All right you guys - I have something really exciting to announce! We have a new mini series!!! I have some amazing girlfriends - and they've been all over the world! Some of them travel like gypsies and some f them travel like princesses but all of them travel with style. Sometimes when I'm in the shower I start to plan my next 'epic voyage' - I think about where I would want to go and what I would pack...what kind of sassy outfits would be appropriate to pack...what would go in my carry on...you get the idea. Then I thought: I don't have to imagine this - I know people who are getting ready for their own epic voyages right now! So I sent a note to all the lovely ladies in my life asking three questions: 1. what are the top ten things you can't live without while abroad 2. what is your favorite travel memory / destination / experience and why 3. do you have any photos?! I also asked them to let me know if they had any specific favorites so that I could share a link. I'm really excited about this mini series and I've decided to call it Travelin' Tootisies featured on Tuesdays. Enjoy! Our first guest tootsie is Little Miss Sunshine. She is is a frequent commenter at Nautie MerMate and a much loved friend - definitely one of my go to girls. I've also just learned that she's way more practical than I realized...check out her 10 - so utilitarian - wow! I'm impresed!

Top 10 Must Haves:

1. Coin purse- I always carry a coin purse with me when traveling internationally so when I go out I place just my ID, money for the day and a credit card, less bulk and easy to stash.

2. Jewelry Bag- I like keeping my jewelry compartmentalized.

3. EO Hand Sanitizer (Lemon)- I need clean hands, especially when I’m using public transport hours on hand and need to snack!

4. Emergen C

5. Mini journal

6. Camera

7. Headlamp (seems kooky, but you have no idea how many times this has been a saver!)

8. My personalized first aid kit: I add items I know I want on hand when traveling anywhere outside my comfort zone for simplicity.

9. Guide book- I like to plan and when things go awry spontaneously, I can always ask a local, but I also like to have a guidebook on hand of any destination to check lodging, transportation, etc.

10. Rubber slippers- Multi purpose, to use in public showers or to let your feet relax, easy to clean and easy to pack.

Tulum, Mexico <-- I don’t have a personal photo, this was before digital camera’s and my album is south so I can’t scan a photo for you. I love this place and this was a special trip because it was my first solo and I decided to back pack it through the Yucatan & Quintana Roo for a week. Mexico is magical and Tulum is gorgeous! I made my way down to Tulum with a couple gals ironically I had met on Isla Mujeres and had a more than a few run-ins with prior to our departure to Tulum so we figured, we might as well travel together! Suffice to say it’s a small, small world, especially when traveling. Tulum is tranquil, pristine white sand beaches, piercing aqua blue waters and pleasant locals with warm hearts. Our room had no toilet seat, no pipe below the sink and certainly no distinction between shower space, just a drain in the middle of the floor, however it was ocean front and we were the only guests. The food along my trip was simplistic and filling, frijoles negros, arroz, plátano frito, pollo asado and homemade horchata. I toured the Mayan ruins of Tulum, snorkeled in a Cenote and finished off my trip at an Eco-Lodge. Every trip has mishaps and oddities and this week long excursion had its fill, Federales removing my “cab” drivers license plates and telling me to hail another cab in the middle of nowhere and a pack of angry tourists at the Eco-lodge who didn’t quite enjoy the morning wake up call at 4am of a pig being slaughtered for a fiesta-go figure. Why was this one of my favorite trips, cause it was holistic with experiences and memories, ripe with twenty-something independence!