It’s been a frigid summer so far in St. John’s, and I’m looking forward to some European sun in a few weeks. I move to Berlin on August 2nd, then hop on a flight to Ireland on August 8th to revisit my favourite place in the world – Sligo! I’ll be there for the Fleadh Cheoil music festival, and then I’m travelling onwards to Croatia because THE YACHT WEEK! Yup, remember that time I fell off a boat, beat up my face, murdered my knees, but still had the BEST TIME OF MY LIFE? I did such a good job convincing my friend Shaun to hop on a yacht, I convinced myself in the process. So I perused the Crew Finder webpage, messaged a random person, and now I find myself sailing for one week on a catamaran with 12 strangers. Because LIFE.

Okay, wow. So this post isn’t actually about that at all.

What am I bringing with me for the big move abroad? These are my summer travel must-haves.

1. PINROSE PERFUME WIPES

Any of my friends will tell you that I have a signature perfume. I am absolutely bloody dedicated to Dior Poison, and should the perfume ever go out of business, I’m screwed. I’m OBSESSED with it. It’s me.

However, the bulky bottle is a pain in the ass for short trips. That’s why I’ve started using Pinrose perfume wipes. They come in these adorable little petal packs of different scents, and you wipe them on your pressure points as you would a baby wipe. (I mean you wouldn’t put a baby wipe on a pressure point but yeah…you know what I mean.)

It’s no Dior Poison, but Pinrose is SO good for travelling…especially when you’re travelling carry-on. Plus you can switch up the scents daily, and take their scent quiz just for fun to find out what might work best for you. Also because if you’re a narcissist like I am you’ll like congratulating yourself on your awesome personality traits.

2. TUMI SUNGLASSES

Ever since I picked up an expensive pair of sunglasses last year in Montenegro I’ve sworn myself off the cheap drugstore brands. Of course, as is my habit of losing everything I love, those sunglasses went missing. Tumi reached out and offered me two pairs, and bewilderingly, I haven’t lost either one yet. They’ve travelled all over the USA with me, as well as Central America. I still have them. Omg.

Let me tell you a story. Back in high school I hated my glasses so much that I wore contacts constantly. So much so that by my university years I wouldn’t leave my dorm room without my contacts in, and sometimes I’d sleep with them in for days on end (I drank a lot). My eyes got messed up, I nearly went blind, and then I had to wear glasses forever…until my Lasik eye surgery. The bottom-line here, folks, is PROTECT YOUR EYEBALLS. You don’t even know the damage you’re doing to them, usually. UV protection is important, and you’re probably not gonna get that with a $5 pair. They also come in a really handy and compact travel case.

3. ENCIRCLED’S CHAMELEON MAXI

I’m obsessed with maxi dresses because they have the lovely habit of concealing rolls and unnecessary curves. Encircled’s Chameleon Maxi is designed specifically for travellers, and can be worn EIGHT different ways. It’s reversible, with two different colours, and can be worn as a short skirt, a midi skirt, or a maxi skirt, or a strapless dress.

Personally, I prefer wearing it as a maxi skirt or a dress. The mini skirt was too bulky for me, and also I lost the string in the bottom of the maxi so I couldn’t tighten it. Damn it. But it’s comfortable as hell, and I love how it just kind of goes with anything.

My favourite way to wear it: as a maxi dress with a belt cinched around the middle. Flattering, and a little dressier than your standard strapless. I wore this a lot in Central America. Unfortunately I do not have a photo of this as I am a jerk.

4. PRANA YOGA GEAR

I end up travelling with a lot of fitness gear because I love hiking and being outdoorsy (or at least I like watching Netflix in my sweatpants). I used to buy any old fitness gear for awhile, whatever was cheapest, until I realized just how crappy that kind of clothing really is.

I can wear my prAna gear for days and it doesn’t get smelly or gross. Plus the company is environmentally conscious, and the customer service is fabulous. I’ll probably never go back.

Also it has the habit of making you look really freaking fit.

What are you packing for your summer travels?