I know—I’ve done a packing list before, but I’m sure you were probably thinking, “Um, duh! Of course I’m going to pack my swimsuit!” Okay, fair enough. Think of this as Packing 201, then—those little things you might never have thought of. While it may inevitable to have that “Ugh! I should’ve brought ______!” moment while on your Maui vacation, these items might just help your time here run just a little smoother.
- Suction Hooks
Grab a few of these on Amazon before your trip– you’ll be amazed at how handy they are during a hotel stay!
During our last vacation, my husband could not keep me out of the pool. Morning, afternoon, evening—I wanted to be in the water! If you’re like me, you’ll be spending as much time as possible at either the beach or the pool, and with that comes a wet swimsuit. After rinsing off in the shower, your options of where to hang your suit to dry may be limited. The towel rack is taken up by, well, towels, and maybe you don’t trust that handy drying rack on the lanai to stand up to a gust of wind. Enter the suction hook! Stick it to your wet shower wall, and voila! The perfect place for your suit to drip-dry out of the way. And at a little over a buck apiece, you won’t be devastated if you leave a few behind.
- Baby Powder
Sure, the warm, balmy climate might make you sweat a bit more, and dusting on a little baby powder can be quite refreshing. However, the real reason for this must-have is sand! If you feel like it’s a never-ending battle to keep the sand at the beach and not in your rental car, condo, or hotel room, baby powder has your back. Take a handful, rub it on those sandy feet and legs, and watch as the sand falls right off! I hate sand with a passion (it’s why I rarely go to the beach, despite living on Maui), but the first time I tried this, it was life-changing. Grab a couple travel-size shakers before you leave, and pop one in each beach bag, backpack, and purse—you’ll never know when you’ll need to de-sand!
- Ziploc bags
Sure, you can get some while you’re here, but it’s easy to toss a stack in your suitcase. And trust me, you’ll be glad you have them! They’re great to stash a wet swimsuit if you need to make a quick change while out and about. You can collect those precious seashells in one without getting sand all over your purse or beach bag. Packing snacks for a road adventure, keeping leftover sunscreen from exploding all over your checked luggage, keeping your cell phone dry while you’re by the pool—you’ll use them for everything.
- Reusable bags
Reusable, compact bags– like ChicoBags— make shopping on Maui a cinch!
More bags? Really? Yes. As you may know, Maui has a plastic bag ban. While it’s great for our ecosystem, it sometimes can cause a bit of a panic at certain check-outs. At a lot of places, you’ll get a paper bag, but at other stores (like Walmart and Target), you can either buy one of their cloth tote bags, or carry your purchases out by hand. While it’s inexpensive to grab a bag or two while shopping, they’ll take up space, and it’s not likely you’ll want to pack them to take home. I love ChicoBags—they fold up into themselves and don’t take up any more space than a hand sanitizer in your bag. With cute patterns and a handy carabiner clip, you’ll be one step ahead of the game while shopping on Maui.
- Tiny Scissors
These will have to go in your checked luggage, but this miniscule addition will be an important one. Once you land, transfer them to your day bag, and you’ll be glad to have them. If you purchase a cute pareo, or need to grab an emergency pair of sandals or a sun hat, you’ll love having them to easily clip hang tags without risking damage to your items. Find a hanging thread on your shirt while you’re walking into dinner? No problem! They’ll come in handy too if you find some split ends after a few days in the sun.
While you’ll definitely think of the obvious, planning ahead for those inevitable surprises along the way while you’re on Maui is crucial. While these are solutions to really slight inconveniences, it’ll feel great to be covered for even the little things while you focus on what’s important: relaxing, adventuring, and just enjoying all that Maui has to offer.