TRAVEL | What To Pack For An Active Beach Holiday – Essential Tropical Packing List

Camping Blog Camping with Style | Travel, Outdoors & Glamping Blog

After getting back from a recent diving trip to Mexico I decided that now was a great time to share my active beach holiday packing list with you. Scroll down for my ready-made beach holiday packing list!

Active beach holiday packing list

Active Holiday Packing List Considerations

The first thing to consider when packing, obviously, is the type of holiday that you’re going on, it goes without saying that a winter snow holiday packing list is the total opposite of a beach holiday packing list!

Holiday packing list

I’m not one for lying around doing nothing, so holidays for me mean exploring, snowboarding, diving, snorkeling, swimming, kayaking, and occasionally relaxing with a good book.

When it comes to holiday activities I like to take my own gear with me whenever possible, and whilst in most resorts you can hire what you’ll need, I much prefer using my own trusted gear so always make sure my baggage allowance allows me to take everything I’ll need.

Sunblock and insulated mugs are a holiday must-have!

Before my most recent Yucatan diving trip I did a fair bit of holiday shopping, not least because I felt like treating myself, but practically speaking I’d dropped a dress size so genuinely needed some more beach-appropriate clothing.

I spent hours trudging around the shops hoping to find everything from the perfect pair of shorts that didn’t make me look a) frightful or b) like I live in a trailer park (yeah, that didn’t happen) to a gorgeous maxi dress. Instead of shorts I ended up buying to a couple of pairs of linen trousers from my local Gap outlet. Back at home online, I also got myself a gorgeous maxi dress(yay!) and a pair of beach pants from Apricot.

Shatterproof Magic Mirrors make a great travel companion!

Although I’m no longer considered ‘plus size’, shopping for nice summer clothes and beachwear can be difficult if you are above a size 14, so I’d previously found places like ASOS really good (though I find quality can be hit or miss), whilst for guys, shopping somewhere like Jacamo is a great bet, especially when shopping for things like swim shorts.

When it comes to luggage I usually take either my American Tourister Spinner suitcase or the much larger Osprey Transporteer case and for flight luggage use either my Mia Tui Jennie travel handbag, or my brilliant Lifeventure Kibo travel backpack.

Packing flight bag
What do you pack in your hand luggage?

My Active Beach Holiday Packing List

Sports/Fitness Packing

Entertainment & Electrical

Essentials

  • Passport (well d’uh!)
  • Prescription glasses and/or sunglasses
  • Airport parking reservation
  • Travel insurance details
  • Holiday/flight/hotel booking details
  • Travel cabin bag
  • Foreign currency

Clothing/Footwear

  • Beach pants x 3
  • Underwear
  • Nightwear
  • Linen pants
  • Vest tops x 3
  • Shurg/cardi x 2 (for cooler evenings)
  • T-shirt x 2
  • Cotton crinkle top
  • Maxi dress
  • Sun dresses x 3
  • Sun/beach dress x 3
  • Beach cover-ups
  • Toms or other light canvas shoes
  • Birkenstocks
  • Teva sandals
  • Sarong
  • Flip flops
Birkenstock EVA Fluro Beach Sandals

Travel Outfit

  • Denim jacket
  • Converse high-tops
  • Beach pants (elasticated waist, super comfy for flying in!)
  • T-shirt
  • Hair/headscarf
  • Sunglasses & case

Toiletries & Cosmetics

  • Shower gel
  • Toothbrush & toothpaste tabs
  • P20 SPF50 sun protection spray (not to be used when swimming near coral reefs)
  • Hawaiian Tropic Aftersun
  • Shampoo
  • Conditioner
  • Body butter
  • Face cream
  • Lip balm
  • Mascara
  • Coloured eye liners
  • Pressed powder
  • Baby oil
  • Supplements
  • Alka Seltza, Paracetamol, Ibuprofen, Imodium instants & Gaviscon
  • Jungle formula bug spray
  • Antihistamine bite cream
  • Hair brush
  • Ear plugs
  • Nail clippers
  • Tweezers
  • Shaving razor

Random stuff

Holiday packing list

DISCLOSURE: This post has been written in collaboration with Jacamo but is all our own original thoughts and content. You can find out more about our sponsored post policy here.

Where to next?