10 Essential Items You Need for the Beach

As a chronic over-packer, there isn’t much I forget when going on vacation. The list of “things-to-pack” grows exponentially, but when it boils down to it, these are the 10 essential items you need for the beach. 

Beach Vacation Essentials

 

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One. A beach blanket. It’s essential to have one that is spacious enough for more than one person and has a weave to it that won’t trap sand forever. I’m a huge fan of a Mexican Serape for the beach like this one. 

Two. A beach umbrella. I could go on for two paragraphs about how you “get what you pay for” but none proves that statement truer than with a beach umbrella. If you don’t plan on drilling a hole in the sand with an electric drill, a sturdy metal pole with a sharp end will be all that you need. That’s why I love (have tested and approved) this umbrella from Bed, Bath & Beyond. 

Three. A wicker beach bag. Wicker (rattan and atta) have blown up in the e-commerce world this year besides just for its trendy weaves. A wicker bag is a great natural alternative that holds up well to sand, salt and sun opposed to their canvas competitors. 

Four. A wide brim hat. Ears are one of the most common things people forget to put sunscreen on. To avoid the frustration of sunburned ears, I tend to gravitate towards wearing a wide-brim hat at the beach. Men and women alike can benefit from this style for beachside sun protection. 

Five. A sand proof, waterproof speaker. My all time favorite purchase has been my Bluetooth speaker. It has accompanied me on many a picnic, lake outing, and beach escape, without fail playing my favorite Spotify playlist whenever I so choose. The connection is seamlessly reliable and the sound is incredible. 

 Six. SPF 50 or above. I always forget how intense the sun is at the beach and without fail always leave with pinked skin. I apply SPF habitually and find that two applications of my favorite sunscreen yields the best bronze after a day on the beach. They also have a leave in hair lightener that I may just use as an excuse to pay a visit back to the beach with. 

Seven. A large beach towel. This goes without saying, but if you go to the beach, you’re gonna need a beach towel to dry off with. The larger the better as I like to fold them up and use them as a makeshift pillow, or employ them as a blanket when the sun starts to set. 

Eight. A good beach read. A book is always tucked into my bag for daily reading opportunities, but when it comes to the beach I typically stow an extra away when I finish my current one. I put together a list here of my favorite beach reads, and I’m about to start on this book which sounds like the perfect beach read to consume over a long weekend. 

Nine. Slide on sandals. No time for lacing up your sandals when heading to and from the beach which is why I opt for a quick (and cute) slide on sandal to keep my feet from getting hot on the sun-soaked wood of the stairs leading to the beach. 

Ten. Polarized sunglasses. Ever since I found out you can get moles on your eye from too much sun exposure, I’ve been amping up my sunglass regime whenever I go outside. I love these polarized sunglasses for the beach and don’t mind if they get knocked around here or there. 

Author: Cynthia

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