What to pack for a beach holiday
Beach holiday packing is mostly solved. The failures are consistent and small: not enough swimwear, not enough sun cream, and nothing to put wet things in.
Beach
- Swimwear, one set per two days at minimum so something is always dry
- A cover up or sarong
- A quick-dry towel, unless your accommodation provides them
- A beach bag that takes sand without complaint
- A dry bag or waterproof pouch
Sun protection
- High factor sun cream, more than one bottle for a group
- After sun or aloe
- A brimmed hat
- Sunglasses
- Lip balm with SPF
Sun cream is heavily marked up in resorts. Bring it.
Clothing
- Light daytime clothes
- One or two evening outfits
- A light layer for evenings, which cool faster by the sea
- Something with sleeves if there are churches or temples nearby
Footwear
- Flip flops or sliders
- Comfortable walking shoes
- Something for the evening
Essentials
- Passport, and a photo of it stored separately
- Boarding passes or booking references
- Travel insurance details
- Bank cards, plus one kept somewhere separate
- Any prescription medication in its original packaging
- Phone charger and a plug adapter if needed
Things specific to a beach holiday
Count swimwear against your actual beach days
Look at your board, count the days with a beach or pool plan on them, and halve it. That is your minimum. Swimwear rarely dries fully overnight in humid places.
One bag for wet things
A dry bag or even a strong plastic bag stops a wet swimsuit ruining everything else on the way back.
Sun cream is a group item
Put it on the bring list for the beach day rather than leaving four people to each assume someone else packed it.
Most commonly forgotten
- A dry bag
- Enough swimwear
- After sun
- A layer for the evening
- Lip balm with SPF
Build your own list instead of copying this one
A generic packing list does not know what you are doing on the Tuesday. Yours does.
On Holiday Board, whatever you attach to a plan as a bring item, and whatever outfit you pick for it, turns up on your personal packing list automatically. Sunscreen wanted by three different days appears once and tells you which three. Tick it off as you pack, and what you tick is yours alone.
Questions
- What is the one thing people forget when packing for a beach holiday?
- A dry bag. The full list of common misses is above.
- Do I have to work from a generic list?
- No, and it is better not to. Holiday Board builds your packing list from your own plans: whatever you said to bring, plus whatever you said you are wearing, with duplicates merged into one line.
- Can everyone in the group have their own list?
- Yes. Each traveller gets their own list and their own ticks. One person packing their passport does not mark off anyone else's.
Related
Let the holiday write your packing list
Plan what you are doing and what to bring. The list is waiting for you the night before you fly.
Create your Holiday BoardFree to start. No card needed. £6.99 per holiday if you want the lot.