Vacation during covid

how, why + what I packed

how, why + what I packed

So yeah. I’m back. Quarantining. And getting ready to test. But after about a year sitting on my window ledge (no, literally), I decided to go on a vacation. I didn’t take it lightly. I did pack lightly. And I have lots of tips.

How. We quarantined leading up to the trip. And tested negative. We flew private there (long story, obviously was a special treat). When we arrived we stayed exclusively at my in-laws’ home in Jupiter (no trips to the market, etc). When we left for Miami from Jupiter we knew we wouldn’t be able to see my father-in-law again so we moved into a hotel. We picked one in Palm Beach, which we figured would be less crowded, and drove to Miami from there. From that point on we ate outdoors and otherwise used masks, hand-washing, antibacterial wipes, open windows, and social distancing to get by. We flew back with special eye masks in addition to the regular face masks. We let from PBI on Jet Blue and bought the middle seat in our row (we sat next to each other so we wouldn’t be near people coming down the aisle). We took a taxi home from the airport with the windows down.

Ok, why. Why the hell did I go anywhere?!? I didn’t want my husband to spend the entire season without seeing his dad. We only have a certain amount of moments. As a side note we are planning a move to Miami for the winter months and needed to look at some places if possible.

What I packed. It was more important than ever to do carryon only. I didn’t want to linger at an airport or stand in any more lines than absolutely necessary. We were gone 10 days and I took my Away carryon (which I haven’t been happy with, FYI, but I own it already).

The star items of the trip:

-Loewe x Ken Price shorts: On me, they were cropped pants, and they were perfect for sitting outside at dinner, but also they got me in the mood to go to Florida when I really didn’t want to leave home. (side note: Selfridges’ prices are often lower than others’. But watch out as they sometimes cancel an order.)

-my bathing suit. After trying on so many expensive ones, I found the best suit I have ever owned when my biz partner/friend suggested I had to limit myself to those that come in bra sizes. So much for the Eres dream. I felt great wearing it.

-white thin cotton Raf Simons men’s shirt. I slept in it, used it as a cover-up, and tied it at the waist as a shirt.

-Frankie sweatshirt — I wasn’t sure about taking it, since it takes up space, but it got a lot of wear with the air conditioning.

-denim shorts by AGoldE (on major sale at the link) — which I could wear most days hanging out at home — by far my favorite pair.

-Misha Nonoo blazer ( I removed the sleeves). It’s long and light and made things look a little more finished without adding warmth. I liked it with a sleeveless body suit under.

-gold dome bracelet — I took only the accessories I wore on the plane, and only those that wouldn’t compete with masks.

-flip-flops: I got gold Prada Sport flip flops 10 years ago for $118, and cost per wear is zero, plus they are very thin to pack.

-Hermes Herbag: This was a good bag even though it’s kind of hard to manipulate because the canvas makes it lighter in look + feel, and because the size worked day + night.

My misses

-I took comfortable neutral sneakers, the flip flops, and a pair of open back pumps. That would have been fine. At the last minute I threw in grandpa sandals that took up space and which I didn’t need.

-I needed more pajamas — I ended up in my husband’s boxers and a hotel robe.

-I ran out of deodorant (!) and had to use my husband’s horrible one because we were not going inside a CVS, etc. Not as easy as pre-Covid days to pick things up.

-I took this thin black cotton sweater with little garter buckles I’d never worn before. I should have removed the tags (hard to get off) + tried it on, because those buckles didn’t look good with anything and needed more thought.

Everything else

-Jeans (I packed ripped comfy ones instead of sweats, but maybe should have packed some I could go to dinner in.)

-Black sleeveless bodysuit.

-thin, hooded leather jacket — the hood makes it look more sporty for Florida and I needed a layer to sit out at dinner.

-white and black check pants, a thin pair that wouldn’t wrinkle

-several black T shirts including 1 long sleeve one

-2 pairs black kneecap leggings (I hung out in them and did 1 workout)

-Socks! (I slept in them when I was cold in the A/C)

-Undies — ok I know there’s that joke about why do we all take so many undies on vacay. But you take showers at weird times and end up needing more; it’s true.

Would I do it again? Not for fun or anything. But yes, for my husband to make memories with his dad.