![]() ![]() You really don’t need much clothing on your list of what to bring on an island vacation! For dinner, sundresses for a Caribbean vacation are perfect for women – I love this one so much that I own two! Men can get away with shorts like these and a polo or button down shirt. In truth, I just used a towel since we were already overloaded for the year! If I had the space, a simple coverup would top my list of what to wear on an island vacation. CoverupĪ coverup like this one would be perfect for lunch or the afternoon coffee break, since you’ll still be in your swim suit until just before dinner. Another great option is a packable straw hat, which I wish I’d brought with me. I got tons of use out of my cute-but-practical trucker hat, chosen to coordinate (reasonably well) with my travel capsule wardrobe for our year abroad. I personally wouldn’t bring a big expensive insta-worthy hat due to the humidity, possibility for water damage, and the huge amount of space it takes up. ![]() Obviously a hat is critical for comfort and health! It should be at the top of every tropical packing list. If you’re traveling with kids, a UV shirt will save you 20 minutes of squirmy sunscreen application every 90 minutes. There are also fantastic options at Athleta and Lands End. You can get all sorts of cute sun protecting shirts these days, like this long sleeve swim shirt from Prana that I drooled over (but didn’t buy). UV rashguardĪre you sensing a theme? When you’re making your tropical island packing list, sun protection in all its forms should be at the top of your list. Whatever you do, don’t leave this off your island packing list. Sunscreen is one of the most important things to bring to an island vacation! We’re big fans of Thinksport sunscreen which is reef-safe it can be purchased in 3oz carry-on approved size. Sunscreen is one of those tropical travel essentials, but it’s generally expensive in the countries where you need it most and often the SPF is lower than our ghostly pale family needs. If you’re carrying on your backpack from the US, make sure to only bring a 3oz tube (we made that mistake once!). (It took me months to find a suitable replacement.) Want to laugh at our other travel packing mistakes? Check them out here! Sunscreen I recommend that you bring a pair of polarized sunglasses to cut the glare reflecting off of the water. It was very, very difficult to find a decent pair of shades that didn’t cost a fortune once we were outside the US, so I’d put sunglasses at the top of what to pack for a tropical vacation. It’s hard to imagine that I left it off my tropical vacation checklist, since my eyes are extremely sensitive and I usually have sunglasses glued to my face. Self-explanatory, but my shades were the one thing I forgot to pack when gathering a year’s worth of gear for four people. I really liked this one for active pursuits like kayaking and snorkeling. We were shocked, though, that even the boys’ swim suits didn’t dry overnight! So do yourself and put two swim suits on your tropical vacation packing list. Nothing dries, especially anything with layers (like so many women’s swim suits). There are no street lamps when you’re walking through the jungle at night in the rain! Two swim suits We used the ones on our phones and that worked reasonably, but a brighter dedicated travel flashlight would have been even better. Make sure to put these items on your tropical vacation packing list – this list is specifically geared to what to pack for a Caribbean vacation, but much of it crosses over with my Hawaii packing list and would be applicable to other hot, remote areas. What to pack for a tropical vacation on a remote island Use the interactive map to find vacation rentals and hotels in Isla Bastimentos, Bocas del Toro, Panama ![]() Looking for more ideas for visiting Panama? Check out our complete guide! Here are some tropical vacation essentials that we brought, a few that we wish we had, and some things you shouldn’t bother to include on your list of what to pack for a tropical vacation. Had we just gone to the island or on a typical vacation around Panama, each person’s needs could have fit in a small carry-on backpack – you don’t need to put much on your packing list for a tropical vacation! The good news is that packing for a tropical vacation doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. I think we terrified the staff when we arrived with our massive travel backpacks, stroller and carry-ons but we visited as part of our year-long trek around the world. It’s sort of like Gilligan’s Island except with a few more bungalows. We had a great time during our recent stay at Al Natural Resort on Isla Bastimentos, Bocas del Toro, Panama, but it was our first time vacationing on a remote tropical island and we weren’t completely prepared for the reality on the ground. ![]()
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