Caribbean Essentials: Packing List

Sometimes it’s hard to know exactly what you may need for your Caribbean getaway. Whether it’s to an adults only, all inclusive, or a quiet beach bungalow, I’m here to help make sure you have everything you need!

Our pool and beach bag is an essential. We use a sturdy canvas tote. It packs easily into the bottom of our suitcase. It’s large enough to carry our towels and everything else we need to take to the pool and beach. I like to keep a smaller zipper bag inside to hold things we need to easily reach and don’t want to get as sandy or wet. One more bag (mostly for water adventures) is a dry bag. As the name implies, it will keep all of your belongings dry. Of course we need sunscreen and bug repellent. In the past we’ve used this one, but it can get sticky and once sand sticks to it, it’s on until you shower. This year, we’re going with Banana Boat Sport for our body. Everyday, we use CeraVe AM for our faces. Don’t forget your lips, this stays in my beach bag, and I repurchase year after year. If you’re going to a place where reef safe sunscreen is required (like Hawaii), I’d go with this one. No matter how much I reapply, I always seems to get a bit of a sunburn. This is a great soothing option. I like to decant it into a smaller container. At night, sunscreen isn’t needed, but I seem to get eaten alive if I’m at an outdoor restaurant. This is a must for me. I always get the spritz rather than aerosol, due to airport regulations. All inclusive resorts and most rentals include beach towels, however we like to have these small, quick drying towels for any excursions. Speaking of excursions, we like to have a backpack to keep our hands free. For women, a Kavu is a great option. My husband prefers something a little smaller and more masculine, like this packable backpack. We also bring fun towels clips, so our towels stay put. If you’re not one to sit in a beach chair and want to go out and snorkel, this set includes a full face snorkel mask, and adjustable fins. Don’t worry about your phone getting wet with this waterproof pouch. One of my favorite travel tips is to take your own tumbler or water bottle. Use these at the bar or fill with water to keep you cool and refreshed without having to go back and refill the tiny cup the hotel provides. If you’re not at an all inclusive, you may want to bring a cooler of your own. This YETI is a great choice.

For attire, toward the beginning of our trip, give me all of the sun. At the end, I’ve had about enough and I’m covering up. I like these sun shirts. For beach foot wear, I like to have a pair of inexpensive flip flops, like these. As a honeymooner, I know I was terrified of taking my engagement ring and wedding band thinking it could get stolen. Now, we use one of these and don’t have to stress about our rings. I wear my apple watch daily. I used to worry about the band popping off, so I purchased these, they’re cute and stay on through all of the activities. I like to bring a few pieces of jewelry, I use this jewelry case to make sure things aren’t getting tangled, and I have a space for everything. My husband is so pumped to try out Floafers on our upcoming trip. My water shoes recently bit the dust, so I’m looking forward to see how these hold up. If you’re planning to do any hiking in a place that has a lot of National Parks (like St. John, USVI or Hawaii), you’ll want a pair of hiking sandals. I love these. They are very outdoorsy, but they are sturdy and grippy, and make sure I don’t stub my toe with the closed toe part. That has saved my toes, multiple times. I always pack running shorts and tanks. They’re great for adventures or to use as bathing suit coverups. For bathing suits, I love this one. It’s a great modest option that covers more than others I’ve used. I have to have my Ray-Ban sunglasses. They were a birthday gift a few years ago and have been my faithful sidekick since. I take care to always keep them in the case when they’re not being used. I also carefully rinse them off after a day at the beach to get the salt and sand off. It’s not a bad idea to have a cheap pair to wear on boats or adventures where they’re likely to get damaged or dropped in the water.

Other things that aren’t beach specific but just thing I like to have that make my life easier when traveling, are as follows. Disinfecting wipes are a must, as is hand sanitizer. I use the wipes on airplanes and in the hotel. Sanitizer is in all of my bags, purse, beach bag, adventure bag, etc. Toothbrush covers are also essential. These earbuds saved me when I had a flight with a baby that cried nonstop! We use this wireless speaker all the time at home, pool, and beach to get our fill of No Shoes Radio. It’s always a great idea to have a portable charger and cables. Most places fit US plugs, but I always take a travel adapter, just in case. If you’re like us and have to charge all of your devices at the end of the day, this one is convenient. Packing cubes make life so much easier. If you’re like me and likely to get cold on flights, a turkish towel doubles as a lightweight blanket and beach towel. If your suitcase doesn’t have TSA approved locks, these work well. The one thing that you cannot forget is your passport! This organizer is easy to grab through checkpoints and helps to keep all of your documents in one place. Keep a pen in it to fill out your customs and immigration forms.

These essential items will enhance your trip and make it even more enjoyable. Happy travels!

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