Trip to Puerto Rico- Part 1

Puerto Rico: Part 1 – the prep work

It’s no secret that I love to travel. I love seeing new places.  I love to absorb the local culture around me.  So when I was given the opportunity to go to Puerto Rico, of course I said Yes.  I can hardly contain my excitement as I count down the days.

Part of the excitement for me is the research and planning.  I look up online all the info I can about my destination. This is so 1) I don’t look like a tourist too much 2) I know if there’s anything I definitely don’t want to miss while there.  Also it pays to be prepared for any weather situation (says the inner girl scout in me).

It’s a fine line to balance between being prepared for anything and being a minimalistic packer. An eternal struggle.  I especially dislike checking luggage. I want to get on and off the plane and head towards my destination, no waiting around for the luggage to come out.  That is why I’ll be using carry-on only.

Now, I’m very particular. I don’t do wheeled carry-on, or the hard sided things. I want something that will fit in the overhead bin easily and then just throw over my shoulder and get on my way.  After much research (and deciding that my little hiking daypack wasn’t going to cut it) I decided on the Osprey Porter 30L, in bright red.  As my big sister always said “You want your luggage so you can see it walking away”.

(Yes the picture looks orange, but its really more reddish.)

Between the reviews and the general description it looked like everything I wanted in travel luggage. It’s a backpack style carry-on, without wheels. It has side handles so you can carry it like a suitcase, plus the backpack straps tuck away.  The biggest perk for me was the way it opens up all the way like luggage.  This way you can get to exactly what you want without digging through the backpack. This also means that once at my destination I can just set the bag on a chair and open it wide, leaving the clothes in the bag.

As to what to pack for Puerto Rico. I did extensive research for this, as I will be coming from Ohio in wintertime and heading to a tropical island. With Highs in the 80’s and lows in the 70’s to upper 60’s, I really won’t need bulky warm clothing (Plus!). 

So a general idea of what I’m packing for 5 days in Puerto Rico…..

·         1 pair of jeans (for the traveling there and back)

·         1 pair of shorts

·         2 dresses (1 casual, 1 a little nicer)

·         3-4 pairs of shoes - I'm having trouble deciding between sandals

·         3-4 shirts

·         2 swim suits

·         1 pair pajamas (tank and shorts)

·         Winter jacket and buff infinity scarf

Now, the jeans are to keep warm during travel, and in case of a chilly night.  If this were merely a casual trip to a beach island I could probably reduce this list down even more, but I’ll be attending a wedding, hence the nicer dress and extra pair of shoes.  So I’ve packed 1 dress to wear over my swimsuit on the way to the beach and 1 dress to wear to the wedding. (last minute addition of my favorite beach hemp skirt- very casual)

Shoes, now I’m not a big shoe person.  I’m packing 2 pairs of dressy sandals for the wedding.  The rest of the time I’ll either be at the beach (no shoes required) or site seeing (sturdy walking shoes required).  In my past trips I’ve gotten along fine in my VFFs (Vibram Five Fingers) shoes. I did a hike in Niagara and toured NY City  in my VFF speeds.  So I think these can handle anything Puerto Rico throws at me.  White toe shoes don’t look very nice with a dress and are difficult to get on after swimming with sand.  So I’ll be taking my kigo mary janes, nice easy slip on/off shoes.

Really, since I’m only going to be gone 4-5 days, 3 shirts are plenty.  Basic, plain shirts can carry off multiple looks. And seriously, I don’t need to do laundry unless I’m spilling sauce down my front every day. (Like that has ever happened ;)  ) Don’t be squeamish, you can wear a shirt for multiple days before it’s “dirty”. I've decided on tanks with built-in bras so I don't have to worry about those.

Tossing in a couple soft t-shirts in case I need to cover up a bit ( too much sun anyone?)

A swim suit is a necessity, 2 is just a convenience.  As far as undergarments go… I love exofficio.  Their items are sink washable and dry quickly.  So you can travel with only 2 pairs of underwear! Not saying that I'm doing that, but it's a minimalist dream.

Winter coat is a must as I’ll be coming from wintery Ohio.  This can be folded up and act as a pillow later. The grey Buff infinity scarf is a favorite. I can wrap it around my head to keep warm or open it up as a shoulder cover in case it gets cool in PR.  Such a multifunctional piece.

Really that’s it as far as clothes go. Easy-Peasy.

Other items that are packed (cuz who really just takes clothes?)

Toiletries (darn those liquids)

· Quart sized ziplock bag (for TSA)
     o   Shower gel (yes I could use soap, but I like my girly smelly stuff)
     o   Lotion (we know I’m gonna get burned)o   Tiny travel perfume (gotta be fancy for the wedding you know)

·  Dry travel shampoo (found this great camping/biodegradable shampoo/conditioner packets!!)

· Toothbrush/Toothpaste (wait! Why isn’t the toothpaste with the liquids?
      o   Well, great question…. The toothpaste tablets are dry! Just crunch and add water.

·   Razor (I’ll be sporting a swimsuit, I don’t want to look like a yeti)

·    Make up: keepin’ it really simple here, I’m not into tons of makeup anyway. And seriously I'm only bringing makeup because of the wedding.

     o   Eyeliner

     o   Blush
     o   Base (not that I’ll really use it if I’ve gotten sun)
     o   Lip balm (awesome sparkly lip balm from Joshua Tree- Desert Shimmers)

·         Accessories/Jewelry 

     o   Comb – I’m lucky my hair is short enough I can get by with a comb instead of brush.

     o   Sunglasses

     o   Miniature Altoids Tin (the really small ones - great for carrying jewelry)

          -  2-3 simple yet nice silver necklaces
          - 2 pairs of earrings
           - A couple hair clips/bobby pins to do my hair for the wedding.

I’ve found that really, you’re not going to accessorize that much, so keep it simple.  Especially with a beach, I’m not wearing jewelry there.

“WAIT!!! What about sunscreen? You’ll burn to a CRISP!”

I plan on buying that there, I figure I’ll need so much that it won’t pass the 3 oz liquid standard for carry-on and I refuse to check luggage for stupid sunscreen. Besides, its not like I’m going into the middle of nowhere. They have sunscreen.

Other items that I feel are a necessity (for me at least)

·  Camera – just a really nice point and click (Nikon P7100), not my big camera and big lens.

·  Cell Phone

·  Charger for said phone

· SD card (maybe 2) for camera

· Notebook/pen – for writing when I’m bored.

·  Book for reading. I have a decent length layover

·  Passport/driver’s license and copies – even though Puerto Rico is like being in the US, just going to take it to prevent any delays getting through security.

·   Deck of cards. (never know when you’ll strike up a thrilling game of solitaire or go fish with a stranger)

·  Travel purse (something small for the necessities)

·  Sling bag for shopping (something bigger than my purse) to carry items to the beach and/or shopping.

·  Towel set – so I’m really excited about this…. I just bought the Wildhorn Outfitters Best Travel Towel Bundle.  The bundle is 3 microfiber camping towels.  What does that mean? Well they are super thin, super absorbent towels. The extra large is big enough for me to use as a beach towel to lay on, the middle towel I can use to dry off with.  Both towels folded up and packed are about the size of a good book, MUCH smaller than a normal beach towel all wrapped up!!!!!!!! This is perfect for a minimalist like me, and truthfully something I’ve been meaning to buy for some while now to take camping.  While there are other towels that are just as good out there, what drew me to this bundle was that the whole bundle was the same price as just 1 towel from other brands.  So to me, totally worth trying (after reading lots of reviews about how wonderful they were. )  Hey a girl’s gotta do her research ;)

Yes, all of this will fit eloquently into my carry-on. Only 50 total items for 5 days of travel. Not bad. (I counted the jewelry as individual items as well.

This picture shows the general amount of stuff I'm taking. What is not pictured is the dress I"m wearing to the wedding (it's hanging, attempting to remove some wrinkles.) and my long grey hemp skirt that I love to wear when at the beach.

Now another trick I do is to pack everything in ziploc bags. The gallon size is wonderful for a couple of shirts or a few pair of shorts. I squeeze the air out of them then zip them shut. This makes them compress down and are more efficient in packing.  Not to mention protection in case the bag gets wet or I have to transfer wet clothes anywhere.

I've also added a hat, to protect me from the sun when walking around.

As you can see from the pictures, this all fit wonderfully!

Now how does this apply to my travel plans?  As I’m going as a guest to a wedding, the big part of my trip is attending the wedding. Other than that, I really don’t have any firm plans as to what I’ll be doing.  I love to plan things that I might want to do, but once I get there I go with the flow.  Things (after researching) that I definitely want to do:

·         See Old San Juan (and take a selfie where Agent Coulson –from SHIELD was when they filmed there)

·         Beach time (that’s a given)

·         Very possibly go see El Yungue National Forest: The United States’ only tropical rainforest.

·         General site seeing and shopping

Other things that would be nice to see:

·         Zoo (cuz that’s the kind of girl I am)

·         Bioluminescent Bay – I’d really like to see this, but doubt I’ll get to due to how short a time I’m there… next time. :)

Everything on my list is suitable to all of the above activities.   Keep posted for Part 2, my review of my travels!