My Fave Summer Must-Haves

Hey! hey! It’s officially summer and hopefully, it’ll last until May! YEY! But before you go on a VL, drive to the beach and leave the comforts of your home, it’s important to check if you’ve packed everything. Traveling light does not help because you end up overthinking what to put in your small backpack just for it to be under or equal 7 kg. I know. It’s really hard. I always end with a trolley bag, no matter how hard I try. #always

To help you with deciding on what to bring on your vacay, here are five of my fave summer must-haves. Bon voyage!

MY FAVE SUMMER MUST HAVES AFTER THE JUMP

Must-Have #1: Sandals

The items in this list are a combination of old, new and borrowed stuff. The first one is the oldest. These Tribu Sandals have been with me since senior high school! I bring it all the time for my travels. It has gone through the hot deserts of Ilocos Norte and even to the ancient temples of Cambodia and Myanmar. Now, that’s the definition of durability!

Why sandals? Sandals, in contrast to flip-flops, offer full support for your feet. It’s easier to walk, hike, do jump shots and tread the waters of a rocky seashore. Although they’re heavier, your mind is at ease that it won’t leave your feet if a big wave comes. Or if you’ve stepped on thick, thick mud:

Must-Have #2:  Active Shorts

If I have resident travel sandals, I also have my favorite travel shorts from Uniqlo. It’s stylish. It’s light. It dries fast and it’s can be rolled into a small pouch. Need I say more?

Must-Have #3:  Dry Bag

To be honest, I just discovered dry bags weeks ago. I don’t have one but luckily my friends are nice enough to lend me one. Dry bags are basically waterproof. You can bring them in the ocean and your stuff will not get wet. HOWEVER, do exercise caution if you’re putting gadgets such as cellphones, cameras and in my case, my Instax. The instructions for the Sea To Summit dry bag advise users to use two dry bags for sensitive electronic items. You can also put your things inside a plastic bag/zip lock before putting it inside the dry bag.

I learned this the hard way during one of my trips. My Instax almost died… but luckily it’s alive now! 🙂 The dry bag hit a sharp rock that caused a very small rip. We didn’t notice it until the end of the day. Oh well. Take care of your dry bags, people! #lessonlearned

Must-Have #4:  Microfiber Towel

Personally, I don’t expect hotels/resorts to provide towels. That’s why I bring my own just in case. Then again, regular towels are bulky as hell! Fortunately, technology doesn’t stop even in the towel industry. The Sea To Summit Micro Towel absorbs moisture quickly, can be wrung out and reused immediately. To make it even handier, it also comes with a small rubber container!

Must-Have #5:  Sunblock Lotion and Spray

Duh! Almost all summer activities need sunblock even when it’s cloudy. Remember 80 percent of the sun’s UV rays pass through the clouds! I know this fact by heart because I always hear it in commercials. HAHA! In my case, I protect my skin using Nivea Sun Care products. I use the sunblock lotion for areas on my body that are hard to reach, like my back.

What’s good with these products is that it immediately works right after application. You don’t need to wait several minutes for it to settle on your skin, saving a lot of precious vacation time. 🙂 I also liked how the products were not greasy on the skin. It’s not malagkit!

On my recent trip in Siargao (watch out for the post soon!), the sun was everywhere and it was scorching hot! My skin became tanned but I didn’t burn, which would usually happen if I get too exposed to the sun. I also have a Cooling After Sun Spray to soothe, refresh and help restore lost skin moisture after getting sun-kissed!

There! These are my summer must-haves. Thank you for reading! For more of my travel posts, visit Amiciness.com. I’m still finishing the next episode of Amiciness Goes on a VL (Surigao). Watch for it! It’s gonna be SOOOO much fun!

What do you think of my must-have list? How about you? Are you a travel light person or a trolly fanatic? What’s inside your travel light bag?