Summer is right around the corner and things are looking up for travel once again. In this week’s episode we chat all things packing related for those first post-COVID trips and we also speak with Bravo’s Eddie Lucas from Below Deck.

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Transcript:

JQ: Hey travel babies, we are starting to plan our spring and summer trips with travel restrictions still in place, it can be hard to decide where to go, even if you feel ready to travel. But we’re here to help.

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, a professional travel blogger from Boston,

JQ: And I’m JQ from jqlouise.com. And I’m also a professional travel writer, blogger and influencer, also from Boston. Combined, we have over 200000 followers across our social media platforms and we love sharing our travel tips and tricks with you all before we get started. Don’t forget to subscribe and give us a review. If you enjoy our podcast, it really helps us a lot.

Juliana: In the last episode, we talked all about the current travel options for Americans. If you haven’t listened to that episode yet, definitely check it out. And today we’re talking about how to pack for all these trips, as well as speaking with a special guest.

JQ: Our special guest this week is Eddie Lucas from Bravo’s Below Deck, and he’ll be sharing his insight into the best yachting destinations in the Caribbean. But first, let’s start a little bit closer to home and talk about how to pack for New England trips.

Packing for New England Trips

Juliana: So last time, you know, we talked about how there’s so many options in New England. It’s spring now and the weather’s looking nicer. You know, summer’s coming. So what do you typically pack?

JQ: You know, what are your must haves, JQ? Yeah, so, I mean, like we talked about last week, New England trips are great because they’re super convenient and yeah, the weather’s getting much nicer. So there’s tons of driving distance destinations that are great choices for Bostonians and people who live in New England. So, I mean, some of my must haves are just those transitional clothing items, like maybe a trench coat, blazers, jeans, like you can really start to wear these types of things again because you don’t need heavy winter jackets or boots anymore. So really, now’s a great time to play around with fashion in New England.

Juliana: Yeah, exactly, I know you mentioned the different types of lighter weather jackets, I love to wear my jean jacket like pretty much all spring and summer at night because it’s just like so versatile. It goes with anything and it’s perfect for this this type of, like, transitional weather.

JQ: Exactly. And honestly, it’s nice to be able to wear like different shoes again instead of just boots and snow boots and stuff like that. So it’s fun to, you know, where all your shoes again.

Juliana: Yeah, exactly. I feel like I can be so much more like stylish when it’s warmer out, because in the winter it’s like you don’t really have a choice. You just have to wear all of the, like, really cold weather stuff that you need in Boston. But, you know, now we’ve had at least a couple of weeks or it feels like it’s been a couple of weeks of like really nice weather where it’s nice during the day. It’s so cold at night. Now, it’s looking really nice. Stay tuned for our interview with Eddie Lucas from Bravo’s Below Deck.

JQ: So exactly. And it’s funny because, like, I feel like even in the mornings it can still be chilly. But then by 1:00 or 2:00 p.m., it could actually be kind of hot out. Stay tuned for our interview with Eddie Lucas from Bravo’s Below Deck.

Juliana: Yeah, exactly. Some days I’m like, it’s kind of hard to dress because, you know, it can the weather can just change by hour, like literally what the temperature is. So, you know, go out at like lunchtime and I’ll have like a sweater and a coat and I’m like a little too hot. And then I’ll go out again at like 5:00 and it’ll be chillier. And I’m like, OK, I actually still need my sweater, not just a coat.

JQ: Yeah, exactly. I know. Like when we honor walks in the afternoon, I never even know anymore because like, if I go out for lunch at 1:00, it’s like, whoa, I don’t even need any coat. And then, you know, by 5:00, once the sun starts to go down again, it can get chilly. So, you know, I mean, that’s living in New England. The weather changes and this time of year, the temperature changes a lot. So, I mean, my recommendations for packing would be to bring a lot of light layers so you can, you know, take them on and off throughout your trip. Stay tuned for our interview with Eddie Lucas from Bravo’s Below Deck.

Juliana: Exactly, and, you know, definitely check the weather before you go so that, you know, OK, during the day, I won’t need a coat, but at night I probably will. So, like JQ said, layers are key because you can always, you know, gauge how hot or cold you might be.

JQ: Yeah, and don’t forget your umbrella, because also this is the time of year where you might get a rain shower here, there. So definitely check the weather, but I always bring an umbrella in my carry on. I mean, I learned the hard way a long time ago that you don’t want to get stuck anywhere without an umbrella. So definitely pack one of those as well.

Juliana: Yeah, I always, you know, like JQ said, this time of year, April is  usually a typically rainy month and that’s why say everything is blooming so much like in New England, which is really pretty. But yeah, this year I actually invested in a good raincoat also with a hood so that I know it’s easy to pack because it can really get small when you want to pack it. But like JQ said, always just bring a small umbrella because it does, you know, it really sucks when you don’t have one. Stay tuned for our interview with Eddie Lucas from Bravo’s Below Deck.

JQ: Yeah. So I know what kind of raincoat it you get. I remember you got a nice one recently. Yes.

Juliana: So actually Jared got me one for Christmas and I forget what brand it is, but it’s really just like a lightweight. You know, it could be good if it, if it was cold I could just wear a big sweater under it. But if it’s like warmish and it just, you know, that like April rain, I could just wear, you know, on its own with like a T-shirt. And I’d be like, totally fine too. But it’s really like nice and waterproof, you know, it’s kind of like stylish. It’s not very it’s not just like a rain shower that you would buy from, like a sporting store. So, no, I really like it. I haven’t had a ton of chances to wear it yet, actually, because we’ve only had a couple of like really heavy rain days and I usually don’t even go outside on those days.

JQ: Yeah, me too. I know I got a new raincoat recently as well. I got one from Helly Hansen in the seaport. And I’ve been I’ve been starting to wear it a lot because it’s it has a little bit of like padding. So it can be, you know, cozier if it is chilly out. So, yeah, exactly. Stay tuned for our interview with Eddie Lucas from Bravo’s Below Deck.

Juliana: Because you I really like those coats where you can just like transition it from like cold weather to like medium weather like it is now.

JQ: Yeah, me too. And the great thing is that they are really packable. So, you know, they get really small when you put in your suitcase. So that’s another great thing just to throw in there.

How to Pack for Your First Trip to Europe

Juliana: OK, so now let’s move on to Europe. So last time we talked about, you know, the different options of countries to visit in Europe. So what would you first think of packing when you go?

JQ: So it’s huge news that a few European destinations have announced that they’ll be open for Americans. I mean, Greece is opening in a few weeks. Iceland is already open. Croatia is opening soon as well. So lots of great news here. And I don’t know this, you know, thinking about what to pack for Europe, it’s just something we haven’t done in so long. So I’m glad we’re talking about this because there’s a few things that we all need to remember to bring with us. I think the key thing here is remembering those need to have items before you even get to the fun stuff, because, you know, most of us haven’t traveled internationally in a while. So don’t forget that you’ll be needing some adapters for all your devices and things like that before you even start to think about clothes.

Juliana: Yeah, exactly. And I think another thing we talked about before in in a different, like, sort of packing episode was the fact that you should always have, you know, like Advil or different, you know, medicines that you might need while you’re traveling, because a lot of times it might be hard to get that in different countries in Europe. So bring all the necessities like Jacqueline said before you even start thinking about the clothes and what the weather will be like. Stay tuned for our interview with Eddie Lucas from Bravo’s Below Deck.

JQ: All that stuff is really important and this is a no brainer. But don’t forget your passport. I mean, I know Juliana and I have only used those a few times recently. I mean, just going through, you know, the Caribbean. But I mean, when you go to Europe, you definitely need it. So don’t forget about that as well. But once we get to close, you know, this is where you can have fun with it again. I mean, most likely will all be going to Europe once the weather gets warmer. So this means you can really have fun with summer outfits, swimsuits, all that stuff.

Juliana: Yeah. I mean, I love European weather. Like, you know, I always check the weather before I’m about to go, but kind of, you know, like New England, sometimes weather can change pretty quickly. So, like, one day it might be really nice. One day it might be kind of hot and rainy, like depending on the city you’re in. So definitely make sure you have gear for all types of weather that you might have. But, you know, a lot of things can also be very versatile, too. Like I always bring pair of, like, white sneakers that I can wear if I know I’m going to be walking around a lot. It goes with anything. So any of those items that you know, you can wear in a lot of different situations is great. Stay tuned for our interview with Eddie Lucas from Bravo’s Below Deck.

JQ: Exactly. I know. I think, you know, we’re also excited to get back out there. So I know, you know, most of us are probably thinking of so many like you. I want to wear this. I want to wear this. I want to wear this. But also, like, make your life easy, pack light, bring like versatile items like Juliana  just said, like bring items that you can wear multiple times on your trip, bring shoes that are comfortable, bring an umbrella like just be prepared because for our first trips back out exploring, you know, there’s a lot of things that could go wrong and I’m sure there still will be a few things that go wrong. So you really want to try to plan ahead as much as possible and just try to avoid any of those situations because, you know, it will be stressful just traveling again for the first couple of trips. Stay tuned for our interview with Eddie Lucas from Bravo’s Below Deck.

Juliana: Yeah. And actually, now that I’m thinking of it, I was at Urban Outfitters the other day and. They have like Urban Outfitters is the story I go to when I want to get something colorful, because literally, I feel like all their stuff is just like especially the summery clothes they have, like these really pretty flowery dresses. And I’m just like I wanted to buy everything because I’m like, this looks so good in Europe, like in this summer. But at the same time, I don’t even know if I’m going yet. I hope I’m allowed to go. And like Jaclyn said, you never know. You know, the weather can kind of change and you want stuff that’s versatile. So just bringing, like, 10 different summer dresses might not be the best because it might be colder at night or stuff like that. Stay tuned for our interview with Eddie Lucas from Bravo’s Below Deck.

JQ: Yeah. So definitely pack layers like bring some light jackets that are practical for daytime and nighttime, that kind of thing. So just try to be practical. Yeah, exactly.

Visiting the Caribbean – Stay Tuned for Tips from Eddie Lucas

Juliana: OK, so now let’s move on to the Caribbean. So, you know, we talked about this in our last episode. There’s actually a ton of places in the Caribbean right now that are open to Americans. You know, they have different restrictions. So definitely check before you go so you know what you need to have. So, yeah, what do you typically bring to the Caribbean? Stay tuned for our interview with Eddie Lucas from Bravo’s Below Deck.

JQ: I mean, honestly, these trips are easy to pack for because most likely you’ll be staying at a resort. So, you know, you’ll know what you’ll be up to. Like you’ll be going to the beach, you be going to the pool, you’ll be going to nice dinners. You’ll just be lounging. So there’s really only so many outfits that you need. So this is a chance to splurge. I mean, you know, if you do have some Caribbean trips planned, I would recommend you can go on a little shopping, buy some new swimsuits, buy some new beach dresses, buy some new sandals, that kind of thing, because those are the items that you’ll need. Like nothing’s really going to change. You most likely won’t be doing a ton of exploring outside of your resort. So really treat yourself if you have some luxurious trips planned. Stay tuned for our interview with Eddie Lucas from Bravo’s Below Deck.

Juliana: Yeah, and I think, like Jacqueline said, you can really bring a ton of stuff because usually I mean, when you and I go on, you know, these beach trips, we know we’re going to be spending a lot of time at the beach, a lot of time in the pool, a lot of time just in a bathing suit. So I literally, even if we go for like two or three days, I bring like a ton of bathing suits because they’re going to get wet. You might want to have a different ones who needs to dry. So you just need a ton of different options.

JQ:  Yeah, and I think the only thing in terms of practicality that you really have to think about is like what water sport activities will you be doing? Because when it comes to swimsuits, you know, you might want to wear a one piece if you’re going to go out, you know, doing a water sport like are you going to be scuba diving or snorkeling? You might want something that’s a little bit more coverage. But if you’re just going to be tanning on the beach, you know, you can wear whatever you want and then, you know, do you want something crazy for photos? You want a specific cover up for photos? Do you need a new beach hat, that kind of thing. So just think about exactly what you’ll be doing and then go hunt for those items. Stay tuned for our interview with Eddie Lucas from Bravo’s Below Deck.

Juliana: Yeah, exactly. And another thing that I, I was thinking about that would be, you know, kind of interesting to talk about because obviously a lot of times, you know, when JQ and I don’t travel together, JQ, go with Drew or I’ll go with Pierre-Luc. And, you know, it’s kind of fun to talk about what the guys were to, because I know, you know, with me and Pierre-Luc, we like to also kind of talk about our what we’re going to bring together. And it’s interesting, like men’s clothing versus women, too, because a lot of times their stuff is so much easier where it’s just like, OK, bring five t shirts and five pairs of shorts. And for women it’s like, OK, I want to have like this specific dress, but it’s really more of a beach cover up, so I can’t use it as a dress. There’s so many other things. So yeah, it’s interesting.

JQ: Yeah. And for men, I think shoes are a lot easier too, because, you know, they really only need like a pair of sandals for the beach, some sneakers and then maybe some dress shoes for dinner and that’s it. So I mean, for my husband, Drew, you know, I really try to spare his suitcase down as much as possible. And it does give me a little bit of overflow room just in case. So, you know, again, just be practical and just really think about what you’ll be doing.

Juliana: Yeah. And for Pierre-Luc, he actually really loves clothes like he you know, he likes to go shopping, kind of like as much as I do with, like, men stuff. So obviously because in Paris they have like thousands of stores that we don’t even have here. So I think he kind of just grew up with that and is used to having, like, fashion be a big thing. So he’s always, you know, down to try like new types of clothes and like different countries we go to. So that’s always fun. But, yeah, sometimes I’m like, OK, we need to pack a little bit lighter.

Interview With Eddie Lucas – His Top Caribbean Tips

JQ: Yeah, exactly. So so, yeah, try to pack light and just try to plan ahead. And if you’re looking for a very luxurious destination in the Caribbean, keep listening for some yacht charter destination Tips from Eddie Lucas from Bravo’s Below Deck.

JQ: I’m here with Eddie Lucas from Bravo’s Below Deck, and we’re actually speaking with him from below deck.

Eddie: Hey, thanks for having me on.

JQ: How are you doing to get started? Maybe. Could you talk? To me, about your favorite, like your top three Caribbean destinations and just kind of give me a little on how you would compare and contrast them.

Eddie: Yeah, it’s tough to it’s tough to say which one of my top slot to kind of just like in no particular order. My top three would probably be like St. Barts. It’s just a really beautiful it’s very luks, very quaint, nice. And there’s a lot of things to do also. But it’s not like overdeveloped in a westernized way. St. Barts is just really, really beautiful. St. Barts is very nice. And then I have to say the Vivi’s I mean, the islands you could say, I mean, you could say the Tortola or a place like that was fantastic. It’s there’s a lot more going on. It’s much more kind of developed. There’s a lot of kind of restaurants and clubs and things to do around it. But it’s still has, of course, that Caribbean vibe and it’s really easy to get to. And then St. Kitts and Nevis is just very quiet and I feel it’s really untouched and it kind of really still keeps that. Keeps that Caribbean vibe and the Caribbean culture is still really well intact there.

Plus, it has some amazing landscapes with the volcanoes and some beautiful beaches, just really great water and snorkeling activities you can do in a natural setting with hiking with the volcanoes and good snorkeling or diving. So it was so St. Kitts and Nevis is another really, really beautiful spot also. And you can kind of get a little of both where the St. Kitts is much larger than this, where this is just pretty much a volcano. And, you know, people really was able to develop a lot on it once you kind of start getting up into the slopes of the volcano. But then when you kind of get over St. Kitts, it’s still a volcanic island, but it’s it’s a little more kind of spread out and it’s slightly more developed and there’s more things you could do, but. If you’re looking to get away and really escape onto a secluded island, Nieves would be the place to go.

JQ: Amazing. I’m sure that’s been on the top of a lot of people’s lists lately. And I know the biggest trends that I’ve seen. It’s literally just been people want to be isolated with their family or with their close friends. So, you know, luxury travelers are really just hunting for these those types of destinations. And, you know, the experience is right because everyone’s realized that. With all that we’ve gone through in the past year, you know, your experiences are definitely, you know, what’s valuable.

Eddie: Yes, it’s the silver lining of this past year.

JQ: Exactly. Exactly. We all kind of got our priorities straightened out, I think.

Eddie: Yeah. Yeah, exactly. Great. So what would you say? Kind of the two major categories for luxury travelers are really family travelers and then kind of couples and kind of romantic travelers. So I don’t know. Are there is there an island that you’d recommend for both sides of the spectrum if you’re traveling with a family, with your family, or if you’re traveling as a couple?

Eddie: If I was traveling with family? I would definitely want to be kind of in the BBIs in, you know, sit in Tortola, in St. Maarten kind of those areas just because there’s a lot to do and there’s a lot of beautiful things to see. It’s a little more touristy, if you will, go to the baths, which is a huge tourist destination, but it’s really family friendly. You can keep the kids entertained, keep things kind of moving along. I think is a great spot to go for couples being romantic. I think if there are a younger couple being in a place like St. Barts is great because they can still have time alone and have a romantic moments together and do things kind of that’s a little more isolated and secluded. But then there’s still things that if you go out and do a night and things like that, if they’re looking for a little bit more excitement, if they’re an older couple and the nothing old people don’t like excitement but or a couple, they might want to be a little bit more secluded and have a little bit more downtime, a little more quiet. I would definitely say, like neatness would be the place to go. Wow, look at this, I just got a I just got an alert that a volcano just erupted on the Caribbean island of St. Vincent.

JQ: Oh, my God. Yeah. Have you just happened? Wow. Have you been there before?

Eddie: I’ve never been to say this before, but it’s it’s pretty close to St. Kitts and Nevis, I think.

JQ: I think it is because the that I think Vincent and the Grenadines, I think. Right.

Eddie: Yes. Yes. Yes. Wow. All right. We’ll see what happens with that, I guess. Yeah.

JQ: But I guess, you know, people are asking, how has this particular industry adapted to covid? You know, obviously that’s the storyline right now and how different resorts and different properties are all adapting to the situation that we’ve been in. So, I mean, how have you seen the yachting industry adapt?

Eddie: I mean, there is been some changes, but for the most part, it’s kind of stayed within the same kind of realm and also where the yachting industry being out of Florida, which is much lax about everything that’s going on right now. It hasn’t changed that much, but. I mean, in particular. Cleanliness is always paramount on yachts, and we’re always cleaning, scrubbing, polishing, getting things ready, so. We’re still cleaning all the time, we’re just maybe using a little bit more disinfectants now, so that’s maybe that’s a little bit that’s changed when it comes to crewing. There is definitely kind of some changes with staying on the boat or testing, making sure that we kind of have a bubble that is around our crew and so that we’re making sure that we’re not mingling or maybe getting exposed to the virus anyway, so that if we have a charter coming up, we’ll kind of start quarantining and making sure that we are safe before the guests get on. The guests will be tested as well before they get on. And it’s just, you know, it’s just a little bit more careful about who we’re hanging out with, when and when we’re hanging out with other people outside of the yacht just so that we make sure that everything is on the otter’s is clean and covid free.

JQ:  Exactly. So have you done any yacht charters lately or are you on a tugboat right now? What want to talk about right now?

Eddie: Yeah, I want to go right now, but I actually did just have I was just down in the islands and just did just did a few charters.

JQ: Yeah. So how was it with the whole covid situation. Everything was smooth or.

Eddie: It was, it was, it was very smooth. It was, it was we had a really strict season when it came to cover. I mean we really had to adhere to the bubble. We weren’t allowed to kind of go out, do anything else. So it was because it was a quick we had a quick couple of charters around. So we it was really, really safe, really well managed and lots of testing. We got tested regularly and the guests all got tested. And yeah, I was just once you got inside the bubble, you could not leave it. So it was but it was fine. It worked out.

JQ: Hopefully, you know, things are looking up with the vaccine and, you know, it’s kind of slowing down. So hopefully everything will be back to normal.

Eddie: Yeah. I like how Biden is saying that we’re going to have everyone vaccinated by. These are June recently, which is well

JQ: I mean, day, I know, I mean, he recently said that all adults by April 19th are so.

Eddie: Yeah, yeah. So hopefully kids are going to get their vaccines back to normal life.

JQ: Exactly. So to kind of wrap up, is there anywhere that you would like to go through either when the world opens back up or just in your normal what you have planned already?

Eddie: Yeah, I mean, you know, I’ve seen a lot of the Caribbean, so I do love the Caribbean. It’s a beautiful place. But I’d like to kind of, I think maybe branch out a little bit, maybe go to Polynesia or Thailand. You know, I spent some time in Vietnam and I think it’d be a really cool place to actually crew in. So that could be actually I think that’ll be really fun is, you know, the traveling that I’ve done through Vietnam would be was a lot of fun, but I think it’d be really interesting being able to be on a yacht in Vietnam as well.

JQ: I bet I mean, I’m sure the anchorages would be unreal with all the islands and everything there. So I’m for that.

Eddie: Yeah. I mean, it’d be really incredible to be in one of those islands called out to get out there and have a good Brainbow. And how long back with all those beautiful limestone islands are like that? It’s just that would be amazing to be able to. Go and visit that and yeah, yeah, I would love that. That’ll be amazing. I think I think and I think charter guests would love that, too. Exactly.

JQ: I know before covid, I did a big Thailand trip and we went through all the islands. We weren’t on a yacht, but we were on a on a boat. And it was you know, it was unreal because, I mean, that’s the only way you can explore all those tiny little limestone islands and just everything that’s out there is, you know, from the water.

Eddie: So that’s amazing. Yeah, it sounds like a dream trip right there. I don’t want to go to Thailand. I got to go to Thailand one of these days.

Juliana: Thanks for listening. Travel babies. We hope you enjoyed our chat on how to pack for post cover trips and our interview with Eddie Lucas from below deck. Next week, we’ll be talking about the vaccine. Don’t forget to subscribe and give us a review if you enjoy a podcast. Thanks JQ!

JQ: Thanks Juliana! We hope you enjoyed our interview with Eddie Lucas from Bravo’s Below Deck.