Essential Packing Guide for a Beach Vacation

With rising airline costs and high gas prices, you it’s best to pack as light as possible for your beach vacation. You also want to make sure that you have essentials to that you can be sure to have fun during your beach vacation. Here are some items that you will want to take with you on your beach vacation.

A camera

I have a hybrid camera/video recorder that I carry with me on trips. I love it. It takes pictures and shoots videos and it’s small enough to fit in my pocket or purse. When traveling to the beach, make sure that you don’t get sand in your camera or video equipment. Bring your charger. An uncharged camera or video recorder is useless.

Sun Block

People of all skin hues should use sun block. I have a dark complexion, and I have been sunburned. It’s an experience that I don’t want to repeat. Although people with more melanin in their skin are better protected from the sun’s harsh rays, sun block is still a necessity. Read the label to see how often it must be re-applied. Most people forget to re-apply it after a few hours, and it does wear off.

A Hat

Hats provide additional protection from the sun’s harmful rays. Get a cute or a sporty hat to wear, and don it while lying back in the sun.

Swim Suits

Try on your swim suit before your trip. Most people are trying to loose a few pounds or body fat before they hit the beach. Join me on my journey!

Medication

Pack your vitamins and medication that you will need while on your beach vacation. Make sure that the tops are on tight.

A Good Book and Tunes

A friend of mine recently shared with me that she would have enjoyed the beach more had she brought a good book to read while her children played in the sand. There’s nothing more relaxing than reading a book while lying on the beach. I’d add an Mp3 Player with the book.

Maps

Bring maps of the area that you wish to visit. You will get more out of the area if you know where to shop, eat, and party. Have a general idea of where things are located, including emergency facilities.

Check Your Cell Phone

Will your cell phone work on your vacation? Look into roaming fees and research connectivity issues before you go. Hint: Metro PCS (an American cell phone) has roaming capabilities. It’s called, Travel Talk. Call Metro PCS before you leave to learn how to enable Travel Talk on your phone and to get details on how to use the account. You have to set aside money in a Travel Talk account for the calls.

Photos from Flickr, Creative Commons License

Photo by left to right:Tatiana Sapateiro and Jurek Durczak