This Saturday, the Traveling DINKs leave for a week on Cat Island. 48 miles long and 4 miles wide and home to just a few thousand people, Cat Island is a pretty quiet place. Although there are a few small resorts, there are no five-star restaurants on Cat Island, nor are there grocery stores of the ilk we are used to frequenting. We are not going to Cat Island to eat (our recent trip to New York covered that!). We are going to relax, gaze out at the ocean (maybe swim and kayak in it occasionally), and take some great hikes and beach walks. However, we do need to eat and although we will get some basics at the grocery stores on the island, we want to have some basics available for the first few meals and we also may want a few items we might not find on Cat. Our trip to another out island Eleuthera a few year ago left us with some good tips on how to fly with food:
1. Pack lightly. If you need to bring food, be careful on weight limits. Check your airline to see what the maximum weight can be and go easy on the other items in your bags. (Do you really need two jackets when one will work?) Choosing light foods--oatmeal, pasta, cereals--are also smart choices.
2. Know the rules. Carry-on food must be liquid free. For food items you are checking in luggage and you are flying internationally, be sure you do the research to ensure you are allowed to bring the food items into that country. Most governments have helpful custom sites with this information. If you are going to a resort or renting a house, you can also seek that information from those sources.
3. Know what's already there. We queried the caretaker to learn that salt/pepper and coffee filters are all provided. We also know there are several shops are available. When we traveled to Symi this past summer, we knew there were larger grocery stores because that island enjoys a daytripping population, so the need to pack food wasn't so important.
4. Understand you aren't at home. I am probably going to have to forgo my FAGE Greek yogurt next week. I doubt I'll have good berries or salmon while on Cat Island. But realizing you are privileged to visit a special place like Cat Island and that you are NOT at home are important reminders. You eat differently when you travel and well, that's okay.
Wish us luck as we start to pack up our loot, here are some items we are definitely bring (if you're curious):
1. Ground coffee
2. Boxed wine (oh yeah!)
3. Pasta and rice
4. Granola
5. Instant oatmeal packets
6. Canned tomatoes, beans, soup
7. Peanuts
8. Several Trader Joe's packaged meals (Indian Chole, etc.)
1. Pack lightly. If you need to bring food, be careful on weight limits. Check your airline to see what the maximum weight can be and go easy on the other items in your bags. (Do you really need two jackets when one will work?) Choosing light foods--oatmeal, pasta, cereals--are also smart choices.
2. Know the rules. Carry-on food must be liquid free. For food items you are checking in luggage and you are flying internationally, be sure you do the research to ensure you are allowed to bring the food items into that country. Most governments have helpful custom sites with this information. If you are going to a resort or renting a house, you can also seek that information from those sources.
3. Know what's already there. We queried the caretaker to learn that salt/pepper and coffee filters are all provided. We also know there are several shops are available. When we traveled to Symi this past summer, we knew there were larger grocery stores because that island enjoys a daytripping population, so the need to pack food wasn't so important.
4. Understand you aren't at home. I am probably going to have to forgo my FAGE Greek yogurt next week. I doubt I'll have good berries or salmon while on Cat Island. But realizing you are privileged to visit a special place like Cat Island and that you are NOT at home are important reminders. You eat differently when you travel and well, that's okay.
Wish us luck as we start to pack up our loot, here are some items we are definitely bring (if you're curious):
1. Ground coffee
2. Boxed wine (oh yeah!)
3. Pasta and rice
4. Granola
5. Instant oatmeal packets
6. Canned tomatoes, beans, soup
7. Peanuts
8. Several Trader Joe's packaged meals (Indian Chole, etc.)
