How to Prepare for Your Beach Vacation

Rental House or Condo

While picking out the house, pull up a Google map so that you can see the address and figure out how far from the beach and other conveniences you’ll be. A listing might tell you that it has a beach view, but it might be hidden behind wires or even other houses with just a sliver of the water showing. Make sure you’re going to know what to expect. You’ll also want to find out if there’s a shower under the house. It’s so much nicer to be able to get all the sand off before you go up into the house.

Check the listing for certain items, and if you aren’t sure, contact the renter. For example, are there appliances, including a washer and dryer and a microwave. Some houses come with necessities such as sheets and towels for showering, but surprisingly some do not. We got caught out one summer without any sheets and blankets for the beds, so we made due instead of spending money on buying new things. Don’t let that happen to you.

Some locations may have water that is not potable or that you just don’t trust because of previous water problems in the area. Do a search to see if it’s an issue or ask the renter. Listings may also include this information. Be ready to bring a lot of bottled water if you need to.

Knowledge About the Area

It’s good to know all about the house or condo you’re renting for your beach trip, but how about the location itself?

Some questions you’ll want to get answers to include:

• Can you drive on the beach?
• Is it a private beach?
• How much does it cost?
• Are dogs allowed on the beach?
• Are there public facilities, like bathrooms and showers?
• Can people set up tents and coverings and leave them for multiple days?

While not a question about the area, another good idea if you’ll be traveling any distance is to tell your debit and credit cards where you’re going. It helps to avoid any fraud alerts for out of area expenses and heavy spending. My debit card lets me select that option on the website so I don’t even have to call.

Food

Because food is so important, learn what you can about the area’s food options.

Plan a Menu

Make your grocery list ahead of time. Create a menu for however many days you’ll be on vacation. You’ll most likely want to stick with easy things to cook, like frozen pizzas, bags of salad, and even spaghetti and sauce. Don’t forget to include snacks – there’s nothing like going back to the house after a full morning at the beach, sitting down to watch TV, and eating an entire bag of Doritos.

Grocery Shopping

You’ll want to find any local groceries stores, liquor stores, and general stores. Buying groceries is a must if you’re staying in a house or condo. If you’ll be passing a store on your way to the beach, you might want to stop and pick up necessities so that you don’t have to get back on the road after you’ve gotten to the house.

If you’re not going to stop at the store on the way to the house, pack some basic groceries like cereal and shelf-stable milk or granola bars. You’ll want to be able to eat breakfast the next morning without having to rush to the store.

Find Restaurants (and UberEATS!)

I don’t eat seafood, even though I love going to the beach. Weird, right? Because of that, I search on Yelp for restaurants nearby. This is super helpful, especially if you have any special dietary needs. It also can help with your menu-making. If you know places you want to eat at, you can figure out what nights you’ll go out. It also can help you with your packing list so you know what clothing to bring. If you’re only going to go to beach-attire friendly restaurants, you don’t need to bring more than shorts, t-shirts, and shoes, but if you plan on going out somewhere nice one night, you’ll need to bring some dressier clothes.

For those who don’t want to go out, or for those days when you’re just so tired from playing on the beach, check to see if UberEATS, DoorDash, or GrubHub are available in the area. While they’re generally there, in some more off the beaten path beaches, they might not be there yet. If you find one that has restaurants you know you’ll order from, see if getting a month subscription to their program will help you save money. If you have to pay $10 to save $20, it might be worth it for you.

What to Bring for the Beach

Swimsuits

The most important – and most obvious – is swimsuits. A good rule of thumb is to bring one for every two days of the vacation. If you don’t have that many, it’s okay, but bring as many as you can. You’ll be at the beach every day, and while rinsing out a swimsuit and using it two days in a row still means you’ll have to do laundry while you’re there.

Beach Toys

This is another time you want to find out some information: what water toys are allowed? While most beaches are welcoming to anything that is used for safety, some ask you to not bring some things, like inner tubes. Depending on the tides and rip tides, this is for you own safety. However, most beaches allow you to bring a small inflatable boat if you want to be able to float around near the shore. Again, though, be careful of the tides and rip tides. Water safety above fun.

Sand toys include shovels, buckets, and beach balls. Buying these at a less expensive store, like 5Below or the Dollar Tree is a good idea because chances are they’ll either be broken or left behind at the house for the next family that comes along. Transporting them back home involves a lot of sand in the car, so leaving them behind so they can be “used up” is a good idea.

Sand shoes can also help. A simple pair of flip flops or Crocs might be good for walking down to the beach or around the porch, but when it comes time to get in the water, they won’t do you much good. Personally, I feel better about having something covering the soles of my feet when I’m in the ocean. Maybe it’s because I’ve had bad luck with stepping on rocks that slice my feet, but it can also be because there’s marine life nearby. If you choose to get sand shoes, I suggest spending the money on getting a good pair – they’ll last many summers to come.

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Towels

You can never bring enough towels. Seriously. Especially if you have a family, you’ll always need more towels. Once you think you have enough, throw in a few more. They don’t have to be the best you can buy, but there should be a lot of them.

Beach towels don’t normally need to be washed after each use. Beat off the sand and hang them out to dry. You can get towel holder clamps to use to throw them over the porch rails. The clamps or weights should keep the towels from flying off in the beach breeze.

Chairs and Blankets

You can bring a picnic blanket, beach blanket, or beach chairs to sit on. My favorite kinds of chairs have baskets on the back so that you can use them as mini coolers and they can hold sand toys, books, and more.

Coolers and Drinks

You may not be a fan of lugging a cooler around, but it’s the best way to guarantee that your drinks will stay nice and cool. Make sure to bring a lot of water. Drinking beer and soda tastes good, but with the burning sun, you’ll be glad that you get more water than caffeine or alcohol.

Don’t bring glass bottles. I haven’t been to any beaches that allow it, and even if they do, it’s a bad idea and can cause injuries for both you and any other beach lover.

Waterproof Phone and Tablet Covers

If you want to avoid soaking your phone or tablet in rice, you probably want to get a waterproof case. A lot of the time they look like plastic bags, and they can make it feel awkward, but it’s worth it to keep your electronics dry.

Sunglasses

Staring into the ocean or staring at the sand, you’re going to regret not having sunglasses with you. My eyes are sensitive, so for me, sunglasses are a necessity. In my case, I even bring prescription sunglasses in case I want to read on the back porch or on the beach.

What To Bring for the House

You never know when you don’t feel like sitting in the hot sun. Or maybe it’s a rainy day and the whole family is trapped inside. You’ll need to be prepared.

You may have your favorites with you – stuffed animals to sleep with, the newest fidget, even a Switch. When the weather is bad and there’s nowhere else to go, those comforting items become boring. Because of that, you’ll want to bring all new items.

Bring new books, toys, board games, and maybe even DVDs. You can ever offer up a new game for their system. Now, the fun isn’t limited to things you buy. If you can borrow from friends, it’s even better because you save a little money that can be spent on more exciting things for the beach.

Another thing you’ll need for the beach is the willingness to do a lot of laundry. Towels, swimsuits, clothes, pajamas, more towels, and linens. I find it best to have checked and made sure there was a washer and dryer present, but if there’s not, it’s time to find a book and get some away time from the family.

General Vacation Packing

I’m extremely organized when it comes to packing for any vacation, and I have an Excel spreadsheet that I use to keep track of what I need to pack for what type of trip. A quick summary is below:

Toiletries

Toiletries are probably the most extensive things I have in my list. It includes jewelry, deodorant, shampoo and conditioner, toothbrushes/toothpaste, bath and shower gels, soap, lotions, maxis, hairbrushes, razor, any medications, over the counter medications (Tylenol or Advil, Tums, Imodium, etc.), and first aid kit. It sounds like a lot, and it is, but it’s better to be prepared than suddenly discover you need Imodium, it’s 2 AM, and the closest store is a 45 minute drive.

Suntan Lotion and Aloe

Suntan lotion and aloe gel are necessities. Regardless of best intentions, there’s still a good chance that you’ll miss a spot with the lotion or even forget to put it on. You could go into the ocean before it’s dry. All of those issues mean sunburn, and the aloe gel will help to soothe it.

General Necessities

General necessities, including laundry detergent, dryer sheets, dishwasher pods (or detergent and a sponge), depending on what the house has in it. While you can buy it when you go to the grocery store, bringing it from home makes it easier and cheaper.

Electronics and Their Chargers

Electronics and chargers to keep everyone occupied. Computer, video games consoles, cell phone, Kindles – you name it, you’ll probably bring it with you, which is all well and good until you forget your chargers. Buy extras if you need to. You might lose them (or accidentally leave them behind), so make sure you’re not going to run out. This also goes for headphones. Most family members don’t have exactly the same musical taste, so it’s nice to be able to have quiet while someone else is listening.

Clothing

Clothing is, of course, going to take up the most space in your bags. Now this is what works for us, so hopefully the ideas will help you. Remember that you’ll be doing laundry, so when you figure out the number of days of clothes you need, take that into account.

For one week at the beach, I assume I need two pairs of shorts, one pair of pants, and four shirts. I also bring two sets of pajamas. If I know I’m going to want to go exercise, I’ll bring a workout outfit. I wear sneakers to the beach, but pack sandals and water shoes. Finally, I pack a few pairs of socks and plenty of underwear. Since I often get cold, I pack a warm sweater and comfy socks. Sitting out on the deck at night can get chilly!

The amounts you bring will vary with what makes you feel comfortable, but keep in mind that you might spend most of each day in a swimsuit, so not having a lot of clothes isn’t really a problem.

Paperwork

Finally, it’s down to the important stuff: paperwork. Yes, it’s a digital world, but paper is still helpful, especially if you’re going somewhere off the beaten path. Print out copies of your rental information, your grocery list, and any other tickets that you may have. Keep them on your phone and computer, but also prepare for the worst case scenario.