St. Thomas · Tourism

Packing Tips for Your St. Thomas Vacation

Getting ready for your vacation in the beautiful tropical island of St. Thomas you may overlook some items that you should not forget to pack. You may be so excited to get a way and enjoy the sun and sand and not think too much about what you need to take until the last minute. This checklist should help you even if you wait until the last minute to pack.

The major items you will need which are pretty obvious, but are sometimes left behind include your passport, visa, airline tickets, credit cards, money, traveler's checks, health insurance cards, any health documents (including any allergies or medical conditions), hotel arraignments, travel insurance, any travel guides or maps of St. Thomas, and of course your driver's license or photo ID.

Most people never think about packing any type of first aid kit or medications but you may want to also include some items that you normally use on a daily basis. You can however purchase most of these at a local pharmacy on St. Thomas, but why spend your vacation time buying items you can easily take along from home. Some health items that you should bring to give you more time enjoying your vacation include, your prescription medications (enough to last the entire trip), copies of your prescriptions, aspirin or your favorite pain reliever, contact lens items (if you wear contacts), diarrhea medication, laxative, insect repellent, sun screen, sun glasses, sun burn relief, prescription glasses, any personal hygiene items, your daily vitamins, and birth control. If you are planning on packing any of the above items and they happen to be in glass bottles, it would be best to place them in a zippered plastic bag separate from each other. This way in case of breakage it will be contained in the zippered bag.

How many times have you found yourself on vacation and realize you had forgotten your toothbrush? Here are a few items that some people forget and have to purchase when they arrive, hair brush or comb, hair spray, styling gel, other hair care products including your hair dryer, toothbrush and toothpaste, dental floss, deodorant, soap, body lotions, hand creams, make-up, lip balm preferably with sunscreen, razors, and shaving cream. It may also be a great idea to bring along a towel for the beach. Many hotels do not have towels available for taking along with you to the beach.

The other items you may wish to take would be your camera and film, and a travel alarm clock (some hotels may not have alarm clocks available). If you enjoy lounging on the beach and would like to have a book to read while sun bathing or maybe reading while on the plane be sure to include one. Sending postcards to family members and friends is a great idea so bring along your address book and a pen. A sewing kit with just the basics is also a great idea; you just never know when you may need one. If you are bringing along the children, it would be a wonderful idea to bring along items that will keep them entertained while you are on the plane and also while you are getting ready in the morning. Such items like travel games and coloring books are great ideas for those little ones.

Okay, now we are down to what clothing items you should pack. Casual wear is what you will see most around St. Thomas. But, do not wear your beach attire except at the beach or pool. This is considered to be in bad taste. You should bring along comfortable walking shoes, sandals, socks, casual dress shoes (for the restaurants that are a little fancier), and bathing suits (preferably two).

For daytime wear, you should bring shorts, tank tops, t-shirts, and sun dresses. For evening you should bring along sundresses, dress shorts, and for the men dress shorts and a polo shirt are fine, no ties. For enjoying the nightlife around St. Thomas the appropriate attire would be jeans, dress shores, long sleeved shirt or even a light jacket.

These are the main items you should bring along, now how to get all of it to fit in your suitcases. Use all available space. Place socks and other small items inside your shoes, and roll the clothing items. This will save room and will also keep the items from wrinkling. Place all the items that are in plastic bags in the smaller spots you have available. Carry with you any items such as medications or eye care products; these should fit rather easily in your carry on bag, including all necessary documents.

Have a great time and enjoy your vacation on St. Thomas resting assured you did not forget anything.

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See you on the Island, John "Big Hat" Walsh