You finally found the perfect swimsuit, now it is time to grab these must have items for your beach vacation and hit the road. Many are items you would expect, with a handful of great things you might not have considered. A beach vacation is a great fun way to spend time with your family. Soak up some Vitamin D while watching your kids build sand castles and chase each other around the sand.
Must Have Items For Your Beach Vacation
Sunscreen and aloe vera gel. This is obvious, but many people actually forget or choose not to pack it in their luggage. If you are traveling by plane and don’t want to check your luggage it makes sense to leave it at home and purchase at your destination. If you are taking a road trip, or your beach vacation is near your home then make sure to pack it with you other toiletries. Beach front shops will typically charged 50% more than what you can find in your local discount retail store. It may also be more difficult to find brands you like or that work for sensitive skin. Aloe vera may not be needed, but when you do find yourself sunburned you don’t want to wait to go find some in a store you’ve never been to before. Pack it for those just in case moments.
Hats, sunglasses and cover ups. Not only do you want to use sunscreen to protect your skin, you don’t want to forget to pack hats, sunglasses and bathing suit cover ups. These things are great for the afternoon walks, paddle boat rides or lazy days lounging in the sand. They add a bit more protection and can help your swimsuit go from beach wear to acceptable restaurant attire at a local seaside diner.
Fitted sheets. You may have seen this trick floating around the Internet already, but it is totally worth packing in your beach bag. A fitted sheet is the ultimate beach blanket. Simply place something on the inside of all four corners (cooler, chair, etc.) and it keeps the sheet on the ground and the lip from the fitted part of the sheet keeps the sand off your blanket. Then when it is time to go, you can just roll it back up into your bag. Super easy and a great large beach blanket that doesn’t take up much space.
A roller cart. There are these handy little carts in most office supply stores that are designed to carry paper boxes, computers and other office items around. They typically fold out into a little box that snaps together and have a handle that extends easily for quick use carrying things to and from the car. These are perfect for packing your beach supplies into. Everything from your towels to your drinks or umbrella can fit easily into one of these carts to roll right to your spot on the beach.
Cooler for drinks. One thing people don’t think about because they are going to be on the water is to bring water. Just because the outside of your body is hydrated with the lake, pool or ocean doesn’t mean the inside of your body is. If you are traveling from home, you can pack a cooler in your vehicle to use not only during your road trip, but also at the beach. Smaller coolers will work great to go inside your roller cart so you aren’t straining muscles carrying back and forth from car to beach.
Umbrellas. Everyone likes a little time in the sun when on vacation, but one must have item for your beach vacation is definitely an umbrella. Whether it is the standard small one you use for a rain shower, or the larger variety made just for use at the beach, an umbrella offers shade you really need to keep your skin protected and offer shade to cool things off from time to time.
Waterproof electronics cases. This one is one that is really important now more than it has been in the past. Everyone brings along their smart phone for pictures or their eReader to pass the time. Invest in high quality waterproof pouches to keep these safe from water. Splashes and drips can get inside and fry a phone in no time. Don’t take chances with your electronics while at the beach.
If you’re like us and heading to Wrightsville Beach in North Carolina, and you don’t want to take items with you, pop into one of the many surf shops, like Sweetwater, for the latest surf styles and gear. You can also look into renting paddleboards, kayaks, surfboards and bikes from local retailers like: Carolina PaddleBoard Co., Wrightsville Kayak Company, WB Surf Camp and SurfBerry. We’ll be driving, so we have a bit of room in the van to bring our beach gear with us!
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