Travel light!

North Captiva Island is a laid-back kind of place to land and you’ll be traveling here by water ferry, so the smaller and lighter your luggage the better (shoot for a carry-on and favorite beachy tote/purse/backpack.) Years of travel to these magnificent islands have helped me figure out the true island essentials: packing a couple of pair of shorts, some tops, a light jacket for sunrise/sunset breezes, comfy capris, maybe a sundress, flip flops, water shoes, (note: Solace provides lightweight pull-on water shoes from sizes 5-10, you need only bring a pair of your own if there’s a certain style or arch support that you prefer) and a couple of swimsuits. That’s it.

Translation: you’ll see me wearing the same thing again and again during the week. Solace-wear is up to you. If you’d like to kick it up a notch, have at it. If this is one of the few weeks that you can bum around in the uber casual wear you love, do just that. Trust me, no one among us will be keeping track. And, if you plan on being in a bathing suit from sunrise to sunset every day, well, now you’re talking true Solace!

Please note: If you are particularly fair-skinned, or have not seen the sun for a while, we strongly advise the purchase of a UVA sun protection shirt, cover, and/or capris. Let your melanin be your guide. You can purchase inexpensive items here. And, find a bit more fashionista choices here. This item purchase will save you a lot of potential sunburn/sun allergy pain, lost time at the beach, or pool, and physical discomfort as you slather on the cooling aloe vera blue goop of sunburn doom. (Of which we have plenty!)

That’s about it, truly. And remember we’ll have a washer and dryer and plenty of room for drying out items in the sun.

A Few More Items to Bring:
~ A wide-brim sunhat, cap, or visor. The sun can be formidable even in October.
~ Not-so-favorite sunglasses. It’s the beach, you may very well lose them, or reach for a sea shell and have them fall off your face into the tide. Not that I know anything about that, of course.
~ If you have a Bible, bring it or pull one up on your smartphone. (If you don’t own one we’ll have extra.)
~ Books, Kindle, or e-reader.
~ Cash. Credit card(s): for personal shopping, our one dinner out on the Island, and/or excursions and experiences of your choice not covered by Solace Gathering.