My Vacation Essentials!
Hey guys! Today, I'm especially excited to share this post with you, because I've been working on it for the past two weeks! The company, PrettyLittleThing*, wanted to know if I wanted to work with them, and show you a few pieces from their vacation collection, and of course I said yes!
I've purchased a few cute dresses and such from them, so for them to contact me was so flatter, and I feel beyond blessed to have a company like that notice me and my blog. I absolutely loved everything I received from them, and if you're looking for a new online clothing store, I truly recommend you check them out! Now onto the real post!
When we go on vacation, there are always certain things that you have to bring with you. I gotta admit that it was super difficult to come up with this list, because I am such an chronic over-packer, and I love bringing anything that might come to use for me while I'm away. While I am an over-packer, there are definitely some things that I NEED when I'm on vacation.
Camera
I honestly love taking pictures and videos on a daily basis, and when I'm on vacation this is even more true. I love documenting everything I do throughout the day, how I looked throughout that trip, what I wore, who I was with, etc. I used to bring my Canon Rebel T3i around, but that camera is so heavy, and not particularly travel-friendly, so last year I bought something much more portable!
The Canon G7X Mii is literally one of the best purchases I have ever made. It takes amazing video and pictures, it's extremely light, and it transfer pictures directly to your phone through it's built-in wi-fi. Do you know how handy it is to be able to transfer photos straight from your camera the moment you take them? All the pictures in this post were taken with my G7X! If you are in the market for a new portable camera, this is one that I 1000% percent recommend. You can check it out US:here or UK:here!
Sunglasses
I'll be the first to admit that I'm not the most photogenic person in the world. Sometimes I have to take a bazillion shots in order to get the one. One thing that I feel always helps is a cute pair of sunglasses!
Now, I honestly don't know where the pair I'm wearing in these photos are from (I borrowed them from my friend Jamie), but all my sunglasses are either Ray Bans or Prive Revaux!
Headphones
Now, this is something I always have to remember to bring with me. It's something that is so often overlooked because of the fact that you technically don't NEED it, but if you're trip consists of long train/plane/car/bus rides, it's something that you definitely have to have with you. While, I don't own a pair of noise-canceling headphones, it's definitely a bonus if you have a pair of those.
Updated Music Playlist
Again, for those extra long trips, it's super handy to have an updated music playlist. You don't know how many times it'll be the week before the trip, and I'll tell myself, "okay, you need to add all these songs from my Shazam list onto my phone before I leave". How many times do I actually take the time to add those songs? Not so often, but I've been getting better! When I was in Europe, it was so nice to have a whole bunch of new fresh music to listen to.
Books/Magazines/Kindle
I am a huge bookworm, and so this is definitely a must for me! Depending on how much I allow myself to over-pack, I usually bring at least 1-2 books for every trip. While books are definitely extremely heavy, they are complete necessities for me. Whether I'm on a plane or at the beach, whenever I have a little spare time to read, I try to do so, especially when I'm on vacation!
If you're someone who doesn't have a lot space in your bag, maybe try bringing a Kindle!
iPad/Tablet
I used to not bring this along everywhere with me, but for the last few trips, my iPad has been vital. Before I go on my trips, I download a whole bunch of episodes from Netflix and Amazon Prime. I also download games, and some stories from my iBooks and Kindle app. This means that no matter how much connection I have, I can keep myself entertained when I have spare time. This especially came in handy during my long flights and when I went to visit family in Dominican Republic.
Another reason why my iPad is so important to me is because I'm a blogger who loves blogging! If I have get random inspiration for an idea, want to answer some comments, or read some blog posts, I can do so without having to bring my whole laptop with me!
While these aren't the only important things I bring when going on vacation (I obviously didn't mention true essentials like bras and underwear...), these are the ones aside from the obvious. What are your essentials when you go on a trip? Let me know in the comments below!
Another huge thank you to PrettyLittleThing* for sponsoring this post! If you liked any of the items from this post, you can check out their vacation collection. They have loads of cute stuff, so if you're going on a trip anytime soon, I would take a lil' peek at their site!
Click here to get a FREE Vacation Essentials Printable!
I hope you liked reading this post as much as I enjoyed creating it! As always, have a wonderful day/night. Sending you love, strength, and positivity!
-Melina xx
So many good options and tricks for traveling! Also I love Pretty little thing and love your cute traveling outfits!
Thank you so much! I'm glad you liked the lil' tips. Thank you so much for reading and commenting xxx
Thanks Melina for the post. I sometimes take my IPad but I never thought to download movies and books before I leave. I just get frustrated when I cannot connect to wifi. Thanks for the tip!
I'm so glad you liked this tip! Thank you so much for reading and commenting 🙂 xx
I love my kindle for travelling! I really need to get some noise cancelling headphones for plane rides, it's so hard to hear my tv shows/music with just ear buds.
Your photos here are so cute! Great post as always xx
I need to invest in a set too! It just hurts a bit, because I spent a good amount of money on the bose ones I have! Since I've been traveling so much recently though, it would be a great investment for me to make! Thanks for reading and commenting Cleia 🙂 xx
But it's so worth it for those loud planes! I was starting to worry about losing my hearing on my last plane ride with how loud my headphones needed to be to be heard over the engine =/
Anytime! 🙂
I literally think the same thing when I have my volume almost at max on the plane! I never have it that loud normally. Definitely something I need to look into to take care of my ears 🙂
I should really start bringing a book with me on holidays! And that banana background is everything! Where is it?
You definitely should, it's such a great way to unwind, and sometimes it's so hard to find time in our normal day to day lives, so it's usually much easier to find time when we're on vacation!
That banana background is from the Pint Shop Pop-Up Shop in NYC, I think it's going to be open until next weekend 🙂 x
Great vacation essentials, I will have to remember these when packing for our upcoming trip, I love these outfits in your post, so cute and perfect for summer!
~xo Sheree
poshclassymom.com
Thank you so much! I have links above for all the items I wore in these outfits! Thank you for reading and commenting! xxx
I forgot my headphones once and didn't realize till I was the on the plane. It was the longest flight of my life. Now I pack two sets, just incase. Love your outfits picts. So fun for summer and vacay.
That always happens to me! I don't realize until I'm about to take them out and I realize I don't have them! You're smart to bring two sets, I might start doing that. Thank you so much love! The PrettyLittleThing vacation collection is honestly so lovely and I would 100% recommend 🙂 xx
Many of your essentials are also mine! I’d be lost without my camera, headphones and kindle. I need to look up that camera because being able to transfer pics to my phone on the spot would be rad!!
I'm telling you girl, that camera has literally changed my camera game, and I 100% recommend it! I was thinking of giving a full review on it, because I love it so much! Thank you so much for reading and commenting love 🙂 xx
You are looking so cute in all of these dresses 🙂 I do think that all of these are definite essentials while traveling. Camera is a must, though I don't have any so my iPhone works for me 😛 A book is always must however, I have to admit that I read too less or almost none while traveling 🙂
Thank you so much! I feel like most people don't read a lot when they're traveling, but some still carry books with them on the off chance that they're going to read a little bit! Thank you so much for reading and commenting 🙂 x
I think all of those are definite essentials!
I'm glad you think so! Thank you for reading! xx
Love your outfits!
Kasey
thestylewright.com
Thank you so much love! x
Oh this is such a great list - I have to say that you are very photogenic, you always look gorgeous on pictures Melina <3
I agree with your essentials here, I also need to have a camera, or at the very least my phone to take pictures, I love taking pictures whenever I am on holidays. And yes for the Kindle, E-reader or just, book. I tend to read a bit less whenever I am travelling, but I always need to have a book with me no matter what, haha 🙂
Oh my goodness, thank you so much! I don't consider myself to be very photogenic. It takes so many terrible shots to even get some decent ones. I literally have a pintrest board just full of different poses for me to try out and see what's going to make me look flattering, aha! I swear it's not natural photogenic-ness. I really appreciate the compliment, it means so much to me!
I'm glad you can relate to me on this post. It makes sense! Depending on the trip I take, it will affect whether I get the chance to read often or not. Thank you so much for reading and your beyond nice comment 🙂 xxx
Oh you're so welcome Melina, I really think so - I mean, all the pictures I see over on your instagram, I love them all and you're such a ray of sunshine in all of them 😀 <3
You're so welcome, my pleasure! <3
I'm the same way with my music and playlists. I can't tell you how many times I've started a roadtrip or gotten to an airport and have thought, "Awww man, should have spent that extra few minutes updating songs and removing the ones I keep skipping." I started curating my own Spotify playlists which has helped a lot.
I don't know why I'm not a huge fan of Spotify or Apple Music, it would just be so much easier for me to have music to add at the palm of my fingers. I typically download my music to my phone, which takes a lil bit longer. I'm glad you've organized yourself, so you don't ever have to worry about not having updated playlists! Thank you for reading xx
I always forget to update my playlist, or in my case download instead of stream! Makes the trip 10x more enjoyable!
I definitely am a download girl vs. a streaming girl too! It's just so satisfying to actually have those song on your phone...I don't know if it makes any sense. I'm glad I'm not the only one though! Thanks for reading and commenting xx
Love the idea of having an updated music playlist for a long trip!
It's always something that's so simple to forget, but it's super important to remember. Music is life! Thank you for reading and commenting 🙂 xx
Hi Melina, these are amazing recommendations! Totally agree that sunglasses and camera are essential. I always like to read when I'm on vacation but for some reason I could never remember to bring a book with me, ha!
It's probably if you're like me, you're an over packer and so you don't have space for a book by the time you're done packing! Thank you for reading and commenting Lindsay 🙂 xx
Love the outfits in this post, you go girl! Pretty Little Thing have some really gorgeous pieces, and you look stunning in them! Definitely agree about updating your music playlist, it's something thats so easy to forget, but it makes a big difference xx
Hannah | luxuryblush
I don't know if you know Beth Louise, but since she's been stating the fact that she loves so many of their pieces, I've been constantly looking and buying some of their stuff, so it was so amazing knowing they wanted to collaborate with me!
Thank you so much! Thanks for reading and commenting. Like I said before, super glad to have you back 🙂 xxx