Favorite Things: Vacation Essentials

Linking up again with Halle to share some of my vacation essentials!

I definitely need a good carry-on bag. The sweet girls on my swim team got me this Vera for my bridal shower. I try to always carry-on when we fly and this is the PERFECT size for a couple of outfits, shoes, and a makeup bag. Love it!

I have recently discovered the joys of a wristlet. No need for my giant purse, AND the strap means I have a lower chance of sitting it down and leaving it (let's not ask R how many times I've left my wallet sitting in a restaurant)

Because I try to pack light, I also like to bring versatile items. I have 40-50 pairs of shoes at home (don't tell R!), but when I travel I like to bring a good pair of sandals I can wear with just about anything. For some reason I could only find these boys on eBay...

A comfy black dress. It can basically be worn anywhere, so if we spend the day walking around or go out for a nice dinner, I can dress it up or down. I have one similar to this:

A water cup. I have an embarrassing amount of drinking vessels. I love to bring my big Starbucks tumbler or my Tervis in my carry-on, and my Bubba is the bomb.com for beach/river float trips. 

I love to read, and vacations are always an awesome time to catch up on the long list of books I keep. So far on this trip, I've read Summer Sisters, Freakanomics, and some Miss Julia books I snagged from my grandma's library. While in Nashville, I picked up Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not? I chose it more for sentimental reasons, but I'm planning on reading it anyway! (:

I like to always have my iPhone for maps, restaurant suggestions, quick hotel bookings, etc. As my precious lil grandma Ada would say, "Technology these days is just amazing!"

P.S. I'm currently on vacation and my ipad is not the best blogger tool, so I apologize for the horrid post layout and potential crazy links. A sista can only do so much from the hotel! ;)