6 Packing Tips For Your Next Beach Vacation

Beach vacations are all about fun and relaxation, right? Sadly, packing for your vacations isn’t so much fun and can be stressful. But it’s not rocket science. Packing is all about organization. Here are 6 tips to optimize your packing.

#1. Make lists

Before you stuff your bikini into a bag, stop and think. To ensure you pack absolutely everything you need, and leave behind everything you don’t, you need to make 4 lists. These four lists will require some thought, but the time spent thinking now will save time in the long run.

Creating physical lists, written out on paper, will enable you to cross out or tick each item as it is packed, thus ensuring nothing essential is left behind. This can also save you money because you won’t need to buy as many things at your destination if you’ve thought to bring them from home.

When brainstorming your list, try to picture in your mind your movements from your house to your destination. Write down on your lists the things you use in your mental journey and checking into your hotel, guest house, or rental home.

And then imagine what you’re going to do when you’re lounging on, say, Carolina Beach with the sun in the sky and the wind in your hair. What essential items do you have around you? What can’t you live without?

Are Fido the dog and Midnight the cat coming along? If so, don’t leave Fido’s favorite chew toy and Midnight’s litter tray off the list.

The four lists you need are:

• Clothing & accessories
• Beach gear
• Toiletries
• Essentials

#2. Clothing & accessories

If you’re headed out to North Carolina to swim at Kure Beach, you won’t need to pack anything too bulky. Light and baggy clothes will be more comfortable to don after a swim with your dog in the Atlantic Ocean.

Of course, your swimsuit will be your most important item of beachwear. Pack more than one of those so you always have a dry one to wear.

And you may hate sandals or crocs, but your regular walking shoes could get gritty on the sand. You might get away with canvas tennis shoes on Wilmington Beach.

#3. Beach gear

You won’t just need clothes on Carolina Beach. You’ll need towels to get dry, a blanket to lie on, maybe a lounge chair to laze on, and a beach bag to carry things to and from your accommodation.

You can actually buy things like beach blankets, beach mats, and beach bags especially designed for beach use that are designed to be “sand-free”. A company called CGear produces a comprehensive range of “sand-free” beach products.

After you’ve been kayaking with your dog off the North Carolina coast, you’ll arrive back on the beach and start looking for your blanket, towel, and bag. Among all the blankets on that popular beach, how will you easily spot which is yours? When selecting your blanket, towel, and beach bag, buy ones with distinctive patterns so your little patch of Kure Beach stands out from the crowd.

And something you must remember to bring onto Wilmington Beach is a pack of disposable bags. When Fido has an incident on the sand, you can’t just leave it there for other swimmers to come across by accident!

Before packing any heavy beach gear, like camp chair or parasols, check with your accommodation providers to see if they supply those items to guests. Vacation rentals often have “house items” for use on the beach, like barbecue grills and loungers.

#4. Toiletries

Obviously, you’ll want to take along your toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, and shampoo. But the most important thing to pack with your toiletries is some high-quality sunblock, maybe some lip balm, and Aloe Vera after sun cream.

Don’t leave behind those feminine hygiene products, either. Leaving behind your birth control pills could mean you’ll be taking along an extra family member to Wilmington Beach next year!

And speaking of pills…if you’ve got family members with specific medical conditions, make sure you have enough medication to get through the vacation period and that it is safely packed away.

If a member of your family suffers from any severe allergies, get an EpiPen carrying case to keep all your allergy and asthma medication in one easy to locate and safe location. Otherwise, all it would take would be one stray bee on Carolina Beach to ruin your whole vacation.

#5. Essentials

This is the most important list. Things like swimwear, towels, and toothpaste you can buy in Wilmington. But you can’t buy your driving license, passport, or credit cards when you arrive in North Carolina and discover you left them at home.

Your cash and any documents you’ll need on vacation (like your travel insurance documents and vacation rental agreement) need to be on this list. Cash, your cell phone, and your cell phone charger cannot be left behind.

But what is essential for one person may not be for the next. For me, the novel I’m currently reading will definitely make this list! For many, it’ll be their camera. Who knows when that whale might appear off the coast and provide a perfect opportunity for a little wildlife photography. Humpbacks are occasionally spotted off the North Carolina coast between December and January and between March and April.

#6.  Luggage

Now that you’ve decided what you’re going to pack, you need to put it somewhere. For a beach vacation, you should be traveling light. Choose something lightweight and versatile.

Personally, I’m a “hand-luggage-only” kinda person. If I’m flying somewhere, I like to skip the queue on arrival by keeping all my luggage with me on the flight. I use a carry-on bag to hold all my things.

If you’ve kept your packing to a minimum, you might be able to get away with just using a duffel bag. But if you’re taking Midnight the cat along, you may need to invest in a cat carrier to ensure he travels in safety.