Travel Light, Relax Right and Don’t Forget to Pack These
Oh no, I forgot my — bathing suit, flip flops, my…if you’re like me, you open your suitcase when you get to the resort and realize that OMG you forgot something important. Packing for a beach vacation SHOULD be a breeze, but as you can see, I’ve made my fair share of rookie mistakes! Like the time I forgot sunscreen and spent the first two days hiding under a hat like a lobster in witness protection, or when I packed five pairs of shoes and ended up wearing flip-flops the whole time. After too many sunburns, overstuffed bags, and having to run out to pick up a phone charger (you can’t tell me that’s never happened to you), I’ve finally perfected my beach-packing list. Now, it’s all about the essentials — cute cover-ups, a wide-brimmed hat, SPF 50 sunscreen, a great book (with backup in case I get to page 3 and find it hasn’t held my attention!), and my favorite collapsible tote that fits everything from snacks to seashells. I’m determined that there will be no more overpacking or sunburn disasters for me (famous last words).
Vita Isola
Vita Isola’s TriVersa Luxe Leather Passport Holder that also doubles as a wallet and crossbody clutch. Excellent for cruises, wonderful for the beach and any dreamy beach town travel.
Handcrafted in Mexico and designed by three American women with Puerto Rican roots, Vita Isola embodies the beauty of multicultural travel. While Vita Isola is a small brand, they are strong in their mission of supporting women: all designers and manufacturers receive a fair wage.
Available in gold and silver, this chic passport holder features premium metallic leather embossed with a starfish and the Vita Isola logo. The removable strap transforms the passport holder into a crossbody bag, perfect for long days exploring the city streets of your favorite travel destination.
- Price: $297
- Complimentary Vita Isola dust bag included. W 8.5″ x H 6.5″, fitting four passports, 7 cards, and your phone.
- Available at Vita Isola
Shady Lady
Finally, a hat made for a woman’s head!!! On average, a woman’s head is 2 cm smaller than a man’s, yet all hats are made from the measurements of a man’s head and we are tired of it!! Shady Lady is the only brand making hats for women with a smaller dome and shorter brim so you can actually see while wearing it and you don’t have that age old question of whether to tuck your ears in a hat or keep them sticking out. Shady Lady hats are made with a special stone wash process so you can wear them all day without getting a headache and take them off at night with no hat head. We also make matching Shady Kids styles so you can twin with your mini me. Once you try on a Shady Lady hat you will never wear a man’s hat again!
Available at Shady Lady
Code: WELCOME10 will give you 10% off
Sea Bags
I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention one of my all-time favorite bags (I have a few of them that I rotate). All Sea Bags are made from recycled sails, made in Maine, USA, and are machine washable!
A great day at the beach starts with a bag that holds all your gear while keeping it organized, protected, and dry. That’s why Sea Bags created the ultimate beach tote with zip pockets for valuables, outside pockets to separate wet, sandy items and large interior pockets to hold sunblock, a phone, and more. Eco-friendly recycled sail cloth fends off moisture and cleans up nicely in your home washing machine. Machine wash, line dry.
Sea Bags Blue Ombre Stripe Ogunquit Beach Tote Price: $250
The Sea Bags Beverage Bucket Bags are perfect for beach days — Fill with favorite microbrews, seltzers, soft drinks — and of course, ice. There is a grommet in the bottom of the bag so the meltwater can drain out — can also fill with ice packs. Perfect for the table beside the grill, the bed of the truck, hanging off of a chair — it’s compact and easy to move wherever you go!
- Sea Bags Cabana Stripe Ogunquit Tote
- Price: $250
encircled
The Airy Gauze Button-Up
Perfect from beach to brunch cover-up.
Discover effortless style with our relaxed button-up. Featuring wide cuffs, versatile length and a high low hem. Ethically crafted in Toronto, the organic cotton double gauze fabric is lightweight, breathable and softer than linen. A stylish layer or worn on its own, it’s an essential summer staple for your refined capsule wardrobe.
The Dressy Lounge Short
A lovely short that you could easily dress up for dinner, made from ultra soft, stretchy fabric
From office meetings to date nights in the city, the Dressy Lounge Short does it all. Combining comfort, practicality, and style, these shorts feature a soft elastic waistband, two side pockets and a passport pocket. The leg has a slight flare and longer inseam for relaxed yet elevated fit. Crafted from a stretchy, buttery-soft MicroModal fabric for maximum breathability, they’re your summer essential.
- All available at encircled
Bergy Bag
The Compact Cooling Bergy Bag Fashionable and functional
Fashionable and functional, compact, cooling bag/purse. Avoid your phone overheating and meds melting, and chill your snacks with these chic-insulated bags, keep medication cool when traveling. Keep lipsticks, deodorant, creams etc. from melting. Made from Saffiano, durable scratch and water resistant leather, insulated, and includes an ice pack. Bergy Bag is just as versatile as it is gorgeous. Insulated bags have never been more fashionable. Bergy Bag’s patent pending bags are the stylish way to keep temperature-sensitive items safe and cool. Take from course to cocktails or beach to bar.
Don’t have a meltdown! Interior patent pending insulating layers; Interior wipeable poly liner; Rust-free zipper; Metal engraved zipper pull of smooth opening and closing. Top Width 7" Bottom Width 7.5" Height 5.5" Can be personalized. Where Yeti Meets Prada!
- Available at Bergy Bag
- Price: $98 SRP
Apres Soul
The Zipper Pouch is a chic baby blue durable canvas pouch. The interior zipper pocket is the perfect spot for cash, cards, ID, or other items you might want to keep secure. Stash your lipsticks, glasses, keys or other necessities you need to quickly locate in one of the two open interior pockets.
This pouch is the perfect carryall for all your essentials, and can easily go from hand bag to court bag, gym bag, or pool/beach bag.
- Available at Apres Soul
Shug Bug
Protection shouldn’t be scary. The vast majority of the natural insect repellent industry uses ninety + percent Soybean Oil, which is often harvested with the glyphosate chemical (RoundUp) known for its connection to cancer. Yeah, we don’t use that.
Finally, a 100% natural insect repellent that works! Shubug is the only daily moisturizing natural repellent rated to perform over 10 hours and is made with 97% cosmetic-grade coconut MCT and walnut natural oils. No scary stuff! Protect yourself while hiking, biking, fishing, swimming, golfing and all outdoor activities. Play all Day with a single spray. Sad bugs, happy you!
Made in the U.S.A.
- Shubug Natural Insect Repellent is available at Target, Walmart, Amazon and more!
- Price: $19.45
Suntegrity
Suntegrity is the OG clean, mineral sun brand designed to make healthy sun care an easy and fun part of your daily routine. Founded in 2010 by Tricia Trimble in honor of her mom who passed away from melanoma skin cancer, Tricia transformed her loss into a revolutionary line of zinc-oxide-based, mineral sun care products that have consistently made the EWG’s “Best Recreational” and “Best Daily-Use” Sunscreen Lists and have secured top ratings by SkinSafe and The Good Face Project databases. With a variety of sun care products that combine beauty, SPF, and skincare into single holy grail products, Suntegrity makes it easier than ever to protect against the sun, the healthy way. All Suntegrity products are PETA & Leaping Bunny certified cruelty-free, with majority also being vegan and Oncology Spa Solutions-approved for use on the most sensitive of skin.
- Pick yours up at Suntegrity
- *Also available at Nordstrom, Free People, Dermstore & More
- *As used by Kim Kardashian, Zoey Deschanel, Rose Byrne & More
Bug Bite Thing Suction Tool
As seen on Shark Tank, the award-winning suction tool extracts insect saliva/venom from under the skin to alleviate the itching, stinging and swelling caused by insect bites and stings.
Amazon’s #1 seller for insect bite relief with over 90,000 reviews, the product is completely chemical-free and reusable. It solely uses the power of suction, making it safe for the entire family to use, simply clean the removable cap with an alcohol wipe between uses.
Check out this video to learn “how it works.”
- Available on Amazon
- Price $9.99, and also available in multipacks.
A Punishing Breed
*Recommended in The New York Times*
A Punishing Breed, the first in a series of novels featuring Detective DJ Arias, is a murder mystery that takes place in Los Angeles, the city of angels, freeways, Santa Ana winds, and honeysuckle slithering through chain-link fences and perfuming LA’s dark streets and neighborhoods. Detective Arias hunts for a murderer on a liberal arts campus that prides itself on its progressive curriculum but is rife with jealousy, racial and sexual tensions, and a hierarchy as real and destructive as a medieval fortress. DJ Arias, good at his job because he sees the worst in people, is challenged by the college community, a neighborhood recluse, and a young Latino gardener he sent to jail ten years ago for a hit-and-run accident. Through the course of his investigation, Arias will find out no one is who they appear to be. He begins to reclaim his humanity by adopting a dog he names Evidence and finding the clues to a crime born from a dark secret not contained in the past but alive in the present, which will cast destruction and murder on the denizens of the small liberal arts campus.
- Get yours at Amazon.com
Peepers Capri Sunglasses
A classic look gets a major update in these oversized and chic cat-eye frames. These Capri sunglasses add a touch of elegance to any wardrobe while protecting your eyes.
The No Correction Lenses are polarized to reduce glare while enhancing color, depth and clarity
The reading lenses are 2-in-1. Your favorite readers and sunglasses paired together
Crafted for Comfort with lightweight frames and spring hinges
UV400 Protection blocks 99.9% of UVA/UVB rays
Dual Anti-Scratch Coating for long-lasting protection
- Available at Peepers
Demeter Fragrance
Caribbean Sea Cologne Spray
Demeter’s Caribbean Sea is a light, bright ozone scent. It’s slightly green and floral undertones, seek to recreate the feeling of floating in the calm, warm, deep and blue-green Caribbean Ocean on a perfect spring day.
Salt Air Cologne Spray
Imagine a perfect sea breeze on the perfect beach at your favorite tropical island. Now you have the perfect description of Demeter’s Salt Air. There’s just no denying it… Demeter’s Salt Air will have you thinking of that last vacation and much needed new one.
Pina Colada Cologne Spray
Demeter’s Pina Colada is a luscious mixture of cream of coconut, fresh pineapple, and light rum, blended to a perfect sweetness and richness.
- Stock up on these and MORE scents at Demeter Fragrance
melii
Frazzled travel days don’t have to be stressful. This must-have snack pack includes removable dividers that create up to 12 individual sections to keep contents like cheese, salami, apple slices, and Goldfish completely separate and delicious. Choose how many dividers to include to accommodate larger and smaller snacks. Made of 100% food-safe plastic and dishwasher-safe.
- Available on Amazon
- Price: $11.99
Not too much, not too little… Stock your carry on with just enough snacks to get your family through the flight, train ride, or road trip. The snap-together Puzzle Container from melii baby includes one larger and two smaller compartments — choose how many compartments to fill, then snap them together for easy, space-saving packing. This melii baby food storage solution is airtight, leakproof, and BPA-, lead-, PVC-, and Cadmium-free for a safe and mess-free snack and microwave-, freezer-, and dishwasher-safe to make mom’s life easier.
- Available on Amazon
- Price:$11.99
Snap N Go Pods — NOW AVAILABLE IN SILICONE
Melii’s most popular product just won Parents Magazine 2024 Best Baby Food Container. With millions sold and thousands of 5-star reviews, parents everywhere are saving time, money, and space with Snap & Go Pods! Perfect for storing snacks, the pods are airtight, leak-proof, BPA-, lead-, PVC-, and Cadmium-free and dishwasher/microwave/freezer safe to make mom’s life easier
- Available on Amazon
- Price: $19.99 for a set of 12.
Keeki
We rented a house and I was brought hard rolls and to make sure they stayed fresh, I packed them in my Keeki bags!
Introducing the Keeki Bag — a plastic-free, beeswax-lined linen solution for effortlessly preserving your bread’s freshness. With a wide opening and drawstring closure, it’s more convenient than traditional wrap, allowing your bread to breathe while preventing moisture build-up. Plus, a portion of sales goes to the Ontario Nature Protect Pollinators charity, supporting the environment and ensuring your choice is not just about freshness but also a commitment to sustainability.
- Available on Keeki
The Silky Soft Cooling Blanket
With award-winning cooling technology, the silky soft cooling blanket helps moderate temperature to reach natural coolness — regardless of where you are. The blanket is machine washable, anti-snagging, anti-pill, and hair resistant. From long roadtrips, to freezing cold planes, the cooling blanket is the ultimate travel companion.
- Available on Amazon
- Price: $149.99
Motivo Scar Care
Silicone Scar Cream
Packed with 25 KEY Ingredients to help the scars heal & fade
Natural Herbs, Anti-Oxidants, Antimicrobials & Silicone
Provides intense hydration and nourishment to the skin
Absorbs quickly, leaving no greasy residue
Supports OVERALL skin health
For ALL skin types
- Available from from Motivo Scar Care and Amazon
- Price: $54.99
Snowfox Skincare
All in One Hair, Face, Beard & Body Bar
Made with: Vetiver Root Oil, Kakadu Plum, Sandalwood and Brazilian Black Clay combine to hydrate, clarify and soften skin, scalp and hair
Suitable for all genders and ages (works great on long and short hair) for an easy and thorough all-in-one wash
Great for those with beards or thicker facial hair as formula can help clarify enlarged hair pores and soften brittle ends
Silicone-free, Plastic-free & Ocean-friendly
- Available at Snowfox Skincare
- All in One Hair, Face, Beard & Body Bar retails for $26.00
Introducing a dynamic Duo for Clean (and plastic less)
Gua Sha Hair & Cleansing Bars
These personal care bars are designed to elevate shower routines, combining the traditional practice of Gua Sha with modern skincare innovation for a better way to wash.
Developed with 100% vegan and 97+% natural-origin ingredients, these bars offer a luxurious and sustainable self-care experience.
These revolutionary products combine the benefits of a lymphatic massage and satisfying cleanse in one compact bar.
SCALP CARE MUST HAVE: The Gua Sha Shampoo Bar offers a thorough hair wash and soothing scalp massage and features powerful ingredients like biotin, proprietary vegan probiotics, rosemary oil, and apricot seed powder. Its ergonomic shape stimulates hair follicles to promote healthy hair growth.
BODY CARE LYMPHATIC MASSAGE: The Gua Sha Cleansing Bar, with ingredients like niacinamide, proprietary vegan probiotics, rosemary oil, and charcoal powder, refreshes and revitalizes the skin and simultaneously relieves muscle tension.
- Available at VOESH
- Price: $29
What is it that you always forget to pack on vacation? Let me know it’s not just me that does it.
