As we all start to think about planning some fun summer getaways, we all have to remember how to pack for one! So in this episode, we talk all about how to pack for your next girls’ trip! Listen for our top tips and tricks on packing for a girls’ trip.
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Transcript:
JQ: Hey travel babies thinking about rebooking that girl’s trip that you have to postpone. Maybe you have the bachelorette party coming up. Well, this episode is all about how to pack for your next girls trip.
Juliana: This is travel babies. We’re just two sisters trying to travel the world in style, but sometimes things don’t go as planned. Each week we talk about important travel topics to help you decide when, where and how to explore the world in style. I’m Juliana from Travel with Juliana.
JQ: And I’m JQ from jqlouise.com. And before we get started, don’t forget to subscribe and give us a five star review. If you enjoy our podcast, it really helps us a lot.
Juliana: OK, so in last week’s episode, we talked about all of our favorite bachelorette party destinations. This week we’re talking about how to pack for one.
JQ: OK, so let’s get started. But first, let’s go back to one of our main tips that we keep repeating. If you listen to our other girls trip episodes in the series, you’ll know that we really emphasize communicating with your friends. So basically, if you know what you’ll be doing on your trip, you’ll know what to pack.
Keep listening and reading for our tips on packing for a girls trip.
Planning With Your Friend for a Girls Trip
Juliana: Exactly. So that’s why it’s really important to do your research plan out as many activities, hotel, everything that you can plan out before it, you know, as far in advance as possible so that, you know, OK, we’re going to a beach. I need to order new bathing suit. I need two weeks to get here. Like all of those things need to be thought about beforehand.
JQ: Exactly. And if you guys want to do any kind of theme parties or theme nights, like, you need to talk about these things far in advance because everyone needs to order bathing suit. Everyone needs to order a dress like people need time to get prepared so that they can actually do it. Because honestly, these are the little things that cause fights.
Juliana: Yeah, exactly. I mean, especially for like something where it’s like a bachelorette party. You if someone feels left out and they’re like, I didn’t I didn’t get the memo about, oh, you know, we’re all going to wear a white bathing suit, then it can actually cause a much bigger fight than you think.
JQ: Yeah. Because it’s also like it hurts people’s feelings because they feel left out. They feel like no one told them or they just feel like, OK, thanks a lot. Like I didn’t have time to go by the thing I needed or I hate what I have, I could have easily just bought something or ordered it online if I knew or if I had time.
Juliana: Yeah, exactly. So I mean, the more you can plan A seems out in advance, you know, start a group, chat with your friends and say send pictures like I’m going to wear this, like what is everyone else going to wear then. It just makes everyone feel better.
Keep listening and reading for our tips on packing for a girls trip.
JQ: Yeah, exactly. And it just helps everybody get organized and get on the same page. So let’s start going through some of the main items that you’ll probably be needing and let’s just talk about it. So I think no one is swimsuits yet because most likely, at least this year, everybody’s first couple of girls trips this year are going to be in the summer or two warm destinations because I don’t know about you guys, but I know I’m just ready to go on a beach and just relax.
Juliana: Yeah. And just be outside. And obviously in Boston, it’s been really cold. We’ve had a few nice days. But, you know, March can still be a pretty cold month, so I’m ready for warm weather.
JQ: Yeah. And Juliana and I actually have a little girls trip that we’re planning right now. We can’t tell you where just yet, but we’ve actually been going through this process ourselves and kind of starting to coordinate, you know, what we’ll be bringing on that trip and it will be to a warm weather destination. So stay tuned for that.
What Should I Pack For a Girls Getaway?
Juliana: So I’m super excited. I mean, me and JQ always, you know, when we go on a trip together, we’re always like talking about exactly what we’re going to bring. You know, for us, we love to take a lot of pictures on the on the trips. So we’re like, OK, in this. I’ll wear this when you when you’re wearing that.
And that’ll look great in a pic of us together. Like, we’ll we’ll talk about specifics like that. So obviously, like JQ said, bathing suits are a must, especially when you’re going someplace warm. Another thing that, you know, you can wear pretty much anywhere depending no matter what you’re doing. It’s just a simple day dress. If you’re going somewhere really hot, like when we went to Miami or Mexico, I tried to think about, like the really light material that I wanted, like really summery dresses where I wouldn’t be too hot when we’re walking around or doing something, just going to a restaurant, any of that. So, you know, think about is it going to be really humid? Like what are the specific I mean, even just like thinking, OK, what am I going to wear? Like what kind of underwear am I going to wear under the dress or like a bra? You know, these things are pretty important too. So just plan ahead as much as you can because you again, you may need to order something.
JQ: Yeah. And like this is another great point because, OK, if you’re going to a warm weather destination, like depending on your level of comfort, like, I don’t know if you guys will be posting a lot of bikini pics, but I mean, personally, for me, like, I’d rather post like a nice, like, beach dress pic or something like that. Yeah. So like plan things that can kind of play for more than one scenario. Also, like, you know, plan summer dresses that you can wear out and about. But that will also be good. Like beach cover up sometimes. Keep listening and reading for our tips on packing for a girls trip.
Juliana: Yeah, exactly. I know, because you also just like if you’re only going for a couple days, you don’t want to bring too much stuff either. So if you can use, you know, one piece of clothing for multiple occasions and that’s great, too.
JQ: Yeah. And like, I think plan with your friends that way you can have some fun with it, just like Juliana said, like when we’re planning what photos we want to take, like plan your outfits, like they don’t have to match, but maybe it’s like one person wears like the black version of the dress, the other person wears the white version. And like, sometimes the you know, that contrast looks really good in photos or, you know, things like that. So just like think about it and really, you know, try to have fun with it.
Juliana: Yeah, exactly. And then, you know, another thing that kind of goes along with the dress is just like comfortable shoes, because most likely you’re going to be walking around. You don’t always want to have, like, you know, heels or sandals that kind of hurt. So I usually like to bring, like, just plain white adidas sneakers and that, you know, I like to wear sneakers a lot in the summer, especially if we know we’re going to be walking around. Some of those typically tend to go with everything. So I don’t have to worry about like, oh, this only goes with this one outfit, but, you know, it goes with dresses, shorts, whatever. So that’s what I typically like to bring as like a comfortable shoe.
JQ: Yeah, me too. I mean, both of us love like just like the basic like Stan Smith, Adidas sneakers. I mean, they go with everything. They’re definitely a classic staple to have. So, you know, don’t neglect the comfortable shoes. Like I know we said, think about your outfits and, you know, make sure you have all the right looks and everything. But when it comes to shoes, honestly, comfort rules over everything, especially in the summer, because if it’s hot, it’s humid, your feet are going to sweat. So you’re going to get more blisters easier. And nothing like ruins your day. Like getting a blister.
Juliana: Yeah. Getting a blister or just being too hot when you can’t really do much about it. When you’re already outside, you’re not at the hotel anymore like you can’t change. So, you know, really think about that. I think when you and I were in Mexico, you know, we weren’t like doing a ton of walking because we were in an all inclusive. But, you know, we still wanted to be like not just like dripping sweat when we were just outside. So I really thought about being like light material clothing.
JQ: Yeah. And think about things that wrinkle easily as well, because, I mean, I know some people love bringing those small steamers, which is great. And I definitely recommend bringing one if you have it. But, you know, if you’re walking around all day or you’re going to be going to dinner, then walking around or that kind of thing, like think about if it’s hot out, it’s going to wrinkle again.
Juliana: I know. So we I mean, I don’t have one of those steamers and neither do you have one.
JQ: No, I used to have one. Keep listening and reading for our tips on packing for a girls trip.
Juliana: mean, they’re definitely useful if you’re like, you know, going to a wedding and you’re like, OK, this dress is going to get wrinkled. I need to see it before I go wear it. But that’s a great point about just being, like, all sweaty. And then you have the clothing that can easily wrinkle. It’s going to get wrinkled again. So, you know, we love to pack things that are not going to get wrinkled.
JQ: Yeah. So just like think about the comfort level, like I mean, obviously, like we want to look good and we want to plan things for photos that has the right look and feel to it. But also like really think about your comfort because then you’ll have more fun on the trip. And honestly, if you’re happier, you’re going to look better in photos anyway.
Juliana: Yeah, exactly. OK, so let’s move on to another piece that you definitely need to have. So obviously there’s dresses and there’s night dresses. So, you know, you’re most likely going to be going to a place that has like some sort of nightlife, especially if you’re going with all of your girlfriends. So, you know, this is another thing that I that I think kind of gets overlooked because depending on the destination, you know, like in the last episode we talked about Miami versus Vegas, like even those are very similar places, but also really different in a lot of ways. So it’s different vibes. So, you know, Miami is like really beachy. So you can have you know, you can just have, like, a little black dress that maybe or, you know, that you’re going to wear to a club or something.
JQ: But, well, it’s like in Miami, like you’d wear like crop top with some like beachy pants. Exactly.
But it’s like I wouldn’t wear that in Vegas.
Juliana: Exactly. So, you know, you can have like you can wear it cropped up in Miami, in Vegas. But what do you put it with. Could be told, you know, what you put it with could be totally different. And you know, for us, like in Mexico, I was still wearing like colorful stuff even at night, just because that was that was the whole feel of the place. And it just that’s how I felt. And I was like, you know, it’s not going to be like we’re going to a club like we were in Miami. It’s not that same feel. So, you know, this also kind of goes with just like doing your research about the place. I think a good tip to look at what if you if you know, OK, we’re going to go to this specific restaurant, the specific club, just search them on Instagram and see like what if what if other people posted what does the place look like? You can get a good ideas from just doing that. Keep listening and reading for our tips on packing for a girls trip.
JQ: Yeah. That’s a great tip, I mean, especially for girls trips, where you’ll definitely be taking photos, I mean, check out every single place that you’re going on Instagram and like look at the top posts of people that have tagged that place or tag that location and just see what the vibe is, because that’ll help, you know, it’ll give you ideas. And once you’re there, you’ll just you know, you already know the vibe. Hopefully you’ve had time to prepare in order like the right outfits so that that way you can, you know, feel the most comfortable, most confident when you’re there.
Juliana: Yeah, totally. And I mean, this, you know, goes hand in hand with, like, making dresses, but bringing the right heels. You know, I’m, again, always about comfort. Like, I don’t want to be, like, just hating myself because I chose the wrong shoes. And I’m like, oh, my God, I can’t even, like, walk anymore. So I love, like, just the platform heel because they can be like they give me as high as you want them to be, but you don’t feel the height because of the platform. So I definitely think investing in like a good solid pair of platform, like black or tan or something that’ll go with a lot of dresses is a great investment. Keep listening and reading for our tips on packing for a girls trip.
JQ: Well, and I feel like Juliana is always better at this than me in having comfortable heels when we are on trips like honestly, I borrowed her shoes a million times. Like actually I just remembered something at my wedding. I actually ended up borrowing like at my heels, Juliana’s heels for like the after party because I planned on just wearing a different pair of, like, stilettos that I brought with me. But my feet were so tired and like so sore already from the whole day of wearing, like, different stilettos. Keep listening and reading for our tips on packing for a girls trip.
Juliana: Yeah. You have to just wear comfortable shoes like it’s not worth it. I mean, if you know, OK, I’m only going to be into those like stilettos for an hour and then you’re like, okay, I’m definitely going to change all of them then fine. But if you have to wear the same pair of shoes all night, then they have to be comfortable, especially like in Miami at your bachelor party. We’re going we were out the entire night and standing up in a club or, you know, in a bar or something, you have to be comfortable just standing there.
JQ: Yeah. So, like, I mean, our tip, I think would be go for a platform sandal. So that way your toes like an open toe shoe. That way your toes are exposed. They’re not going to be scrunched up all night and like do the platform. So it’s not as you know, tough on your feet. So yeah, definitely invest in some comfortable heels so that you can look good and feel good. Keep listening and reading for our tips on packing for a girls trip.
Juliana: OK, so one more thing that also goes along with this. You know, going out outfit is what bag bring. Keep listening and reading for our tips on packing for a girls trip.
JQ: Yeah. So like especially if you’re planning on going to clubs in that kind of thing with your friends, like, you know, you don’t really you don’t want have to worry about your stuff and you need to be practical in especially for everybody. I mean, none of us have been to a club in a year. So then so it’s going to be a new experience for us when we start going to those again this summer. So take it seriously. Like plan out. OK, I’m going to bring this cross body or this fanny pack like whatever it is. Yeah. It needs to be something small that’s hands free.
Juliana: Yeah. I mean I never when I see girls with like a clutch I’m like, that’s just you’re just making life harder. Like really I’d be so worried about all the time. I would never put it down. And I only have one hand free. And you know, especially if you’re going to a club to like dance. Yeah. That’s just it’s way too hard. So you need, you know, like JQ said, a cross-party or a fanny pack. I personally love fanny packs because they’re so close to your body and you really don’t have to worry. Like, you can sit with them, you can stand you can be doing whatever. So those are my favorite. Yeah.
JQ: And just like depending on where you’re going, like, you know, you might have to be worried about pickpockets or I mean, who knows, like none of these clubs haven’t been open in a year or so. Who knows what they’ll be like when we go back. I feel like they’re going to be crazy for like the first couple of months. Yeah, because everybody’s going to rush back to go into them.
JQ: So, you know, play it safe, like really like remember that you have to watch out for your belongings and just like watch out for yourself at these places.
Juliana: Yeah, totally. OK, and then one of the other things that, you know, people probably do this a lot more so in bach parties than anything else, But just like merch, you know, around whatever their theme is, because I know I see a lot of like especially bachelorette parties, I will say like bride and tribe or, you know, anything that’s like a cute, like funny joke between your friends, though, they’ll make like t shirts or hats or whatever. And so definitely, you know, that needs to be well in advance like planned ahead because you have to order it. You have to get everybody size. If it’s a big group, you know, that needs to definitely be planned ahead.
JQ: Yeah, definitely plan ahead. But also, like, this isn’t necessarily like these kind of things go in and out of style, too. So, you know, you don’t have to do it. I mean, I think it can be fun sometimes, but for me, I’d rather put effort Into doing, like the coordinated theme night kind of thing, because then people can just like, you know, do it in their own way, like, OK, we’re all wearing black dresses tonight. Like, that’s easy. People can pick a black dress that they feel confident in in that they like. It’s not like you’re forcing them, OK You have to wear this like that. Sometimes I can take the fun out of it.
Juliana: Yeah, exactly. I don’t I agree. I mean, I’m not, like, huge and making people or like doing these merch things because I think, like you said, I can take the fun out of it also. It’s just like, what if I don’t like how it looks. Keep listening and reading for our tips on packing for a girls trip.
JQ: Yeah.
Juliana: So yeah. I mean but that’s you know, it’s, it’s up to you, it’s up to you guys like it’s whatever. Yeah. But it’s like if you’re going to do it plan way in advance because you never know how long it will take to actually have this stuff deliver. So yeah. I mean like when I was in college on the ballroom dance team, we would order like team wear and that stuff would take like weeks to ship. So especially if you want it branded with something OK, and then the next thing which is super important, and especially if you’re going to a warm place, is just sunscreen, sun hats. I think one of the biggest lessons I learned last summer, maybe the summer before when you and I kept going on like really warm weather trips, is not having a sun hat sitting on the beach all day. Your head like my head got burnt, basically.
Yeah. You know, we put a ton of sunblock, but like your hair, your head just gets so hot, you get dehydrated way faster. You start to get you could easily get like a headache, you know. So then it just kind of makes your day like a lot less fun. So a good sunhat is definitely something to invest in. Yeah.
JQ: One hundred percent. And again, this is another little style opportunity. Like you can have fun with it. Like maybe this is the thing that you buy matching with your friends. Like Or like plan out. OK, I’m going to get this big crazy hat for photo and get like a normal smaller one for, for actually sitting at the beach.
Juliana: I actually learned I really like to just sit with like a baseball hat because it’s, you know, if you like want to read or be on your phone, you can you still have the sun like it’s protecting you from the sun is protecting your head. The bigger beach hats especially, they just tend to fall off because if it’s really windy, then they just blow off completely and like, OK, I lost my hat. Keep listening and reading for our tips on packing for a girls trip.
JQ: But I like those better if I want to lay down and cover my whole face.
Juliana: Yeah, that’s true. Like, if you want to lay completely down on your back.
JQ: Yeah. So anyway, bring like plenty of hats. I mean now I’m just like Juliana, I bring a baseball hat, I bring a small beach out. A big beach hat. Yeah. And I always order like if I see any like cool like ones that I think would look good for Instagram, like I buy those just for looks, but I use like my boring hats when I’m actually just relaxing. So yeah, definitely plan on beach hats and plenty of sunscreen obviously. Yeah.
Juliana: And one other thing about sunscreen too. Obviously you can’t bring if you’re just bringing in carry on bag, you can’t bring that big like a big spray bottle of sunscreen because it’s too big for like the liquids. But if you have like you can get travel sized ones or you can get like travel size lotions or when you get there, just buy a big bottle and everyone can use it that week or weekend.
Remember Your Self Care When Packing
JQ: Exactly. All right. So finally now we’re getting into like the self care phase of packing. So, you know, once you have all your clothes taking care of and all the fun stuff, like, don’t forget about some of these serious things, like bring Advil, bring vitamin C tablets with you. Like, you know, you need things in case you get dehydrated. You get a headache, like bring these things with you. Yeah.
Juliana: Because obviously you can go and buy this stuff in whatever destination. But some places it might be really hard. Like if you’re if you’re in Europe or somewhere you don’t. It’s not the exact equivalent medicine that we have here. So you just you don’t know what you’re buying. And it’s just easier to just bring it with you, especially because you if you’re only going for like a couple of days, you don’t need a ton. You’d just bring in, like, literally I’ll just put it in like a plastic bag and put it in my Carry-On. Keep listening and reading for our tips on packing for a girls trip. Keep listening and reading for our tips on packing for a girls trip.
JQ: Yeah. And like, this is just a general travel tip. I mean, I know me and Juliana have made this mistake of not bringing it in the past. So now I literally have, like, plastic baggies of this stuff that are just like in my suitcases. Yeah. And they just and they just stay there and they’re just my, like, emergency Advil, emergency vitamin C because also vitamin C helps you to stay hydrated, too. Yeah. So I always take a vitamin C if I’ll be out, you know, in the sun a lot that way. I have that and I drink a lot of water, but definitely bring these things because you’d be surprised how hard it is to find Advil in other countries because it’s not called the same thing. And even just getting to a pharmacy from like the resort can be really hard, really hard, or just a huge hassle. That’ll be like half the day.
Juliana: Yeah, exactly. So having this stuff with you is just so important and could save you a lot of time. And then the other thing to keep in mind is, you know, you know, staying hydrated when you’re traveling is super important and you can get easily dehydrated when you’re traveling or when you’re at the beach all, so bringing a reusable water bottle is just great, you know, it’s more sustainable. It’s always, always refill. You don’t need to keep buying plastic water bottles. And then the other thing, too, is the phone. First of all, a phone charger and then a phone battery pack.
JQ: Yeah. So, like, if you haven’t gotten one of those phone battery packs or like phone banks, you know, they’re like little rectangular things that store charge for your bag, for your phone battery. Definitely invest in one like you can get them on Amazon. They’re pretty cheap. There’s lots of brands out there. I mean, I know a lot of I used to get them as much as swag at a lot of events. Like, you know, a lot of companies put their logo on it. You get the free ones like. So if you have those like this is another thing to just keep in your suitcase, because then you’ll have it on your trip because, you know, if you’re stuck somewhere or if you’re out all night and your phone dies like you need something for an emergency. So this is definitely something to throw in your suitcase.
Juliana: Yeah, I know I used to have one, but then since I haven’t been traveling so much in the past year, I don’t know where it is. I need to buy another one just to make sure because, you know, you think, OK, I have my phone in my phone charger, but it’s even if you bring your phone charger with you when you’re out, like, it can be hard to find a place to charge it.
JQ: Yeah, I mean, this will just save you a lot of worry, honestly. So, yeah, just definitely add it to your packing list.
Juliana: We hope you got some good tips on how to pack for girls trips. Catch us next week for more travel tips.
JQ: Thanks, Juliana.
Juliana: Thanks, JQ.
We hope you enjoyed our tips on packing for a girls trip.