What's in my Travel Hair Bag

Something that has become very handy for all of our short and longer trips has been keeping all of my hair supplies ready to be packed at a moment's notice. Just like my toiletry bag, I've found that buying travel-specific items that stay packed at all times has really helped make sure that I never forget anything, and also saves time when I go to pack, because this step is already done. 

Related: What's in my travel toiletry bag

Double duty hair tools bag

I found the perfect hair tools travel bag to use for this! It not only holds your hot tools, but it comes wrapped in a heat-protectant mat. You can just unwrap the mat and have a place to put your straightener or curler! It has a lot of storage so it can hold more than just your hair tools in it. 

2-in-1 straightener and curler

I used to travel with both a straightener and a separate curler, and it took up a lot of room in the bag and was very heavy. I was super excited to find a hot tool that can both straighten and curl your hair! I got the grande size because my hair goes below my shoulder blade. I do think it straightens better than it curls, but for the space-saving it gives me, I make it work. 

Heat protectant spray

I keep a good mini heat protectant spray with my straightener. I used to keep this in my toiletry bag, but now that I have a dedicated hair tools bag, it has been so nice to keep all of my hairstyling products together in one place. This has also cleared up a little bit of room in my toiletry bag, so now I can find what I need in both bags faster.

Hair clips

I keep a claw clip in my hair bag to make styling my hair easier. The clip can hold a lot of hair, making it really easy to section out my hair for styling. The clips came in a pack of 2, so I threw the extra one in my toiletry bag to help keep my hair out of my face when I'm washing it. 

I also have a small set of alligator clips so that I can keep my hair out of my face to do my makeup without messing up my hair. 

Hair brush

It's basic, but a hair brush is obviously needed in my hair tools bag. I like having a dedicated travel hair brush so that I don't have to worry about if I leave this one behind in a hotel room.

Hair towel

I prefer to air dry my hair, so I don't pack a blow-dryer when I travel. Instead, I pack a microfiber hair towel to dry my hair. It's so much lighter on my head than a hotel towel, and it doesn't fall down. I always make sure to pack one that is not white because one time I had left my white hair towel in the bathroom and housekeeping mistook it for a normal towel and it was gone forever. 

What's in my Travel Toiletry Bag

One of my biggest travel packing hacks is to keep your toiletry bag always packed! It saves you so much time from having to pack and unpack your toiletries after each trip, and it guarantees that you never forget anything. Yes, it is more expensive to have 2 of most things; but, you can just throw 1-2 things off this list into your cart every month and have a fully-stocked toiletry bag for your next trip. Then, all you have to do is remember to buy any refills as you run out.

Oral care

I'd start with buying oral care, because most other basic toiletries are offered by hotels. A cheap way to do this is to ask your dentist for a toothbrush/toothpaste at your next visit. Toothbrush and toothpaste companies are always giving them samples to hand out as freebies! If you have a trip coming up before your next dentist appointment, then you can easily find travel toothbrush kits that comes with a folding toothbrush and toothbrush cover, toothpaste, and mouthwash for less than $10. 

Basic haircare 

Next get a travel hairbrush, hair ties, and bobby pins. These usually aren't offered by hotels, and it's good to keep several stashed in your bag because it's easy to forget to put them back after your trip, so your stash will likely dwindle each trip. I prefer to pack a smaller hairbrush because it takes up less space. I also keep just a cotton hairband in my toiletry bag. This is great for keeping my hair out of my face when I'm washing my face, doing my makeup, or just traveling on a windy day. 

On the other end of the "hair" spectrum, they make mini travel razors that are perfect to keep in your bag! The handle is much smaller so it can fit in your toiletry bag easier, and it comes with a case so your razor blades aren't just exposed out in your bag. I also keep a mini tweezer in my toiletry bag, which I've used more than I expected!

Related: What's in my travel hair care bag

Personal hygiene

Basically all hotels will offer cheap shampoo and body wash, but most don't offer conditioner. Because of this, I pack a travel shampoo, conditioner, and body wash set. I specifically use the Sol de Janeiro brand when on vacation because it smells like vacation in a bottle! My husband loves the smell, and I always get compliments when I wear this. If you're worried about your liquids spilling, you can cover them with silicone leak-protecting covers.

For deodorant, I strongly recommend that you not only get the travel sized to save space, but that you get roll-on deodorant specifically for traveling. Toiletry bags get smashed around in your bag, and time and time again I've had stick deodorants break on me, so I've switched to roll-on to keep that from happening. 

Skin care 

At the very minimum, I keep a makeup removing cloth in my toiletry bag. All you do is add water to remove your makeup, so you don't have to worry about makeup removing wipes drying out or running out. While I can't say that it removes ALL of your makeup, it does a really good job for just requiring water. 

To actually clean my skin, I keep a small travel-sized set of cleanser and moisturizer in my bag. It feels sooo nice after a long day of traveling to wash the travel grime off your face and put on a nice moisturizer. For daytime, I also keep a travel-sized SPF moisturizer to wear every day. Even if you're not planning on being out under the sun all day and don't need to lather on the sunscreen, you're likely to be outside more often when you travel than when you're not at home, so a little SPF will keep you from being pink at the end of the day. I also keep a lip moisturizer always packed.

I've recently added blemish patches into my toiletry bag. Sometimes the stress and poor air quality of travel will make my skin break out, and these are great to throw on before bed so that you're blemish free for the next day.

Miscellaneous 

This isn't exactly a toiletry, but I always keep a silicone "bra" in my toiletry bag, just to make sure it's packed! I usually travel in a sports bra because it is the comfiest option, and really comes in handy when I find myself running between gates to catch a connecting flight. But, I've been stuck in a situation where it was a mostly chill trip so the sports bra was perfect for most days, we had one day where I needed a strapless or thing-strapped top/dress and only had a sports bra. A silicone bra is very easy to pack and works with basically any top.

All-Inclusive Packing Must Haves for 2024

I made my cruise packing favorites post, so now I wanted to talk about what I pack with an all-inclusive resort in mind! Packing for an all-inclusive versus a cruise isn't much different for me, because I tend to go to the same types of places for both. But, on a cruise I'm anticipating being on a boat all day for a few days, and being away from my room for an extended period of time on port days, so what I pack is centered on those factors. At an all-inclusive, I'm betting that I'll always be within a few minutes of my room, and that my room will be a bigger size to work with than a cruise. 

Insulated Cups

For me, the biggest difference between an all-inclusive and a cruise is that "pace yourself" is not a concept that I consider when it comes to my drinks. So, I need something that will keep me from always asking for a refill either because I ran out of my drink or my drink got too hot. For bottled or canned beers, my favorite is the BruMate Hopsulator Trio. I love that it fits both drinks and it is the easiest koozie I've ever used for a canned beer because the beers just slide right out without you having to twist the lid off to remove. It's also great that it has a wide non-slid bottom to help your drink not spill over so easily, and it's indented on the sides to make it more comfortable to hold. These won my husband over when he was able to take a beach nap and wake up to a still-cold beer that wasn't sweating all over the table. 

A lot of resorts are going straw free, or are only offering paper straws or weird candy straws, all which aren't great options, so I prefer to bring a cup that has a straw built in rather than try to keep up with a reusable straw. While the Hopsulator trio comes with a lid so you can actually turn your koozie into a sealed cup (which we have done for many years), the problem with using it for mixed drinks is that it doesn't hold all that much so you have to get a lot of refills. That's why we've added the Brumate Era cups into our packing list. We got the 30 ounces which is a good-sized drink, and it's completely leak-proof which is always great. 

Yes, the resort will have cups so you technically don't have to bring your own, but I personally think it's a much better experience. Their cups won't have a lid so you'll risk your drink spilling and if it's a sweet drink, you might spend all day fighting bugs to stay out of your drink. When you're in the pool or ocean, you'll inevitably end up with water in your cup if there's not a lid. Personally I think it's preferred by the waitstaff because it's less often that they have to come by for refills, there's no empty cups that are left behind for them to pick up at the end of the day, and it's less dishwashing they have to do. It feels like a win-win for me. More and more people are BYOC their all-inclusive stays.

Insulated Water Bottle

Okay, you have to drink something non-alcoholic on your trip, too! Your hotel will probably leave water bottles in your room daily (remember, it's all free here so raid that mini bar). Personally, I prefer to keep mine in my insulated straw bottle. I don't feel comfortable using ice in foreign countries, so I just pop the plastic water bottles in the fridge for a few hours to chill them, and then pour them into my insulated drink to keep them cold all day. I love my water bottle because it has a straw to make it easy to drink while you're reclined on a beach lounger, but it still doesn't spill if I toss it into my beach bag.

Hangover Remedies

I always pack two things when I know I'm going to be doing a lot of drinking and being out in the sun all day: hangover prevention pills for before I drink and liquid IV for after I drink. These two help out a LOT more than you'd think! Don't forget that being in the sun dehydrates you, and drinking dehydrates you, so if you're not careful then you can get in a bad shape really easily!

Travel Sun Hat

Normal sun hats are a pain to travel with because you have to carefully revolve all of your belongings around the whole hat, or have it dangle from a bag, or have to wear it through the airport. I have two travel sun hats that I absolutely love because I can pack them up really small, and being crumpled doesn't bother them one bit. I have the more traditional straw hat that is perfect for days when all I want to do is park in a chair and read while I stay dry, and then I have a sporty sun hat that is made to get wet so it's perfect to wear if I'm spending all day floating in the ocean or the pool. 

One thing about these though, is they both are open on the top, so if you have thin or light hair, you will want to put your hair in a top not to keep your scalp extra protected. I have thick hair, so I actually like the open tops so I can have my hair in any style and it works great. Oh, and these make great gifts for the family member that is hard to buy for. 

Solar Phone Chargers

I won't go down to the beach without a solar phone charger. It's so nice that you can charge up your phone and then just sit this out by your chair when it's dead, and then it's good to go again! The one I have comes with the cords built in, so this is all I have to remember to bring. And, it can do wireless charging too! Lastly, it has a flashlight so if you're coming back to your room after watching the sunset, you can have a little light to help you find your way back. 

Beach Shoes

Flip flops and strappy sandals will technically work, but there's better options. I prefer beach sandals instead. The ones I wear have a small platform to keep your feet from being buried in the sand, which is how most people tear their sandals when walking on the beach because the sand will weigh down their shoe and as they pull their leg to get their foot unburied, the shoe rips. Other shoes can also easily get ripped away from your feet by the current of the waves if you get in the water. And barefoot is a no-go because you'll burn your feet on the sand, and sometimes the shores will have sharp shells that can cut your feet. Beach sandals are made to go in the water so you can wear them straight from the pool to the beach to the ocean, and then because these are so cute I just wear them all day and to dinner as well. 

Towel Clips

There is nothing worse than burning your calves on a hot lounge chair because your towel doesn't cover the whole chair since half of it is draped over the back to keep the towel in place. Well, I guess maybe your towel blowing away and landing in the water leaving you without a towel might be worse. So, I bring towel clips. We actually just have a little vacation bag that we keep our Brumates and towel clips together so that we can always remember to bring them both!

Pool Float

One of my favorite things to do on vacation is just float in the water and chill with a drink in my hand. You can bring inflatable pool floats that don't take up a lot of room, but allow you to relax in the pool without having to sit or stand the whole time. Depending on how calm the ocean is near your resort, you can chill in these out there too. You just need to be paying more attention if you're floating in the ocean, because the tide can take you away without you even noticing. My husband prefers to stand instead of float, so he'll just keep an arm on my float to keep me nearby. 

I've also taken a whale tail float to sit on in the water. These are for when you don't necessarily want to be reclining, but you don't want to be sitting either. It's great for situations when you're with several people and you want to be involved in the conversation, but still sitting down. 

Sunscreen

I saved the most important for last. Even if you want to get a vacation tan, still wear sunscreen! Trust me when I say that even with sunscreen, you probably won't re-apply it often enough so you'll still get a tan. But I once had an entire vacation ruined because I got a second-degree sunburn on day 1 and will never forget how miserable I was with bubbling and peeling skin (use cool tea bags if this happens to you). 

I really recommend you do your first layer with sunscreen lotion, and then you can follow up with the spray if you're covered in sand and can't re-apply with lotion. I recommend starting with lotion (per my derm) because the breeze off the ocean usually will blow away of lot of the spray sunscreen, leaving you with basically no coverage. Starting off with the lotion at least gives you a good base layer of protection. I also use sunscreen stickers that change color to let me know when to reapply so I won't burn. 

Resort Wear

Lastly, I pack a swimsuit for each day, a coverup, comfy outfits for the day and a dinner outfit for each night. That's basically it! If we're planning on doing anything on the trip, I might pack more outfit. But mostly, I just live in bikinis and coverups for my trip, which makes for easy packing because like a true millennial I overpack on the drinkware. 

Travel Guide | Garza Blanca in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

My husband's family takes an annual family trip together, and after how expensive Disney Aulani in Hawaii was for our last trip, we decided to choose an all-inclusive for our next family trip. We have all been to the Cozumel/Cancun area a lot and wanted to expand out to somewhere different, and also needed a resort that was baby-friendly for my 1-year-old to come with. We were really trying to decide between Cabo and Puerto Vallarta when I came across Garza Blanca. What worked great for us was that this resort had locations in both Cabo and Puerto Vallarta. The deciding factor for us between the two locations was that it's just not safe to get in the water in Cabo, and we wanted the option to sit on the beach with our toes in the water if we were going to Mexico, so Puerto Vallarta it was. We definitely made the right choice! Our resort looked like it could have been in Hawaii with the trees surrounding one side and the ocean on the other. We all loved this resort so much and spoiler, I definitely recommend it. Garza Blanca has been one of my top favorite resorts we've been to. 

Garza Blanca Preserve Resort & Spa Review

Let's start with this: this place felt very luxurious, and yet was family-friendly at the same time. Garza Blanca is on the smaller side, which made it feel less touristy and overcrowded (although we did go there the week of Labor Day which is apparently off-peak season). Right across from the street is its sister resort Hotel Mousasi, which you have full access to, but it is adults only so kids aren't allowed in the restaurants or pools over there. There's a trolley that goes between the two resorts and I really recommend that you take it, because Hotel Mousai is up on a cliff and it is a very steep walk to get up there. 

The views from the lobby of the resort are unreal! This is seriously one of the most beautiful resorts I've stayed at. There is a huge infinity pool that overlooks the beach down below and has mountains behind it and off to the side. It was seriously gorgeous! 

One negative about Garza Blanca is that they do have timeshares. They aren't pushy about it at all and they don't make you sit through a presentation, but it did seem to be a lot of ads in the elevators for this and you can tell who is  and isn't a timeshare member by their wristbands that they give you.

I wanted to point out that technically you could go "European" where you don't do the all-inclusive package and just pay for food and drinks as you go. While the room rates for this are much cheaper than all-inclusive, this is a luxury resort so the prices add up fast. If you're only there for a few days, maybe pay-as-you-go is cheaper, but for most people I would recommend the all-inclusive package. 

The rooms at Garza Blanca

The rooms at Garza Blanca are great! The room was spacious with a large bedroom with a living room that had a couch and coffee table, but with pretty room to walk around the furniture. Our bathroom had a jetted tub, roomy shower, and a connecting walk-in closet that had plenty of storage for our week stay. Our room had a really long balcony that went the entire width of the bedroom and overlooked the ocean. 

Eating at Garza Blanca

There's room service, plus a breakfast buffet, poolside service, and 3 all-ages restaurant options and 3 adults-only restaurants. There's a pool-side restaurant called Aquazul that has lunch/snack options. 

The breakfast buffet is all in the main building, which turns into a reservation-only restaurant for dinner, called Blanca Blue. 

The all-ages steakhouse Bocados sits at the top of a hill and has amazing views at sunset. Everyone raves about the Japanese restaurant Hiroshi on the Hotel Mousai, but it's notoriously always booked up so we didn't get to make it. 

Instead, we went to the Chinese restaurant Dao over by Hotel Mousai and my mother in law stayed back to watch my daughter and they ordered room service so we could go to the adults-only side. We also ate at the Italian restaurant Noi and just booked an in-room baby sitter for our daughter so we could all eat together. All the restaurants were included in the price except for Karuma grill, which is another steakhouse but the steaks are an extra cost. 

All of the food that we had was amazing. Even the buffets didn't feel like "buffet" food and there was a good variety of food and the options were great. You do have to make dinner reservations everywhere, so I recommend you do that right after you reserve your room so that you have the most options. There is a dress code, so pack business casual clothes to wear for dinner.

What to do at Garza Blanca

Between the two resorts is a cute little shopping center with a carousel! This was the highlight of the trip for my daughter, and is such an Instragram-able spot. 

The resort has 2 pools- an upper-deck pool that has a splash shelf for little kids and then a lower-deck pool that is their infinity pool. There's also a adults-only rooftop bar at Hotel Mousai, but we didn't go to that. We spent most of our time in the infinity pool. It has a sitting shelf basically the entire length of it so a lot of people can comfortably sit in the pool. It has waitstaff who keep your drinks full and will grab you a quick bite from Aquazul. 

There's also a small beach. Similar to Aulani, this beach actually has a public part of the beach that is shared with the resort-only beach, so don't be surprised to see locals bring umbrellas and coolers to set up on the beach. The beach is beautiful and there's a beach bar with waitstaff who come by to take your drink/lunch order. The resort provides free kayaks for you to go out into the water with, and they have a free snorkeling expedition every morning at 8 am. The shoreline itself is very rocky, so I was very happy I packet my water sandals. Everyone who was barefoot didn't last long in the water, but what is nice is that they have a little breakwater to keep the water near the beach nice and calm. 

There aren't a whole lot of activities at Garza Blanca. Think of this as more of a R & R vacation spot than an adventurous place. 

Overall thoughts of Garza Blanca

Absolutely loved Garza Blanca, and really loved Puerto Vallarta! The view is just breathtaking! Similar to what we did at Aulani, rather than book 3 separate rooms, we booked a 3-room suite. And it was sweet! Our room had 2 stories, a private balcony hottub, a wraparound balcony, a full kitchen and wet bar, a dining room, and a living room bigger than my living room at home. The suite came with a butler service that we could just text to reserve seats down at the pool or beach, make dinner reservations, and book the babysitter through. The kitchen in our suite was stocked every day with water, beer, and snacks. 

The highlight of the trip is that the suite comes with a private chef for one night, which was the most luxurious part of the trip. The chef sat down with my mother-in-law, sister-in-law, and myself to get an idea of the menu for the night, and then a whole team of servers came and helped him prepare an epic like 7 course meal. The food was absolutely delicious and it was great to share a family-style meal on vacation.  

It was the perfect lavish trip to just relax and eat good food and drink good drinks while looking at an amazing view. 

How to Choose Between a Cruise and an All-Inclusive Vacation

I love going on cruises, and I also love staying at all-inclusive resorts! In some ways, it's like choosing a blue between lapis, azure, and cerulean (if you know, you know). Each one is the "perfect vacation" on its own, but there are a few pro's and con's to each that might help you decide which is better for your specific trip. 

Cruises: 

Cruises are synonymous with floating resorts that take travelers to multiple destinations. One of the primary advantages of a cruise is the opportunity to explore different locations without the hassle of having to coordinate multiple bookings and frequent packing and unpacking. 

Related link: All my favorite cruise blog posts.

All-Inclusive Resorts:

On the other hand, all-inclusive resorts are centered around the idea of ultimate relaxation. These resorts typically include your room, meals, drinks, and activities all included in one price, letting you enjoy your vacation without always needing to reach for your wallet. All-inclusive resorts focus on a laid-back escape. 

Related link: All my favorite all-inclusive blog posts.

Destinations and Itinerary

Cruise

The big draw for cruises is that you can visit a lot of places in a short amount of time, because most cruises go to a different port a day. This can make it easy for you to check several countries off your bucket list in just a week. However, the biggest downside for this is that you're usually only at a port for 4-8 hours a day. So while I can technically say I've been to Jamaica, I was only actually there for about 6 hours. And unless you go on an excursion, you'll spend your entire time at the port. Cruising can be a great way to get introduced to new countries, but you don't always get the full experience of the country in such a short time on a cruise. 

All-Inclusive

On the other hand, an all-inclusive resort gives you at least the opportunity to see more of the country you're in, but you're probably limited to just that one country. When we went to the Dominican Republic, we took a helicopter tour around the island and loved getting to see different parts of the country. But, sometimes you just don't leave your resort. Each time I've been to Cancun so far, I've never left our resort. Regardless of whether you leave your resort or not to go explore, you'll likely end up experiencing your country for longer than a cruise just by the sheer nature of staying overnight. 

Activities and Entertainment

Cruise

One thing cruises are known for is their on-board activities. The biggest ships have TONS of activities-- think surfing, high-dive performers, Broadway-level shows, ice skating,  movie theaters, rock-wall climbing and go-karting. Even medium-sized ships will usually have some waterslides, putt-putt, obstacle course, and an arcade. And that's just the "adventure" activities. There's always something happening on a cruise! Bingo, trivia, game shows happen throughout the day. There's also usually areas with board and card games, billiards, and live music. At the pool, they usually have a DJ set up during the afternoons and the cruise director will surely have a belly flop contest and a dance-off at some point. 

All-Inclusive

All-inclusive resorts usually have their own activities, just more toned down. Resorts tend to be more of a "I'm just here to relax" vibe, so that's what you can expect to find.  The Grand at Moon Palace has been the one resort that had a TON of activities for everyone. But, usually they'll have some night parties or day parties around the pool, cooking or cocktail-making classes, maybe a kids-only area for elementary through teens age, maybe an arcade, and sometimes some water activities like kayaking or snorkeling in front of the resort. If your resort doesn't have a lot of activities, they'll usually have some off-resort excursions you can book through the resort, like the helicopter ride I mentioned earlier, or our resort in the Dominican also helped us get day passes to a local water park that was a lot of fun. 

Accommodations

Cruise

What's a big selling point for cruises is you get a different view every day from your room (unless you have an interior cabin). You get the opportunity to watch the sunrise and sunset over the ocean at sea days, and you get a beautiful new scene at each port day. One drawback for cruisers is that even if you splurge for a suite on board, your room will still be smaller than your typical hotel room. My favorite cruise room is a balcony so you can have the benefit of the warm ocean breeze in the privacy of your own room.

All-Inclusive

All-inclusive resorts have great options that can include swim-up rooms which have their own private pools, or ocean-facing rooms with huge windows that overlook the beach. Some resorts have balconies on every room, and more and more resorts are putting bathtubs on the balcony for a really great view. We've even stayed in a beach-access room, where you literally walk out of a sliding glass door in your room and onto the beach. 

Dining Experiences

Cruise

Cruises are known for their food! Almost all cruises will have a standard buffet that has long hours, a formal dining room for nightly dinners, breakfast room service, and lots of specialty options throughout the ship with breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack options. The cruise will require you to choose when you book your cruise whether you want reservations for early dining, late dining, or a "flexible time" dining. Just because you've made this decision doesn't bind you to eating in the formal dining room each night, you can always eat somewhere else on the ship. While almost all of this food is included for free, it's common for cruises to have specialty restaurants on board that aren't free (but check to see if they are free for lunch). However, you will have to pay for your food and drinks ashore on port days, unless you book an excursion that has these included in the price. For drinks tap water, milk, lemonade, tea, and plain coffee are generally free. You can have the option to buy a soda package or an alcohol package, or you can pay-as-you-go. 

All-Inclusive

What's great about an all-inclusive is that it really is all-inclusive. Meals and alcohol are all included in the price. Sometimes you might have to pay extra if you want top-shelf liquor, but usually you can just walk up to any bar and grab a drink without the need to make a purchase. Similar to a cruise, some resorts also have specialty dining where the meal costs extra and certain wines are purchase-only. You also usually will get breakfast room service included at your resort as well. Bigger resorts with multiple restaurants will usually require you to make dinner reservations, so just keep that in mind. Lunches are typically a buffet option or a more casual lunch restaurant option. 

Budget Considerations

Cruise

Cruises are weird because you can make the trip really cheap, or expenses can add up quickly. Obviously inside rooms are cheaper than rooms with a window, and those rooms are cheaper than a balcony room. But Wi-Fi is an extra charge per day if you want access to the internet while you're at sea (most cruise apps will allow you to instant message other cruisers through the app for free though). Like I mentioned before, anything other than a standard drink will cost you, and if you go the drink package price, that also charges you per day. While going to the port at each stop is free, meals and excursions off the boat will be another extra cost. Games on the cruise like Bingo or Deal or No Deal will cost if you want to participate. Really, you're paying for the experience of the cruise. 

All-Inclusive

Resorts tend to be cheaper overall. Wi-Fi and all drinks tend to be included in the price, and many resorts offer free activities. Usually, your biggest expenses will be paying for transportation from the airport to the hotel and back (hotels are usually about an hour away from the airport due to beach locations). If you chose to leave your resort, you'll have to spend some money while you're out and about. 

Travel Companions

Cruise

Cruises really shine for families and large groups like family reunions or even weddings. Because a cruise offers SO MUCH to do, it can be the perfect vacation solution! Think of someone in your group, and there's probably a section on the cruise made to cater to their demographic. My husband and I enjoyed our childless cruise for our 2nd anniversary just as much as we enjoyed our 3rd anniversary cruise with our daughter around. Most cruises will also have an adults-only section that is usually one of the quieter locations on the ship. 

All-Inclusive

Most all-inclusives are family friendly. We've even stayed at resorts that have a special kids-only waterpark or pool where kids can play and scream, and a lot of resorts also have an adults-only pool that is secluded and quiet. If you want a kids-free resort, that won't be hard to find either. Some adults-only resorts are more for partying, while others are known to be more quiet, so you can pick which one fits your vibe. 

How to Choose

It's hard, honestly! My husband and I are actually taking an anniversary trip without our daughter to an all inclusive in April, and then brining our daughter with us on a cruise in May. We chose the all inclusive for our kid-free trip since that's the option that has the free alcohol so we can just get drunk on a beach and take a nap under the sun without having to worry about a 1 year old running into the water. It also was significantly cheaper than the cruise since we'll end up spending money on excursions, Wi-Fi, and alcohol for a cruise. 

 We chose to do the cruise with our daughter because it just has more options of things to do in the day. It can feel like 90% of the activities that a resort offers all day is just being at either the pool or the beach, which gets old fast for a toddler. A cruise, on the other hand has several decks full of activities that we can take our daughter to when we need to wear her out, and each port stop is it's own adventure in itself. 

I think the main deciding factor will be a cost-entertainment analysis. You can definitely chill all day by the pool at either a cruise or a resort, and then go chill all day at the beach on either a cruise or resort. But, a cruise will have more options for what you can do if you're bored of chilling. 

How to Spend 3 Days at Disney World

We're going back to Disney World this fall, and in my planning I came across our schedule from our last trip to Disney and thought I would share what we did to help anyone getting started on planning their trip. For reference, on this trip we had 6 adults (my husband and I (late 20's), my sister-in-law and brother-in-law (late 20's), and my mother-in-law and step-father-in-law (late 50's). We went in November, but this could work for any time of the year.

Day 1

Animal Kingdom

1. Kilimanjaro Safari
2. Avatar Flight of Passage
3. Na'vi River Journey - fast pass
4. Kali River Rapids - fast pass
5. Expedition Everest - fast pass
6. Dinosaur
7. It's Tough to be a Bug!
8. Dinner at Yak and Yeti - sign up for Landry's Club ahead of time to get pushed to the front of the waitlist

Epcot

1. Mission: Space
2. Test Track - fast pass
3. Soarin' Around the World - fast pass
4. Spaceship Earth - fast pass
5. Drinking around the world
6. Luminous the Symphony of Us Fireworks

Day 2

Hollywood Studios

1. Slinky Dog Dash
2. Star Wars Launch Bay
3. Twilight Tower of Terror - fast pass
4. Toy Story Mania - fast pass
5. Star Tours
6. Rock 'n' Roller Coaster - fast pass
7. Dinner at 50's Prime Time Café
8. Fantasmic Fireworks 

Day 3

Magic Kingdom

1. Sever Dwarfs Mine Train
2. Peter Pan's Flight
3. Space Mountain - fast pass
4. Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin
5. Haunted Mansion
6. Pirates of the Caribbean
7. Big Thunder Railroad - fast pass
8. Mad Tea Party
9. It's a Small World
10. The Barnstormer

Fort Wilderness Resort

1. Dinner at Hoop Dee Doo Revue

How to Get Pinnacle Status on Royal Caribbean Fast

If you sailed on a ten-night Royal Caribbean cruise ship every year, it would take you 70 years to reach the Pinnacle Club. Even if you sailed on a Royal Caribbean cruise every single night, it would still take you 2 years to reach Pinnacle. That sound out-of-reach for most people's lifetimes, but it's actually easier to reach Pinnacle much faster, but it's not cheap. 

How do you become a Pinnacle member on Royal Caribbean? Each night you stay on a cruise (that you pay for, free cruises don't count), you get a point. The points add up to the different statuses on Royal Caribbean: 3 points gets you to Gold Status, 30 points is Platinum Status, 55 points is Emerald Status, 80 points is Diamond Status (what I'm currently working towards), 175 points is Diamond Plus Status, and then there's the exclusive 700 points is the Pinnacle Club Status.

So, why should you reach Pinnacle status anyways? Besides the fact of being the most elite thing you can do as a Royal Caribbean cruiser, it comes with a lot of perks. You get exclusive breakfasts every day, free unlimited Wi-Fi for the entire cruise, upgraded toiletries in your bathroom, 6 free drinks per day, free laundry, free gifts, exclusive dinner options, plus 1 free 7-night balcony cruise and then 1 free junior suite cruise. You know the special treatment celebrities get when they go to Disneyland with their family? Yeah, that's basically a Pinnacle member on a Royal Caribbean cruise. 

What's the fastest way to get to the Pinnacle Club on Royal Caribbean? The answer is: double points! If you were to book a Suite, for example a Junior Suite, you get double the points! So the timelines above instantly getting halved. Another way to earn double points? Solo cruising. Some family friends actually did this during the pandemic when cruise prices were ridiculously cheap. One person would get a Junior Suite for themselves, (Junior Suite and a solo booking, you can imaging the points!), and then the other person would just get a cheap interior room for themselves (solo booking double points for them!), and then they would use the interior room for luggage and drying wet clothes, and both sleep/get ready in the Junior Suite. Now, the obvious downside is that you would have to do a lot of room-key sharing. It also really only works for a couple. And again, a Junior Suite ain't cheap. But, if you plan on cruising a lot in your future (hello, retirement), then being a Pinnacle Member can really help you save money from having to pay for the internet and drink packages.