All Inclusive Packing List

So my last blog post was all about how I am embracing winter....... Well, so much for that! We just booked an all-inclusive trip to Cuba. Our son and his girlfriend are joining us and this is her first time at an all-inclusive in the Caribbean so I am trying to think of some good "packing list" recommendations. She has lots of friends who have been so I'm sure she will have no shortage of suggestions.

We have been to the Caribbean about 6 or 7 times so packing is quite routine. The resorts we stay at are not "high end", so no need for fancy schmancy stuff. The basics are:

- your passport!! / bathing suit / toiletries, medications and personal items / flip flops / an outfit for evening dinner / an out fit for day time (in the heat) and that's it (not really but make sure it's in your carry on!) The hubster has his collection of Hawaiian shirts, several pair of shorts and an insulated beer mug.

Last year's trip to the DR.

Seriously, however, I do have a few standard items that I always include in my packing (sorry, this leans toward the female gender):

• travel attire: comfy yoga pants & short sleeve t-shirt, zip up fleece and sneakers (the fleece will keep you warm in case of cool air conditioning on the plane and when you get there you can survive the heat in your T & yoga pants until you get to the resort).
• make sure your carry-on has personal toiletries (100ml size liquids only, in a clear, 1 litre ziplock) / bathing suit and an extra outfit so that you could survive comfortably should your luggage get lost or delayed. (in all of our travels south and overseas, this has only happened once; my suitcase was delayed by one day coming back from Singapore to Beijing)
• since most of your days will be spent in your bathing suit at the beach or pool, make sure you have at least two and a cover-up, flip flops, hat, sunscreen, sunglasses etc. as well as a beach bag to put this stuff in.
• clothes for during the day (if your not at the beach) or on an excursion including comfortable foot wear, shorts, capris, t-shirt etc.
• clothes for evening: a dress or capris & a nice top (you can just have a couple of capris and several different tops .... your only wearing them for a few hours so you can "repeat if necessary"!) And, perhaps little bag or purse to carry your room key, or lip gloss for the evening.
• Odds & ends: cheap towel, or sarong to put on your beach/pool chair to hold your place (if it gets nicked it's not the end of the world) / travel mug for filling up at the bar to save an extra trip and keep drinks cold / electrical plug adapters if you need them (we won't in Cuba) / Imodium - I prefer the "quick dissolve" kind (they are expensive but worth it just in case)
• Travel documents: Last but certainly not least - your passport is the most important item! Also, credit/debit cards, Medicare card, health insurance card, and some cash ( US funds are always good, but in Cuba you are charged more to convert them into Cuban currency ... better to have CDN funds.
• Electronics: We plan to take our cell phones but no other electronic devices except perhaps a reader. The internet is not good where we are going, and we are there to soak up the sun, not surf the net. Our service provider offers a travel plan for $75.00, So we decided not to bother - texts are 75 cents (no charge for incoming) and calling is $3:50 per minute (without a plan). We don't intend to call anyone for the short time we are there, except for an emergency ... so no plan for us.

So, there you have it!  ......  in the meantime,  back to embracing the winter!

Some Useful Websites:

What to Pack for a Beach Vacation - Trip Central

Canadian Travel Website