15 Beach Vacation Must Haves You Didn’t Know You Needed in Your Life

Have the best time on your beach vacay with these items to upgrade any trip.

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This post will show you the beach vacation must haves that will upgrade your next beach getaway.

Top 15 beach vacation must haves

Summer will be here closer than you think, which means beach vacations are on the horizon! (You might even be lucky enough to be going on one sooner than that.)

If a beach is in your future this year, it’s definitely time to start planning what you want to bring on your fun trip. You will need all the usual beach essentials, as well as some fun extra items.

{RELATED POST: 6 Cute & Trendy Vacation Outfits We’re Obsessing Over}

Not sure what you should bring on your beach vacation to make it really memorable?

This post will show you the 15 top items you should consider bringing on your beach vacay, some of which you might not have ever thought to bring.

1. Beach Tent

Something that is absolutely essential for a beach vacation is making sure you have something to give you some shade.

The beach not only can be blistering hot sometimes and if you’re planning to stay at the beach for a long period of time, a basic umbrella might not cut it.

If you want something to provide you with just the right amount of shade that you are looking for, purchase this portable sun shade tent!

This tent is a great size especially if you are on vacation with family and friends because it is big enough for multiple people. It’s best for packing in a car, so definitely pick it up if you’ll be driving to your destination.

2. Beach Bag Beauty Essentials

If you want to look cute on your beach vacations, you are probably wondering what makeup to bring with you.

This can be a tough one especially because you’ll need to keep in mind that you may be going swimming.

To solve this problem, this beach to the streets beach bag beauty essentials kit will provide you with all the products you need to still look your best while at the beach, including the Too Faced waterproof mascara (which is one of my personal favorites).

Related reading: Our Favorite Sweat-Proof & Waterproof Makeup Picks for Summer

3. Trendy Sunglasses

You may have noticed the new trend in fashion recently, which is rectangle-shaped small sunglasses straight out of the 2000s.

This is a great opportunity to purchase some fun new sunglasses for yourself, which will also make you look trendy when you are on the beach.

These retro rectangle sunglasses are my absolute favorites because they are quality sunglasses that match the recent fashion trend perfectly without costing a fortune. (So no worries if you lose them on your trip — it happens.)

4. Bum Bum Cream

I don’t know what I would do without my bum bum cream — it’s definitely among my personal beach vacation must haves.

If you haven’t heard of Sol de Janeiro’s brazilian bum bum cream before, you probably think the name sounds a little funny, but this cream works wonders on skin, especially if you have dry skin.

It moisturizes even the driest areas and makes your skin look incredible in any swimsuit.

This makes it especially perfect for bringing it on beach vacations too because it will give you the moisture and subtle sheen we all want at the beach, plus the smell of it also gives off a beachy vibe!

5. Speaker

If you never go anywhere without your favorite Spotify playlist queued up, then a bluetooth speaker is a beach vacation must-have to upgrade your next trip.

You can’t just bring any speaker to the beach, though — you need one that’s safe to withstand sand and water, plus be tossed around in a beach bag.

If you are looking for a speaker that will be perfect, get this waterproof portable speaker because it can withstand just about anything! Plus, the teal color is super cute.

6. Wrap Skirts

This season, we’ve already been seeing lots of wrap skirts around swimsuits. This trend was popular years ago and is now coming back (even Kylie Jenner and Addison Rae are fans).

So, if you have any old wrap skirts in your closet, bring them out for your beach vacation.

If you are looking for super cute wrap skirts to purchase, go for these swimsuit wrap skirts. I purchased them and they are absolutely adorable! Also, they come in multiple colors, so you can match them with any of your swimsuits.

7. Fashionable Flip Flops

It doesn’t get more stylish than these fashionable minimalist flip flops from Tkees. Though they are priced right around the $50 mark, they’re incredibly high quality and 10x cuter than rubber flip flops for beach days.

While these come in tons of colors, we’re particularly partial to the nude flip flops above that come in 11 different shades to fit a wide variety of skin tones. So chic and total beach vacation must haves.

8. Embroidered Sun Hat

An absolute must for a beach vacation is a super cute beach hat!

If you are looking for that special one, you should purchase this bon voyage embroidered sun hat. Not only is it the perfect size, but also it has an adorable saying embroidered on it to make it even more fun.

9. Or, a Cute Sun Visor

Buy from Amazon.com

If you prefer to wear your hair up at the beach but still want to protect your face from the sun, we love this ingenious sun visor from Amazon that has a cut out top to fit your messy bun.

Just throw your hair up and then slip this on and you’ve got the perfect accessory for lounging by the shore and reading in style.

10. Self-Tanner

Gone are the days of baking in the sun to get that golden glow. Save your skin and apply a self-tanner before you go to the beach for that sun-kissed look sans damage. And pack it in your bag to reapply to keep your tan all week long.

This gradual tanner from TanLuxe is a beauty blogger favorite and smells absolutely incredible — no gross fake tanner smell! It’s also buildable so it won’t look streaky or fake and you can get your perfect shade of tan.

And at the risk of sounding incredibly obvious, be sure to wear SPF when you’re out in the sun as self tanner does not protect your skin.

11. Anklets

If you want to spice up your look while on a beach vacation, you could wear some pretty anklets. This is such a fun way to add some cute accessories to your beach outfits.

I would definitely recommend this gold anklet set if you want to try wearing anklets because they come with so many great options.

12. Beach Bag

Another essential for a beach vacation is a sizable beach bag because it needs to be able to fit all your fun things AND stand up to sand and water.

If you are looking for a beach bag that is a good size and also adorable, get this woven tassel tote bag!

13. Cute Beach Towels

Going on a fun vacation with friends? Why don’t you get cute beach towels for each other to keep as a memory?

This tassel beach towel is perfect for buying for each of your friends. It has such boho vibes and is going to look adorable in any Instagram pictures you might be taking together. Plus, they can use it for years to come.

14. Beach Game

Beach games are also a great way to add some more fun to your time on the beach.

A classic beach game that I love to play with friends is beach tennis, which you can play if you purchase this beach tennis game set!

The set isn’t super bulky, so it’s easy to slip into your beach bag for hours of fun.

15. Cute Beach Chairs

If you’re driving to your beach destination, you should definitely think about packing some cute beach chairs in the trunk.

Not only will these cute pink ones match well with the cute beach towels above, but you can move them around to get as much sun or shade as you’d like. Perfect if you’re going to be spending the whole day at the beach.

Oh, and these beach vacation must haves are just $12 each!

What are your beach vacation must haves?

Which items will you purchase for your beach vacation? What items are your favorite? Where will you be going for your beach vacation?

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