My cousin and her fiancé have been to Cancun before, but as for my boyfriend and I we had no idea what to expect, let alone what to pack. I immediately went to Pinterest to find Cancun packing lists but found that every single one was two pages long. We were staying for five days and I am not one that likes to over pack, or unpack everything when I get home. I tried super hard to fit everything of mine into a backpack but I didn’t have much luck. Below is my packing list as well as my boyfriends because if you are anything like me you pack your significant others suitcase just so you know you are fully prepared for your vacation. Also if you plan on taking a romantic trip with your significant other it’ll be beneficial to have both sides for a packing list all in one place. Also check your airline website for the dimensions that are allowed for your carry-on.
For a five night first time stay –
ALLIE’S PACKING LIST:
* Five nice dresses – all short (ranges from rompers to slip dresses)
* Seven bathing suits – I like to have options and I read online that the humidity can sometimes leave wet bathing suits wet for long periods of time.
* Pajamas – my go to is a pair of gym shorts and an oversized shirt.
* Intimates – (any bralettes that may need to be worn under my dresses and underwear)
* Socks and sneakers – I wore these through the airport incase we arrived late and I had to run through the airport. (We arrived two hours early so I didn’t have to run, thank goodness).
* A light sweatshirt – for airplanes and airports (I get chilly easily and it saved me. I also wore this while traveling, but did not use it during the duration of my vacation).
* Slip on sandals – these don’t have to be cute, they can be cheap because they will be sandy a lot and it is much easier to get around when you can just slip on some shoes and go.
* A nice pair of sandals for dinner – I took one black pair that matched all of my dresses.
* Four t-shirt dresses – I wore these to breakfast every morning and wore these up until dinner. A lot of the places we stayed at wouldn’t serve you lunch at a sit down restaurant if you didn’t have a well covered cover up, so these worked perfectly. They were also super easy to slip on and off when getting in and out of the pool and the ocean.
* One pair of jean shorts – I wasn’t planning on brining these, but before our trip to the airport I stayed with my cousin and her fiancé at their apartment and we went sight seeing and I wore them there, but they came in handy when we went to the club.
* One nice shirt or tank top – For the club if you plan on seeing the Mexico night life.
* Shampoo/Conditioner – 3.4 ounces which was the amount allowed on our airline.
* Body Wash – 3.4 ounces
* Loofah
* Razor
* Toothpaste – mini travel sized less or equal to 3.4 ounces
* Toothbrush – mine is electric and I just charged it before I left and it was fine.
* Wet brush
* Scrunchies/clear elastics – I am the type of person to do my hair nicely on a daily basis, but usually had my hair down, or in a bun. It’s hot and humid, and you will want to pull your hair up.
* Bobby pins – 10 or less
* Extra pair of contacts
* Glasses
* Contact Solution – something I thought of last minute and almost forgot about. I would squirt some into one of your 3.4 ounce bottles.
* Glasses cleaner – I use camera lens wipes, so a few of those
* Contact Case
* Dry Shampoo – travel size less or equal to 3.4 ounces
* Detangling spray – 3.4 ounces, especially after being in the ocean
* Lotion – less or equal to 3.4 ounces
* Phone Charger
* Sunglasses
* Fitbit Charger
* Passport – essential
* Driver’s License – essential
* Cash – roughly 200 -300$ USD transfers into 4,395 – 6,592 pesos
* Credit Cards/Bank Card – I didn’t use these in Mexico, but I did at the airports. Also there are many ATMs at the airport or in Mexico you can use if you run out of cash and it will give it to you in pesos.
* Empty Ziploc bag – for seashells and coral. Washed up coral is common, and its a great souvenir to bring home.
Things I packed but didn’t use:
* Tinted Chapstick/Fake Lashes – I packed these but didn’t use them. I like to look presentable and try my best to look nice, but while on vacation I went makeup free and this is the makeup I usually wear, so from one girly girl to the next, leave the makeup at home. Give your skin a break, and you will get tan, so don’t worry about it.
*Tanning lotion – 3.4 ounce bottle, I easily tan as is, but you will be in the sun a lot, so you won’t even need it.
Things we bought while we were there:
* Sunscreen – between the four of us we used three cans of sunscreen during our five day stay. There was a gift shop within our resort that had all the essentials you may have forgotten.
* Aloe – we only got burnt once or twice, but it helped ease the sunburn.
* Pepto Bismol – if you have a stomach issue, or are prone to get an upset stomach while eating authentic Mexican and Spanish foods, this is ideal.
BENJI’S PACKING LIST:
* Sunglasses
* Crocs
* Nice slip on boat shoes
* Two dry-fit shorts
* Three cargo shorts
* Two fancy pairs of shorts
* One pair of khakis – he ended up not needing these due to Covid, but the restaurants at the resort had a dress code for men to enter. Due to Covid they were more lenient but rules are subject to change.
* Three casual but nice shirts – we got the 3 for 10$ at Old Navy.
* Four polo shirts for dinner
* A hat
* Low cut socks
* Mid calve socks
* Boxers
* Toothbrush
* Toothpaste – 3.4 ounces
* 2 in 1 Shampoo/Body wash – 3.4 ounces
* Two pairs of swimming trunks
* Phone Charger
* Wallet
* Passport – essential
* License – essential
* Sneakers
Unnecessary Items:
I know what you are thinking, what about a *curling iron or a *blow dryer. Don’t do it. Blow dryers they have in the hotel. They are the small ones that hook onto the wall, but they work well. I usually always curl my hair, but said hell with it, and didn’t pack mine and I am glad I didn’t because I didn’t and wouldn’t have used it. I had beach waves from the ocean anyway, so it was pointless and it would have been too time consuming and hot to do my hair every night.
We were also on the go the whole time so it would have been hard to find time to do my hair.
I’ve stated this above, but I will mention it again, leave the *makeup at home. I don’t use foundation or any of the sorts, but you will get sun while on vacation, and 11/10 times the foundation you bring will not match your face. Also it will be so refreshing for your skin to take a break and give it some Vitamin D.
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