In just a few weeks, we are hopping on a seven-night Disney Cruise for a winter vacation. One of our favorite activities on board a cruise is a day trip at different ports of call. This is an opportunity to experience other cities and countries in just a one day experience. However, day trips can always be a challenge, especially in winter months. What should I wear? What should I bring? These are always questions roaming around in my head.
Today, I am going to share some ideas for staying warm on day trips. This could be a day trip at home or an adventure during your cruise or other longer vacation.
Invest in a Good Daypack
Let’s first start with a good day pack. For the Jones Family, we love backpacks. With our travels, we do invest in quality backpacks. A good backpack can make your day enjoyable or horrible, so your backpack should be comfortable and fit.
On a winter day trip, your backpack could be heavy by the end of the day, so you really have to make sure you take the time to get a good-fitting backpack.
Our favorite brand for daypacks is Osprey. We own several Osprey daypacks in our family. The kids and the adults use them on a regular basis. These daypacks are also super lightweight and can easily smush into a tiny ball to pack in your suitcase or purse.
As an extra bonus, the daypack will give you added warmth during your adventure.
Layers are Key
In Florida, a day trip could include several seasons. At 7 a.m., it can feel like winter, and then by noon, it’s like spring. I know this sounds weird, but this morning it was 47 degrees; by noon, the temperature had risen to 76 degrees. For most people, this is two different seasons. For us, it just all happens on one day. How do you prepare for a day like this?
It is pretty simple — layers! You want to wear layers that will keep you warm in the morning that you can shed throughout the day. Be sure you have enough layers that will keep you warm during the coldest part of your day. You also want to make sure the layers underneath are comfortable and something you could wear on its own.
You can then throw any layers that you shed throughout the day in your daypack.
Cold & Hot Beverages
During winter day trips, I pack a lot of water. Even in the winter months, you want to stay hydrated. I also pack hot chocolate in our Yeti cups. The cups keep beverages warm for hours. In the colder weather, having a break with a sip of hot chocolate can make your day. It warms you up a bit and brings a smile to everyone’s face!
Face Protection
On day trips, we often forget essentials, including protecting our faces from the sun or wind. We love Salt Armour Face Masks for face protection. They are so small that they can fit in your pocket. You can pull them out to wrap around your neck for extra warmth, and you can even pull them up over your nose for protection from the cold and wind.
For a recent trip, we went to a beach in North Florida. It was so windy and cold. We pulled out our face masks, pulled them up over our noses, and we were comfortable and warm in no time.
Hats & Gloves
You will always want to keep your fingers and head warm. For day trips, we often forget the hats and gloves, but be sure you still pack these winter items.
About a month ago, we had a day trip in Austria. We expected our day trip would be mostly hotel to bus to excursion. We did not think we needed our hats and gloves. Big mistake! We spent almost the entire day outside in the 37-degree weather. Bringing our hats and gloves would have helped us to keep warm during our adventure. These items are small and can fit in your day bag, so just bring them in case you need them.
I hope these tips help you plan for your day trips, and stay warm, too!
Do you have a favorite family day trip? Leave a comment; we would love to hear about it!
