A few weeks ago, I got to go on a family vacation to Destin, Florida and enjoy its perfect white-sand beach for a few days in the middle of my “study period” for my boards (I put quotation marks there because I don’t remember studying a whole lot during the vacation). My family is not one to spend time at the pool when we are by the ocean, so pretty much at any time during the vacation, you could find us at the beach. When you’re spending that much time at the beach, it’s essential that you have a bag with you, that has all your necessities. Today, I’ll be sharing what those necessities include for me.

The Bag Itself – Although not pictured, I am not one to spend much money or thought on the actual beach bag. Why? Because sand gets all over it, it gets thrown around when things are getting moved around or when you’re getting settled in and because I use it max once- twice per year. With all that in mind, I still think there are a few things to consider when getting a beach bag. One – make sure it doesn’t have any perforations in it since sand will get through the holes. I’ve seen so many people walk around the beach with net like bags and I’ve never understood how that could be practical. Two – make sure it’s roomy because chances are, there’s a towel going in there and how are you going to fit a whole beach towel into a small bag? I’ve personally always relied on the Victoria’s Secret beach bags as they’re big and made of cotton so they can be washed after vacation. Some great bag options for the beach include this adorable white version from ASOS, this colorful version from Roxy, and if you’re looking for something a little more durable, look no further than this one from French Connection.

Sun Protection – We are talking both SPF and hats here. For SPF, my recent find has been products by Sun Bum. These can be found at Ulta and there is quite the variety of products to choose from. Before heading off to vacation, I picked up their face sunscreen stick, their sunscreen spray, and aloe gel. I would recommend all those products (especially the sunscreen stick) as I was the only person in my family that didn’t get sunburnt during the trip ( I am also pretty good about re-applying every 2 hours or so). The sunscreen stick smells like bananas and is super easy and convenient to apply. Their products are BOGO 50% off right now, so a good time to try them out. Another thing to consider is SPF for your hair. Your hair can get damaged from the sun just like your skin, so it’s important to spray it with a protective spray as well. I use this one from Fekkai and spray it on about 5-10 minutes before I leave the house during the summer. This isn’t just a beach staple for me – I’ve been using it almost every day as I do try to spend a fair amount of time outside.

The hat – I picked mine up in Milwaukee last year at a store called Garage, however, these kind of hats are literally everywhere right now so you can find them at your local TjMaxx, the mall, or pretty much wherever. You can grab this adorable version with pom poms from IlyMix ( code “styleprn20” gets you 20% off) or if you’re looking for something bigger – this one from SoleSociety will have you covered 😉

Coconut Curl Cream – I recently raved about this stuff in my June favorites and this vacation was a big reason for the hype. I have very curly hair and since curly hair is already dry, salt water dries it out even more. My solution for this problem was a hydrating curl cream or “butter” that kept the frizz away and my hair hydrated during my time in Florida. This product can be used as a leave in conditioner (I just applied it when I got out of the water) or it can be used as an in shower mask. I’ve used it as an in shower mask before too with great results. A little goes a long way, so be careful when applying.

Protective Bag – And by protective bag I mean a zip up plastic make up bag such as the one in my picture (gotta re-use those Ipsy bags somehow, right?). If you look closely in the picture, you may notice there’s a phone in there. I always have a little make up bag or pouch that I can put my cell phone in during my time at the beach so I don’t get sand all over it. The extra perk with the clear plastic ones is that you can see through them (duh) and still get to see what is coming up on your phone without constantly having to take it out. If you don’t want to put the effort into finding a plastic bag similar to mine, just use a Ziplock bag and voila – problem solved.

Something to read – this one is pretty much a given for most people. Next time you’re at the beach, take a look around. You’ll be able to spot so many people reading and that’s because there’s no better way to relax at the beach than with a good book (for me at least). I like to have a few magazines with me too so that I can alternate between reading the magazines and my book.

Well, there you have it for my beach bag essentials. Let me know what you think and let me know what you like to bring to the beach with you! My next beach vacation isn’t until February (hello, honeymoon!) but I’ll be noting everyone’s recommendations.

As always, thanks for reading! 🙂

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