PACKING FOR OAHU: DON'T FORGET YOUR...

1. SUN HAT Tanning used to be one of my favorite guilty pleasures, but I gave it up in college so that I won't look like an old leather bag by the time I'm 40. Now, I wear sunscreen and try to keep my face, neck, and chest shaded whenever I'm at the beach or pool. This hat definitely made an appearance in most of my pics.

2. SWIMSUITS I bought an adorable swimsuit from JCrew, but shipping was delayed and it arrived at my front door about the same time I was landing in Oahu. I thought it would be easy to buy a suit in Wakiki, but all the beachwear shops seemed to carry the same half-dozen swimsuits...in sizes XL or XXS only. I finally snagged this suit at the Victoria's Secret in Waikiki, but even they had slim pickings. Moral of the story - if you're picky about swimwear or have a hard-to-fit figure, start swimsuit shopping well in advance and don't count on finding something you love on the island.

3. SELF-TANNER I have tried just about every tanning lotion under the sun, and this is my hands-down fav. I can even wear it to bed without complaints from my husband, who usually banishes me to another room because he hates the smell of self-tanner so much. Also, it's easy to apply, didn't make me break out, and turned my skin noticeably darker. Win, win, and win.

4. GO PRO We had so much fun with our Go Pro. Even if you're not doing anything super daring (we certainly didn't) it's nice to have a camera you can take to the beach without fear of ruining it. Make sure to get the LCD screen so you can see what you're filming!

5. OAHU REVEALED The must-have book for any Hawaii vacation. We loved Kauaii Revealed for our honeymoon and got just as much use out of Oahu Revealed. This book will tell you everything you need to know, from how to get to secret beaches to where to find the best shave ice (Matsumoto's!)

6. SUNSCREEN Save yourself tons of money and stock up on beach essentials at home. The sun screen you can get for $7 at bottle at Target is going to cost twice that in Waikiki. It's a pain to fit them in your suitcase, but you're left with lots of extra room for souvenirs on the way home.