Are you taking a trip to a beach destination? Well, knowing what to pack for a beach vacation is half the battle. In this article we’ll look at 21 things you may want to pack for your beach vacation. This should help you get organized before your trip.
We’ll look at:
- packing cubes
- beach towel chairs
- funky beach towels
- things to entertain ourselves at the beach
- and more…
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21 ideas for What to pack for a beach vacation
What you bring on a beach vacation depends on several factors such as are you driving there or flying? Does your hotel or resort have beach amenities for you? (For instance, does your hotel have beach towels for you to use?)
Below is a list of items to help make your beach vacation an enjoyable one.
It isn’t an all-inclusive list, but it’ll get you thinking!!
1) Packing Cubes (to get your luggage organized)
Packing cubes like this set from Shacke Pak help you get your luggage organized. It comes with 4 packing cubes and one laundry bag.
My sister recently told me about packing cubes…she said they’re so helpful. I haven’t used them yet but I think they could be a good way to get your clothes organized. You’ll easily be able to separate your clothes and make it easier to pack.
Plus, once you get to your destination you can use the individual cubes to help bring stuff to the beach.
It is cool that this set has a laundry bag too, so you can separate your dirty clothes from clean.
2) Beach Towel Clips (aka Boca Clips)
These beach towel clips by O2Cool are shown clipping a towel to a chair, but they are very versatile. (They are also called boca clips.)
You can basically use them anywhere you need a clip. Such as to clip a bag of snacks so beach sand doesn’t get in them. Nobody likes the gritty feel of sand when you’re expecting a chip or cracker!
It can get windy at most beaches. It’s annoying when you’re out in the water and your towel blows onto someone’s picnic! Not fun.
These clips would help prevent those uncomfortable situations.
And you can use these boca clips to hang your wet towels from your balcony railing when you get back to your hotel.
And if you don’t want these parrot clips, there are lots of different and cute beach towelw clips.
3) Quick dry beach towel
The towel shown above is made by “Dock & Bay.” They claim these towels can dry three times faster than standard towels.
Plus, a huge bonus is they say sand won’t stick to it. So your car won’t look like desert sandstorm blew threw it.
These are popular towels to bring on a beach vacation.
Don’t like this “Bohemian Free Spirit” design…don’t worry they have lots of other designs.
4) Funky Beach Towels
The towel shown above seems awesome…but maybe a little plain for your tastes?
If so, there are A LOT OF FUNKY BEACH TOWELS out there now.
Below are some unique beach towels that caught my eye on Amazon.
1. The Rainbow Beach Towel
If being at the beach makes you feel like you’re floating on a cloud, then this rainbow beach towel is perfect for you.
This is a popular beach towel made by BigMouth Inc, and is available on Amazon.
2. The Donut Beach Towel
Isn’t this a “sweet” looking towel. This donut towel has a diameter of almost 5-feet across (59-inches).
I’ve noticed this towel goes on sale sometimes…
3. Cupcake Beach Towel / Beach Blanket
This big cupcake beach towel made by BigMouth Inc is 5-feet wide and 5-feet high. (At what point does a beach towel become a beach blanket??)
This soft towel is sure to get some looks at the beach.
4. Round Boho Beach Towel
This towel has a totally different vibe than the ones shown above but it’s so awesome looking…so different than the standard rectangular towel!
Click here for more details on this Boho beach towel.
5) A good Beach Bag
It is awesome having a bunch of cool beach gear, but it’s not much use if you can’t get it out your car or condo.
So above is mesh beach bag that allows sand to drop through while keeping all your items nicely organized. The downside to bags like this though, is that when you place them down on the sand, it means the items in the very bottom touch the sand. I guess just keep that in mind.
And when it is empty, it’ll fold up to place inside your suitcase.
6) Inflatable Air Lounger (cozy beach lounger)
I haven’t actually seen one of these in real life yet, but they look pretty cool. You get air into it by whipping it around in the air.
What I’m not sure about is, does it blow away in the wind if you’re out in the water? I guess you could throw some of your stuff on it to weigh it down.
Pretty funky.
7) RFID Blocking Sleeves for Passport and Credit Cards
If you are travelling it is important to stay protected against electronic theft (as well as physical theft). You should look into protective sleeves like the ones shown above by Boxiki Travel to help you keep your money in the bank and identity belonging to you and you alone.
This particular set comes with 12 RFID blocking sleeves for credit cards, and 3 sleeves for passports.
8) Kindle Oasis or another E-reader
iPads, iPhones and other smart devices are incredibly popular, but they are a pain in the eyes to try and read in sunlight. The glare can limit their ability in the bright light. According to this article from Lifewire you are better off getting an e-reader that has E-ink display instead of an LCD display.
Examples given include the Amazon family of Kindle e-readers.
The Kindle Oasis has the e-ink display and has a 7-inch screen.
And it’s perfect for the beach because it is waterproof. So if someone bumps you on the beach you won’t have to worry about your Kindle following into the surf.
And you won’t have to worry about having to rush back to your hotel room to charge it because the charge lasts weeks, not hours. Imagine the reading you’ll be able to get in on your vacation!
Storage: comes in either 8GB size or 32GB size so you’ll be able to store a lot of books on there.
And to download new books it has Wi-Fi connectivity, so if you finish one book off you can download a new one from Wi-Fi without having to plug it into your laptop. Plus, you can even listen to audiobooks on this Kindle.
Does the idea of relaxing and reading on your vacation sound amazing to you?
Want a Free Audiobook? Check out an Audible Free Trial.
9) Quality stainless steel water bottle
Staying hydrated at the beach is very important. When you’re having fun and playing around on a hot day you don’t realize how much water you are losing.
To combat that you should keep some nice, cool drinking water by your side.
If you don’t already have one, get an insulated stainless steel water bottle like this one to help keep your water cold.
You can use it to keep your coffee hot in the morning and drinks cold at the beach in the afternoon.
Don’t like this turquoise color?
Check out the other color options.
10) Portable Solar Charger for Smart Phones and Devices
We usually go to the beach in my home town, so I don’t have far to travel to get back home. But if you are going to be off-grid or away from a power outlet then you may want to look into something like the solar charger shown above.
I haven’t tried this product from ADDTOP personally, but it looks very interesting. It has the 4 solar panels that can be folded up into a package not much bigger than the average smart phone. So it won’t take up a lot of room in your luggage or beach bag.
You can charge it up at your hotel, and then use solar to top up the batteries while at the beach.
11) Wireless Headphones or Earbuds
Just listening to Bob Marley makes me think of the beach, and I’d like nothing more than to be sitting on a beach right now listening to some Marley.
But I realize not everyone wants to hear my music. (And I don’t want to hear everyone else’s either!)
So that’s why I decided to have wireless headphones here and not wireless speakers.
There are lots of options on the market such as AirPods for Apple devices, Samsung Galaxy Buds, or less expensive options such as the TOZO T6 wireless earbuds.
And earbuds are nice to listen to podcasts and audiobooks too.
12) Ear Plugs
Getting a good sleep is important.
And this isn’t as “fun” as the other items on this list, but if you’re staying at a motel or hotel that you’ve never been to before, it is a good idea to bring along some ear plugs.
13) Beach Sarong or other Bathing Suite Coverup
This sarong from the company “Back from Bali” measures 67-inches by 45-inches.
And they have lots of other designs too. So if you want a quick way to cover up after the beach, check these out.
Plus, don’t forget your:
14) Sunscreen (coral safe sunscreen providing both UVA and UVB protection)
15) Hat (important to protect your ears…plus, many people forget to put sunscreen on their ears and as a pharmacist I saw many people treating pre-cancerous sun spots on their ears)
16) Waterproof cell phone pouch
17) Lip moisturizer (with UV protection…especially important if you are prone to cold sores)
18) Sun shade of some sort (beach umbrella, tie-up sun shades, etc…) – your hotel may have these already
19) Soft-sided cooler to keep your snacks cool and sand-free
20) Beach chairs (we have ones from Costco that fold up, have straps like a backpack, and zip-up pockets for storage…they are great chairs. But if you’re flying somewhere you probably don’t have room for this.)
21) Sand toys for the kids (or let them use their imagination and collect beach items to use as tools)
I’m sure there are other things I’m forgetting…but this is enough to get your thinking about what you’ll bring on your beach vacation.
If I’m forgetting your favorite beach item, put it in the comments below.
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