Packing Essentials: Croatia Edition

I’m changing it up on the blog today to highlight my second passion, travel.

Over the past few years I have traveled about 12 countries and counting! Our next adventure is, you guessed it, Croatia. I’m extra excited to now have started a blog where I am able to share my travel experiences as well as some tips to help you out for your own adventures.

The most important, and usually the hardest part about traveling is traveling light. Especially If you are backpacking. For me, packing takes a while. I like to lay out my potential options, putting items together to make sure that what I’m bringing can be mixed and matched. This allows you to create different outfits with a limited amount of clothes. Once I sort through what I want to bring, I think; ‘Okay, now what do I reeaallyy need to pack here?’.

Let’s get right into it, here are a few basic tips to get you started while packing for Croatia or any summer vacation!

Choosing the right luggage

This is of course dependent on the type of travelling you will be doing. When I travel, we are often backpacking, I usually travel with my Aura Osprey backpack. This time I am trying something different, since this is more of a family vacation and less backpacking. I will be using a duffel bag with backpack straps so I am still able to sling it over my back – I’ll let you know in the next post how it worked out!

I tend to stay away from the classic square suitcase, but everyone has their preference. I enjoy having my hands free to check the map or take a few pictures and I won’t over pack.

Okay, we have our luggage picked out – now what do we put in it.

Again, what you bring certainly depends on the time of year and weather, also what types of activities you will be doing.

My trip to Croatia will be a lot of walking, some hikes and visiting the national parks, island hopping and scuba diving just to name a few activities. We will be traveling in May, the weather is in the 20s but cools off slightly in the evenings.

Clothes

The most useful tip is to definitely bring items that you can mix and match! As for packing my clothes, I use packing cubes to keep it organized. I find rolling my clothes the best method for me to reduce bulk in my bag.

Here are a couple of pieces I’ll be bringing:

· 1 pair of ‘dress shorts’

I don’t know what type of shorts these are called but they are so comfortable! I purchased them in a dark green color so I can wear multiple colors with them. These can be dressed up or down which I love.

· Jean shorts

· Hiking shorts

Mine are from Lululemon, they dry quickly if I get them wet or need to wash them.

· Grey cardigan – a neutral color, for the evenings to throw over a dress/romper

· Active tops & sports bras – of course, for active days when we will be walking/hiking

· An outfit for the flight – for me this is usually workout gear so I am comfortable. A light pair of pants, t- shirt, and light sweater

· When going out for dinner I will have a couple of dresses/rompers on hand, or I will wear those ‘dress shorts’!

· Bathing suits – a mix of bikinis and one pieces

· A rain coat – mine is light weight and can be put in a Stuff Sack. We can’t predict the weather for the entire three weeks that we’ll be away and there’s nothing worse than being caught in the rain!

Don’t be afraid to wear the same outfit multiple times, you’re on vacation!

Shoes

I keep the amount of shoes I bring to a minimum.

· 1 pair hiking sandals – for those long days on our feet, make sure you choose a pair that fits you best and won’t cause blisters. I prefer sandals over sneakers when I’m traveling in warm weather. I can also wear these in the water if the bottom is rough on the feet.

· 1 pair flip flops – a nicer pair for either slipping on to go to the beach or with a dress

Toiletries

I use this travel toiletry bag to hold everything . The best part? It has a hook so you can hang it up in the shower or bathroom while you get ready. Here’s my list for toiletries:

· Facial cleanser and moisturizer (with SPF) – travel size if possible

· Deodorant

· Sunscreen

· Contact solution + extra contacts (just in case)

· Hair brush

· Very minimal makeup – mascara, CC cream, one lipstick

· Travel size toothbrush – basic items like toothpaste you can buy once you’re over there

· Any medications that you may need

Other gear

· A day pack – I use this one from Arcteryx , it is light weight (a key feature when traveling if you haven't caught on by now), I can roll it up and tuck it away when I’m not using it and it is just big enough to hold a couple of items

· Camera(s) – I will mostly use my phone for pictures, or my GoPro. With my GoPro I’ll also bring my extendible handle and charger.

· Hammock – for those chill days around the beach

· Dive gear – this is something new we’ll be doing on vacation! As for gear, I will be bringing just my mask and snorkel – any other gear can be rented through the dive shop. Scuba gear is also super heavy and bulky so I definitely won’t be lugging it to Croatia!

· It’s also handy to have a small First Aid kit just in case – a few Band-Aids, Aspirin, Polysporin etc.

· Can’t forget sunglasses and a hat

· Chargers + adaptors/convertors

· A dry bag – to keep our valuables safe and dry when we’re on the water

· A microfibre towel these don’t take up a lot of space and can come in handy if your accommodations doesn't provide you with towels. I will also put this in my day pack for when we go to the beach or kayaking

· I like to bring a small journal to write down what I’ve done each day and where I’ve been

· A couple of more obvious items would be your passport, money (Kuna in Croatia), wallet, things like that!

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And there we have it, my packing guide for Croatia! What you pack will always differ depending on where and when you go, and also your personal style of traveling.

If there’s anything to take away from today’s post, is to pack as light as possible – trust me! You don’t want to be lugging around a heavy backpack and realize you didn’t need half of what you brought, and that you have no room for cool souvenirs.

Stay tuned for a Croatia Travel Guide when I return! Please drop a comment and let me know if you’d like to see more of these posts in the future.

Rebecca