Must Haves for a Beach Getaway

This 4th of July my husband and I are traveling to Cape Cod to stay with friends and will see my best friend perform in a musical that’s running at the Cape Playhouse. It’s our first time adventuring to the Cape, though I’ve frequented Martha’s Vineyard and loved it there. I’m looking forward to exploring and enjoying some beach time with friends as we celebrate in red, white, and blue !

Outfit Details

Dress / Sandals / Oh Hey Vacay (old) similar here

I’ve simplified my packing and just bringing some basics since we’ll be spending most of our time lounging around at the beach. I’m bringing mostly swimsuits, sandals, casual outfits and using my go to travel cubes for packing. I like how they keep your clothes all separate and organized with little wrinkling. I love this Lilly Pullitzer version but there’s larger and more budget friendly ones on Amazon that work great! I recently put together a packing guide blog post for when we travel so you can read more about how I pack and what I use to organize everything here. I’m also bringing my favorite roll up sun hat that is my go to for keeping the sun off my face and this travel beach blanket. We’ve had one for years and it’s lasted so long. If you’re in the market for any beach essentials these have been on the top of my list this season.

Wishing everyone a relaxing and fun 4th of July!

Travel Essentials for Organized and Easy Packing

Knowing what and where I packed my things from shoes, to tops, and bottoms is essential to keeping organized once I unpack at my destination. One of my biggest passions is traveling and I’ve loved the opportunities I’ve had to do so, whether it’s for work or personal trips. I used to get so overwhelmed with packing, procrastinate, and then end up over packing or forgetting the essentials I need.

When I used to nanny I was always impressed with how organized the mama was with keeping all of the children’s items organized in their suitcases by color coded zip storage pouches. This also made things easier for me when packing up! Though those days have ended I still swear by the zip around pouches and have used them for years to keep my garments sorted, making everything easy to find. They’ve become more popular now and usually come in a pack and in various sizes.  

After some trial and error with what to bring or leave behind I feel like I finally have a handle on my packing lists and if you’re traveling this summer I hope these tips can help you too! There’s nothing worse then arriving to your vacation spot and realizing you forgot something you need, then as you dig to locate it everything gets all mixed up into what looks like a dirty laundry pile! Sounds like a night mare right? So I started to make little investments over time for various items that I keep stored away in my suitcase for when I’m ready to pack up.

Something new I’m trying is this purse organizer because I always use a larger tote when traveling and it keeps me from having to dig to the bottom of my bag for lost lip glosses ! I love the use of see through pouches for my electronics/charging cords, headphones, mints, and pens. I’ve also used a similar one for my makeup that I don’t check with luggage. This option from amazon is great and keeps everything safe whether in a suitcase or carry on. I keep a smaller pouch with me for in flight items (tissues, hand sanitizer, mints, sleep mask, lotion, chapstick, eye drops)  

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Luggage

I have honestly gone through so much luggage in the travels I’ve had and many time the airlines don’t always handle your prized pieces as carefully as you make hope for. I do think investing in a feather weight suitcase is a great idea because why have extra weight before you even begin packing?! My favorite brand is always Delsy Luggage bu I do love the Calpak version and my tried and true Diane von Furstenberg that’s sadly discontinued! I love my hardshell suitcases lately because they’ve really held up and don’t snag. I’ve been fortunate to just have some scrapes happen or wheels needing replacing, but fortunately most are covered under a manufacturer’s warranty. Always check for that shelling out cash on sometime pricey!

Don’t forget about luggage tags for your carry on and checked bags. I love the leather or silicon ones because they last much longer.

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Carry On

Whenever possible I try to get my carry on items into a larger tote. I love how this one can be personalized too with so many prints & monogrammed. When traveling I pack and organize my totes particular to what I’ll need with me. Things like my ipad, headphones, charging cords, makeup, snacks, or books. I use this bag for an overhead carry on, it’s great quality and doubles as a beach bag and gym bag. I have used it over and over and the bottom of the bag is finished well so I couldn’t recommend more at this price point!

Be sure to check out the widget below to see some of the pouches and other items I pack into my carry on to stay organized.

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Travel Outfit

As much as I like to look put together and feel my best when I look my best I do tend to lean toward comfort and ease when traveling. My ankles usually swell on flights so I try to avoid tight clothing. I always end up cold on airplanes or want to sleep so I often bring a shawl or scarf that could double as a cover up or beach blanket for warmer trips, or scarves for cooler trips. This is of the easiest way to pack smart and functional.

What are your travel essentials for your bucket list destinations? I’d love to hear what you use or anything I should try for my next escape in my comments section!

Florida for the NASA Parker Solar Probe Launch

This week my husband and I have been in Florida for an influencers event for NASA. This was obviously Kevin's invitation to celebrate his inner space nerd! I on the other hand became just as excited knowing we could have some time at the beach between the launch ! Since it’s close by we decided to add Disney to the itinerary to celebrate our first anniversary a little early since we haven’t ever been together. 

Once I saw what the space launch entailed  I was up for the experience! How often do you get to watch a space rocket blast off into space?! I totally had a magic school bus goes to space moment in my mind , anyone else remember that book and show ?! 

This whole trip was super last minute even though Kevin was cleared for credentials a while back in summer. Due to the nature and actual execution of the Parker Solar Probe being prepared to launch from Cape Canaveral A LOT of factors were considered and last minute changes were expected. It was rescheduled price prior to our arrival.

I've been soaking up as much interesting information on this space mission as I can and I'm amazed how knowledgable Kevin became after two full days of tours and meetings non stop at the Kennedy Space Center. It's honestly an amazing experience to go and explore the center. 

I'm very much a planner so the thought of not knowing when to book flights and hotels was making me so on edge! I've definitely had to go with the flow but it's actually been fun and comical this whole week with everything going on.  I hadn't been to Florida in years since we usually travel outside the country for warm weather so I was looking forward to it to end our summer. 

Luckily we have a family condo to stay at for some of our trip before we headed closer to Kennedy Space Center to settle in for the launch that was scheduled to take place at 3:33 am on Friday.

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I packed mostly casual and easy outfits for this trip. I was surprised that I found some NASA tees for us that were surprisingly cute and light weight. I snagged them and our Disney teee from Target!  This heat and humidity is NO joke so I spent most of this trip in swimsuit beach side or in some cut offs and tanks. 

Just as an update: The original scheduled launch for the probe was set and ready to take off and then with a minute and thirty seconds left the crew called it off. There wasn't enough time left in their window for a successful departure. Due to a gaseous helium pressure alarm raised on the space craft!

 So to the beach I will return Saturday evening in the middle of the night to in hopes for a successful launch! I am beyond exhausted but it's been so unbelievable to be out on the beach just 9 miles from the area of the site and experience how so much hard work comes together from such a complex process years in the making!

 Kevin will continue to cover the entire launch and his blog posts and updates can be found on Siskar.co! With his credentials he will be just a few miles away from it so we're hopeful that all goes well for take two! To watch the launch live on Sunday at  3:31 am EST check it out with NASA here. 

Hope everyone is enjoying their weekends! 

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I've linked all of my details for my casual outfit here:

Tee  //  Denim Shorts //  Sandals  // Sunglasses (old Prada) but the pair linked are adorable for the price! Watch