Vacation Essentials: Ashley of XO Smash

Hi guys! I'm Ashley and most days I'm blogging over at Smashing Style, but today I am honored to be hanging out with you. When Rose approached me about doing this I was A. super flattered and B. laughing to myself because I am out of town right now too. But, unlike Rose, I was not quite organized enough to line up guest posts. You see, I got married last Saturday (whoop whoop!) so I had a few other things going on, and as we speak I am honeymooning in the pink sands of Bermuda*. 

While I packed a lot more than this, here are nine of my favorite travel essentials. 

1. A straw hat. Listen, hats are a huge pain to travel with but wrinkles and skin cancer are even worse. And a hat is a nice way to pretend you are a celebrity in the airport, and maintain your precious skin once you arrive at your destination. 

2 + 8. I don't know why I put these so far apart, but headphones and a headphone splitter are two staples in my travel bag. My husband (eek!) and I like to watch movies on the plane and this Belkin headphone splitter allows us to play nicely together. These Frends headphones are on my wish list because I think they are cute and would make me look more musically savvy than I actually am...a.k.a I still really like "Call Me Maybe". 

3. The most adorable cover-up that can go from the beach, to lunch, to the airplane with leggings. I mean, you're not actually a celebrity, you can wear leggings if you want. I won't tell. 

4. A cute scarf. Blanket, head scarf, evening wrap, bag accoutrement...the possibilities are endless. 

5. Mix and match bikinis from Target. Because Target is the best and everybody needs to pick what works for their body. I like a bandeau and a bottom with side ties, you might like a halter with a belted bottom, Target understands our needs and meets them at a reasonable price.

6. A cute clutch that can double as your e-reader holder. I am a big vacation reader and this bag would be great for going out at night and protecting my Kindle during the day. Believe it or not I still have the original Kindle and I'm really annoying about protecting it since I'm pretty sure the Smithsonian is going to want it next year. It has to be one of the only ones left. 

7. The Deux Lux weekender. I am the queen of bags, and the Deux Lux weekenders are by far my favorite duffle. They are sneaky big and the pop of sparkle is just outrageous enough to be fun.  

9. Belle by Sigerson Morrison sandals. I am absolutely obsessed with Belle by Sigerson and all of their shoes. These are just a notch cooler than a basic sandal, and they come in three amazing colors. They are well-made, stylish and super comfortable (plus these are on sale!). 

Well guys, it's been a pleasure hanging out with you today. Come visit me at Smashing Style and have an amazing day! 

xo

smash

*I'll let you know if they're actually pink. 

*beach image via