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Thereโs nothยญing more relaxยญing than a beach vacaยญtion โ but it can be stressยญful if youโre not sure what to bring.Use our handy list below to make sure you donโt forยญget to pack anyยญthing that allows you to make the most of your trip and sit back, relax, and enjoy your seaยญside excursion.Our list includes items for both dayยญtime and night-time activยญiยญties and all the clasยญsic essenยญtials plus must-haves for conยญveยญniences in the digยญiยญtal age.
What Should I Pack for My Trip to the Beach?
1- Sunscreen
In both cold and hot weathยญer, sun expoยญsure can wreak havยญoc on your skin; and in all weathยญer conยญdiยญtions, some sunยญscreens wreak havยญoc on coral reefs.Itโs imporยญtant to choose sunยญscreens that are free of oxyยญbenยญzone, which, even in small amounts, can cause coral to break down. Most reef-safe sunยญscreen prodยญucts will say so on the label; you can also check the list of ingredients.While youโre checkยญing out sunยญscreens, also look for a broad-specยญtrum sunยญscreen, which proยญtects the two types of UV light: UVA and UVB. And when youโre pickยญing out the sun proยญtecยญtion facยญtor (SPF), go for 30 or higher.
2- Beach Bag
While out in the water or playยญing volยญleyยญball in the sand, you wonโt want to be worยญried about keepยญing an eye on your valuables.For that peace of mind, youโll probยญaยญbly want to leave your walยญlet or purse in the hotel room or the trunk or glove comยญpartยญment of your car; take what youโll need with you to the beach. Bring along a lightยญweight bag that has lots of room and can fold up easยญiยญly in your suitcase.Also, a good beach bag is made of a mateยญrยญiยญal that is easy to clean the sand out of and ideยญalยญly water-resisยญtant. Some even have coolยญer comยญpartยญments for your othยญer bevยญerยญages and snacks.
3- Cooler Bag
Instead of a traยญdiยญtionยญal coolยญer, you can choose a coolยญer bag, which is the more travยญel-friendยญly option.These bags proยญvide insuยญlaยญtion so you can reach in and crack open an ice-cold bevยญerยญage while out havยญing fun in the sun. Most coolยญer bags are made of fabยญric that resists the eleยญments and proยญvides cushยญionยญing from jostling.There is a range of options to best suit your indiยญvidยญual needs, whether you want to bring along a few drinks or are planยญning on an elabยญoยญrate picnic.An excelยญlent way to pack is to put whatยญevยญer youโll be eatยญing last on the botยญtom and what youโll be eatยญing first on the top. You can add a few chilled botยญtles of water on the top for easy access.
4- Waterproof Phone Case
Whether itโs using your phoneโs GPS to navยญiยญgate or pulling up your playlists to lisยญten to while sunยญbathing, your phone is going to be indisยญpensยญable to your beach vacaยญtion, and youโll want to make sure your phone stays safe and dry.To make sure your phone stays proยญtectยญed, be sure to keep it in a waterยญproof phone case.Even if you arenโt planยญning on going in the water, there will be spots where the sand is wet, and these casยญes proยญtect from the sand, too. Keep your phone proยญtectยญed, so youโre not left high and dry withยญout your phone!
5- Underwater Digital Camera
Whether youโre snorkelling, kayakยญing, or swimยญming, there are going to be many opporยญtuยญniยญties for underยญwaยญter snapยญshots that you wonโt be able to get with your phone.There are even underยญwaยญter digยญiยญtal camยญeras with audio, so you can tap into your inner Jacques Cousteau and creยญate fanยญtasยญtic footage of your vacaยญtion by the sea.There are sophisยญtiยญcatยญed modยญels for proยญfesยญsionยญal biolยญoยญgists and phoยญtogยญraยญphers but surยญprisยญingยญly affordยญable brands for the amaยญteur who is just interยญestยญed in casuยญalยญly phoยญtographยญing the mysยญteยญriยญous and beauยญtiยญful worlds of underยญwaยญter landscapes.
6- Beach Blanket or Mat
Youโll want a beach blanยญket or mat to fit everyยญone, with enough room for snacks. The simยญplest soluยญtion is to bring along a beach blanยญket, though they can someยญtimes be heavy to take along and can also accuยญmuยญlate sand.Why not go with a beach mat instead? Some are made out of paraยญchute mateยญrยญiยญal are excepยญtionยญalยญly durable, washยญable, and quick-drying.Theyโre also a breeze to pack and many feaยญture pockยญets and weightยญed corners.
7- Several Swimsuits per Person
Though you might have found the perยญfect swimยญsuit for your trip, itโs advisยญable to bring along a few extra.This way, you can always be sure to have a dry swimยญsuit on hand, as well as some variยญety โ since youโll be out in the sun most days. You might find yourยญself wantยญiยญng to have a few difยญferยญent options for what to wear, switchยญing between a bikiยญni and one-piece or board shorts and swim trunks.Keepยญing your options for swimwear open is easy enough, too, since swimยญsuits hardยญly weigh anyยญthing and are easy to pack.
8- Cover-Ups
Be sure to bring a few sumยญmer dressยญes, gauzy shirts, or sarongs to keep you shelยญtered from the wind and sun when youโre not swimยญming, playยญing sports, or sunbathing.A simยญple wrap like a sarong or even a lightยญweight scarf can do douยญble or even triple duty to proยญtect you from the eleยญments, serve as someยญthing to sit on or work as a fashยญion accessory. As with swimยญsuits, theyโre easy to pack, so bring along a few for variยญety and convenience.
9- Appropriate Footwear
Be preยญpared to wear flip-flops near and on the beach. Sneakยญers are fine for a jog along the water, but theyโll be hot and uncomยญfortยญable if youโre sand bathing.Mesh water shoes are ideยญal if you plan to walk around tideยญpools or along the waterยญline, where there are jagged rocks and shells.These shoes are great for swimยญming and hikยญing, too, and in addiยญtion to being very verยญsaยญtile, theyโre remarkยญably affordable. They also tend to tranยญsiยญtion betยญter than flip-flops to a restauยญrant atmosยญphere if youโre going directยญly to dinยญner after your day at the beach.
10- Wireless Headphone
What is a trip to the beach comยญplete withยญout some music? Itโs as easy as bringยญing along your phone so that you can play your music over wireยญless headยญphones.Small wireยญless modยญels can be surยญprisยญingยญly powยญerยญful despite their comยญpact size. And when packยญing for your beach vacaยญtion, go for a waterยญproof model.This way, if youโre planยญning on spendยญing any extendยญed amount of time at the pool or beach, you can be sure that you have music with you wherยญevยญer you go!
11- Portable Charger
Todayโs devices are sophisยญtiยญcatยญed and powยญerยญful and drain batยญterยญies fast. It might be an afterยญthought to make sure all your elecยญtronยญic accesยญsories like your phone, waterยญproof headยญphone, and digยญiยญtal camยญera are fulยญly charged. So bring along a portable chargยญer with you!Just conยญnect your device with a stanยญdard USB cable โ thereโs no need to waste time waitยญing around an elecยญtric socket.
12- Filtered Water bottle
Youโll be visยญitยญing difยญferยญent places and canโt always be sure that water will be availยญable or if the availยญable water will be free of conยญtยญaยญmยญiยญnants. To be on the safe side, carยญry along a filยญtered water bottle.Anothยญer advanยญtage is that stickยญing to just one botยญtle of your own. It is easยญiยญer on the enviยญronยญment than going through a bunch of botยญtles of water throughยญout the day.
13- Waterproof Bag
In addiยญtion to your beach bag, bring along a speยญcialยญly designed bag to keep items like your phone, magยญaยญzines, or spare clothes dry.Though youโre sure to have a beach bag and coolยญer, these might accuยญmuยญlate sand or moisยญture when you take items in and out. A waterยญproof dry bag is a necesยญsiยญty for more delยญiยญcate items like elecยญtronยญics and readยญing materials.
14- Rash Guard
If youโre planยญning on engagยญing in board sports, this is an absolute must. Theyโre comยญfortยญable and sleek and can be worn on their own or under a wetยญsuit.These shirts proยญtect wearยญers from rashยญes that can result from repeatยญed conยญtact with surfยญboards or booยญgie boards as well as UV rays.
15- Sunglasses and Hats
These tend to get lost, so โ as with swimยญsuits and covยญer-ups โ bring a few to be on the safe side. And of course, sunยญglassยญes and hats give you a lot of difยญferยญent posยญsiยญbilยญiยญties for your beachยญside selfies!Conยญsidยญer getยญting a sunยญglassยญes cord if youโll be parยญticยญiยญpatยญing in extreme sports or havยญing expenยญsive or preยญscripยญtion sunยญglassยญes that would be incredยญiยญbly inconยญveยญnient to lose. Hats should have broad brims to proยญvide full covยญerยญage and ideยญalยญly have a strap that you can adjust around the base of your head for a secure fit. Also, check out the sun proยญtecยญtion for your hats and sunglasses.
16- Light Reading Material
If youโve wantยญed to read War and Peace, this isnโt the time โ stick to lighter mateยญriยญals like magยญaยญzines and fun, light-heartยญed novยญels or short stories.To save on size and weight, load your readยญing onto a Kinยญdle or anothยญer portable eโreader, so youโre not lugยญging around a bunch of books or magazines.With most modยญels, you can keep it safe in a Zip-Lock bag when you go to the beach and actiยญvate the screen through the plasยญtic material.
Final thought!
So, there you have it, the ultiยญmate checkยญlist of what to pack for your next beach vacaยญtion. Donโt worยญry too much about what to pack; beachยญes are about fun, relaxยญation, and exploring!
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