Travelling Light - Packing For a Winter Sun Week Away with Carry-on Only

Hola! Thank you so much for your kind concern. I'm delighted to tell you that, after nearly three weeks, I'm almost back to firing on all cylinders. My vision still isn't perfect but it's much improved and, hallelujah! I'm pain-free. I've got another five and a half weeks on intensive steroids and will be reassessed when the course has finished. It's not the first time I've had Iritis although the last occurrence was over twenty years ago. As I mentioned in my last post, Iritis is an acute inflammation of the eye and thankfully pretty rare. While many sufferers have other health issues including ankylosing spondylitis, lupus, sarcoidosis or arthritis, 40% of patients are in good health with no underlying issues (including me, I hope!) 

Big love to the Wolverhampton Eye Infirmary at New Cross Hospital, you're amazing!

Whilst I've spent most of my days in a darkened room listening to audiobooks, Lord Jon's been cracking on with prepping for the redecoration of the middle room (aka The Sh*t Tip) hence those terrifying plain alcove walls, the step ladder and the propped up pictures. Goodbye wallpaper - vintage Laura Ashley - your days are numbered.

I've been living in kaftans and the one I'm wearing reminded me of the gown worn by Musica in Katie Bunce's Pre-Raphaelite masterpiece. It's not dissimilar to some of the Frankenfrocks I've made in the past with its eclectic mix of ethnic textiles (a block printed Indian cotton skirt, embroidered silk sleeves and a heavily embellished silk bodice) and cost a whopping £3 from Vinted! 

I think we've earnt a holiday after the trauma of last few weeks so we're off very soon! Our lovely cat sitter Michelle is on standby and we've notified our insurance company of my eye issues increasing our annual policy by £30. In case you're interested we've got Staysure's award winning Over 50s Travel Insurance, cracking on a bit has its advantages!

We're flying with Ryanair and, as usual, to keep the travel costs down, we've opted for carry-on bags only. Ryanair allows passengers a maximum of 10kg, which must be stored in the overhead locker and the bag must not exceed 55cm x 40cm x 20cm (including the wheels and the handle) PLUS a small bag which has to be stored under the seat in front and can be no larger than 40cm x 20cm x 25cm. My snazzy little (chazza shopped) bag measures 48cm x 35cm x 20cm so even if I stuff it to capacity I'll still be well within my limits!

So, without further ado, here's what I'm taking for a week-long Winter Sun holiday. We're off to the Canaries (again!) and staying in what the Lonely Planet describe as a peaceful & traditional fishing village with a laid back vibe. There's a couple of gorgeous beaches (said to be the best on the island) and some chilled out bars and restaurants. Average temperatures for March are usually around 23°C. 

I'm taking four cotton maxi dresses, a quilted jacket, a pair of Teva flatforms and some cowboy boots, a felt fedora, a pair of denim shorts, two Indian cotton blouses, a silk wrap, a straw clutch bag & a quilted cotton tote,one bikini and a cotton kantha scarf.

All four of my dresses can be worn with sandals by day or cowboy boots at night & with the Anokhi quilted jacket over the top if it gets chilly in the evening (although I didn't need it in Tenerife in December). The silk wrap is primarily for lounging around in but can be worn over my dresses or my bikini if needs be. My Tevas are made for travellers, they are ultra lightweight (a pair weighs in at 241 grammes) and being waterproof I can wear them on land or sea, rain or shine. I spotted the high waisted shorts made from ethically sourced denim in the Fatface sale and worn with one of the two Indian cotton blouses I've packed they'll be perfect for long walks and lazy lunches in seafront cafes. The tote is big enough to accomodate beach stuff, bottles of water and grocery shopping and the straw clutch adds a bit of casual glamour by night. 

I always wear some of my holiday clothes to fly in - no athleisure for this traveller! When I land I'll stuff the jacket, scarf and hat in my bag, pull down the bodice of my Pink City Prints maxi to bare my shoulders, chuck on my sunglasses and I'm ready for the sunshine! 

UPDATE: As we have a 20 minute walk down to the station to catch the train to Birmingham airport I wear my ancient M&S Body Sensor tights under my dress to keep me warm. They do exactly what they say and adjust to the wearer's body temperature so I won't sweat to death when I get off the plane. Here's the link. 

Apart from titchy stud earrings, I don't bother with jewellery until I'm through security - it's bad enough trying to navigate the X-ray machine with a prosthetic hip, a nose ring and a navel piercing without a pile of heavy metal activating the alarms. I'll pop my rings and bangles on once I'm in the airside branch of Wetherspoons. In addition to my six rings and two tribal bangles, I'm taking three pairs of earrings, a belt, my reactolite varifocals and one pair of sunglasses.

I'm taking my trusty Nabaiji towel (Decathlon, £7.99), which is two years old and still going strong. The large size is perfect for the beach and rolls up to almost nothing. I try and wash my hair as little as possible so a shower cap is an essential. I'm packing two pairs of socks and two pairs of knickers - one to wash and one to wear - so easy to rinse in the shower in the evening. These amazing "Cognac" Zero Feel Sloggi Tangas were from Sockshop (reduced from £33.99 to £5.99), I always stock up when they're on sale and because I'm not a "normal" size they almost always are! 

Hair stuff! The island we're going to can be windy (although I don't remember it troubling us when we visited in 1998) so I've packed plenty of bands and my hair stick. If, like me, your hair is a law unto itself, invest in a Tangle Teezer, it's a game changer. If all else fails I can fashion my kantha scarf into an turban. 

Make-up: 30 x magnifying mirror, Tempting eyeshadow, black waterproof eyeliner, Teal Rush nail paint, black Feature Length mascara, pencil sharpener, light brown eyebrow pencil (all by Barry M), Milani lipstick in Blossom, MUA Watermelon cream blush, mini tweezers and an eyeshadow brush.

Toiletries: Bamboo cotton buds, Barry M reusable makeup remover wipes, Nivea Double Effect eye-makeup remover decanted into a 20ml bottle, razor, Lush shampoo and conditioning bars, Patounis soap (bought in Corfu) and bamboo soap dish, my prescription meds for my eyes, Superdrug hyaluronic hair serum, Lush Karma solid parfum, Superdrug hyaluronic facial booster (an amazing lightweight moisturiser), my bamboo toothbrush, toothpaste, Factor 30 facial sun cream (shall buy body stuff when we get there - it's cheaper in the Canaries) and interdentals. 

Not pictured - a pack of Pestects mosquito repellent bracelets (now on their third trip and still no bites!),  Jon's toothbrush, razor & shaving cream, chargers & leads, plasters, ibuprofen and nail kit. I'm also taking my camera which, unlike other tech, can be taken through security in your carry-on.

The rules: the amount of liquids, creams, pastes, gels and sprays are still restricted to containers of 100ml or less. These have to be taken through security in a clear plastic bag measuring no more than 20cm x 20cm and its strictly one bag per person. As soon you you pass through security you can transfer them to your cabin bag.

Both my toilet bags are recent chazza shop finds, I can never have too many! We use the same ziplock food bags for our liquids every time we fly, you can tell how old they are, they're from Wilko.

This bag, which came with one of my Dilli Grey dresses, is small enough for my allocated personal bag. Once I've passed through security and stowed most of my liquids in my carry-on, I'll just need my glasses, eye meds, lipstick, noise cancelling headphones, phone, purse and e-reader. In case of a spectacular tech failure, Jon's got paper copies of our train, plane and accommodation bookings.

Here's the fully packed carry-on bag....

Weighing in at a mere 4kg! 

I'm not off just yet, I'm just over-excited having been cooped up indoors for what feels like an eternity. Now I can tolerate light again I'll be catching up with all that I've missed in Blogland over the weekend.

Loads of love, Vix 

xxx