Packing for a holiday in Jamaica
Posted by
Colleen Shirazi,
Tuesday, November 29, 2005
7:17 PM (Eastern)
What to pack to go to Jamaica? (I've covered the makeup angle here: Makeup for a holiday in Jamaica).
Well, it's hot and humid. Not unbearably so...you can stay out in the heat all day and not feel like keeling over. But you won't want to wear much clothing especially during the day.
Bathing suits
Typically, you will wear your bathing suit during the day. Jamaica, from what I saw, highly values its tourist trade. You won't get funny looks for wearing a bathing suit. The suits I saw tended toward the conservative (no thongs for example).
I brought only one bathing suit and it was fine. You just wash it in the sink at night and hang it up to dry.
Skirts/sarongs
Along with this, you can do the sarong thing, but I was glad I owned at least one of those thin cotton gauze broomstick skirts made in India. They sell them in Jamaica but the quality of the ones there didn't impress me. I would have liked to have had more than one...you can wear it with the bathing suit or on excursions...you can live in these over there, so if you have some, or something similar, by all means bring them.
Anything thin, loose-fitting and cotton, preferably short-sleeved, is fine. It's good to bring stuff you can wash in the sink. Tank tops are great. You can wear them with your skirts, shorts, capri pants, etc. and wash them easily.
Fancy clothes
I ran out of these on the third day :D Not that you need lots and lots but I could have used a couple extra...so throw in a couple extra.
Footwear
I didn't need socks the entire time I was there, because my walking shoes are Doc Martens sandals. Of course you may want socks for the flights coming and going, or if your walking shoes require socks (light, thin cotton).
You will need walking shoes for excursions and of course for your flights.
You will absolutely need a pair of "water socks" or "water shoes." If you want irony, you can buy these more cheaply in Jamaica but you will want to bring your own rather than having to hassle.
I loved my Okabashi sandals and that's what I wore the most, aside from the water socks. The Doc Martens sandals were too heavy for everyday wear.
Hats
I thought I'd die without a hat since I forgot to bring one. In California, the sun burns the top of your head. In Jamaica though, I didn't get a head-burn. It won't cost anything for you to bring your own hat, or you can buy one over there.
Rain gear
It might rain during your stay. What you'd need is a lightweight waterproof jacket or travel sized umbrella.
Other notes
As I mentioned in the makeup article, be prepared to take two showers per day. The heat and humidity, plus the fact that you're bound to swim every day, make it necessary. If you have extra underwear, you might want to bring it along. Otherwise you'll end up washing it in the sink.
Do bring a few accessories to put your hair up. It'll sound silly but I kicked myself for not bringing my Karina "octopus" claw. You won't spend oodles of time doing your hair, but I got bored wearing only my "toothed" hairband and lone velveteen scrunchie after a while.
It's best to limit how much real jewelry you bring...then you don't have to worry about it. Sterling silver is perfectly acceptable or small pieces. If hematite is your thing, you can buy it there; it's everywhere.
If you're skint on hot-weather clothing, start buying it in the summer even if your holiday is not in the summer. It's difficult to do last-minute clothing shopping of this kind.
If I can think of anything else, I'll add it later on.
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