CROATIA PACKING ESSENTIALS FROM AMAZON

I am off to Croatia with Med Sailors in a week's time and I seriously cannot wait. Med Sailors are an English sailing company for 18-35 year olds. They organise sailing trips around Croatia, Greece and Turkey. You can choose between a premier or premier plus yacht, depending on your budget and Med Sailors provide breakfast and lunch and your own  personal skipper to take you about. You also have free use of your own paddle-board (which I cannot wait to try) and discounted trips. The Croatia trips/extras range from bike and motorbike hire, to wine tasting to snorkelling in a beautiful national park. 

We've chosen Croatia as it seemed to have some great stops on the trip. I've heard so many good things about Hvar, and cannot wait to sample the wine in Korcula, and visit historic Dubrovnik and Split old towns. Safe to say this is going to be a really memorable holiday. You can read more about the routes Med Sailors have available in Croatia here. We've chosen to begin in Dubrovnik and finish in Split on the Voyager route. 

So in order to prepare for a week on a boat in a beautiful and stylish country, I've been gradually picking up essential and on-trend items. 

1. Lonely Planet guide

You can never go wrong with one of these. They make for a great read as well as informative and easy to use travel guide. It includes a round up of the best parts of cities and also how much you wish to budget for, including all the usuals such as basic words and phrases. 

I think it's the way lonely planet are written that I love so much. The first I bought was in Bali and it really made my trip extra-special. The guide gives you the low-down on where to go that's trendy or unique and often less well trodden. It's written in a chatty, friendly way that is sure to get you hyped up for your holiday. This book was about £10 and is available on amazon.

2. Swimwear

I have longed for a Triangl bikini for so long! Honestly, but the shipping costs and sizing has really put me off. I know I wouldn't bother sending it all the way back to America if it didn't fit. So I had a quick look on Amazon, and there are loads of similar Triangl dupes available. This one is from TDOLAH. I think mine was about £14, so an absolute bargain. I bought it in a size Medium and it fits perfectly. Also it had adjustable straps which help with fit. The bikini is made from neoprene which was fine for me, as I know that's how the original Triangl bikinis are made. If you don't know what this is, it feels like thick, scuba material. The only negative I found after buying this product was that you can't really wash the material, and when they arrive the fabric is quite creased from shipping. 

3. Pom-pom sandals

Having found that all signs of pom-pom sandals have sold out on ASOS, I then returned to trusty amazon (!) and found these. They are actually from a company called coco perla, who are based in Trafford, just down the road from me. I have worn these around the centre of Manchester and have only lost one small pom-pom on the edges. I think they were around £20 again, an absolute bargain. I don't expect they will last longer than this season but they are so vibrant, they completely transform a minimal outfit. 

4. Doughnut Beach Ring

I have seen these all over Instagram and knew I had to get one, and it looks good enough to eat! The only thing you have to make sure with inflatables is the amount of space it will take up in your luggage. As I'm going to be sailing, I knew there wouldn't be much space, so I went for a doughnut as opposed to a giant swan or flamingo!! They are great fun and so useful for snorkelling when you are getting a little tired of swimming. I can't wait to Instagram it! It comes with a hand pump for inflating. You can also get mini drinks holders that are inflatable here.

That's a round up of my initial holiday picks, I can't wait to review the Med Sailors experience. 
Sophie x