Things we DON’T pack when we travel.

Happy TRAVEL TUESDAY!

Back in March, blog reader Susan (hi Susan!) commented on one of the Japan recaps that she would love to see a post on…

…THINGS WE DON’T PACK WHEN WE TRAVEL.

I have many, many, many posts on WHAT WE TAKE/HOW WE PACK/WHAT WE TAKE ON VACATION (important details!), but I thought Susan brought up a good topic when she asked the opposite question…WHAT DO WE LEAVE AT HOME?

I’m going to share a few of mine, and then please, please share yours too!

First, let’s be clear about one thing…

…hi, we are the Shulls, and we don’t necessarily pack “light”. 😉

There are no awards given for carrying on every single time, so if we are going somewhere for a long time and/or need a lot of gear (ie: skiing), we absolutely check bags.

No matter if we carry on or check, I do believe we have mastered the art of packing efficiently.

I propped my laptop next to Andrew while he made his breakfast the other morning and asked him to help me come up with the list of items we don’t take with us on trips.

Here are a few things we typically leave at home when we travel…

UMBRELLAS/PONCHOS/WEATHER GEAR WE DON’T NEED

We really pay attention to the weather forecast in the weeks leading up to our trip.  Unless it looks like crazy rain, we leave the rain accessories at home.  Umbrellas are heavy and bulky, and if I can avoid lugging them around, I will.  *Typically* hotels have them for guests to borrow, but worst case scenario, we pop into a drugstore and purchase one.  I would say the same for heavy winter coats (unless the weather looks really cold), swimsuits (unless the weather looks really warm, and we know we have access to water).  We try really really hard to make sure the weather forecast and our packing list complement each other.

FULL SIZED BOTTLES

I’ve mentioned this many times before, but we do not bring full sized bottles of anything with us.  I adore my normal hair products, bath products and skincare products, but on a trip, I leave them.  I pack any samples/minis/smaller options I can find and/or use the small travel-sized containers and fill them with things (like my shampoo and conditioner).  This not only saves a ton of room and space, but it’s fun to play with products I don’t typically use.  Full sized items stay at home when we head out of town.

BODY WASH

I’m calling this beauty product out specifically because I stopped bringing it with us years ago.  This is one item that almost all hotels have in each room, and if they don’t, call me crazy but I feel like substituting with shampoo works in a pinch too.  It’s just one less thing to pack and carry, and I’ve never missed not bringing it.

HAIR DRYERS

Most hotels, cruise ships, and even Airbnb/VRBO include hair dryers, so I stopped lugging them around years ago too.

STEAMERS OR IRONS

So many of my friends and clients travel with portable steamers and irons, but we travel with wrinkle spray.  It’s the one “full sized” item we try and bring with us each trip.  We pull out anything that’s a bit wrinkly, spray and hang it up.  Easy as that!

EXTRA PJS/WORKOUT CLOTHES/BRAS/JEANS

I try to not bring as many “extra” things as I can.  At home, fresh pjs and workout clothes are lovely, but when I’m traveling…I’m content re-wearing items just to keep things simple.  If I can get a few days out of the same pair of jeans, I will.  If I need to wear my pajamas a few extra times, that’s fine.  It’s one area where I don’t mind cutting corners.  If I can wear the same pair of sneakers around town and to the hotel gym, fabulous.

SNACKS OR FOOD

We will bring protein powder and protein bars and maybe a box of granola bars or something, but for the most part, we don’t pack a lot of food or snacks.

VITAMINS/MEDICINE

Obviously, I don’t mean medication one needs daily for their health.  We always pack that with us.  What we don’t bring are our supplements and vitamins.  We use travel as a time to hit reset.  I love my daily dose of mass enzymes, magnesium, Nutrafol, etc but I haven’t had any issues taking a break from them while we travel.  We also don’t bring a lot of “extra” meds for “just in case” purposes.  Let’s be real, if I were going off to the middle of nowhere, then yes, I might bring some Benadryl or Tylenol or Pepto Bismol.  For the most part though, there is typically a pharmacy or grocery store very nearby on the off chance we need something.

And those are some of the things we DON’T pack when we travel.

Now, I’ve made it into the “easy” stage for traveling with kiddos, but should you be in the trenches right now, I have SO MANY BLOG POSTS about traveling with younger ones.  You’re going to leave and take a whole new variety of things when you have kiddos with you.

I would love to know some of the things you specifically DON’T take with you on trips.  Please please comment and share!

Also, just a reminder that if you’re still not sure about your summer travel plans, it’s not too late to book something!

Let me remind you about two destinations that would make EXCELLENT summer vacation spots…

…you could head to Walt Disney World!

Disney is a great destination for summertime!  You can take advantage of the waterparks, resort pools…

…and other festive summer fun.

Or…

…get yourself down to the Caribbean!  You know our family LOVES Lovango!

This private island resort is one of our favorite destinations…and you can even get their without a passport 🙂 .

Who doesn’t want to head to paradise for a few days this summer?

For more information about Disney, Lovango, or any of our other destinations, please contact us HERE!  We would love to send you somewhere this summer.  It is not too late to book!

Head to the comment section to chat, friends!

One last thing, I am sharing an updated version of THE #1 BLOG POST IN ALMOST 19 YEARS OF BLOGGING today as well.  Without a doubt THIS is the most popular post in Mix and Match Mama history.  Make sure you check that out today too.

I’ll see you tomorrow! xx