Workin' It: Prepping for Vacation

Happy Wednesday!

Today I'm linking up with Shay from Mix and Match Mama and Erika from A Little Bit of Everything for Workin' It. 

Today we're sharing..

How We Prep for Summer Vacations

This is such a coincidental/ironic post. 

If you've been following Erika, she's currently on a trip to adopt her new daughter!

How fun is that!

I'm sure there was TONS of preparation for that big trip. 

Coincidentally enough she booked our summer cruise!

If you're interested in a trip and need a little help, contact Shay or Erika from Mix and Match Travel Agency. 

They've done a great job for us so far, and I love how experienced they are in traveling themselves!!

So, I'm a Type A person, which means I'm a planner. 

Even though we have an agent, Erika, who is doing everything for us, I like to help out. 

She may love me or hate me for that. 

I really try not to get in her way, but I'm such an inquisitive person, that I love planning things out and finding the best deals. 

Last year I planned our destination wedding from 1,260 miles away. 

I had never stepped foot in the Keys before even showing up the week of our wedding.

In addition, the resort where we were getting married didn't even open until 4 months before our wedding. 

On top of that we were the FIRST wedding ever there!

And I had to switch wedding planners the month before the wedding because she really wasn't helping the situation and she was THERE, while I was HERE!

I did a ton of investigating online.

How would we ever survive before the internet?! 

To prepare for any vacation I like to get everything planned out ahead of time. 

I like to plan the actual event/place.

From there I like to book flights/rental cars. 

Then, I like to look for restaurants or activities.

Most of my trips have been planned around the beach or NYC.

At the beach we don't typically like to do much other than lounge around, but in NYC I'm all about finding the best restaurants and cool things to see/do!

Before every trip I like to plan out a few things...

1. Clothes

I always plan and set out my outfits ahead of time. 

This might involve thinking about them a few months before so that I can buy things that I need. 

We are going on a cruise this summer, so I started thinking that I needed a new cover-up, suit bottoms, some sunscreen, a new pair of sunglasses and a few other items. 

I put those things on my list and have been slowly crossing them off. 

Recently, I got a new cover-up.

It's not even listed on JCrew anymore. 

Sorry, I can't show you. 

Last week I showed you the new swim bottoms from Athleta that I got. 

Recently, I got some powder sunscreen that I can't wait to try out. 

All of these items are things I will use on our cruise. 

They went on my list and now have been crossed off.

2. Checklist

For every trip I have a checklist on my phone. 

It's a Google Doc, so I can easily update it and access it from my phone. 

There are usual items like toothpaste, toothbrush, comb, hair dryer, diffuser that I always take. 

Then, there's things like extra plastic bags, snorkel gear, beach bag that I don't always take. 

I try to update the essential items on this list every time. 

I'm always fearful of forgetting things, and this list really helps to try to diminish that.

3. Reminders

I like to set reminders on my calendar on my phone of things that I need to make sure that I take with me. 

I want an extra step to make sure I have everything that I need. 

This time around I know there's a specific credit card I need to take for our hotels and rental car ahead of time. 

I put it in my phone and get a reminder a couple of days before we leave. 

4. Specific to this vacation-Book Excursions and Transfers

When we went on our cruise last summer we booked our excursions ahead of time. 

I really had no idea that sometimes you can add them after being on the ship. 

That really sounds like a hassle and waiting until the last minute to me. 

In addition, we booked our transfer from the port to the airport ahead of time. 

I know some people like to wait, but I really don't want to think of being stranded someplace or not having as good of a time because we missed the excursion we wanted. 

We searched, discussed and then booked our excursions and transfers ahead of time. 

This time Erika helped give us ideas and then did it for us. 

I LOVE travelling! 

As stressful as it is for some people, I enjoy it!

Some day I'd really like to inquire about becoming some time of agent on top of being a teacher. 

There are so many different kinds/types. 

I really want to help people LOVE planning for vacations. 

So, that's it for today. 

Are you a travel planner lover or hater?

One of my close friends just told me the other day that she can't stand to book vacations; she just wants other people to do it for her because there are too many options. 

In my head I was shouting "Pick me! Choose me! I'll do it!"