5 Beach Holiday Packing Essentials

If you’re anything like me, as soon as you have a sunny holiday booked you’re bound to start mentally packing. So for all those jetting off soon, here’s my top 5 beach holiday packing essentials for any sunny trip… 

Don’t worry I’m not about to start listing stuff like sunglasses and a bikini, because duh.I’m being practical for once and with airlines being increasingly tight with luggage allowance, every inch of your suitcase is premium real estate.

1. Beach Holiday packing essentials: P20 

Looking like a stop sign is not cute in any stretch of the imagination. If like me, your skin decides to replicate a real life reenactment of Where’s Wally, then this part is for you huns. P20 lasts so much longer than regular sun cream (up to 10 hours) but I’m always careful to re-apply after swimming or prolonged time in the sun (Irish heritage).

 I can’t recommend this stuff enough, as someone who travelled around Asia for 6 months with just P20 and avoided getting burnt – I wouldn’t use anything else now. You can also grab it from Amazon which is generally cheaper than the high street.  

2. Beach Holiday packing essentials: The ultimate beach to bar outfit

Anyone else have “the chat” before packing for a trip – you don’t need 7 pairs of shoes and 14 bikinis for a two week trip, why have you packed a hair drier, 6 pairs of earrings is ridiculous etc. It’s extremely tiring. But I am all for argument prevention and not only is this playsuit bang on trend but it can also be worn to the beach by day and to the bar by night. Two outfits in one? Sign me right up. 

At £18 this leopard print lace up playsuit is perfect dressed down over a bikini with some sliders or dressed up in the evening with some sky high heels, a cute belt and a clutch (who am I kidding – I obviously mean comfy espadrille wedges). Being lightweight it also takes up minimal space and the leopard print looks great with a tan!

3. A thin lightweight towel 

As soon as your lovely cotton beach towel takes a look at where the sky meets the sea, odds are it’s already done a bloody brilliant impression of a sponge soaking up all the sand, sea and cocktail spillage in the nearest vicinity. Which is all fun and games until you want to actually dry yourself with it. Gross. 

I got a beaut paisley print towel last year and it literally saves lives. OK slight exaggeration but it is the perfect beach buddy. Not only is it boujee and cute (just take a look at the damn pom poms – adorable) it doesn’t try and talk to you when you’re in the middle of a juicy chapter of your book and it actually deflects sand pretty well. Made from material similar to microfiber – it dries super quickly and doesn’t absorb sand. Win.  

4. Travel adaptor and extension cable 

Before you roll your eyes and think I’m stating the obvious with a travel adaptor – how often have you taken two travel adaptors on your holibobs and then had to take it in turns to get ready and charge your phone? 

Taking an extension cable on your two week holiday might sound extra. But when you’re charging your camera, straightening your hair, taking selfies and listening to the best of Little Mix from your fully charged portable speaker, while your mates are squabbling over one plug – to quote Jessy J, who’s laughing now? 

5. Lip balm with SPF

I can’t emphasise this one enough! P20 is great but I can’t use oil based products on my face without my skin having a complete patchy meltdown. I’ve forgotten lip balm so many times and there is nothing worse than burnt lips. Especially when it affects your ability to tuck into a hot dinner. Been there, got the T-shirt, pack the damn lip balm and thank me later!. 

I recently had a top tip from someone at work who takes all her clothes out of the wardrobe (still on hangers) and folds them into her suitcase, ready to be hung up on arrival at her destination. Which I think is pretty genius to be honest. But this is relying heavily that your clothes will already be on hangers to begin with and not in various piles all over the house… 

What’s one thing you couldn’t go without on a beach holiday?xo

*[AD-Gifted] The playsuit featured in this post was been sent to me by justyouroutfit to include in a review, but all opinions are my own.