Getting Ready
In this section, I will talk about some of the things we purchased and items we used for this trip!
The plan was set, places had been booked! It was time to start preparing for our trip!
Luggage
Usually when I travel, I travel light! I don’t like paying the extra cost of carry-on bags. But! Aeromexico allows a personal item AND a carry on without extra charge. Both Garrett and I would have a backpack as our personal item and a rolling suitcase as our carry-on.
Personal Items
My personal item is a bag I have owned for about a year now. It has been called the #1 travel bag. So far, I LOVE it. It the perfect size for a personal item. It fits under the seat in front of you. It has tons of storage so I feel like it packs well. There are tons of side pockets for sunglasses, keys, and books. Overall, it my favorite travel bag ever.
5 out of 5 stars
This bag has been on many planes and on many day trips. It still looks brand new!
Carry Ons
For my carry-on, I like soft shelled bags. Although they aren’t the style anymore, I feel like I get more room for weird shaped things (like fins and scuba gear!). Also, when you get a two wheeled bag instead of 4, you get about 1 to 2 inches of more actual “packing” space. I needed a new carry on bag (since I haven’t had a carry on in YEARS). I chose a basic rolling suitcase with good reviews from Amazon. Naturally I chose my favorite color, purple.
Post Trip Review: This bag worked perfectly. And I beat the crap out of it. It still looks brand new! I was able to stuff it to capacity and not a single thing broke on the bag or inside the bag. It rolled beautifully through the airport, on sidewalks, and on gravel. It was very easy to carry on and off the plane. It fit in the overhead compartment without being too bulky.
4.5 out of 5 stars
I gave it 4.5 stars because I am not sure how durable it will be over time. For one trip though? It was great.
Cat Camera
After some discussion, we decided it would be a good idea to get a pet cam. We both love our cats and thought it would be cute to see them on vacation. Also! Cats are fairly independent. We had someone coming 3 times to check on them over our 7 (really 8) day vacation. So it was also for peace of mind. We would be bale to check in on them and make sure nothing crazy was going on.
Most pet cameras want you to buy a subscription package in order to have playback and be able to save “clips” of your pets. Garrett did not care for a subscription and neither did I.
We ended up choosing the eufy indoor camera. This camera does not have subscription and doesn’t store your information on their server. It uses an app, you can see live footage, and be alerted when there is movement or sound. Some other features are night vision, sound, and you can talk through it! The biggest thing for us is when the camera sees “movement” it will briefly record. This was good for us since we didn’t want to be pulling out our phones every time a cat appeared on screen.
Overall, it was pretty fun to test out. All the cats were able to find it pretty quickly when we talked through it.
While on vacation, it worked very well. We could have the app on both our phones. It was fun to see what kind of mischief they got up to, but also just to know that they were doing well!
5 out of 5 stars
ASSORTED ITEMS
4 out of 5 stars
This charger was great for charging multiple things at night. (Phone, watch, headphones, go pro). But if you are looking for a quick charge during the day, this is not your cord.
5 out of 5 stars
I LOVED these towels. They rolled up super small in the suitcase. They were a barrier from the sand. They dried well.
5 out of 5 stars
These were the perfect size for a week long trip. I was able to bring all of my bathroom products. There was room in the bag for deodorant, toothbrush, and toothpaste as well.
4.5 out of 5 stars
This thing was AMAZING! It held so much! Only reason I deducted a half star is you need a pick in order to open the sections. A small, easily lost piece.
5 out of 5 stars
I LOVE this skirt. Perfect coverup and worked as a little dress. Packs very small.
5 out of 5 stars
This bag was perfect for carrying around our stuff on the island. As a dry bag, it worked great on the dive boats as well. Not to mention it was CUTE!
