Since I’m at the beach this week, I thought I’d put together a beach vacation packing post. This isn’t a “what to pack” post as much as it is “what I packed” because I am an unapologetic over-packer. I hate to get to a destination and wish I had more options, and that happens every time I try to pare down my packing, so my rule is: If in doubt, throw it in.
outfit details (not what I actually wore)
Although, I did fit everything on this list into my medium size suitcase, so while I may have a few more options than absolutely necessary, I don’t think it’s overkill… but I suppose everyone has a different opinion on that!
What I Packed: Summer Beach Vacation
#1. Shorts & Pants. I usually start packing by choosing a few versatile bottoms. I stuck with neutrals so I can bring a variety of tops without thinking through each outfit. They are all pretty much interchangable.
In this case, I wore my AG cutoff jean shorts and Sunkissed Tee to travel in, but I still threw the KUT from the Kloth utility shorts in case I end up wanting another pair of jean shorts. I also packed a pair of white shorts and a pair of olive shorts, as well as a pair of blue jeans and white jeans. Sometimes it gets chilly at night, and I never like to be without a pair of jeans, even in the summertime. The white jeans are for dinners out and whatnot.
#2. Tops. Since I packed all neutral bottoms, I can pretty much throw in any of my favorite tops and t-shirts and know they will work without having to think through each outfit. I started by picking my favorite casual tanks and graphic tees for everyday wear, and then I added a couple more elevated tops that I can wear out to dinner. We’re planning to eat out a couple of nights on this trip.
I also like to have a sweatshirt or sweater for cool mornings and evenings, but I totally forgot to pack one of those this time! I was doing it all last minute, as life has been a bit crazy lately. Thankfully, I did throw in one long sleeve top, which I was planning to wear with shorts, but I’m wearing it with the Frank & Eileen Gaucho Jeans this morning, as it was a little chilly, and I wanted to sit out on the screened porch to write this post.
#3. Dress. I also threw in one casual linen dress, in case I want to wear that instead of white jeans to dinner one night. (By the way, that dress is on sale at Bloomies right now!)
Tommy Bahama Palma A Dora Sleeveless Sheath Dress (M) // similar P448 John (39)
#4. Shoes. I wore my Birkenstock Madrid Big Buckle Slides in the neutral Sandcastle (appropriate for a beach vacay, right???) for driving down yesterday. They go with everything I packed, and they’re comfortable to wear if we do any walking or sightseeing.
I also threw in my beek Sunbeam Flip Flops as another sandal option that isn’t quite as bulky, and they’re also super versatile. I can even wear them on the beach, so this is probably the first beach vacation in 10 years that I haven’t packed my Tory Burch Miller Sandals. In addition to that, all I brought for footwear was my Brooks running shoes.
#5. Swimsuits & Coverups. I packed 4 swimsuits and 2 cover-ups, and I’m sure I don’t need them all, but I’ll probably end up wearing them all. As I said, I like options! I also packed my favorite packable beach tote.
#6. Pajamas. I like to bring a long pair (pants & top) and a short pair (shorts & top) because I never know if the place where I’m staying will be cold or hot. I also brought my favorite robe, for wearing after my showers while I get ready in the mornings. FYI, all of those Soma items are on sale right now!
#7. Activewear. I’m trying to get back into my walking/running habit, now that my ankle is better, so I brought my favorite sports bra and a pair of running shorts and a tank top. We have a washer/dryer, so I figured I didn’t need more than one set, but I will probably regret that. I stuffed a pair of Bombas ankle socks in my sneakers.
Vuori Clemintine 2.0 (M) // Vuori Sunrise Crop Tank (L) // On Cloud Sneakers (9)
8. Loungewear. I always bring comfortable pants when I travel – something to throw on in the mornings or evenings, when I don’t want to wear pajamas but I don’t want to wear real clothes either. My new white Frank & Eileen Malibu Travel Set seemed like the perfect thing for this trip.
9. Miscellaneous mentions. Once I got my clothes and beach gear squared away, I threw in my travel toiletry bag that I keep stocked at all times and my travel makeup. I also brought my Dyson hair dryer and straightener. Yes, I know it’s the beach. What can I say? I am high maintenance.
I also brought my laptop tote and a raffia shoulder bag to carry when we go out to dinner, and I think that about covers it!
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41 Responses
How did you get All of those clothes in a medium bag ? Lol
Have a Great time!!
It’s not that much, it all fit in one side. My 2nd side was running sneakers, toiletries, hair tools, etc.
As someone who owns a beach rental place I clear out all those wire hangers each time. I have nicer hangers for renters to use. So please take them back to the dry cleaner to recycle so they don’t end up in the trash when the property owner readies it for the next guest!
Your post this morning made me laugh, in our house it’s my husband who is the over packer – and every time we get home, he looks at me and says you were right I didn’t need all of this. On the flip side, he always looks at my packing and says really that’s all your taking, yep and it works every time. We have a three-week trip to Greece coming up and I will be quite funny to see how the packing goes.
Have a wonderful & relaxing time! Nordstrom sale will be the next crazy event!
I love a packing/travel post & I am definitely a member of the over-packing club! Luckily, my husband packs very light on purpose so that I can add my things to his suitcase (he’s a keeper, for sure!). We just got back from a family trip to Belgium & England, using carryon suitcases & backpacks, and I overpacked badly! I did not wear several of the shirts I brought because it ended up being so much cooler than I’d expected. And, there was some shopping going on, which I meant a bought more, and then we had to make it all fit in our suitcases when we changed hotels. Ugh. For our flight home, we did have a duffel bag that we usually stick in for things like this. At least when we take driving trips, I can easily bring more with me! Ha! Enjoy your time at the beach!
When car travelling i hang my dresses and dressier tops on hangers in a garment bag and lay it over the suitcases in the back. Ready to hang and wear upon arrival with no further steaming or ironing.
Also for beach shoes the EVA birkenstocks are wonderful (and also if it rains).
I hope you enjoy your time in Fenwick Island, DE. My mother-in-law has had a little place there for the last 40 years so I’ve spend a lot of time there over the years. Let me know if you want any ideas for places to eat, good beaches, a park to walk in, etc. I would highly recommend the state park beach at Indian River Inlet. It’s a short drive from Fenwick. It’s a great place to hit the beach late in the day when there are fewer people and then go up to The Big Chill restaurant for dinner.(We do lunch there, too.)It’s above the old bathhouse there. I was just there Saturday before going to a concert at The Freeman Pavillion. It’s a very casual place– half the people are in bathing suits and coverups. But everything on the menu is great– I love their Mahi tacos. *Warning- take a sweater or something. It can be windy. It was 96 degrees, but very windy when we arrived Saturday and I wished I had brought my jacket.
That’s the beach we are going to today!
I’m at the beach, too! No jeans—way too hot, but I did bring my fave linen pants. One t shirt dress, a couple of shorts, several bright tees, a little cotton sweater, gold sandals, hey dudes and some fun jewelry! My beach shoes are the plastic birks—they double as house shoes in the hotel room.
One weird thing I do “overpack” is underwear. 2x the number of days gone plus 1. Better too many than too few!!🤣
Jill I’m the same way about underwear. I think of something happening and I can’t leave. I will re-wear my other clothes but never underwear. Lol.
Oh yes, I pack soooo much underwear. I forgot we have a washer here, I’m so used to air travel, so I have like 14 pairs of various types, lol.
I know this is true and vow to quit buying too many dressier things and stick with the casual things. I just still love dresses and dressier clothing, and I need to leave those in my cart for a bit until I return to reality and realize I don’t need them.
I have to laugh as I just went to Denver for a quick trip, travel days on either end and two full days in the middle (one of which I dressed in the morning for the whole day and evening as I had no opportunity to change). I only took a carry-on, and I needed so many things that I didn’t bring!!! I won’t make that mistake again. I’m far more comfortable when I have lots of options. Loved this post!!
I’ve been packing for my husband for our whole married life. It would be so nice to just do me or back in the day, just me and the kids, when they were little and know he could do himself. LOL He just doesn’t have any fashion sense, and doesn’t pack enough and nothing coordinates. He always says, “He’s good to go.” He’s so easy going. So, we get somewhere and he has no idea what he has or if I did or didn’t forget to pack his swimsuit. LOL He’s been a paramedic/fireman(now FireChief) his whole life and he’s been known to show up in the ER with patients in the middle of the night with 2 different shoes on etc. (he responsed from home on his days off too when he was the only paramedic back in the day.) The ER staff all knows him, so they didn’t expect anything more. LOL Anyway, I had to laugh at the comments about what husbands did or didn’t pack and YES…..CLEAN clothes freshly washed is a must for me too. Have a great trip Jo-Lynne……Love what you packed and so efficient.
YES!!!!!! I LOVE your post because of how you write them too. You are a great blogger(influencer) and you can’t ever quit your job. LOL
I so agree. If I’ve learned one thing its this. I have been really trying hard to work on this concept. You have always told us this and its really helped to be reminded.
Could you send the link to the Metro joggers everyone is talking about. Thanks. No hurry. Do your vacation.
Toni……try SHEEC brand. I find they work well. They have a lot of options too for all types of shoes.
Come visit Rehoboth Beach! Our farmer’s market is today!!!
Great to hear I’m in good company with the overpackers! I always like to have options on vacation, & where we go in Maine the weather can be really variable. I ALWAYS need jeans & a sweater or sweatshirt for cool nights. I don’t generally pack dresses but usually throw in a jean skirt &/or athletic skort for walking around in town, plus white jeans or linen pants for dinners out. I generally don’t wear graphic tees but recently picked up a cute off-white tee with tiny suns all over that I love—will be perfect for our road trip to the southwest in July! Thanks for this post!
Have fun on Fenwick Island! I hear it’s really nice, I need to go someday!! Enjoy your extended family. I also overpack always, and don’t wear everything, but I love having options. Looking forward to seeing some of your “what I wore” posts, maybe on Insta??
I have to say when packing your motto could be my motto, when I go on vacation I want options!! I think you did great, and I’m not sure I could make it with that size suitcase!
Hope you have a wonderful time!! Oh and also we are going to California in two weeks and I plan to use this post as a guide for what to pack, thank you for that!!
Ok that loungewear set in white…..LOVE….. a bit more than I personally can spend but LOVE LOVE LOVE the concept and it being white.
Thank you for all the ideas I’m going to use this guide when I pack to go the beach week in August thank you
I am a notorious overpacker! I love seeing what others take on vacation. I’m wondering about the Frank & Eileen travel set-is it worth the price? Actually I would love a post about which piece is your favorite or which ones you highly recommend. It’s a bit out of my price range but I would like to order one piece to try.
You are in a great area! Hope you have fun enjoying the beaches of Delaware. If you feel like traveling for dinner the Spain Wine Bar in Ocean City Maryland is AMAZING! And has spectacular sunsets on the bay. In Bethany you can find Matt’s fish Camp and Blue Coast. And if you want to drive to Rehoboth, there are so many places you can go for great food… LUPO, Sazio, Shorebreak, Mariachi’s, Big Fish Grill, Henlopean Oyster House, Salt Air and many more. There are also many places in Fenwick, I’m just not as familiar with them. Enjoy your trip!!!!!!!
I used to be an overpacker because ya never know! But I never wore half the stuff I brought. I’m learning though and have been able to whittle items down to what I’ll actually wear. It’s hard though. I like all your choices and it doesn’t seem like you overpacked.
Wait a minute….. $ 250 for a travel toiletry bag ?!? Yikes !
Love your blog…thanks for all your hard work! What size did you get in the Frank & Eileen Malibu travel set?
ThAnK YoU!
It’s a small.
I’m a serial over packer too. As I always remind my husband “A girl needs options!”
This post is perfect timing for me since we leave for the beach on July 27th. I hope that y’all have a fabulous time!
You will like Fenwick island. its nice beach town. you can also stop at the Rte 1 outlets on the way down. this a great packing list for any trip really.
We are at the beach this week in Long Beach Island. With the heat wave in Philly, I really didn’t have jeans or sweatshirts in mind. Thankfully I packed a light sweater and jean jacket, I definitely needed it tonight with the South wind up the beach.
Yeah I always need long sleeves at the beach in the evenings.
Have a great trip! We just got back from Ocean City MD yesterday. You have to eat at Harpoon Hannah’s while you are on Fenwick. Their coconut muffins that they serve with their meals are legendary! 😋
We ate there tonight. They were amazing!!!!
Check out Nicola’s Pizza! Super casual, super good – especially the Stromboli’s. This is a must visit whenever we are in Delaware to visit family. https://www.nicolapizza.com/
Yum, sounds so good. My daughter has Celiac so we don’t usually do much pizza, but that looks amazing.
Cute outfits can you show something a little cheaper
This is just what I packed for my trip. I can certainly link similar for less items when I do my What I Wore Lately post.