Friday, May 22, 2020

What I Pack In My Beach Bag

The unofficial start of summer, Memorial Day Weekend, is upon us, and sadly the exciting buildup to the season has undoubtedly been overshadowed by the Coronavirus pandemic. Even a few years out of school, it’s hard not to feel the excitement in the air as students attend their last few days of class and begin their long break. With travel plans changed and everyone’s lives looking a little bit different this year, I am certainly fortunate to still be getting to kick off summer at the beach with some of my friends. 

We got down here yesterday and very quickly found ourselves in our bathing suits on the beach. It seems almost silly to be sharing my beach bag must-haves with y’all, but as I was packing things up, I realized I’m probably not alone in heading somewhere close to the water even if it is a change from people’s original travel plans and am sharing this post nonetheless. And for those of you that may not be headed on vacation anytime soon, the beach bag in the image below is actually a do it yourself post I shared years ago on the blog that may be a fun time filler for you! 


Growing up near the water beach towels seemed to fill our laundry room shelf after receiving them as gifts over the years. While those towels were great, many of them had run their course, and an update was in order (my brother was still using one with Polo bears on it a few years ago…). With beach towels, my mindset is the bigger, the better, and this tassel one from Serena & Lily fits that bill. I couldn’t say no to the blue and white design and stripes, but if that’s not your thing, there are plenty of other towel designs out there. 

I’m a lover of ponytails pretty much all of the time but especially at the pool or on the boat. I like to keep an extra one on hand in case the one I am using breaks. A breezy boat ride and wearing my hair down do not mesh, so it’s better for me to be safe than sorry. 

Books
While I love the sun, laying out by the pool or on the beach doing nothing can get boring. If I have a book on hand, it makes it infinitely better. I find that I read so much more in the summer just to have an excuse to be outside. I’m hoping to start making a dent in my to-read list and have a few books packed in my beach bag to read this weekend. And by a few I mean I aggressively packed three. In my bag for the weekend are The Most Powerful Woman in the Room is You, Revolver Road, and What Happens in Paradise. You can see other book suggestions in yesterday's post!

There is no denying the fact that the sun dehydrates you. To help avoid that, I like to bring a reusable water bottle with me to the pool. If I’m not bringing a bottle, I’ll at least bring a Yeti (or similarly insulated) cup and hugger with me. 

I keep at least two bottles of sunscreen in my pool bag at all times, considering if I don’t lather up, I am bound to get burned. I like to have one that’s more gentle on my face and another (usually a spray) that is easy and quick to apply to my whole body. Right now, my Truffle pouch (which I can’t recommend enough) is overflowing with options, so let’s hope I don’t come back burned. 

Another no brainer for the pool and beach, especially when I am trying to read! My favorite sunglasses for the past few summers have been by Madewell and are reasonably priced (love lenses of this color for summer). This is especially nice given that I’ve had sunglasses fall overboard before, and losing these wouldn’t be quite as much of a bummer as losing a pricier pair. 

Headphones can be tricky when it comes to the pool. If there are a bunch of people and I am trying to be productive, I like having them on hand to drown out the noise. If I’m spread out away from people on the beach, then a speaker and a good playlist is an equally as great option.

In the summer, even when I use a lot of sunscreen, my freckles tend to pop out. I like my freckles, so it isn’t a big deal, but sometimes I want my face to have a bit more protection. Because of that, I like keeping a hat in my bag. While sunhats are cute, I usually opt for a more classic baseball hat since they are easier to store and take up less space! 

I’d love to know if you have any additional essentials that I should start bringing with me that I may have forgotten! 

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