As someone who LOVES to plan, I always find it helpful when people share their packing lists so I thought I’d do my part and share mine too!
To give you more context for this post, I’m going to share a little bit about our packing style and this travel destination / our trip before I dive into what I actually packed:
As a general rule, my husband and I always try to pack as minimally as possible, even before we had littles, but it feels ESPECIALLY crucial for us now that we have two tiny family members that require a lot more stuff!
Our Maui itineraries are pretty chill these days — mostly due to the fact that we have already done many of the “Must Do” adventures (The Road to Hana, watching the sun rise from Mt. Haleakala, etc) and now with tiny ones, our activity options are a bit limited. For this trip (you can check out my travel diary here!) we mostly stayed at our resort pool and private beach, but we did venture out to have family photos taken, go on a whale watching tour, and visit the Maui Ocean Center (aquarium) so our outfit choices reflect this itinerary.
I’d also like to note that the Hawaiian islands are very casual; even the upscale restaurants have a fairly laid-back atmosphere. That said, I personally like to try to look a little dressed up when we go out to eat, but it’s absolutely not a requirement.
WHAT I WORE
For this trip we were flying out of our home region of Seattle in the month of February, meaning that it’s still quite cold so I needed an outfit to wear for our travel days from/back to the PNW. This outfit also doubled as my outfit for whale watching because we’d be out on a boat and I wanted not only UV coverage, but when you’re out on the water it’s often windier than you’d expect so it can also get a little chilly! Leggings, a thin, long-sleeved top and a water resistant windbreaker was the perfect combination for me.
I packed 3 dresses — (1) one for family photos that could also be worn for any other activity, (2) a second going out to dinner “dressier” type of dress, and (3) a versatile dress that could be dressed up or down for any activity. I find that I am always most comfortable wearing dresses in tropical climates so I pack multiples for trips like this (I could probably get by with just two, but for 9 days I felt like a third option would be nice to have for the rotation).
I chose to pack an athletic dress that could be worn for activities (like visiting the Maui Ocean Center!), but could also double as a swim coverup since they’re designed to dry quickly.
I always like to pack a light cardigan to wear with my sundresses because it can sometimes get chilly if you’re seated outside near the water, especially after the sun goes down. I never regret bringing it!
I pack two swimsuits only because we often have multiple swimming sessions in a day and my swimsuit isn’t always fully dry from the first swim and I hate to put on a cold, clingy swimsuit! I ended up choosing one of my rashguard swimsuits and I was SO glad that I did because I forgot to reapply sunscreen one day and ended up a bit pink on my chest / shoulders… the full coverage swimsuit helped prevent any additional sun damage for the remainder of the trip.
I adore my pajama short set. The long sleeved top is perfect for chilly hotel sleeping and the shorts make it ideal for balmy Balcony Morning Coffees!
I also bring three pairs of shoes: a pair of casual sandals (that can work for the pool, beach, and activities), slightly dressier sandals for dinners, and “water shoes” for adventures! I wear my Eda D’Orsay sneakers on the plane so I just have the flat sandals to pack in my bag.
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BATH & BODY
For these tropical trips I often let my hair do what it wants to do with minimal styling so I don’t pack my hairdryer, which saves a good amount of space and weight! Wave Texturizing Spray, Leave-In Conditioner, maybe a little Hair Oil for the ends and then just let it do its thing. Braids are also a really great option to avoid tangles from wind or salt water / pool water.
For my makeup / skincare, I also go pretty minimal (even moreso than I already am in this aspect!). I like to give myself a quick self tan before we leave on vacation so that I have a little bit of color to my complexion, and that helps eliminate the need for much makeup.
Skincare is simple: cleanser and moisturizer. Regarding makeup, I focus mainly on sunscreen, waterproof mascara and a lip stain and call it a day. We’re just splashing in the pool and digging in the sand anyway.
I’m already missing our tropical family vacation, but it’s been fun looking back on the trip to recall what I packed for the trip to create this post.
I hope these lists were helpful to you!
Sending hugs —
xx, Natalie
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