Packing for Disney World / Dicas de como arrumar a mala para ir a Disney

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Nota: este post é bilíngue, a tradução para o português está logo abaixo.

Last week, I spent some amazing time at one of my favorite places: the Walt Disney World Park in Orlando, FL. This was my 4th trip to this resort, and the reason why I love it so much and keep coming back is because in 2004 I worked there as a Cast Member part of the International College Program that Disney offers. I worked there for two months in 2004/2005 and spent a lot of time enjoying the parks (for free).

So how cool is that, you'll now be getting tips on how to pack for your Disney trip from an actual (former) Cast Member.

Let's first analyze the kind of trip we'll be taking before we start packing.

1. Florida weather is typically warm, with mostly sunny days and a lot of humidity in the summer. In the winter, temperatures can sometimes get as low as 32F, but they mostly stay around 70F. This bag we are packing will be for the winter time, the best time to actually go to Disney (Late January and February are the off season, so you get better deals in hotels too).
2. Disney World has 4 main theme parks, but most people that go to Florida also visit Universal (2 parks) and other attractions (Sea World, Kennedy Space Center, Outlets and Malls, etc). What does that means? A lot of walking. The shoes you will bring will have to be the very comfortable kind, your most trustworthy pairs, and preferably nothing new or with heels (trust me, even if you are planning to do some partying at night while there, your feet will be so dead tired, you'll want those flats instead of heels to go out at night).
3. You might want to do some shopping while there (I did—but not for clothes!) so it's essential to have as much space as possible on your bag when you pack. Trust me, even if you're super cheap like Mike and I, you'll still end up picking a thing or other at the parks and come back with a full suitcase. So pack light.
4. I packed for a 5 day trip, but I was going for 10 days. I wanted to travel as light as possible, and took advantage of the nice winter weather to re-use shirts more than once. Also, I did not want to pay $25 dollars to check my baggage, so it was important that everything I was taking could fit on my carry on and still leave enough space for all my camera gear (I took 4 cameras ans 2 extra lenses—that takes a lot of space).
5. To maximize outfit combinations, I picked a neutral color (shades black) and then added two other accent colors (pink and red). This way, I could be sure that everything I had matched, and even though I only packed for a 5 day trip, I could still make 10 different combinations of outfits. 

With that in mind I started packing. One thing I like doing when I travel is separate my biggest and heaviest pieces (boots, jeans, winter jackets) and wear them on the plane. This way, I already freed up a lot of space on my bag, without missing essential items. So I flew wearing the jeans, my pair of hello kitty vans, two t-shirts overlaying each other, a sweater, a leather jacket and my big camera purse.

This is what went into the suitcase:

• Black shorts
• Gray mini-skirt 
• My most comfortable pair of black flats 
• Leopard-print scarf
• Thin gray sweater 
• My heart-print cardigan 
• Six basic tees (black, gray, tan, polka dots, and two striped shirts)
• Pink dress 
• Two tank tops (red and black)
• Four long sleeved shirts (two black, red, and chambray)
• Three necklaces 
• Beanie (didn't get used, but I wanted to make sure I wouldn't get cold!)
• Messenger bag 
• Tote bag 
• Wrist wallet 
• Black leggings 
• Black tights 
• Belt 
• Sunglasses 
• Socks, underwear
• PJs

Writing it down looks like a lot, but all of this, plus the boyfriend's clothes for 5 days (he travels even lighter than I do), and all our toiletries, fit comfortably into my carry-on luggage (his carry-on was pretty much empty, so we divided everything between the suitcases, and on the way back we used his for the stuff we bought and mine for the clothes).

Here are all ten looks I did with all the items I packed (to be completely honest, I forgot to make look of the day photos almost every day of the trip but days 2, 4, 5, and 9—I was having too much fun!):

So that's my travel style. I go for comfortable and simple, I choose the pieces that I know look good and make me feel good (although, I did regret taking the skirt, I only wore it once and it didn't look too good with the rest of the outfit).

You'll notice the bottoms get used a lot, since they don't get as dirty as tops usually do. It's pretty standard for me to pack only 2 to 3 bottoms (skirts/pants/shorts) when I travel, and I feel like this is the easiest way to maximize space on a bag (especially a carry on). Tops and accessories take very little space, so I can bring more of those, create more looks and have more options (I like options).

I also try to pack the least amount of shoes possible. Let's face it: you will end up only wearing one or two. The tip, actually, is a good one for anywhere you are going and you'll be walking a lot. Forget the heels, they will just take up space.

Now, if you are one of those crazy people that actually consider going to Disney World between March and October, I think those packing tips are still valid, but I leave all the winter stuff home with the exception of a light jacket —you never know with those ACs everywhere.

I'd love to hear your packing tips! Please share them with us on the comments, I'm always eager to pick up a few more tips for packing. My next travel might be just around the corner! Thanks for reading.

[PT]

Semana passada eu tive a oportunidade de passar alguns dias em um dos meus lugares preferidos: Walt Disney World em Orlando. Essa foi a minha 4a visita ao parque, e a razão de eu gostar tanto de lá é porque em 2004 eu trabalhai lá, participando do International College Program, um programa tipo de estágio em que você trabalha na Disney. Eu trabalhei lá por 2 meses em 2004/2005 e passei momentos incríveis, além de aproveitar o inverno da Flórida, que não é nada frio. Então, olha que beleza: as dicas de arrumação de mala hoje vêm de uma cast member! 

Leia o post completo em Português clicando aqui: 

Anita: Striped outfit for Sundance / Um look listrado para o Sundance

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Nota: este post é bilíngue, a tradução para o português está logo abaixo.

The theme this week is black, and I am giddy with excitement about it. Why? Because black is my go-to color, pretty much every day, especially on winter time. I'm an old subscriber of the mantra: "in doubt, wear black." But I added a few others to this: in doubt, when lazy, just in case, if you're not sure... wear black. (PS: Just caught this article on Style Nik about black making you look leaner and meaner —worth the read).

Lately, I've been getting a kick out of all black outfits  (like this, this, this and especially this one, but check out my Pinterest board for more). And that was my plan for this week's outfit, until... until I was overwhelmed by stripes!

Stripes are EVERYWHERE. Out of the 10 store newsletters I subscribe for, 8 had stripes in their emails this week. A quick walk in the mall (and I mean quick, 15 minutes in and out) let me face to face with one of the most inspiring window displays I've ever seen for Loft. My thought after this stripe-filled week? Thank goodness I got two striped shirts before the challenge started, because heck, apparently I'll need it. 

But hey, enough of other people's photos. You are here because you want to see how I styled this week's theme, black, and in this case, my stripped black look inspired by my stripes board that I posted up here. I wore the following outfit yesterday, up in Park City for the Sundance Film Festival. (Photos by LaurenJean Rice)

Boots: Wanted (seen here before) | Jeans: Zara | Striped Tee: Gap | Cardigan: Nordstrom Rack | 

Leather Jacket: Arden B | Beanie: Forever 21 | Necklace: Express

Stripes get a bad rep, i.e. "Horizontal stripes make you fat." I think that's bull. Knowing what kind of stripes look good on you, and how to wear them, and you can pass the stripe test. For example, thin stripes on long sleeve shirts and darker colors actually make me look thinner. That's why I was so giddy when I found this little number at Forever 21:

Shoes: MIA | Jeans, striped tee and necklace: Forever 21 | Leather Jacket: Arden B

Bonus: I fell in love with those boots at Olive & Tweed, but instead of buying them, I took a picture. It lasts longer. :)

[Português]

O tema da semana é preto, o que me deixa extremamente empolgada! Preto é a minha cor preferida, e eu a uso praticamente todo dia, especialmente no inverno, mas o meu verão vê bastante preto também. Meu lema sempre foi: "Na dúvida, vá de preto". Na real, o meu lema é um pouco mais comprido que isso... "Na dúvida, quando com preguiça, se você não tem certeza... vá de preto."

E nos últimos dias, eu também tenho curtido bastante looks pretos da cabeça aos pés. Tenho vários exemplos no meu Pinterest, passa lá pra dar uma olhada! O meu plano para essa semana era fazer isso, um look completamente preto. Mas aí... uma invasão de listras!

Tenho visto listras por TODO LADO! Dos 10 emails de lojas que recebi essa semana, 8 tinham roupas listradas neles! Uma passadinha rápida no shopping e eu passei por uma vitrine linda da Loft, cheinha de camisas listradas. Depois de tanta overdose de listras, dei graças a deus que comprei duas camisetinhas listradas (tava atrás faz tempo) antes do desafio começar! Tá na cara que estão com tudo esse ano. 

Mas vamos ao meu look do dia! Esse look eu usei para passear no festival de cinema Sundance, que acontece todos os anos em Park City!

E mais um look aqui, esse mais velhinho, do ano passado. Listras tem péssima fama, dizem que faz você parecer mais gorda. Mas eu acho que depende, tipo essa blusa de listras fininhas que eu achei na Forever 21, eu acho que até emagrece. Acho que é porque as listras são fininhas, a cor da camisa é escura, e tem manga comprida. Recomendo esse modelo para quem tá um pouquinho acima do peso (não estamos todas?).

Sapato: MIA | Jeans, camiseta e colar: Forever 21 | Jaqueta de couro: Arden B