Travel Essentials: What to Pack for Tulum

I enjoyed my first trip to Tulum last month, and since I tend to overpack, I can honestly say I didn't use half of the items I packed for my trip. My advice: leave your makeup bag at home! It was hot and humid when I was there, so putting on any makeup would have melted right off of my face. All I really used was a lip balm. I like Coppertone Sport since it has SPF 30 in it. As far as skincare goes, I washed my face with a refreshing Peter Thomas Roth Cucumber De-Tox Foaming Cleanser and also brought the cooling Cucumber Gel Mask with me. I also always travel with SK-II Facial Treatment Essence. 

Sunscreen and bug spray is the most important to bring. I went with Coppertone Sport SPF 50 and MDSolarSciences TInted Crème SPF 30 for the face. For bug spray I brought OFF! and used Benadryl  Itch Cooling Spray for any bug bites. Evian Facial Spray comes in handy as a refresher, especially at the beach and hiking at The Ruins. 

Among other essentials I wished I brought: 

• Extra set of flip flops to wear in the room
• Extra hair ties. I only brought one with me. 
• Lightweight rain jacket with a hood,
• Another set of tank tops and jogging shorts. That was the best to wear for yoga, the beach and hiking. 
• Tote bag for the beach.I brought my Osprey bag for hiking and the beach but it was super small. 
• Zip up sweatshirt and leggings or lounge pants - I was freezing on the plane and in the shuttle to and from the resort. 
• Sleep mask - I own so many of these and should have packed at least one. I had a hard time sleeping the last night I was there because of the storm. 

Packing Tips:

• Pack sports bras instead of regular bras. 
• Practical swimwear. I thought I was going to get the worst criss cross tan lines. I was amazed that I didn't get any unwanted tan lines thanks to my Mara Hoffman swimsuit with UPF 50. I didn't know a garment of UPF of 50 only allows 1/50th of the UV radiation falling on the surface of the garment to pass though it. My matching sarong also doubled as a scarf.
• Definitely leave any nice apparel or dry clean only items at home. Since I stayed in a room with a thatched roof and fans instead of air conditioning, the humidity really sticks to your clothing. I don't know what I was thinking wearing my Helmut Lang t-shirts and Alexander Wang silk shorts! 
• Cutout rompers and mini sundresses are perfect for dinner. Since I was staying at a yoga and spa retreat, it wasn't necessary to get dressed up. If I was staying at a boutique hotel, I probably would have packed a maxi dress as another option.
• Don't pack too many pairs of shoes! I brought hiking shoes I didn't even wear. My Tevas with straps was sufficient enough to wear for light hiking. For the most part I either walked around the resort barefoot or in flip flops. 

As for my actual trip, check out my review of Maya Tulum Resort.

- Kim Weling