Fashion Frustration: Packing for a Summer Vacation

It’s no secret, I’ve been dreaming about a vacation for a long time now. When I say “vacation”, I mean I want to go to the beach, every day, for two weeks, at last. I want it to be far away, I want it not to have 3G, WiFi or any cellular reception, and I want the sand to be white and the water to be clear, blue and clean. I want Happy Hour to be 24/7 and I want delicious exotic fruits to land on my pool side table every 30 minutes, aside to yummy shakes to zip in. I want books, I want ALL new fashion magazines, and I want silence.

Doesn’t it sound dreamy?

Most of us don’t have two whole weeks to leave life and just get away. Some of us can take a long weekend off or maybe a 4 days off vacation. Sometimes it’s good enough. As for me, I’ll settle for 5 days and won’t complain. I promise.

So let’s say we got it. Let’s say we decided to go on that dreamy summer vacation, and it doesn’t matter how long we can stay away. That’s when my problems start. Exactly then.

What to pack?!

It only sounds simple. Most people would tell you to pack a bathing suit, flip-flops and sunscreen. Maybe add a pair of loose jeans and a few t-shirts. Hmm, not happening.

I work in fashion.

I can’t. Not even when I’m off. As you all probably know by now, there is no such a thing as being off of fashion when you are a part of the industry. There is no option to leave your room when you are not dressed appropriately, meaning: chic. Head to toe, no discounts there. And no, it doesn’t matter if you leave your room of your uptown apartment, your little house in the tiny village you grew up in or your hotel room, located on the other side of the planet. Let’s face it, no one wants to be caught in a slobby jumpers or in your oversized old t-shirt by the pool at the resort or by the luxurious stores when you are out shopping. I know I don’t. So, it’s down to the lists.
Coming up with your ultimate packing list is a long, torturing and sometimes endless procedure. I know. Sometimes the internet helps So many great magazines and bloggers have done it before and published it for their readers to use. I found some that are really inspiring and fun to follow. Adding a few tweaks and last-minute must-haves should be taken under consideration, of course The lists on Marie Claire magazine are very informative and nicely edited, you can see them here. I also found some great posts written by style bloggers that I love, and naturally find themselves packing and unpacking all year long, for fashion weeks around the world or for vacations. I especially liked Penny Chic’s post, who is blogging for Glamour.com, and recently packed her list for Coachella. Her list is great for a short vacation by the beach as well. It’s here. Another great list was posted on Fashion-Questions.com. It’s very spot-on, you can find it here. The beautiful Emily from Cupcakes And Cashmere wrote a visual post that mainly inspires you to pack in a very organized and stylish way, it’s here. And last, Independent Fashion Bloggers held an entire project just for that – they called it IFB Project #38: Spring Break Packing List! They collected posts from bloggers who posted their lists, and it’s all here.

It all might be a bit overwhelming, I know. Also, I find it to be the second step on my travelling plan. Guess which step is the first one? Shopping for the packing is just too much fun to skip it And let’s just admit it, we all shop before we go on a vacation, even if shopping is a big part of our vacation anyways! I really try not to buy too much before I leave, and for my dreamy beach vacation this year I’d love to have a really nice bikini, to add to the dozens I already have. Maybe this one by Chloé?

Are you going away on a vacation soon? Working on your super thorough packing list? Browse Fashiontraffic.com for great pieces to blog about or shop, it’s full of amazing summer items just for you to grab. Comment with your packing and vacation posts here below so we can all see them

Have a wonderful summer!

Hilla Ohayon,

VP Branding and Global Communications at FashionTraffic.com

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