The following is a guest post by Pamela MacNaughtan. See all packing list posts here.
When you’re traveling, clothing and safety go hand in hand. Especially for those of us who have ginormous boobies. The size of your bodacious rack will draw attention no matter what you wear, but you can control (somewhat) the type of reactions you receive.
When you’re thinking about what to pack for your next big adventure, remember to think with your brain, and not with your bra. The saying ‘If you’ve got it, flaunt it’, should probably not come into play. In other words, there should be some semblance of modesty. I’m not saying you need to pack like you’re an amish girl on her first holiday. That’s not it. I am saying that your travel attire probably shouldn’t be an exact replica of Pamela Anderson’s wardrobe.
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Bras – As a girl with ginormous boobs it is vital to remember to bring extra bras when you travel. Buying bras in your size is going to be next to impossible in most countries, so carrying 3-4 is ideal; think of the dreaded strap break. Boobies falling out. Yikes! (WonderBra wears well, and generally fits well. Think function when you travel, not seductress)
Sports Bras – Most of us ginormous-boobie-girls swear by wearing sports bras over our normal bra, in an effort to keep our girls in line. Make sure you pack 2-3. Sports bras can be rather hard to find in large sizes.
Pashmina – If you’re traveling in a highly religious country, you’ll need to cover up when you visit holy sites (and sometimes when your just walking around).
Suntan Oil – I know, you’re confused. Suntan oil is slippery. If you’re wearing it and someone grabs your arm, you should be able to wiggle free. But please, don’t oil yourself down like you’re a human slip n’ slide. Please, dear God, don’t do that.
Loud Whistle – This is a safety item as well. You have ginormous boobs. Men (and in my case, old Chinese women) will try to grab your boobs on occasion. Sometimes you can get rid of them by yelling at them loudly, other times a whistle will come in handy.
Extra T-shirts – You may have luck finding t-shirts that fit, depending on where you are. Pack a couple extras, just in case.
Sewing Kit – This should be somewhat obvious.
Safety Pins – If your bra strap snaps, the safety pins will come in handy!
Small ziploc bags – I carry a lot of stuff in my bra, including a phone. Put your phone in the plastic bag, then put it in your bra. Perspiration and phones are not friends.
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Here’s the thing. Your boobies are fabulous. You know it, and probably every freaking person who meets you knows it. As a girl with ginormous boobs you probably know a thing or two about how to keep yourself safe (man, do I hope you know how to do that), and how the way you dress can effect your safety; not to mention the importance of respecting the culture of the country you’re in.
Think of where you’re going. Pack for comfort. Be respectful. Remember that finding bras and clothing that fits will be hard. Buy higher quality items (they wear better) and pack a couple extra pieces.
>> Get more insight into traveling as a girl with ginormous boobs on Pam’s blog.
About Pamela MacNaughtan: Writer. Blogger. Solo Traveler. Photographer. Troublemaker. Bacon-addict. In 2010 Pamela left her retail management career to pursue her dream of traveling long term, and hasn’t looked back since. Pamela is attracted to strange, odd, unique, or crazy experiences. Pamela has toured working brothels, and driven from Prague, Czech Republic to Ashgabat, Turkmenistan. When Pamela is not writing for Travel and Escape, you can find her adventures on her blog savoirfaireabroad.com.
I’ve been “weighted down” with this problem for a while! I love the tip about taking extra T-shirts/tops. Once you find a brand that works for you, you stick with it! I just did a recent blog post about the pitfalls of travelling as a big busted gal if you like to check it out: http://www.turnipseedtravel.com/1/post/2012/12/travel-and-bust.html
Thanks! Keep up the great work!
I don’t have GINORMOUS boobies, but I did. I am now between a C and D. I was in Thailand trying to find a few shirts to buy, as I only brought 1 (yeah I know…stupid). Even the XL were too small in the chest area. It was like the armpit One day I drove past a shop with larger than normal mannequins. It was a plus size store….yes!
So my advice is make sure you bring enough clothes and if you didn’t try to search out the towns plus size store, even if their brand names are “fat girl”…literally.
Oh my goodness what a nightmare! I once was shocked when trying to buy underwear in an Asian country and discovering that I needed an XXL, the largest size they had and still having them be quite snug. Non-Asian women with curvier bodies do not do well with clothing in those countries!
You are not alone- curvy Asian girls struggle as well! For us, going abroad is a shopping bonanza in reasonably sized clothing.
I’ll never forget being measured for a traditional dress in Africa and the tailor said “Whoa, you’re very big” when he measured my chest. Not in an inapproprate way. More in a “Don’t blame me if it doesn’t turn out as clearly no one around here is built like you, you look like a lactating ox’ kinda of way.
I can imagine it would be even worse in super-petit Asia. Be prepared! And be well supported!
Aw haha, sorry your description is hilarious 😉
I never got use to being called ‘Big Mama’ when I walked around in Africa. They didn’t mean anything by it, and it was hard to remind myself of that at times. Totally understand your dress dilema!
Always want to tell women about two sites that sell amazing (nice looking, feeling and fitting) bras for larger breasts. Cacique which is through lane bryant (http://www.cacique.com) and Moving Comfort for sports bras (http://www.movingcomfort.com). With these bras I only have to wear one(!!!) for running soccer, jumping jacks…you name it, and they are comfortable too. I wear a DDD, trust me these are great!
Thanks for such great advice for traveling in country!
I was wondering if you have any tips on how to pack a bunch of bras into a tiny suitcase?
I am moving abroad, to South Korea, and know I will never be able to find my bra size (40G) in country. And international shipping once in country is crazy…
So do you know any tips/tricks on how to pack padded bras so they are not damaged??
Thanks so much! 🙂
Hi Katie – Have you seen the Bra Cup? https://herpackinglist.com/2013/04/cupcase-review/
I’m not sure on the size of those cups in relation to your 40G bras, so check with the company. Otherwise, I might get a small sturdy box that I can put the bras into during transit until getting to South Korea. I know it will take up precious luggage space, but if you are concerned with them maintaining their shape, this might be important.
Please don’t carry your cell phone in your bra. They give off radiation, even when not in use and can cause changes in your tissue resulting in cancer.
I had a major problem finding bras that fit my 32G frame. I was wearing the wrong size and had a lot of shoulder pain and issues with bouncing. I finally visited Intimacy and had a “holistic” bra fitting. Now I don’t bounce when wearing normal bras, and my sports bras are SUPER supportive. I was wearing Moving Comfort, but they didn’t make a big enough size, and I ended up with bleeding breasts and deep scarring.
For a really good fitting sports bra try Panache. They’re 20$ more than most other underwire bras, but I avoided shoulder surgery because of it.
Happy Boobies! 🙂
I would also recommend that you not forget the cornstarch powder to apply under the ginormous boobies. Nothing can ruin a trip faster then a heat rash under the boobs! I also recommend a plain white handkerchief or two that you can tuck under your bra band in case you still get a rash or find yourself sweating excessively.
Two more things I’ve noticed about having larger-than-normal boobs while traveling:
In places where modesty is crucial, try not to bring any cross-body bags. I hadn’t even thought about this because usually I don’t usually wear them, but I ended up carrying one for a friend through Amritsar, India and I have never had to fend off so many young men “accidentally” brushing against my boobs. I realized about halfway home that the cross strap was the issue, pushing my scarf and shirt into a channel between my boobs and adding a lot of definition there. Once I changed the bag to just hanging on one side of body, the harassment immediately diminished.
As mentioned in the article above, scarves are great for curvy girls! You have a LOT more options for shirts if you are going to drape a scarf over the top, especially if you have had to back for multiple climates/cultures in one trip. In hot places where you don’t want the added warmth of a scarf, put the middle of a rectangular scarf over your boobs and drape the ends over your shoulders. This leaves the back of the neck uncovered and provides what is essentially a censor bar of fabric across your chest.
I got a wonderful LOL from this post. My iced tea even burbled from my nose. I’m sporting a nice rack of DDD’s on a small frame, and just found a lovely black, v neck, long sleeve tee that has pretty cutouts along the v neckline. Nothing obvious or slutty. It looks really nice and slimming. I went to put on a red shirt as a topper and oy vey(!) my boobs no longer looked slim. Black on its own was better. So I ditched the topper and just draped a red scarf around my neck with a loose knot below the boob line. The vertical line worked.
This is why I only wear my backpacks with one strap over one arm or the other, never two at the same time. I even rethread the straps to the opposite side to make them easier to wear, one-armed. The joy of ginormous boobs!
It can also be a hassle to find backpacks to fit, as the chest strap digs in. Always look for one with an adjuatable chest strap, if you use them.
Also, bring a lingerie bag for washing. Same deal as bringing several bras – last thing you want is for your awesomely comfy bra to get mangled in a washing machine (if you use them) and be left with fewer bras to choose from.
And extender straps!! Can’t always find these either. I always bring several.