When the temps heat up, the dresses come out, and they pretty much stay out til Summer is gone, lol. We recently took a family trip down to Gulf Shores for a long weekend getaway, and I knew I’d live in nothing but dresses while we were there.

I am obsessed with this short sleeve ruffle hem dress. So much so that I actually own this in THREE (yes 3!) colors. When you find a silhouette that you love, get it in as many colors as you can before it sells out!

I paired it with my fave boater hat, neutral sandals, and a cutesy little raffia circle bag that I found at TJMaxx. The coral color is soooo pretty, and I like how it helps enhance the little tan that I was able to get (seriously, it’s so hard for me tan, yet my mom was out the same amount of time and achieved the most golden tan). I like that I can style this dress with casual sandals, sneakers, and even high heels and each accessory pairing will give it a different vibe. If you see me out and about in this dress multiple times, mind your business! ha!

Speaking of vibes, being able to leave Memphis for a few hours to frolic in the sea was so so needed! It’s been 2 years since I’ve set my toes into the sand, and with Covid going on we had to be really really careful in order to make this trip happen. If you’re getting cabin fever and want to SAFELY get away for even just the weekend, here are a few tips:

Enjoy the great outdoors
We chose to go to the beach because we wanted to be near the water, and we also knew that if we needed to be outdoors, it would feel much safer being at a private beach house across the street from the ocean vs. being in a largely populated city. If we were really outdoorsy people we could possibly take a camping trip somewhere since we’d be isolated as a family but I’ve personally watched too many horror stories so idk if I could make that happen, lol.

Keep your travel time short
A trip that takes 3-6 hours by car or 2-3 hours MAX by plain is going to be your safest bet IMO. We’re only a few hours away from Gulf Shore/Orange Beach, so it’s an easy, shortish drive from Memphis. We were in 2 vehicles, only made 1 stop each way to get gas, and we also took groceries down as well to limit how often we’d have to leave the house we were renting.

Be a germaphobe
Before we even unpacked our vehicles, we Lysol’d the hell out of the house and did a quick wipe down with Clorox Wipes. This is something that my sister-in-law has always done whenever we traveled, so we didn’t feel like we were being overly cautious when we got there. Yes, they clean the place before you arrive, but just for peace of mind, have Lysol, hand sanitizer, soap, wipes and whatever else you can use to clean with you so that you know your space is as safe as possible. And don’t forget your masks!

Plan ahead to take down what you can
2 days before we left, my SIL called and asked us what type of food/snacks did we like so that she could go to the market before we left. She made a soft itinerary for us regarding meals so that we only needed to get food elsewhere on the day that we arrived (we couldn’t check in for a few hours), and our second day there (we ordered takeout because we seemed to be the only people wearing masks and taking precautions while out). Outside of when we walked down to the beach, we didn’t socialize with other people. We stayed to ourselves and even packed up one day when it seemed like the beach was starting to get crowded.

All in all, we had a great time and felt safe, so I would recommend going to the beach if you feel like you really need to get away, and you know that you can do it safely as well. Common sense should come into play no matter where you decide to go so that you can keep yourself and others safe.

What’s your travel style?

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