The ultimate packing guide for The Yacht Week

First of all, think about every other time you’ve packed for a trip, and then forget about that.

After two very different experiences on The Yacht Week, I’ve still got a thing or two to learn. But most important to know is that it’s not going to be like any other trip you’ve ever planned. Nope. Take a look at what you’ve already got in your suitcase, and remove half. Consider this your packing guide for The Yacht Week.

WHAT TO WEAR

You might think you’ll spend a lot of time dressing up. In reality, you’ll spend half the trip in your swimwear. It’s glorious.

You’ll have seven nights on the yacht. MOST nights you’re somewhere partying on land. But you’ll also have at least one night where you’ll just party on the yachts, no dress code required.

yacht-packing-6

For the essentials, I recommend:

  • Five or seven casual outfits (jean shorts/skirts and t-shirts, casual dresses…1-2 of each)
  • Three or four dresses, including one “fancy” dress
  • One pair of flip-flops and/or boat shoes
  • One pair of dressy sandals/shoes (definitely NO high heels)
  • Five bikinis/swimming trunks (yes, you can recycle)
  • Underwear
  • Socks if you’re wearing dress shoes
  • Sunglasses (prob not your super fancy ones, cuz they’ll either get destroyed or lost)
  • Sunblock
  • Basic cosmetics
  • Baby wipes
  • Moisturizer

I’ve brought a notebook and a book along twice with me, and both times I’ve never used them.

There’s one TYW promo video with a girl jogging. Who jogs on The Yacht Week? Anyway, don’t pack your gym clothes and just have fun. I guess that’s why most girls have bodies like supermodels and I’m all here eating chips at the computer.

But since there are also theme nights, you’ll want to check ahead of time to see what’s in store. You can do this by asking your skipper, or by checking out some of the Facebook groups (you’ll automatically be invited into an official TYW group for your week as well). In Croatia, for example, there’s a White Party (all white clothing), a dressy night, and at least one opportunity to smear face paint everywhere and party hard.

yacht-packing-3

On the final day, during the regatta, many people will dress up in elaborate costumes. Or some people will do this anyway at various points throughout the week. So it’s a good idea to discuss themed costumes ahead of time with your mates, or at least bring one funny/cute/whatever costume along for the ride.

Let me stress this when I say The Yacht Week is NOT the time to be high maintenance or all that worried about general appearance. Let’s be real here – hygiene just isn’t a priority. Showering is such a pain in the ass, I tended to just the shower on deck rather than in the bathrooms. Make-up is cool, but you’re probably gonna sweat it off. Hairdryers, straighteners, and curling irons? Leave ‘em home.

(Do bring a brush though. Those tangles are brutal.)

It’s SUPER important to pack light, because there isn’t much room onboard to begin with. Carry on is a great option, but then you won’t be able to bring any fun inflatables with you. You can buy those at most ports anyway, but if you’ve got a giant pizza or something, you’ll probably wanna bring it along.

If you’ve already been travelling for awhile (like I was) and don’t want to bring a lot of stuff with you on the yacht, you can pack a smaller bag and leave your bigger bag at the luggage check in at the marina. It’s usually not too pricey.

ELECTRONICS

Definitely bring a camera! Or use your smartphone. I’d be hesitant to bring any super expensive equipment, like DSLRs. Every week has its own photographers/videographers, and usually you’ll get featured at least once. (I haven’t in two years. Ginger discrimination.)

You’ll also need a European adapter/converter. An extra battery pack for charging phones is really handy – sometimes you’ll go a few days without being able to charge your electronics via shore power, and our yacht’s USB port didn’t work…so sometimes we went without music.

Some yachts have WiFi, but it’s often pretty dodgy. If you really want to check in from time to time, grab a pay-as-you-go SIM card before sailing. Or you know, just shut up and enjoy the week.

MEDICAL SUPPLIES

Three things I think are necessary:

  • Ibuprofen
  • Anti-nausea medication
  • Anti-diarrhea medications

Not even gonna bother explaining those, but I needed them all at some point or another.

THE EXTRAS

Nothing is too weird for The Yacht Week! Bring whatever you want to spice things up a bit: wigs, costumes, water guns, ridiculous swimwear, group t-shirts, and DO NOT forget your country flags! I’ve forgotten TWO YEARS in a row now. The shame.

yacht-packing-4

Yacht Week
Yacht Week

TRAVEL INSURANCE

Omg. Cannot stress enough. Might I recommend World Nomads? I’m completely 100% loyal to them. On my last trip I fell off the boat and smashed up my face and knees. Some dude broke his leg. Drinking + yachts can be tricky.

FOODS AND DRANKS

I’ll let you decide that on your own – no two boats are the same. And I know that in some destinations, often TYW will prepare your gear for you in advance.

Keep in mind that storage space is super limited, ESPECIALLY fridge space. Other than the mini fridge, there’s usually a large cooler or two for beverages. In most ports you can usually get ice, or people selling ice will show up at your boat.

But keep the fresh foods to a minimum. Cheese can go bad really quick, believe me.

Our staples were:

  • Fruits (watermelon, bananas, apples)
  • Pasta
  • Rice
  • Eggs

Sounds super simple, I know. But cooking up elaborate meals is a pain, and so is cleaning. We usually ate out at a restaurant most evenings.

When it comes to alcohol, load up big time. Try to stick to supermarkets instead of the shops at the marina, because prices will be much cheaper. Beer takes up a lot of room so hard liquor is often best, but since my poor Irish liver reacts violently to anything other than beer and champagne, that’s what I stuck to.

EMBRACE IT ALL! The sheer maddening beauty of all things The Yacht Week. GO NAKED! WHO CARES?! PACK NOTHING. Oh, to be on the Adriatic again.

  • September 23 2015

    Next time you do a post like this, take a few more pictures of what you brought with you because the stuff in the first pic was super cute! Reminds me of how worn-out all my bikinis are, ahem. Yacht week looks like so much fun, I gotta ask if it was expensive? Also, didn’t you get any food or drinks included in the thing? I’m gonna have to go back and read those posts you wrote before. Dammit, now you’ve got me dreaming about boats.

    • September 24 2015

      Hahaha, I honestly hadn’t thought about that! Good call, I’ll keep that in mind. TYW is seriously one of my favourite things in the WORLD, but it does get pretty expensive. I’d budget $2000USD+ (that includes everything though). Food and drinks aren’t included, sadly. It ain’t a cheap trip, but it’s SO worth it

  • September 24 2015
    Helen Highwater

    Hi, I found your site via Flipkey which has done a list of Top 25 solo female travellers, and yours is easily the best, well done! I’ve subscribed. My dislikes of other travel blogs include too many cities (I prefer nature and landscapes and culture), too much blatant advertising, not enough detail, not putting their own experiences. I started foreign travel 6 years ago and have visited Lima, Muchu Picchu, Cusco and the Cordillera Blanca in Peru, Istanbul, Cappadocia and the Turquoise Coast in Turkey, and Madrid, Balearic Islands, Cataluña and Segovia in Spain. Turkey’s my favourite. We’ve bought tickets to Dalaman Airport in the Turquoise Coast for next year.

    • September 24 2015

      Helen, thank you so much! That means a great deal to me. <3 Although I've lived in Berlin a very short time it's becoming more and more aware to me that I don't belong in the city, haha. I need to be out amongst nature, definitely. I saw a very small bit of Turkey but I missed most of the highlights…need to go back!

  • October 05 2015

    That first banana photo is the best…
    Alana | Paper Planes recently posted…The Day-to-Day: Buenos Aires

  • May 03 2016

    Great tips! Thanks!
    Kaidi recently posted…The best Luxury Yacht Charter in Marina Botafoch Ibiza

    • May 04 2016
      Candice

      You’re welcome!

Leave a Comment

CommentLuv badge

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

FREE CANDIE FOR ALL!
SUBSCRIBE TO RECEIVE POSTS DIRECTLY TO YOUR INBOX