It’s been seven weeks since we got back from our two week trip in France and Bobby and I both started to get the itch to plan our next trip. We have agreed that each year we should take two vacations: one in the summer (a two week adventure) and one in the winter (a one week winter getaway)! While our goal for the summer vacation is to immerse ourselves in another culture and step completely outside our comfort zones, the goal of our winter vacation is vastly different… We have decided that the winter vacation should be a fun in the sun, get away from below zero temps, relaxing and pampered week! Our past two winter vacations were a cruise in the Caribbean and a trip to Disney World. The cruise was fun in spite of a week of rain and rough seas and Disney World was, well, Disney World! Both of these trips had one flaw, there were lots of children running about. It’s hard to relax and have quiet, intimate, and romantic moments with all the chaos. So, this year we are going to an all-inclusive resort that is for couples only in Jamaica! The name of this resort, Couples Tower Isle! 

When I first brought up the idea of an all-inclusive resort we both immediately thought of Sandals. When I googled all-inclusive resorts Sandals was one of the first items in the returned search. Because of the name recognition I was sure that this was where we should go. However, my wonderful husband, who must do research before we decide on anything, visited the Trip Advisor website to look up reviews. He soon discovered that Sandals didn’t always have the best reviews. With over 2,000 reviewers it got four stars and an 82% approval rating. He started researching some other resorts around Jamaica and soon found Couples. Couples had an approval rating of 88% and had 4.5 stars with over 1,000 reviewers. While these numbers are very similar we found that after reading several reviews from both resorts what people really enjoyed about Couples was more in line with what we were looking for with our vacation rather than what people were saying about Sandals. We found that one of the biggest advantages to Couples when compared to Sandals was that much more was included in the all-inclusive package. At Couples many of the excursions are included, while at Sandals you have to pay extra for most of their excursions.

To see a full list of what’s included click here!

I had found airfare that I had wanted to purchase using Bing which is a wonderful resource to use when searching for airfare. They have a “Price Predictor” that looks at the history of the airfare and tells you if you should buy now or wait depending on what the prices of the airfare are doing. The airfare I found on Bing was a little over $600 per person. There was cheaper airfare available but these tickets had only one layover that was very short and we are always willing to pay extra for shorter and fewer layovers. When booking with the resort I saw that if we purchased the same tickets I found on Bing through Couples we could save a couple hundred dollars! 

We booked the trip and are already counting down the days to our departure! 

When planning the trip to France I was struck with a serious dilemma in terms of packing. All guidebooks strongly suggest that you pack as little as possible when traveling abroad. However, this wasn’t going to be easy for us considering that we were bringing along all of our climbing equipment, clothes appropriate to Paris, and clothes that were appropriate for hiking in the Alps where temperatures vary. In the end we had a large rolling suitcase, a backpacking backpack, a daypack, and I had my oversized handbag. My packing lists ended up being several pages long. We did, however, use most everything except for a few items on the list. While the amount of luggage we had was sometimes cumbersome, it was also needed. Luckily, our trip itinerary didn’t involve moving about a lot. We only moved locations twice in the two weeks were in France. For people traveling abroad with a lot of luggage who plan on traveling within Europe to visit several different places I would make one suggestion. Don’t buy cheap airfare. Their excess baggage fees are often unbearably steep. A wonderful alternative is Europe’s amazing rail system! It’s affordable and most trains don’t have a limit on luggage.

The following are lists of items we found particularly unnecessary and VERY necessary during our French adventure.

Things we brought that were unnecessary: 

• Hair Straightener: The converter that we bought didn’t work and we were stuck lugging around a useless straightener for two weeks. 
• Flip Video Camera: We ended up not using this at all. Our camera can take video as could our iPhones and we found those to be a satisfactory replacement.
• Swimsuits: Guidebooks suggest that they be packed. However, if you aren’t going to be staying in a hotel with a pool (like us) they are really unnecessary. We did use them on our last night while staying at the Hyatt, but we did that just so we could say we’d used them.
• Two Climbing Ropes: For the leisurely climbing we did in the Chamonix Valley there was no need for us to haul around two climbing ropes. 

Things we brought that were VERY necessary:

• iPad: For any traveler an iPad is an absolute must! It’s so light weight, versatile, and easy to use. My iPad had all my airplane necessities on it including books, games, and movies. I was able to blog with it (assisted by my wireless keyboard) and we were able to upload our pictures to it every day! My only regret was getting the 16GB, looking back I would’ve preferred the 32GB or higher. With the movies and pictures we ran out of space on the trip and had to delete a few items. 
• An oversized handbag: While in Paris we didn’t want our appearance to scream that we were tourists. Rather than carry a backpack we decided to bring a larger purse and fill it with our daily necessities. In my purse I had our passports (secure in a zipper pocket), guidebook, common phrase book, snacks, medicine, toilet paper, and extra cash. Because it was an over the shoulder bag with a short strap it was always under my arm and against my body protecting it from pick pockets. 
• An amazing pair of shoes: Bobby mocked me for bringing a pair of heels but for going out for dinner at night I found them a necessity I wouldn’t want to go without! The fashion in Paris is fabulous and you don’t want to be left behind! 
• Trekking Poles: For my sometimes shaky ankle, hiking can be difficult and painful. Before our trip I decided to invest in a solid pair of trekking poles. That was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made! Usually, after a vigorous day hike walking afterwards is difficult. But, with my Black Diamond Trekking Poles I had no problems and my ankle felt great!
• Solid Hiking Boots: We both tried to wear sandals the first couple of days in Paris and soon realized that fashion shouldn’t always win out. In spite of the dorky appearance hiking boots can sometimes give. I couldn’t recommend anything more highly for a tourist with a busy schedule! Our legs lasted so much longer on the days we wore our hiking boots and we were always less fussy! 
• Sweatshirts: I wasn’t planning on packing any heavy sweatshirts but Bobby threw them into the pack at the last minute. Am I glad he did! While in the Alps, especially atop Aiguille du Midi a heavier sweatshirt was most definitely necessary! 
• Rick Steve’s Common Phrase Book: I can’t count the number of times this book came in handy! Especially while at restaurants to order and decode the menu. It is nicely laid out and easy to use in a jam.

Original Copies of our packing lists.

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