Packing for Puerto Rico

Packing for Puerto Rico by wanderingbean featuring summer shorts

Party tank top / Laura Urbinati floral bandeau bikini, $270 / Summer shorts, $31 / Karen Millen high heel sandals / Talbots gladiator wedge sandals / Mulberry white handbag / BCBG Max Azria seed bead jewelry / Feather jewelry, $16 / NARS Cosmetics eyeshadow

When I taught my travel class this summer I confessed to my students that I am not a light packer. For a while I really wanted to be one of those people that could toss a pair of shorts, two t-shirts & a pair of sturdy shoes in a backpack, and be ready to travel around Europe for six months. However, I am not that kind of traveler. When I travel internationally I always use the exact same medium sized suitcase. When I travel in the U.S. I use a duffel bag. I pack the exact same amount of clothes in each, whether it's for a week or an entire summer. I can't help it. Variety is the spice of life, right?

Right now I'm having a lot of fun packing for Puerto Rico. We've got so much planned for this trip that I want clothes that are nice enough for beautiful dinners out on the beach, and things that will be light & airy for our days wandering around the rain forest of El Yunque.

Boston Favorites: Used Book Stores

One of my favorite things to do in a city is to browse around used book stores. In a city like Boston, the choices are overwhelming. It was Raven Used Books in Cambridge that stole my heart this trip. I walked away quite a few treats including a bunch of Nabokov books that will prove useful for comp exams.

Puerto Rico Countdown

My family vacation to Puerto Rico is less than a week away, and I'm practically exploding with excitement. As much as I love wandering around old cities in Europe, family beach vacations are pretty much at the top of my list as ways to spend large chunks of free time.

One of our biggest obsessions on vacations is jet skiing. It's not a real vacation until my mom is flying through the air after being tossed off of one. No matter how many times it happens, it's still hilarious. While my nephew is definitely too young to join in the jet skiing fun, I think he'll definitely enjoy watching that part of it.

Image via Moana Adventure Tours.

Summer Olympics

On Friday I said good-bye to all of my summer students from both programs. My Chinese students are already safely back in China from the emails I've been receiving from them.

The last few days were busy and fun. We had our own summer Olympics, and the students got so into them, and truth be told, so did I. Maybe a little too much. I may have yelled, "Take no prisoners!" during the tug-of-war.