In two days I will be going on holiday for the second time this year
(whoop whoop!) so I thought I would write a blog about what I pack in my suitcase.
Whenever possible I only take hand luggage because I am stubborn and refuse
to pay for hold baggage. That means I have to travel light as I can’t even take
a handbag on with me. This is a skill I am proud to say I have been able to master
mainly thanks to various guiding trips I’ve been on over the years.
The first item on my list is my Cath Kidston Travel Document Holder in Mini Dot Vintage Pink because I can’t really get very far without its contents. In
here I keep my passport (no matching passport holder because despite the fact
that it’s pink, you have to take it out when you get to security and I just can’t
be bothered with the faffing), my boarding passes, my European Health Insurance
Card and my travel money. Everything in one place and easy to find in my bag
because it’s nice and bright.
My suitcase was a cheap and cheerful purchase from BHS (you will be
missed), but it’s the correct size for the current
hand luggage allowance. It gets used for weekends away and guiding trainings as
much as it does for holidays and is still in excellent condition so why pay
more when you don’t have to? Mum and I have the same suitcase and they can be
easily distinguished by her little teddy bear and my spotty luggage tag (you
guessed it, Cath Kidston in Vintage Pink).
My toiletries bag is huge, but I love the handles because I can hang it
up in the bathroom once I reach my destination and the fact it’s clear means I
can grab what I need really quickly. As we are staying at our family villa, I
don’t need to take anything like shower gel, shampoo, conditioner or toothpaste
as there’s plenty down there. However there are some items that I still need to
take or just prefer to have my own version of. This bag was the biggest in a
set of three from Asda. I don’t use the other two much, but if I do then it
tends to be the medium sized one to take the bare essentials when I go camping.
My make-up lives in my toiletries bag when I go on holiday, but I wanted
to cover it as a separate item. Some would say I have too much make-up and it
is probably the thing I struggle with the most when it comes to deciding what
to leave behind. However I know that due to the heat I am not likely to wear it
every day and even if I do I will want it to look really natural so I have
narrowed it down to these five essentials.
1. Younique Touch Mineral Liquid Foundation in
Organza
3. Younique
Beachfront Bronzer in Sunset
4. Bourjois Elastic Mascara in 41 Black Unlimited (they don't do it anymore and I may cry when it runs out)
5. B. Smokey Soft Blendable Kohl Eyeliner in Black 100 (I know this goes against the natural look, but I love eyeliner so it’s coming
with me!)
5. Moodstuck Opulence Lipstick in Prodigal
I'm not even taking primer or concealer because... effort. As an aside, when I bought the bronzer I was told that it also works well as an eyeshadow
if you are trying to pack light. When I tried it I couldn’t believe how bright
my eyes looked so now I don’t bother taking other eyeshadows on holiday unless
I’m going to a wedding or something while I’m away.
Likewise with jewellery I used to take all my favourite bits with me “just
in case”. Not this time. I’m going away for five days to laze by the pool, go to
the beach and at most go out for a meal in the evenings. I used to change my
earrings all the time, but now I have more piercings I tend to keep the same ones
in. I also wear my Fitbit 24/7 so I don’t need to take a watch. All I am going
to take with me is a couple to bracelets and necklaces so I can jazz up my
outfit in the evening. Whenever I go on holiday I borrow my mum’s mini
jewellery box which I bought for her the last time she went out to Australia.
It was from Fossil and I loved it so much, but they only had two left and I
gave one to my mum and the other to my stepmum. Every year I look to see if
they are out again and they never are. Fossil, please take note. I really want one
of my own! It has a ring holder which I find really handy as I don’t tend to
wear my rings when travelling and a detachable pouch which I usually use for
earrings.
My next item is a product that I bought not long after they first came
out, but I’ve only used it a couple of times because I don’t really do beach
holidays. It’s called an Itsa and it’s a beach bag and sun lounger towel in
one. You can secure it to your sun lounger using the ties and then fill the pockets
that can be found down each side with your essentials for the day such as your sun
cream, sunglasses, book, phone, etc. There’s even a flap at the end that can be
used to protect your feet from the sun that also has a secret zip to hide your
valuables when you go for a dip in the sea. Then when it’s time to go home you
can fold the side pockets into the centre, roll it up and turn it inside out
and it becomes a bag. This is taking up half my case, but I’ve decided I’m
going to leave it down at the villa as that is where I am most likely to use it
so it only has to make the journey one way.
I quite often take my laptop on holiday so that I can get guiding bits done while I'm chilled out and not stressing about stuff. On this occasion I've decided not to as I know I'd be tempted to log on and do some work on a big contract we're setting up at the moment and I need the rest. Instead I'll take my trusty Moleskine notebook so that I can plan my training sessions for October and maybe draft some future blog posts. I've used these notebooks for years after a friend recommended them. The fact that it has a soft cover means I can bend it back on itself or roll it up to fit in a smaller bag and it doesn't damage it. At the moment I'm taking part in The Blurt Foundation's #365daysofselfcare project so I'm taking my sticky notes with me. I also found out about the Currently List Journalling Challenge so I've printed a couple of the cards off for while I'm away.
I’ve left my gadgets until the end even though they’ll probably be what
I use the most. When I first got my Kindle I used it all the time, but I missed
having the physical book in my hand. Now I tend to just use it when I go away
as it take up hardly any room. I’ve somehow found myself in three book clubs
and I want to try and read them all while I have nothing else to do. Using the
Kindle means I can take them all on holiday and I won’t feel too bad if they
don’t all get read as it takes up less space than one book. Plus I am trialing
Kindle Unlimited at the moment and two out of the three books that I wanted to
read were free on it so bonus! (EDIT: I didn't manage to finish On the Other Side by Carrie Hope Fletcher before going so that's coming with me too.)
My phone doesn’t really get used as a phone when I’m on holiday. I try
not to call or text home to keep my bill low so it mainly gets used for
listening to music or as my camera. I do have a beautiful DSRL camera that I
still don’t know how to use properly and I usually take that away with me. However
I do tend to find that my favourite photos are often the ones where I’ve
quickly grabbed my phone because it was closer than the camera and taken the
photo in that moment. I might also use the Touchnote app to send a couple of
postcards. Instead of a picture of a tranquil beach at sunset, my friends and
family can have a photo of me lounging by the pool with my niece and nephew in
the background pulling faces in the background.
My Urbanears Plattan headphones in Lilac are the last item that will be
going into my case. They may be bulkier than my ear-in ones that I use for
walking (I was going to say running or the gym, but my friends would just out
me as a liar so there’s no point), but they actually fold down quite small. I also
find they keep out more noise which means I don’t have to have the volume as
high on the actual device. Sometimes I’ll even wear them on the plane without
listening to anything just so I can have some peace and quiet and they are
super comfy.
So that is what I'm taking away with me. I've managed to pack much lighter than I usually do. I'm actually quite proud of myself. Can't wait for a week in the sun doing not very much at all.
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