sweatshirts I would most definitely (not) wear in the span of five days?! And the three pairs of jeans to an island that never went below 80 degrees?! Preposterous!
Any who…I got a really good idea thanks to other bloggers on Instagram to look into packing cubes. Everyone raves about them so I figured for $10 on Amazon I could get them and if I didn’t like them I could just get rid of them. Boy did I use them to their full extent and loved them so much. I’ll link the ones I got here!
I started with a very simple and straightforward list. That way I could have a good starting point and add or subtract things from there. It also helped to give Kristen this list too in case she needed any help packing. I love having these lists saved because for the next beach vacation I take, I’m basically ready since the list is good to go.
Want the list? Are you ready? Here ya go!! Mind you I did still over pack even though I only did a carry on (CO).
-7 bathing suits (mixture of bikinis and one pieces) (CO)
-8 shirts (CO)
-8 bottoms (CO)
-6 dresses (CO)
-8 underwear (7 in CO) (1 in PI)
-1 regular nude bra (wear to airport)
-1 strapless nude bra (CO)
-pajamas (CO)
-1 pair of sneakers (wear to airport)
-1 pair of flat sandals (CO)
-1 pair of heeled sandals (CO)
-2 bug repellent bands (CO)
-2 waterproof phone cases (CO)
-toothbrush (PI)
-toothpaste (PI)
-conditioner (CO)
-gel (CO)
-deodorant (CO)
-phone charger (PI)
-phone (PI)
-iPad (PI)
-book (PI)
-snacks (turkey jerky, craisins, sunflower seeds, fruit snacks, plantain chips) (PI)
-face wash (CO)
-razor (CO)
-face skincare (CO)
-compression socks (PI)
-sunglasses (PI)
-passport (PI)
On the plane I wore sweatpants, a sweatshirt, one of the shirts, and I brought a denim jacket. I wore my sneakers also since they are bulky. That is the ideal situation in my mind. Wear all the bulky things so you have more space for the small stuff.
I took my Louis Vuitton NF as my personal item and I labeled the list with the stuff I kept in there as (PI).
Everything fit perfectly in my carryon and was just the right weight!
If you go check out my Instagram, I put together a series of stories showing you exactly how I packed!!
I hope this is helpful to a lot of people!!! I know I do better packing when I have a template!! Tag me if you use any of this info for your next trip!!!
Xoxo, Z
