I’m headed out for Vancouver! Jake and I are once again off to some more traveling – this time in Canada. Vancouver randomly popped into our heads a while back as a place to visit because it has lot to offer – a big city, shopping, the ocean, mountains. We’re really into adventures and exploring when on vacation, as opposed to touristy stuff – though I love at least seeing the touristy stuff when visiting. We planned to take a longer trip than some of our previous trips, a full six days, so packing proved a bit more challenging this time.
Outfits
This vacation is the longest we’ve ever taken and I was determined to pack as light as I could. We opted to check a combined bag that had extra items, like my raincoat, conditioner for my hair, shoes too large for a carry on, and other miscellaneous items not necessarily pertinent to the trip. We also brought it in case we needed more room on the return home for any shopping we did. We were a bit hesitant to check luggage since the last time we checked bags the airline lost it. Thankfully, we both received our bags a few days later, but we’re hoping to avoid that situation this time around.
As we were we packing, the weather kept changing from all sun the entire time we were there or to a few days of rain in the middle. To be fair, Vancouver is directly next to the ocean so the weather may vary throughout the day. Temperatures were looking to be in the 50s for lows and upper 60s to mid-70s for highs, so packing layers was important. A lot of our daily activities were going to take place outside, so I packed on the side of caution that it was going to be a bit chilly, especially up in the mountains.
For my outfits I packed mostly staples that I could layer: one pair of legging and jeans, a gray tee, a flowy pair of shorts, one skirt, a floral crop top, one black cami, one dress, and my denim jacket. In my checked luggage I also packed an extra dress and an oversized cream sweater. The over sized sweater matched everything so I could easily layer it over all tops and dresses if I got cold. My denim jacket is a staple and I bring it with me everywhere when traveling. I also brought a light floral scarf in case it was windy near the bay or ocean. For days that we’re going to be more active, like for ziplining or hiking, I packed a pair of active leggings with pockets, a sports bra, an active top, and an active sweatshirt with a lot of pockets. I also packed an extra T-shirt in my checked luggage that I could throw on instead on an active tank top.
For nights out and dinner, I packed a slim flit gray tee dress from Old Navy. They’re always selling dresses like this in various colors and I own quite a few – they’re great for work too in addition to being versatile for nice dinners. I figured I could dress up the gray tee dress with a statement necklace and cute shoes, even add tights if the weather gets chilly.
Shoes were hard to pack because I knew I needed a pair of trainers and a pair of comfortable shoes to walk in all day. Originally I planned to pack a pair of heels for dinner, but heels take up a lot of space and I probably wouldn’t get a lot of use out of them. I settled on bringing my Asics trainers, similar to these Gel-Craze ones, that have more support to them for hiking and outdoor activities, a pair of strappy flats from Toms so you know they’re comfortable, my lilac Tieks, and a simple pair of flip flops. Tieks are all over the internet and people are head over heels for them. They’re easy to dress up an outfit, but they’re also super comfortable for walking in. See how I style them for work in this blog post.
Beauty and Personal Items
For makeup and personal items, I’m bringing a lot of what I brought to Los Angeles a few months ago. I like to travel with products that I know will perform without trying too hard or staying power throughout the day. I made a point to pack some brighter lip options since I don’t get the oppotunity to wear fun colors to work during the week.
I also packed my go to snacks in my carry for the week if I need something quick! Again, I shared these a while back
when I traveled to LA – I like to bring almonds, Quest Bars, and cooked/packaged salmon or tuna. I don’t track my calories or macros when on vacation, but I still like to have healthier options on the fly!
Activities
We kind of planned our trip on a whim – though we had some general ideas of what we wanted to do. Vancouver has a great city atmosphere as well a lot of nature settings for outdoor activities. Leading up to the trip, the weather was changing to sunny every day or a bit of rain – a bit of rain doesn’t keep us from going on a little adventure. Our first few days, I’m planning to get a little sleep in since I’m on vacation! I get up early for work and can feel a little tired at the end of the week, so I’d like to catch up on a little sleep. One of the must sees of Vancouver is Stanley Park which is on the north side of Vancouver near the bay.
For the trip, we’re planning to go to the Capilano Suspension Bridge Park which is a park in the mountains that is led through on suspension bridges. Later that same day we’re going zip lining at Grouse Mountain which I’m pumped for and can’t wait to do. I did something similar to this when I was in middle school – obviously on a less extreme level – and I had a blast, so I’m hoping I still have the same enthusiasm for it when I get to the top of the lift. The final big adventure we’re doing is going whale watching – some how I got talked into it. I’m a little nervous because I’m not really a swimmer, but it’s a once in a lifetime chance – unless of course we visit Vancouver again.
I’m super excited, and grateful, to get to do more traveling and hope I get to continue travelingin the future. I’ll be sure to post an update with pictures when we return. Thanks for reading!
