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Planning Your Beach Vacation

When packing for any type of vacation (land, air, or sea), the trick is balancing what you need with what you want, to ensure you don’t go overboard.

Both first time and repeat travelers will benefit from this beach vacation packing checklist, whether they plan on staying at an all-inclusive resort, a fun condo, or renting an AirBNB.

AMAZON FAVES – TRAVEL ESSENTIALS FOR YOUR BEACH TRIP!

Amazon Travel Packing List for the Beach

What to Pack for Your Beach Vacation

I personally have all of the below 20 items. I use these for just about every trip I go on.

For all of my Amazon Travel Favorites, and more categories, head to My Amazon Storefront where I have personally curated lists of my fave, quality products that I use daily.

1) Packing Cubes

I’ve been using packing cubes for all of my travel for the past several years, and now I will never pack without them! They are a total game-changer. Each person in your family can choose their own color to keep their luggage organized. Once you get to your hotel room, just put the cubes inside the drawers. This keeps your clothes clean and organized for your entire stay!

2) Waterproof Cell Phone Case

Protect your phone from water damage with an inexpensive and lightweight pouch. It will also keep the sand out while at the beach! This is perfect for kayaking, snorkeling, or playing at a water park. And, the cover is clear, so you can make videos using your cell phone underwater!

3) Sunscreen

When you’re deciding what to pack for a beach vacation, sunscreen should be the first thing in your bag. And, extra points if you apply sunscreen that is reef safe! Why? Zinc Oxide based reef-safe sunscreen is 100% Oxybenzone free, Octinoxate free & completely chemical free. That means it’s safe for marine and aquatic life including our delicate coral reefs. Yes!

4) Portable Cell Phone Battery Charger

I have several portable cell phone chargers for my phone, and my kids’ phones and ipads. These are especially helpful when you are having fun all day, want to take pics or videos of the family, and need to juice up your phone. These portable phone chargers will quickly charge your phone back to 100%!

5) Neck Wallet

Big enough for your passport, cards, cash, and phone, but small enough to wear under your clothes, a neck wallet pouch is perfect when traveling. The RFID lining adds an extra level of security, and the ripstop nylon means it won’t wear out. These are a necessity, especially going through airport security.

6) Beach Bag

When packing for a day at the beach, you’ve got to bring everything – sunglasses, towel, snack, water bottle, Kindle, sunscreen…! The perfect beach bag makes bringing all the supplies a breeze.

7) Compact Power Strip Plug with USB ports & outlets

When traveling and staying in a hotel or condo, you need a compact power strip to handle your Bluetooth speaker, laptop, smartphone, iPad, camera battery, Kindle, portable chargers, etc., WITHOUT a variety of converters. These power strips are super compact and save space on your nightstand and anywhere in your hotel room.

8) Travel, Packable Beach Hat

A trip to the beach would be much less enjoyable without a stylish and functional sun hat. Also, these hats are foldable and packable, so you can pop them right out of your suitcase and head to the beach.

9) Rolling Luggage Set

Your travel rolling luggage, or luggage set, should be lightweight yet extremely durable. Most come with spinner wheels, a sturdy ergonomic telescoping handle, and a large, roomy interior for all of your stuff. One tip when traveling is to make sure your luggage set is a unique color, or that you have a really cool luggage tag that stands out from all the others coming in on the baggage carousel. Do you know how many standard black suitcases there are in an airport??? TONS of them! Stand out and find your luggage quickly!

10) Travel Makeup Mirror

So, if you are a frequent traveler, you know how the lights in most hotel rooms are terrible when it comes to applying your makeup. This is why you definitely need a travel makeup mirror with lights. Some travel mirrors have Led lights, different colored lights, dimmable touch screen, are tabletop ready, and they fold to easily fit in your suitcase or purse.

11) Windproof Travel Umbrella

Because it might rain, even on your vacation, everyone should travel with an umbrella that is Windproof, Compact, and Portable.

12) Waterproof Kindle

The Kindle Paperwhite is waterproof, has a glare-free display that reads like real paper, has twice the storage, built-in adjustable light, comes with Audible, and a single battery charge lasts for WEEKS! You NEEEEEEEEEEEED this for on the Beach!

13) Beach Cooler

Keep your water bottles cold, have snacks for the kiddos and yourself, and store necessities like sunscreen all in one place with a soft-sided, insulated cooler bag.

14) Portable Speaker

A portable speaker might not be an essential, but it’s definitely a bonus for any beach day. Especially when you want to hang out on the beach all day and listen to your favorite tunes.

15) Water Bottle

There’s no better time to put your insulated water bottle to use than a day at the beach, when staying hydrated is even more important than usual. So, large capacity and keeping your drink cold all day is essential. Here are a few of our favorites!

16) Beach Towel

While you may be going to a resort where towels are included, it’s never a bad idea to bring your own, especially if you have one that you love. Here are several that will take up hardly any room in your suitcase.

17) Bathing suit Cover-up

Why do you need a bathing suit cover up? There’s nothing more uncomfortable than standing in a hotel elevator in just a bathing suit and flip flops when the people standing next to you are dressed to the nines on their way to dinner. And, when you’ve had enough sun for the day, a coverup can help shield you from even more rays.

18) TSA-approved Travel Bottles Set for Toiletries

If you are planning to fly to your fabulous destination, you will need TSA approved travel containers that follow all the travel guidelines. Some of my favorites are these Leak-proof Silicone Squeezable Travel Accessories 2oz and 3oz, for shampoo, conditioner, lotion, body wash, etc. And, they are BPA free.

19) Polarized Sunglasses

When traveling to the beach, polarized sunglasses are a must. Some of their benefits include reduced glare and reflection (from the sand and water), reduced eye strain, clearer vision in bright light, and increased contract with minimal color distortion. My favorites are Maui Jim or Ray-ban sunglasses, but I’ve included the Best Sellers in all brands of sunglasses for you.

20) Hanging Toiletry Travel Bag

Everyone needs their own Water-resistant Hanging Travel Organizer Toiletry bag for all of their bathroom accessories. Most of these hanging toiletry bags have a 360 degree swivel non-slip metal hook for versatile hanging options, two-way zipper closure for quick access, and carry handles that double as a hanging strap.