Travel

Mozambique

Saturday | 6 June 2015

Last month, we decided literally on the spur of the moment that we were going to travel down to Mozambique for a week which is definitely super exciting but can also be quite stressful when you not exactly sure what one earth to pack. Usually, what I do is plan specific outfits that I will wear for each day even if it means mixing and matching where you wear the same shorts with a different top. It makes life so much easier because as much as I would love to throw my whole wardrobe into my suitcase, you do have limited space so it helps that you pack only the essentials!

 

My Top 10 Holiday Essentials:

1. Sunscreen is a number one must-have where I would usually go for SPF 20 in a spray bottle or a normal rub on cream. There are both pro's and con's to packing a spray-on bottle of sunscreen over a normal rub-on suncreen, personally a spray-on is much easier however it does depend on how windy it is where you are on holiday. In this case, a rub-on suncreen would work better in instances where it may be really windy but when you rubbing your skin with sand it definitely doesn't feel the greatest. Thus, if you don't pack both I would go for a spray-bottle and if it is windy maybe just put sunscreen on before you go down to the beach.







Sun Shimmer by Rimmel London

P20 by Reimann (10 Hours sun protection| Water resistant | Quick drying)

Labello Sun Protect (SPF 30 | Water resistant)

SP20 Sunscreen Spray

Carribean Tan (Self-tan | B) 

 

Usually before I go on holiday I like to use Carribean Tan which is a gradual self-tanner (specifically B which is perfect if you have a fair skin tone) the night prior just to add a little bit of colour to my skin so that I do not look like a white snowflake even though on holiday you will get a beautifully sun-kissed tan. What I then do is lightly spray it on my body and rub it in evenly with a black hand-mitten that usually comes with the tanner. Once you are done, I put loose dark clothing on to sleep in and then the next morning I shower to just get off any excess tanner.

 

I think Ash would also agree that sunscreen is on the top of the list since she cannot go a day without getting her fix of sunshine.

 

You also want to remember to pack after-sun just incase you spend a bit too much time in the sun something with aloe vera in it would be preferable.

 

2. Sunglasses. When packing a pair of sunglasses you would either go for your favourite pair or one that will go with the majority of your outfit's.

 

 

 

3. A Beach Bag. When you on holiday a beach bag becomes your new 'best friend' for sure especially because whenever I go to the beach I usually take my phone or a camera with, sunglasses, lip-ice, sunscreen, a towel, a few beach snacks, something to drink and if you take off your clothing to tan. You definitely do need a place to put all these things. Also, a beach bag is useful because I love taking fairly long walks along the beach either early morning or late afternoon to look for beautiful sea shells so a beach bag would be easy to just put them all in there.

 

 

4. Bikini's. This is a bit of a difficult one for me as I usually over-pack on bikini's because you spend the majority of your time in them. So packing just one or two would not be my ideal. In saying that, I would pack my favourite picks particularly one's that fit me well and that are comfortable and not all of them necessarily. Also, if I am going away for a week and I take 5 bikini's, I know that I can wear two of them over again.

 

 

5. Outfit's. Since, you spend most of your time in your bikini's (well at least we hope, depending on the weather) you don't need to over-pack on clothing. As I already mentioned I try make outfit's for each day where I pack 1 - 2 pairs of shorts that can be interchanged with different tops. 

 

Dresses and longer skirts are also really nice to pack since they are easy to just throw over your bikini for the beach or even to wear for later in the afternoon/evening if you go for dinner at a restaurant. Also, you may just want to pack a long-sleeve top or throw-over (i.e. kimono) for in case it is cold at night.

 

6. Shoes. A person doesn't need to pack loads of shoes maybe just one or two pairs of sandals or flip-flops to wear everyday because once you get onto the beach you tend to take off your shoes anyway. This was particularly true for the majority of the time that we were at Mozambique, it felt weird but amazing at the same time because at home I am so used to always wearing shoes that walking around barefoot on the beach sand that was just everywhere felt like a holiday for my feet. When travelling to your holiday destination, going to the town and the markets and travelling back again, you may want to just pack a comfortable pair of shoes like sneakers or takkies.

 

7. Money.  Whether you go on an all-inclusive holiday or not, you may need money for if you want to buy some of the local fruits, crafts or memorabilia to take back home with you or to enjoy whilst you are on holiday. When we were in Mozambique the local drink to have is R & R (Rum & Raspberry) so even though you can order it at the restaurant we decided to buy a bottle of Rum and Raspberry to enjoy in the comfort of our home for during the evenings when we would braai. Another thing to remember is that if you going into another country or overseas just make sure that they take our South African Rands because you may need to convert to their currency.

 

 

 

8. Gadgets. I am a very sentimental person - so having a camera that takes nice pictures or a phone is a must-have for me along with a selfie-stick if you have one.

 

 

 

Another thing you may want to take with you is binoculars if you staying at a place that is on the beach front so that early in the morning you can see whether there are any dolphins or whales in the distance. You may also take it to the beach or use it incase you want to look closer at any birds (i.e. seagulls on the beachfront) or any eagles that fly around.

 

 

 

9. Nail Polish. When I go away on holiday I try to use a neutral toned nail polish that will go with everything and that will also not be so visible and obvious if it starts to come off like with brighter colours.

 

10. Detox. This one is for after you have had an amazing holiday where I usually  feel bloated and pick up a bit of weight from all the delicious food and wine. I don't know about you but I don't like that water has no flavour to it so here is a simple way to make sure that water tastes so much better by following this recipe tried even by Khloe Kardashian:

 

Ingredients:

12 Cups of Filtered Water

1 Medium Organic Cucumber

2-3 Small Organic Lemons

10-12 Organic Mint Leaves

 

Directions:

Wash lemons and cucumber, slice thinly. Add lemons, cucumber and mint leaves to pitcher. Cover with water and then refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. Lastly, drink up and enjoy xo

 

 

I hope that the above was a bit of a useful guide on some of the essentials to a quick pack for a last minute holiday. Lastly, all you need to do is enjoy your holiday, have a fabulous time and make loads of memories.