Having successfully chosen and booked your villa, decided on the right selection of park tickets, and of course hired the perfect size car, the one thing that is often the final challenge for any trip is all that is left, the packing! ! !
I would like to offer a view point, you may find useful if this is your first time of renting a villa in Florida. Firstly, “You really do not need the kitchen sink on this trip! ”, when staying at a villa in Florida, you will be just amazed at how much is waiting for you when you get there.
As we are all individuals, please accept my account as fairly personal, but also fairly practical in my opinion.
Let’s first consider the weather. Yes it varies throughout the year, but not that dramatically, despite what you may have thought watching the news at times. It undoubtedly will not snow, whatever time of year you go. You really can leave out any winter gear behind, you will not require it. Now , a different outfit for every day? I just don’t think so. The villa you have rented will have a very efficient washer and drier that will have your clothes washed and dried in no time. So my advice here would be pack for 7 days if you are traveling for 14 or even 21 days! ! Really! !
Foot wear. Now here is an item that I cannot stress enough, is THE most important thing you need to consider when deciding what to pop in the case. Please please make sure you are all wearing comfortable shoes to walk round the parks in and for that matter the shopping malls! ! Be warned, this is NOT the trip to buy new shoes to wear on holiday, unless they are trainers (Sneakers! ) and you have likely planned to purchase those on your trip.
You will very likely spend the majority of your time in the parks and as a result walk an awfully long way but with the right footwear and of course the excitement of it all, you just won't notice!
So remember, resist the temptation to pack heels or flip flops! !
For the most part, you will find dress in Florida is pretty casual, especially where you will spend most of your time on your vacation. Naturally, most people will be wearing shorts and t-shirts and you will be no different, and this will be practically every day. So, unless you have planned to go to a smart restaurant in the evening, don't worry about taking dressy outfits. You really will not find the need to wear them.
I would certainly consider taking a sweatshirt or cardigan and a pair of long trousers (or purchase those cheap jeans early in the trip! ), if you are traveling in spring, winter or fall, as the evenings can sometimes be a bit chilly. It would be fair to say, that even in summer you may want something to put on in some restaurants as the air conditioning can feel decidedly cool after all that hot Florida sun. You can find the shorts that work fine outside, even at night, can be too cold inside these ice cool restaurants and malls.
Though I know many will need to take their own personal items such as shampoo, conditioner, sun tan lotion etc. You can of course opt to travel as light as possible (which we do now) and just buy these things when you get there. Most things are cheaper than at home and the range available is huge.
One of the biggest space savers you will appreciate when going to a villa, is not having to pack towels. You won't need these as there will be plenty of these provided in your villa, do confirm with your villa owner if they also provide pool towels and beach towels, most do.
Another big weight and size saver when going to a private villa is the dreaded hairdryers! ! Do confirm that they are provided (and even how many), again most villas have one in each of their bathrooms.
For those of you traveling with babies or toddlers, another plus when it comes to thinking ahead with the packing and what you will need, is that in many villas there is so much baby equipment provided you will only need to arrive with the baby! Some homes have virtually every item of baby gear available, from cots, strollers and high chairs to baby listening monitors and even change mats. This obviously needs to be confirmed before traveling, it could even be that the home owner will be happy to add certain items for you, if you wish to book their home.
Rule of thumb…don’t over pack, you will not need it, but you will need the space in the case for the extras you will buy when you are in Florida! !
Have fun! !
I would like to offer a view point, you may find useful if this is your first time of renting a villa in Florida. Firstly, “You really do not need the kitchen sink on this trip! ”, when staying at a villa in Florida, you will be just amazed at how much is waiting for you when you get there.
As we are all individuals, please accept my account as fairly personal, but also fairly practical in my opinion.
Let’s first consider the weather. Yes it varies throughout the year, but not that dramatically, despite what you may have thought watching the news at times. It undoubtedly will not snow, whatever time of year you go. You really can leave out any winter gear behind, you will not require it. Now , a different outfit for every day? I just don’t think so. The villa you have rented will have a very efficient washer and drier that will have your clothes washed and dried in no time. So my advice here would be pack for 7 days if you are traveling for 14 or even 21 days! ! Really! !
Foot wear. Now here is an item that I cannot stress enough, is THE most important thing you need to consider when deciding what to pop in the case. Please please make sure you are all wearing comfortable shoes to walk round the parks in and for that matter the shopping malls! ! Be warned, this is NOT the trip to buy new shoes to wear on holiday, unless they are trainers (Sneakers! ) and you have likely planned to purchase those on your trip.
You will very likely spend the majority of your time in the parks and as a result walk an awfully long way but with the right footwear and of course the excitement of it all, you just won't notice!
So remember, resist the temptation to pack heels or flip flops! !
For the most part, you will find dress in Florida is pretty casual, especially where you will spend most of your time on your vacation. Naturally, most people will be wearing shorts and t-shirts and you will be no different, and this will be practically every day. So, unless you have planned to go to a smart restaurant in the evening, don't worry about taking dressy outfits. You really will not find the need to wear them.
I would certainly consider taking a sweatshirt or cardigan and a pair of long trousers (or purchase those cheap jeans early in the trip! ), if you are traveling in spring, winter or fall, as the evenings can sometimes be a bit chilly. It would be fair to say, that even in summer you may want something to put on in some restaurants as the air conditioning can feel decidedly cool after all that hot Florida sun. You can find the shorts that work fine outside, even at night, can be too cold inside these ice cool restaurants and malls.
Though I know many will need to take their own personal items such as shampoo, conditioner, sun tan lotion etc. You can of course opt to travel as light as possible (which we do now) and just buy these things when you get there. Most things are cheaper than at home and the range available is huge.
One of the biggest space savers you will appreciate when going to a villa, is not having to pack towels. You won't need these as there will be plenty of these provided in your villa, do confirm with your villa owner if they also provide pool towels and beach towels, most do.
Another big weight and size saver when going to a private villa is the dreaded hairdryers! ! Do confirm that they are provided (and even how many), again most villas have one in each of their bathrooms.
For those of you traveling with babies or toddlers, another plus when it comes to thinking ahead with the packing and what you will need, is that in many villas there is so much baby equipment provided you will only need to arrive with the baby! Some homes have virtually every item of baby gear available, from cots, strollers and high chairs to baby listening monitors and even change mats. This obviously needs to be confirmed before traveling, it could even be that the home owner will be happy to add certain items for you, if you wish to book their home.
Rule of thumb…don’t over pack, you will not need it, but you will need the space in the case for the extras you will buy when you are in Florida! !
Have fun! !