Best Tips for your Next Beach Vacation
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Going on vacation this summer? Planning a trip for next year? Find the best tips for your next beach vacation here in one place.
Best Tips for the Road
1. Take a Picture of Important Documents
Sara, from Gathering Dreams, recommends this first tip. Have a backup of your important documents, including (but not limited to) insurance cards, license and travel itineraries. This way, if they are ever lost, you’ll have the information you need to get through the rest of the trip.
2. Plastic Drawers in Back of Car
Jen from Three Kids and a Car recommends keeping a 3-drawer bin in the back of car to hold an extra change of clothes for everyone, sunscreen, medicine, rain gear and other essentials your family (depending on their age) may need. I would have loved having extra diapers and wipes stored this way when my own kids were young. Fantastic idea!
3. Family Suitcase for Hotel Stay
This is one of my own favorite tips. Have everyone pack their pajamas, swimsuits (if hotel has a pool), and clothes for the next day in one suitcase. This way when you stop for the night, you won’t have to unpack your entire car. After a long day on the road, it’s one less thing to have to worry about. Simply grab the suitcase and other valuables you need from your car and you’re ready to settle in for the night. Just be sure to pack the family suitcase last so it’s easy to grab and go.
4. Individual Snack Bags
Kim from Stuffed Suitcase offers packing tips along with a diagram of how to pack the car for a road trip. One of her suggestions is to provide each family member with their own bag of goodies to snack on during the drive. No more fussing over who had the last of the chips.
5. Call your Bank
This tip is one that I had to learn the hard way. While away on vacation, I had my debit card declined while dining out because I had forgotten to alert them of our travel plans. It only took a few minutes to clear-up but nonetheless it wasn’t something I would want to have happen again. Call your bank ahead of time to alert them of the different states you’ll be traveling through to avoid being in the situation I found myself in.
6. Carry Cash
Along the lines of tip #5, carry enough cash with you to cover gas and hotel expenses on your road trip just in case you happen to lose your credit card or there’s a hold on your card if you forget to alert the bank of your travels. Better to be safe than sorry.
7. Be Prepared for Anything
Pack a first-aid kit and jumper cables, have access to road side assistance if needed and write down important phone numbers (in case you lose your phone). No one likes to think an emergency is going to happen, but it’s always best to be prepared. The less time it takes to recover from an emergency the more time you have to spend on your vacation.
8. Have Essential Items Close
I have an addiction to Blistex. I have to keep a tube near me or on me at all times (even when I’m in the ocean, I have one in my hand!). My lips are super sensitive and I’m prone to cold sores if I get stressed, drink too much caffeine or get sunburned lips. For this reason, I always keep a tube (or two) close by while I’m in the car. Other items I have nearby include Advil or Tylenol, sunglasses, reading glasses, phone/charger, hand wipes, sanitizer, doggie waste bags (for stops of course) and money.
Best Beach Tips
1. Store Phone in Zip-Lock Bag
Keep the sand and water off of your phone by keeping it safe inside a zip-lock bag and tucked inside a beach bag pocket to protect it from the sun.
2. Pack Food in Reusable Containers
There’s nothing worse than grabbing a handful of pretzels and getting a mouth full of sand. To avoid this fate, pack snacks and other food items in reusable containers rather than take entire bags of food to the beach. This way, if sand does end up on your chips you won’t lose an entire bag.
3. Set-Up Early
Set-up your beach area early to reserve a space. Some beaches only allow you to set-up within a defined area of space depending on whether you are renting a vacation home directly on the beach or somewhere down the road. While staying in Destin, we had to reserve two beach chairs ahead of time to ensure we had space. If only allowed to set-up in public beach spaces, the area will become crowded quickly and it will become difficult to find an area to spread-out.
It is helpful to take a tent to help define your space and keep your beach gear together. My family would often set the tent up early in the morning before everyone headed down for the day. If you do set-up a tent, please be sure to fill-in any holes that were left to prevent sea turtles from falling in and getting trapped.
If you’re interested in looking at beach gear, check-out the deals on tents, coolers, bags, accessories and towels at Life is Good.
4. Beach Blankets
It is always nice to have large beach blankets to relax on while keeping your towels handy and sand-free for drying off. Place one underneath your beach tent to provide a large space to spread out, this works out really nice when it’s time to eat lunch and you need to get out of the sun.
5. Take a Fitted Sheet
I wish I would have known about this beach hack when my kids were small! Simply take a fitted sheet and place items around in the corners to keep the sheet in place (think cooler, beach bag, etc.). The fitted sheet will provide a small barrier around the edges which helps to keep sand out and defines a space for your little ones to move about. Genius!
6. Sunscreen
Save the lotion for the pool and take the spray and stick sunscreen to the beach. Sunscreen will not feel good when applied with sand on your hands. Eliminate the fuss and provide protection from the sun with sunscreen in a spray can for your body and sunscreen in a stick for your face.
7. Drink Hacks
These next beach vacation tips came from Heather at Passion for Savings. Pack your cooler with frozen water bottles to keep food and drinks cold. Freeze drink pouches and eat them as frozen slushie. Just be sure to pack a pair of scissors.
You may also want to consider taking insulated cups to keep your beverages cold throughout the day. We each have a Yeti tumbler that we fill with ice water to keep us hydrated. The frozen water bottles will provide a refreshing refill when it’s time.
8. Use a Wagon
This next beach vacation tip will save your back. Use a wagon to transport your loot to and from the beach. These wagons are invaluable when you have small children who need a hand to get to the beach or you have more than you can carry. Between coolers, towels, beach toys and tents, your hands are already full.
The best thing about these wagons? You can put them to great use once you get home from the beach. They are so useful taking equipment to and from the soccer field, hauling fishing gear or hauling anything anywhere it needs to go!
Related Post: Gift Guide for Sports Families
9. Take Family Photos
Don’t miss out on the opportunity while on your beach vacation to take some fun and creative family photos. These photos become cherished memories throughout the years. As kids get older, these memories become even more precious. Check out this post from Kara at Saving by Design for some fantastic ideas.
10. Make a Family Keepsake
The last tip I have for your beach vacation is to come home with a sampling of sand and shells to make a family keepsake from. Every year we collect sand in a bucket along with a variety of shells to place in a glass jar as a way to remember our vacation. I have two now that I have displayed in a sideboard in our kitchen. It’s fun to see the different types of sand from the different beaches year to year.
Please be careful to only collect shells and other items from the beach that are no longer living. While at Hilton Head years ago there were people collecting sand dollars that were still in the water and still alive. As pretty as they are, they need to stay put.
Possible Destinations
Not sure where you want to go? Click on the titles below from my Travel page and read about my favorite beach getaways. They are all worth the trip!
Dauphin Island is the Perfect Low-Key Getaway
Plan your Myrtle Beach Vacation
Ideas to Help Plan your Destin Vacation
Still no idea where to go? Check-out my post on How to use VRBO to find your perfect vacation rental. We use it every year to plan our vacation for our large family gathering.
Our list of requirements now include an elevator, pet-friendly, on the beach, private pool, at least 6 bedrooms and 5 bathrooms. If we can find the perfect home, anyone can! Take a look and see how easy VRBO is to use.
I hope you have found this list of beach vacation travel tips helpful. Please leave a comment below to let me know what your favorite beach tip is.
Safe and Happy Travels!
