Here's the deal: when you're on vacation, all you want to do is relax. That's what the beaches are for, and that's why you flew hundreds of miles to walk along the ocean and drink straight from a coconut.
But the truth is, sometimes it's hard to relax on the beach, especially if you have kids to look after. To make your life easier, and relaxation achievable, consider these 12 beach hacks and tips for a better tropical vacation experience.
Book Your Trip Early
For starters, book your trip in advance so you don't have to scramble to get you and your family on the same flight. Booking early allows you the freedom to choose a flight that isn't flying at unreasonable hours and it also allows for you to book your flights at reasonable prices.
As a pro tip, always always always get travel insurance. You never know these days with scheduling if you'll actually get on the plane or if your flight will be canceled, postponed, etc. Travel insurance gives you that safety-net feeling and protects your flight at all costs.
Make sure to check in early before you get to the airport so that you don't have to stand in line at kiosks waiting to print your tickets. Have your tickets ready on your phone so that you'll make it to your boarding gate with plenty of time to spare and time to purchase snacks for your kids.
Airports can be stressful, and since your vacation begins in the airport, why not keep things simple from the start.
Research, Research, Research
When it comes to traveling, you can never be too prepared, and doing your research ahead of time is a great way to plan ahead. If you know that you and your family love embarking on outdoor activities, make sure to look into them before you get to your island destination.
If you and your partner love music, make sure to book a dinner one night at a restaurant with local live music.
Planning and researching ahead allows you to relax once you're on vacation. And the great thing about researching is you don't have to check off every activity you researched! Research allows for you to know what's available on your vacation so that once you're there, there is no wasting time on your computer or phone wondering what to do!
Exploring is great and totally encouraged on vacation, but it’s nice to know what restaurant you’re heading to when you arrive on the island and your whole family’s hungry.
Pack Plastic Bags
Want a useful beach hack? Pack plastic bags. You might not think you'll need them, but if you're changing out of your wet bathing suit and you have a plastic bag handy, this beach hack will 100% destress your day.
On that same note, packing wet wipes and sanitizing wipes for your hands is also a total distresser. Having wet wipes allows you to eat whatever you want on the beach, without the concern of sand ending up on the tips of your fingers. For maximum storage when packing, consider placing multiple hand wipes in your plastic bags so they're ready to go for your tropical beach days.
Bring Matching Towels
Here's a beach and plane trick that you'll never forget. You and your family need to bring matching towels on your tropical vacation. They’re not only useful on the plane as pillows and even blankets, but they're also a smart way to locate your spot on the beach without hesitation.
If your kids are heading into the ocean, it's important for them to know exactly where your spot is on the beaches when they get out of the water. What better way than brightly colored towels? When you're on the beach, try to stand out from the crowd so that you don't have to worry about anyone getting confused or lost.
Pack a Bathing Suit for Every Activity
This next one's for you. When you're packing for your tropical trip, a good way to lower the chances of feeling stressed on your vacation is to pack a bathing suit for every activity and occasion. Consider one exciting bathing suit, one sophisticated bathing suit, one simple bathing suit, and one supportive bathing suit. With these four options, you're covered for any activity, literally.
A sophisticated bathing suit allows you to walk around the hotel or resort without feeling underdressed. A simple bathing suit allows for you to mix and match with all your other bathing suit tops and bottoms to create the appearance that you're wearing a new bathing suit every day.
An exciting, fun bathing suit is great to wear around your kids, in case there are any photo opportunities.
A supportive bathing suit is perfect for outdoor activities, like cliff jumping, swimming, running along the beach, and more!
With the right bathing suits for every activity, occasion, and mood, it’s simple to avoid stressful fashion situations and enjoy your vacation instead.
Don’t Forget Baby Powder
You might not think you need baby powder for a beach vacation, but with all the sand and water that ends up on you after the beach, you'll thank us.
Bringing baby powder to the beach is the number one hack you can follow. When you're done at the beach for the day all you have to do to get the excess sand off of your feet is apply baby powder, and voila! The sand falls right off.
Imagine how much time you’ll save stressing about sand getting in your car or in your hotel room, by following the baby powder trick.
Make a Sand-Free Space
Speaking of sand, consider creating a sand-free space right when you arrive at the beach. Before you spend the entire day on the beach, craft a sand-proof space so that you can have a relaxing time and not worry about sand getting in your bathing suit and on your towel.
How do you craft a sand-proof space? By using an old fitted sheet, you can place your bags and items on the four corners of the sheet and fit the edges around your bags. Now you've created a sand-free floor space for your beach day. There is also sand-free space you can purchase for your beach day that mimics the old fitted sheet.
Remember, no sand means no stress.
Stash Your Valuables Creatively
No stealing definitely means no stress.
If you want to rid yourself of more beach anxiety, consider stashing your valuables safely and secretly in creative places. There are multiple brands that sell fake stashing spots for your money, jewelry, and other valuables you're concerned to lose or misplace on the beach.
These secret diversion stashers come in the forms of metal water bottles, plastic water bottles, sunscreen cases, deodorant cases, and more.
Especially if you're worried about sand getting into your valuables, or your jewelry being tarnished by the ocean, diversion stashers are a great way to keep everything safe, away from the sand, and out of the reach of beach thieves.
Pack Snacks
Even if you're not hungry on the way to the beach, always pack beach snacks, especially if you're going to a more remote beach where there aren't shops around to purchase food.
You want to make sure that everyone is well-fed, otherwise, hunger can turn into hanger, and hanger can turn into stress for everyone.
Don't let stress get the best of you, pack snacks ahead of time. Good snacks to pack are quick bites to eat, like cut-up fruit, pretzels and chips, and protein bars so everyone stays full. Also think: the less of a mess, the better.
Stay Hydrated
Staying hydrated is the number one way to keep stress at an all-time low at the beach. Drinking double the amount of water at the beach than you'd normally drink, will keep your mind clear and allow you to enjoy yourself without thinking about how thirsty you are.
Staying hydrated also keeps you away from dangerous situations like overheating, heatstroke, and fainting.
If you don’t have to think about hydrating, don’t! Keep it simple at the beach and on your entire tropical vacation, by always having water on you. Running out of water can be stressful in hot places, so make sure to avoid this situation at all costs.
Closing
Topical vacations are tricky when stressful situations arise, but now, they don’t have to. Stay prepared, stay aware of your surroundings, and most importantly have fun. Sometimes, allowing yourself to relax is the first step to relaxing.
As long as you stay hydrated and research before your trip, you’ll stress that much less! Don’t worry, you got this. Relaxing on a tropical beach shouldn’t be too hard.
Sources:
10 Reader Tips For A Stress-Free Beach Vacation | Budget Travel
If You Need to Relieve Stress, Head to the Beach | Brain Tap