What to Pack for your Next Flotilla! 2019 Edition

May 27, 2019
11 min read

SO happy to share my packing tips with you! These aren't just any packing tips.. it's for those of you who are about to go on a week long flotilla! Heading to Croatia, Greece, or BVI? I got you covered. The past 3 Summers I've lived and breathed TYW, and I'm about to head to Europe for my 4th Summer!! I'm currently packing as we speak and I'm SO HAPPY to continue this path of cooking on boats in gorgeous locations with the most amazing people! THANKS QD for getting us all started and continuing to bring talented chefs and skips into the game! *Read my other posts about how to get involved or message me to join! I just had an EPIC Winter working as a private chef in the Caribbean (shoutout to my Charterhouse/Catan fam) and I'm leaving to go back to Europe: TOMORROW! While I'm currently living and breathing: packing, I’m going to help you think of the things you should pack for your week on a boat! I’m usually an over-packer, but every Summer I learn to pack less than the Summer before! (At least I tell myself this, because I may or may not have packed a travel size food processor this time..) #cheflife - TIP: They always tell you pack what you think you'll need, and then cut that in half! (I'm still working on this part..)

A few years ago, I posted a blog about what to pack, BUT this time: I wanted to include links and make it as EASY as possible for you!

Let's start with ELECTRONICS

AUX Cords

VERY very important! Especially for the member of your boat who is DJing! *I DID find an AUX cord with the iPhone lightning jack already attached so you don't have to buy the connection piece dongle!

USB Phone Car Chargers

These will be a lifesaver! They are great to have when the boat's generator isn't on and you can only use this! People will fight for those USB slots, so make sure to get one with over 5 plugs, so people won't unplug your phone every second and everyone will be happy!

Portable Power Banks for Phones

These are ESSENTIAL! Don't you want to make sure you have enough battery to insta story the circle raft, parties on rivieras, sunsets at castles and scooter rides along seaside cliffs?

*With that said, DON'T FORGET to enjoy the moment: I learned to document, but wait until later to actually compose a story so I'm not taking time away from talking to people and soaking in the epicness! (I've been very guilty of this lol)

*I try to buy power banks with built in cords so you can slip it in your pocket or cross body bag and not worry about bringing a cord along too!

Universal Adapter

These are great because they accept plugs from over 150 countries and have USB ports for your phone!

Portable Waterproof Speaker

You are going to want this to take up to the front of your boat when you want to sunbathe where the boat's built in speakers don't reach! I'm Bias to the Ultimate Ears speakers because we all had them my first summer of TYW in 2016, but I like them because there's an app to link them all together. You can have an impromptu dance party wherever your heart desires!!

AT LEAST 2 PAIRS OF SUNNIES

In the last 3 years, I lost an average of 3 sunglasses per Summer lol SO after losing A LOT of Raybans, I try to buy a lower costing back up pair. *THIS IS WHY I CAN'T HAVE NICE SUNNIES #boatlife - I lost most of them while putting on fenders / looking into the water and having them fall off my face! OR they would go flying out of my hand, falling step by step off the catamaran into oblivion..

*Make sure they are polarized and your eyes will thank you!!

*Bring those sunglass holders for around your neck so they don't fall off!

MINIMAL JEWELRY

TIP: MINIMAL to NO jewelry *Story: my David Yurman bracelet ricocheted into the Ocean as I boarded a dinghy from the bow in 2016, and ppl were shocked how chill I was about it, but I knew how stupid I was for wearing it on boat life lol _ If you do want a great summer #boatlife option: you can’t find me without my Hydra, Greece Hamsa necklace that most hosties will wear around their necks! Here is a similar one I found online if you want to be a part of the trend ;) !

SKINCARE

Boys, you can skip this section. Gals, LISTEN UP! Let me tell you a little about my skincare routine! I LOVE SKIN CARE, so this part is exciting for me and I want to make sure I tell you guys what I ACTUALLY use in my day to day life!

FACE WIPES: Girrrrrls keep those face wipes near your bed for after those flotilla parties! *Make sure to actually wash your face too lol but this is a great substitute when you are too tired, but need to get that makeup off! I've been using the PONDS Evening Soothe Wipes for over 10 years now!

MY FAV FACE WASH: Special Cleanser by Dermalogica !! I used to joke that I should be their spokesperson on infomercials because: when I was 12 at Camp Arcadia in Maine, I had my first breakout. I wrote my mom a letter (which took over 5 days lol) And then my mom sent me Dermalogica products in a care package (along with candy stuffed inside a stuffed animal stitched back together because we weren't allowed to get care packages with food in them even though it wasn't a fat camp lol but that's a funny story for another time) and ever since I used the Dermalogica cleanser I haven't had a breakout like that!! Seriously! It's the cleanser I've personally used for over 15 years and it will change lives!

MY FAV CC Cream WITH 50 SPF: IT Cosmetics CC Illumination Cream with SPF 50+ - You don't really need makeup during boat life, but when you do want some color: this is SUPER lightweight and AMAZING!! I love the one with a bit of a glow to it, because I love all the highlighter in the Summer (and Winter) - It's so great that I sometimes even wear it at night! And it comes in dewy or matte, I’m obsessed.

UNICORN ESSENCE PRIMER AND SERUM: If you know me, you know I have "resting: I just saw a unicorn face" so I love this stuff haha it works great as a primer or serum under your tinted moisturizer and smells like cotton candy !

TO KEEP YOUR SKIN HYDRATED: ANYTHING BY DRUNK ELEPHANT! (Starter packs are available and they come in cute travel sizes!!) *I HAVE ALL THE MINI SERUMS AND MOISTURIZERS - I LOVE and it makes me excited to wash my face morning and night! (I use this kit EVERY DAMN morning and night and it's like ANGEL JUICE.) Seriously THE DREAM. I've had this kit for over a month and still have PLENTY left, so it's great for a month + trip and doesn't take up much space!

SHEET FACE MASKS: These are SO fun to put on with your friends and are great for after a day of FULL ON SUN! (Sidenote: THANK YOU AGAIN DANI YORK FOR MY SECRET SANTA GIFT) They are refreshing and great before a night out! (Some guys I know secretly love them too haha) Here is a great refreshing one from Dr. Jart!

SPF SUN SAFETY KIT BY SEPHORA: I was SO excited for this because it comes in a cute straw makeup bag case with colored Summer pom poms and Sephora has an amazing deal right now where you get alllll the mini SPF products for $39! Great to keep a mini sunscreen or two for your face in your cross body bag so you can ALWAYS stay protected from the sun - trust me on this, you want to start as early as possible!

Click below to check out the details:

*ALSO I LOVE HOW ALL PROCEEDS FROM THIS KIT GOTO SKIN CANCER RESEARCH.

LIFE PROOF CASE

This one is self-explanatory. Learn from my mistake a few years ago! Story: I was walking the plank onto my boat in Palmi with my phone under my arm (*NEVER DO THIS LOL) with a bag of ice in my other hand and all of a sudden: PLOP. Yup, my phone went right in. THANKFULLY the amazing JURE was right there and like a hero JUMPED IN AFTER IT AND SAVED MY PHONE. It was in a life proof case but the flap to the lighting cable was open (*ALWAYS SHUT THIS FLAP ON YOUR CASE OR IT WON'T WORK LOL) What a legend by the way. TIP: A phone can be retrieved, but make sure you have the right equipment so it's alive when you dive in to get it haha

CROSSBODY BAG

Gals: When you are in your theme outfits at night exploring a new island, but want to carry around cash, cards, your phone, and a few personal items: a small crossbody bag is IDEAL.

FLAGS

It's good to raise all different flags on your boat so you can find it easy on rafts, on the dock, and to tell water taxis where to drop you off after an event! I'm talking: Country flags, State flags, personalized name and theme flags, Sports team flags, Saturdays are for the Girls/Boys flags, COLD BEER flags, I've seen them all and the possibilities are endless!

*Contact the talented @hennesseyinthehome and tell her I sent you for all types of fun personalized items! (She is making me a flag too! YAY.)

FLOATIES

Reasons why floaties will be a iconic addition to your flotilla experience: 1. The classic picture of you on a unicorn floaty in the middle of the circle raft! 2. Getting to other boats on the circle raft is way easier when you can paddle across (because boat hopping on a circle raft is way harder to do than on a tunnel raft! And when you hear people saying they are going to break the raft soon and you are 13 boats away from yours, you can float over instead of trying to boat hop!! 3. Floats also come in handy on tunnel rafts when you need to get across to the other side (you can create a pulley system across the "street" so your guests can visit their crush on the opposite end) LOL Call me cupid because this has happened many times haha - To save on plastic, I also recommend going on the crew finder pages. Ask to buy floats off of other boats from the week before you!

ELECTRIC PUMP

You will be EVERYONE’S best friend if you have an electric pump!! I found one that fits in the boat charger socket on your boat! Good things will happen if you have on of these! You don't want to waste time on your vacation blowing up floats.. haha

TOWELS

Tip: A thin beach towel for salt water and a thin quick dry back up towel for showering is good to have!- Here’s why: you DO get a set of bath towels when you arrive on the boat, but you will find (since they are the same color) everyone and ends up using each others and might end up getting misplaced when they get hung up - SO I recommend getting a towel with a pattern you know is yours (like a pineapple towel for salt water) so you can be like that's my towel! ALSO: A Thin Quick Dry shower towel will fold up really small in your luggage. It will be handy when you can’t find your boat towel (THANKS KAREN) and you need to run to the showers before the line becomes INSANE before the parties! *TIP: Listen to your skipper and hosts & GO EARLY to the showers people!

SEASICKNESS REMEDIES

If you do tend to get seasick, stay distracted! Ask the skipper if you can drive the boat to take your mind off of it. If you do want to take pills, I recommend Bonine because it doesn't make you as drowsy as dramamine!! If you get REALLY seasick and you know this, you can ask your doctor for a prescription for Transderm-Scop 1.5mg patches.*Don't touch your eye after putting on the patch behind your ear. Wash your hands after or else you will have issues with your sight being blurry and have to turn your phone to grandma mode where the font: looks like this.

Clothing & Shoes

Girls! If you are coming for a week, just know you literally just wear swimsuits and coverups during the day while on the boat, so bring less than you think you need. (Make sure you wear a proper cover up dress or shorts/a shirt when you go in to explore the cute towns because that's the time you have to make sure you're not just in your swimmers haha) At night, depending on the theme, pack a few dresses for going out to dinner! (I'm a dress girl, but you can do skirt and top or nice shorts and a top for each night out that doesn't have a theme!) More on specific themes in my other post from a while back. DON'T FORGET YOUR REGATTA COSTUMES! Brainstorm a month to a few weeks before to make sure you have your coordinated costumes ordered and delivered by the time you leave for your trip. FOOTWEAR: LEAVE THE HEELS AT HOME. I literally just wear my flip flops EVERYWHERE. *I bring back ups because I've broken over 6 pairs on the dancefloor lol - If you want to go one step further, you can get those cute greek flat sandals from Steve Madden. *Make sure you don't wear these on the boat because you could slip due to no grip *I included grip pads to stick on the bottom of them so you don't slip on the dance floor either lol

Click here for this Tropical dress I found on Revolve!

Guys: you have it so easy :)I don't even have to tell you what to wear, but don't forget a few pairs of swim trunks, flip flops, a going out to eat shirt/shorts, and all the team costumes!

DOWNLOAD FUN GAME APPS

Great for if: it unexpectedly rains or you are pregaming with friends - I love HEADS UP game on my phone because one time my crew at TYW MALLORCA played it, and I swear that I have never laughed that hard from a game ever lol *Setting: a marina in Mallorca *Characters: Me and Diego’s amazing cabin booking *Category: MOVIES *Plot: Kevin had a rom com on his head and was trying to guess what movie it was, Ana tries to give him a hint by saying its a "the most romantic movie EVER" and Kevin yells out trying to guess: "IRONMAN" and we laughed yearssss about that one hahaha Other games you can bring are cards against humanity, what do you MEME, etc

COMMUNAL BOAT SHOWER TOILETRIES

You can pick these items up at the first day shop! You will be showering off the back of the boat most of the time and you will like it! So what we did is: keep a huge communal shampoo, conditioner and body wash at the back of the boat for shared use!

*you can also bring from home: mini ones for your personal shower kit when you do go to showers on shore when available (I do recommend boat showers over land showers to avoid waiting around and lines that waste time on your vacation!)

PACK IN A SOFT DUFFLE

You will be so happy you packed light and that you don't have a hard suitcase in the way.. One time a few people on my boat brought a huge hard suitcase and when the boat was sailing it tipped over and got lodged up against the door. We had to swat team down from the hatch in the ceiling to get into the room because we couldn't open the door! LOL You don't want to spend the week climbing over hard suitcases, or climbing down into beds when you get locked out. The one below is great and if you need it a bit bigger, it comes in a larger size! TIP: Get a name tag for your bag (MY BAG FOUND ITS WAY BACK TO ME THIS WAY) AND tie on a ribbon or bandana to differentiate from the other bags!