Alison and I are setting off to the Bahamas tomorrow to celebrate her birthday in some warm weather. Now that people are slowly starting to travel again, I thought it would be a good time to go over my must haves when packing for vacation in a warm destination. A lot of these things are great ideas to take even for a beach day during the summer. When traveling to a tropical place or any location where you’ll spending time on a beach, I highly recommend all of the following items.
1. Reusable Water Bottle – Having a reusable water bottle to carry around with you when on vacation is super important to make sure you’re staying hydrated, especially in warm climates. I use my filtering Brita water bottle, which is linked in our “Current Must Have Products“ post. When staying at a resort, I’m not really concerned about my water, but it does make me feel even better when I’m drinking out of my filtered water bottle. Another great reusable bottle would be the Hydro Flask because it will keep the water you bring to the beach with you cold all day.
2. Sunscreen/Chapstick with SPF – These products are a given for obvious reasons. It’s important to bring face and body sun block. I use the Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Sunscreen for my face and body because it comes in 3 oz bottles. I always travel with just a carry on—I hate checking bags, so I only do it for trips longer than a week. With that, you can’t bring large bottles of sunscreen. Buying necessities at resorts or hotels is always ridiculously expensive so I always come with some sunscreen in 3 oz bottles, then supplement as needed throughout my stay. I don’t burn easily, but I always come prepared with SPF of 50 or higher for both my face and body. For chapstick with SPF in it, I love Nivea and Sun Bum Mineral Sunscreen Lip Balm. Both sunscreen and SPF chapstick are super important to reapply often and generously.
3. Bathing Suits/Coverups – Alison and I both had great luck with bathing suits at Target this season. The one's we've purchased so far and plan to bring with us on vacation are linked in our "Current Target Must Haves" post. Aerie is the other store that has really caught my with swim suits this season. My absolute favorite bathing suit I own is from Aerie and is linked in our "6 Spring and Summer Closet Staples" post. As for cover ups, Alison and I both bought these sarongs and love them! I also own this coverup that I bought from Amazon years ago and still absolutely love. Target also has a lot of great quality bathing suit coverups as well.
4. Flexible Beach Bag – My absolute favorite beach bag I've ever owned in from Target. It's linked in our "Current Target Must Haves" post. It's very affordable at only $40, is great quality, perfect size, and is absolutely adorable. The reason I suggest bringing a flexible or collapsible beach bag in your luggage for vacation is so you have something to take all of your things in when you go to the beach. This might sound super obvious but I actually have forgotten to do this in the past and had to make do with my back pack or purse. It makes it so much easier to have one bag to put your towels, speaker, book, etc. in every day.
5. Sun Hat – Even though not everyone is a hat person, I think a sun hat is a must have when spending long days on the beach. I find that I reach for my sun hat a lot more often than my sunglasses since it covers more of my face. I also prefer wearing sun hats when I'm reading in the sun because I squint a lot less. Aside from sun hats being practical, they're an easy way to add a little bit of flare to your beach look. I bought these sun hats from Amazon over two years ago and love them. They have definitely been used a lot over the years (have gotten wet on the beach, stuffed into luggage, etc.) and are still in great shape. I would highly recommend these!
6. Reading Material – This one speaks for itself. There is truly nothing better than getting lost in a page turner while on the beach. I just started 'What I Was Doing While You Were Breeding' by Kristin Newman. I'm not even half way through this book and can't get enough. I'll definitely finish this one on our first day of vacation. I highly recommend this book to anyone in their 20s or 30s. It's also a great read while traveling since it's a memoir about Kristin's life and how she travelled all over the world collecting experiences and memories and meeting new people in her 20s and 30s –how she focused on what she wanted to do and not what she felt like she "should" do based on society norms.
7. Sunglasses – This one is a given when spending time in the sun. My favorite brand of sunglasses aside from Ray-Ban is Sojos. Sojos sunglasses are so affordable, great quality, and adorable. We both own a ton of these sunglasses, but their Small Square Polarized frames are hands down my favorite! I prefer taking cheaper sunglasses with me on vacation so I don't run the risk of losing or damaging my Ray-Bans when travelling.
8. Speaker – I just bought this Musibaby bluetooth speaker and really like it so far. I'm honestly not a huge speaker person, I only use them at the beach. With that, I care about it being loud, waterproof, and having good battery life. This speaker was really cheap compared to Bose or the JBL Flip. I think the quality of the sound is definitely comparable so I rather spend less money on something that could very easily be damaged.
9. Cooling Facial Gel Mask or Mist – The best feeling after a long day in the sun, is a nice cooling mask or mist for your face. I always bring my Peter Thomas Roth Cucumber Gel Mask on vacation with me because it feels so good after a beach day. Another favorite that I love to bring on trips is the Mario Badescu Facial Mist with aloe, cucumber, and green tea. I love misting my face and chest with this spray when my skin gets a little pink. It is so calming and cooling. I go as far as pouring some of this into my own travel sized spray bottle since the smallest size it comes in is 4 oz (and by now we know I hate checking bags). Keeping these products in the refrigerator during your stay is the best thing you can do. It doubles the cooling feeling!
10. Little Bag of Tricks – Last but certainly not least. This item is hands down the most important in my opinion. I have a little black bag that is sand and water proof that I keep in my large beach bag. Again, whether I'm on the beach for a vacation or just the day, this is coming with me. I keep everything I could ever need in this bag so I can stay comfortable on the beach all day. There's nothing worse than not having what you need when trying to relax. I am a well seasoned beach goer so this little bag includes everything I've ever wished I had in past beach days. I keep Advil, eye drops, nose drops, sea sickness bands, ocean gel, bandaids, a nail file, tissues, face sunscreen, chapstick, quarters (for when you're forced to pay meters at the beach), allergy medicine, hair ties, clips, etc. You name it, it's in the bag of tricks. Get one, you won't regret it.
You are guaranteed a perfect day at the beach whether it’s for a week in the Caribbean or one day on the coast of Maine, if you’re equipped with this list. When packing for a vacation, of course there are other items to consider but to be honest, this list is the bulk of the one bag I am bring to the Bahamas. Another good tip is to make sure you plan your exact outfits before you pack. I know a lot of people like to have options, however, that usually makes it more difficult for me to decide if I pack a ton of pieces. I like planning out my outfits and packing exactly what I need—it keeps my packing light and then I don’t have to put any thought into what I’m going to wear once I’m in relaxation mode. I plan all my vacation outfits around basics so if I do feel the need to change my planned outfit, I still can mix and match the pieces I brought. Brings dresses and rompers are also the easiest way to make cute but simple outfits—they also barely take up any room in your suitcase.
Whether you’re preparing for your spring break or ramping up for summer, all of these products are must haves in my opinion. I spend the majority of the summer at the beach, and I can say I have gotten so much use out of all of these items. I’m always ready to go when it comes time for vacation too!
