It’s been so long since we’ve traveled that some of us might have forgotten how to pack. So I decided to put together a Beach Trip Packing List. It will help you gather up all the fashion must haves you will need but not overload your luggage with unnecessary things. I must confess, I did bring more stuff to our Dominican Republic trip than I should have. (10 swimsuits alone are worth an eye roll – I only wore six!) But I will share what I did right and the things I did wrong so you can avoid my mistakes on your next trip!
Scroll below for my Beach Trip Packing List and to browse what I used the most on vacation!
1. Pick a color scheme to build a capsule.
Pick 2 or 3 colors that you can use in any outfit and get items that will fit in with your color scheme. In my case, I went with pink and jade, which I knew will look gorgeous poolside and will compliment each other. It’s easier to mix and match items if they follow the same palette, allowing you to change up just one or two things to create a whole new look. This will save you a lot more luggage space than building complete separate outfits.
Bottom line: Pack things that will go well with each other!
2. You don’t need a lot of shoes.
This sounds counterintuitive coming from me but it’s the one thing I learned on this trip. A pair of gold sandals I got on sale from Amazon right before my trip wound up going perfectly with all my night time outfits. I brought way more shoes that I should have!
What I actually needed were:
- The sandals above
- A sporty pair in black – one of the dad sandals I mentioned before here.
- A high heel pair (which I only wore once and probably could have done without)
- A pair of flip flops
- A pair of water proof Birkenstocks
- Water Shoes
- The pair of sneakers I flew in.
I also brought with me a few bags but used only three – a straw bag, a huge beach bag and a small shoulder bag I got for just $22 right before the trip. That $22 find wound up going perfectly with all my evening dresses!
Bottom Line: Shoes take up the most space and weight in your luggage and you spend all day in flip flops. Don’t bring too many!
3. Sunglasses
Sunglasses don’t take up a lot of space and you will need at least two pairs. Bring one pair you love and one pair you don’t care much about that you don’t mind getting wet, thrown around or loosing. If you are planning any kind of adventures or water/sport activities, make sure to bring a pair you won’t cry about! I wound up bringing a pair by Dior that I wore out and about and a pair from Amazon that I wore in the water. I had a few others with me, but never even got them out of the bag.
4. Shorts
Wish I put a few more of these on my beach trip packing list! While I had plenty of shorts, they were the wrong kind. What you need the most are:
- A few long pairs which will come in handy for any kind of activities where you will need to sit, and not like a lady (banana boat, ATV rides, horse back riding, etc)
I got a pair of bike shorts from Abercrombie that were perfect for these type of activities, and I wish I had a few more. - Denim shorts. Shorts ones for the beach and longer ones for everything else. I got this pair from Amazon which was great, and will order them in black as well.
- Light cotton pairs to throw over your swimsuit when you need to go inside a restaurant/bar. (They turned me around at one point and sent me to get shorts!!)
Bottom Line: The more shorts the merrier!
5. A Wow Dress!
Or two. Or five. I brought plenty and didn’t regret it. It was such a treat to dress up every evening after the year of shut downs and living at home. The dresses and jumpsuits I brought were pretty light, and I managed to select accessories that went with every look perfectly. This way I needed a minimal number of bags and shoes, but looked differently every night.
6. A Little Black Dress
While the wow dresses are for you to enjoy and play dress up in, a simple little black dress really brings out the real you. I brought a tee dress and it was equally appropriate for daytime and night time activities. Easy to wear, easy to pair and simple to shine in. I think this was my fiance’s favorite outfit of mine.
Bottom line: Sometimes simpler is the way to go!
Scroll below to see what actually went on my Beach Trip Packing List and the items I used the most: