Vacation Prepping // How I Get Ready For A Trip

Tonight's the night, I'm off to Dubai! It's felt like such a long time coming, especially since my fiancé has been away over there working for the last eight weeks. But I'm finally all packed up and ready to go. 

Packing is just the last part of vacation prep, there's a whole bunch of other holiday prepping to be done. I know most people have specific things that they will do before a vacation so I thought I'd share a little about what I always like to do.

Pre-Holiday Shopping  //  It goes without saying that a vacation means a little shopping is needed. Usually I'd pick up some new clothes, maybe a pretty maxi for the beach and some shoes but this time I've restrained. I figured that since I'm heading to Dubai, where there's no shortage of malls, my money would be better spent there. Maybe they'll actually stock my shoes size in some decent stores too! I did pick up a new blouse, which you'll see soon and a new necklace that I saw and thought would work with just about any outfit. The phone case wasn't needed but anything gold and studded just calls out to me.

Body Blitz  //  Yeh, maybe I'm being over zealous with that title. It never turns out to be a blitz as such but like most girls I always embark on a pre-holiday diet of some kind. I usually aim to lose a tonne of weight with the reality (sadly) being just a couple of pounds shifted. I like to crack out my favourite excercise DVDs and always feel like Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred helps me feel a bit healthier and beach ready. This time around I've sworn to myself I'm going to keep doing these on a much more regular basis even after I'm back. Healthy lifestyle and all that...blah blah blah.

Teeth Whitening  //  I was first introduced to Crest Whitestrips when I worked a summer in Disney World, Florida. I'd never seen or heard of them in England so I was skeptical. Some of the other 'cast members' (yes, that's what you have to call them!) had to whiten their teeth for their 'face character' roles, so I decided to give them a shot, too. I picked up my first pack from the local Walgreens and, lo' and behold, had white teeth by the time summer was done. I don't like to use them too regularly because they do tend to make your teeth a little sensitive and I've heard that overuse can damage your tooth enamel. Just before a vacation seems like the perfect time to give my smile a little refresh though, ready for all those holiday snaps.

Tanning & Beauty //  Of course the holiday manicure, pedicure and waxing is standard. But part of my pre-vacation routine is tanning. Also common for a lot of people. I like to do it slightly differently and rather than going for a whole hog spray tan I use St Tropez gradual tan. I find that for me, it creates the most natural looking tan and it's almost fool proof. I like to build up the colour over the week preceding my trip, using an exfoliating scrub each day too, to really make my skin look it's best. Nothing good about glowing white laid by the side of the pool, or worse orange is there!

Packing  //  The final task and definitely the hardest for me! I used to throw in clothes until my suitcase was full but nowadays I like to be more organised. I try on outfits and lay them out with all the shoes, accessories and bags to match. It's really help me cut down on the amount of luggage I take away with me and it's more relaxing to know exactly what I'm going to wear each day.

And that's it! Once I have my holiday currency and my passport and I'm ready to go!

How do you prep for your jolly holidays? Do you have a set routine too?