Styled for Adventure with Base Girl Clair Marie

Travel and adventure are two things that fill my life with so much joy and happiness. And packing properly is the one thing that can truly make a trip one for the record books or one you want to end as quickly as possible.

Being a woman addicted to adventure and travel I have had my fair share of interesting and one of a kind experiences - positive and negative experiences - that I hope will one day help inspire and prepare others for their adventures. There is almost nothing as frustrating then arriving in a remote location, unpacking and realizing you forgot a critical component to making your adventure comfortable! 

Ok, maybe you do need one more bikini... ;)

Even the smallest of things can make the biggest impact on a trip. It truly can be the little things in life that make the biggest difference… like bug spray*.

When traveling anywhere it is a good idea to educate yourself on where you will be going, what the surroundings are, climate that time of year as well as what potential dangers you might face. All of these will dictate what you need to have stocked in your arsenal of personal belongings.

Each time I travel I make a list of the things I need to bring. I break my list down into different categories such as:

Personal care, Specialized equipment, camping gear, clothing/footwear/swimwear, electronic devices and accessories, Environmental protection… like bug spray*, First Aid equipment, food and last but not least sunscreen because let’s face it, unless you are going in a cave or traveling where the sun rarely comes out then you will want sunscreen!

No one category is more important than another. Each can be equally as valuable at different times and in different situations, it’s just about shaping your list to be as practical as possible for where your travels may be taking you. For example, don’t take camping gear if you have already made hotel reservations... ;) just kidding. But you know what I mean.

It can be just as easy to over prepare and over pack then it can be to forget or find yourself under prepared. Most people teeter on the edge of overweight bags yet not enough underwear… I mean, come on... do you really need to bring that extra bikini? Ok, yes you do, but definitely get rid of that extra pair of shoes you know you won't wear!

Now even with my amazing check list that I go over about 10 times before leaving, regardless of how prepared I think I am I always, without fail, forget to pack my toothbrush… Every time!!! which usually leaves me scrambling to buy one in airports or at convenience stores before going off the grid.

The jump!

Packing for travel is the single most important thing, besides buying your plane tickets and remembering your passport. So always remember to pack with enough time to make sure you have everything (just kidding, I always pack last minute) and to always, always bring bug spray.*

XOXO,
BASE Girl Clair Marie

*Over countless adventures and thousands of bug bites I have finally come to the realization that bug spray is sooo important. It can be the difference between a blissfully beautiful trip and a horrendous and utterly uncomfortable nightmare that you wish would just end. Unless of course you are one of the fortunate ones who mosquitoes don’t enjoy, in which case you are my enemy and I don’t want to travel with you! Itch cream is only second to remembering to bring bug spray! During my travels through south East Asia I was like a walking can of bug spray and itch cream and I can say those two things were the only things that kept me sane on that trip!!!

Under Pressure!

I spent last weekend checking the Fedex tracking details like a junkie. For those of you who don't know, our Neon Nights fabric got back-ordered after we'd already ordered it a couple weeks ago. Our delivery guy walked through our door Monday morning and I wanted to hug him. Neon Nights fabric is back!

A: Oh hey, Kristen, so it's here - I'm putting more stock online, ok?
K: Shoots me a dirty look.

Ok, I'm exaggerating here, but the truth is being on the customer service end of the business and never having sewn a day in my life, I really don't understand the half of what goes into the production of a bikini. Here's what went through Kristen's head when that fabric walked through the door.

K: (out loud)Yay it's here! Finally!
K: (internally) Oh crap. Panic. We need to make the largest batch of bikinis we've ever made! No you can't put them online! Are you crazy!

We've got to go through a lot of sweat and tears to make this batch of Kinis but I'm lucky we've got the best team to get the job done! TWO HUNDRED BIKINIS and then some to get all of our Pre-Orders filled and have some stock left over for anyone else who loves this Kini as much as we do!

I'm happy to announce the Neon Nights is cut out and going through production as we speak!

K: We're kicking ass girls!

And from all the KaiKini Wahines - thank you so much for your patience! We're working as hard as possible to get this bikini out there for you! Summer's just around the corner and we can't wait to see all of our bronzed beauties strutting their stuff in a new KaiKini!

Trash Talking

Believe it or not, living on an island surrounded by beautiful blue water and waves has its challenges. Aside from the obvious, (being disconnected from the mainland & family) we have to find innovative ways to handle other problems as well.

Trash. 

Where is it all supposed to go?

A lot of it ends up in landfills or washes down rivers to end up in our oceans. Truth is, the problem extends around the world, but becomes much more evident when you're living on an island. We all need to be more conscious of what we use, how we dispose of it, and ask ourselves - where will this end up - and when (if ever) will it break down? Which brings me to our main topic:

Plastic.

When I first moved to Kauai I thought it was a little strange plastic bags weren't readily available at every grocery store. It was paper, or you could buy a reusable bag at the checkout stand. It quickly became obvious once I realized there would be nowhere for this trash to go. I was shown the growing landfill out on the westside and was devastated to see it was no more than half a mile from the ocean. Oh, and the plastics? They can take hundreds if not thousands of years to break down. Ok. Got it. No more plastic bags. 

So what happens in other places that don't have restrictions on use of plastics? Have a look:

Images Courtesy of Bali Advisor

Above are some shocking images we received when Bali Advisor contacted us regarding the plastic problem in Bali. Every year monsoon rains wash plastics and other rubbish down to the oceans which in turn end up on Bali's beaches. This problem has been compounding over the years and campaigners are now gathering signatures to enforce a ban on plastic bags. Bali's governor has promised a ban will happen if one million signatures are gained. So what should you do?

First, join the KaiKini Wahines and sign the petition:

SIGN THE PETITION HERE

Second, read on below and learn more about the Plastic Problem:

WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP

Here's a few plastic facts from the Ecowatch website that really put things in perspective:

• In the Los Angeles area alone, 10 metric tons of plastic fragments—like grocery bags, straws and soda bottles—are carried into the Pacific Ocean every day.
• Enough plastic is thrown away each year to circle the earth four times.
• Annually approximately 500 billion plastic bags are used worldwide. More than one million bags are used every minute.
• One million sea birds and 100,000 marine mammals are killed annually from plastic in our oceans.
• Virtually every piece of plastic that was ever made still exists in some shape or form (with the exception of the small amount that has been incinerated).

We understand the ban on plastic bags is only the first step of a bigger change that needs to happen, but we would love for you to join us in spreading awareness. We're doing our part to keep Kauai and our oceans clean. In honor of Earth Day we gathered our extended family and organized a beach clean up! Thanks to all the volunteers here on Kauai & a big thank you to Bali Advisor for inspiring us to take action!

We lost our spark...

Call it luck. Call it fate. Call it the spirit of Kauai…whatever it was that brought us together sure had things right. I hope you’re lucky enough to work with people that inspire you, make you laugh and keep you motivated. We call ourselves the “KaiKini Wahines”. Maybe it isn't the best work practice to be such good friends with your employees, but I don’t care. It works for me. It works for us. These girls are like family to me.

The KaiKini Wahines: Andrea, Marina, Taryn, Kristen & Kim

There is a sense of trust between us that is the underlying basis for our success. We have weekly meetings so we can brainstorm and keep each other in check. Communication is key. Last year though, it got tough. Some pretty significant things happened. I was pregnant, had a baby, we moved from the studio behind my house to a huge warehouse in downtown Kapaa and immediately had a grand opening party and runway show. The girls took on a lot. I wasn't able to give the business my full attention and the girls picked up the slack. This was never discussed, they just made it happen. (A million “thank you’s” will never be enough to express the gratitude I feel towards these girls.) So by the end of the year, we were exhausted, a little burnt out and a lot needed to be said. We all worked really hard to get where we needed to be, but somewhere in the mix we lost that spark we had. The fun, the laughter, the bonding - it hadn't been happening. So after the new year we sat down, talked it out, cried it out, let everything that we had been holding back go. We learned that the head down, clench your fists and work through it method is not the way for us. 

It’s amazing what a good cry fest will do for a bunch of girls! Kristen and Marina are back to singing songs from their favorite Disney movies, Kim chimes in about her latest look on Covet, and I even caught a smile on Andrea’s face when she was counting inventory (her least favorite task). As for me, I’m happy that things are back to normal, but actually no, they’re not normal, they’re better than normal. We figured it out. We found the perfect balance of work and fun. Things get accomplished faster and with less mistakes; the anticipation for our crazy summer season is building and we are ready. Together we can do this. Together we create the magic that is KaiKini.

XOXO,

Taryn Mari'