Hey friends! With spring break just around the corner, I thought it might be fun to do a short Spring Break series over here on Olivia Shea Style! This week I've decided to do four separate Spring Break related posts, leading up to Friday, which is the start of Spring Break for us here at Belmont. While I am actually not even going to the beach this year, I'll be focusing on a beach vacation, because A, that's what I have the most experience with, and B, most of you will probably be going somewhere warm!
Let's be real, I hate packing almost as much as I love going on vacation, and I know I'm not alone, so I think it's only appropriate that the first post of my spring break series be all about packing! I decided to make your lives a little easier by thinking back to last years spring break and making you three lists: Things I brought, Things I wish I'd brought, and Things I wish I'd left behind.
First off- Things I brought!
Swimsuits - you'll want at least two, because you'll probably need one to wear while your other one is drying.
I bought this one last year, and it's my all time favorite! It probably won't make it in time for Spring Break, but if you're looking for a new suit for summer, it's still available here!
Beach bag - I brought my beach bag with me everywhere! I've got a post coming up on Thursday all about what I put in mine! If you're looking for beach bags, I got mine at Francesca's and they have a bunch of super cute ones!
Flip flops - You'll definitely want to bring some cheap flip flops for walking from your room to the beach, or rinsing off the sand and salt in the outdoor showers. I got mine from Old Navy and they were perfect for that. I also brought my Jack Rogers Georgica Jellies, which I absolutely LOVE.
One daytime outfit per day - I brought a lot of breezy sundresses that I could just throw on over my swimsuit, that way I could go from the pool to lunch pretty easily. You'll also want to bring at least one comfortable outfit for walking around in in case you get tired of the beach and want to go exploring.
Swimsuit cover-up - If your daytime outfits don't go well over your suit, you'll definitely want to bring something cute and easy to throw on over your swimsuit when you're walking from your room down to the beach or pool! I actually bought a couple XL mens tanks from H&M last year and they were perfect as a coverup!
Another swimsuit cover-up idea: I bought these shirts for big/little reveal and they were perfect as swimsuit cover-ups
One night/going out outfit per night you'll be there - I brought a couple of basic dresses (I'm obsessed with Piko dresses because they are so basic that you can wear it more than once in a week and it can be a completely different outfit depending on how you style it, so they're great for traveling!) Also, talk to whoever you're traveling with! Last year I went with my littles and we actually ended up borrowing each others clothes, so none of us needed to pack as much as we did. Coordinate. It makes things easier!
Cheap sunglasses you don't mind losing - don't bring your nice sunglasses, they'll get lost or stolen and you don't want that! Nordstroms has a bunch of cute sunglasses for around $10, so you can still bring super cute ones, just don't bring your Ray Bans!
SUNSCREEN! - I know this seems obvious, but I wanted to stress it because last year I got SO burnt it's not even funny.
Crossbody bag - Don't bring your brand new Kate Spade (for obvious reasons), but I would definitely recommend bringing a cute, inexpensive crossbody bag for going out. You won't want to be carrying around your phone and wallet all night, and do you really want to have to pull your ID out of your bra in front of the bouncer? I didn't think so.
Painted Bubba Keg - This is actually one of my favorite things on this list. Last year, we painted bubba kegs before leaving on spring break, and not only was painting them super fun, they kept our drinks cold for a pretty good amount of time! I'll actually be posting a painting tutorial here tomorrow, so stay tuned!
Things I wish I'd brought:
Beach towel - While most hotels will have bath towels for you to use, I'd definitely recommend bringing your own beach towel. Even if the hotel does provide beach towels, they're usually not very big or soft. We actually ended up buying a few at Wal Mart when we got there.
Baseball hat - On one of our last days in Daytona I accidentally fell asleep on the beach and woke up with the worst face sunburn I have ever had in my entire life. It was blistering, stung to touch and even ended up scabbing over. Ew. I really wished I had brought a hat to shade my face because after that even the slightest sun contact was super painful. Don't be like me. Bring a hat. Vineyard Vines has a bunch of super cute ones!
Case of water bottles - It's college spring break, I don't care where you are, but especially if you're at the beach there's a 99% chance that you'll be drinking. If you're driving instead of flying, I would HIGHLY recommend that you bring at least one case of water, or pick one up at the store when you get there, and keep at least one bottle in your beach bag AT ALL TIMES! I know it's not always something you think about, but it's hot, you're drinking, you're going to get dehydrated. You'll thank me later.
Comfortable shoes - I know this should go without saying, but honestly I didn't even think about it. I figured we'd be on the beach all day so I just brought sandals and wedges, but next time I'd bring at least one pair of shoes that I don't mind walking in because we ended up getting tired of laying out on the beach and decided to spend a day walking around and exploring, so it would have been nice to have a pair of good shoes to walk in.
Things I wish I had left behind:
5 pairs of heels/wedges - I know you want to be prepared and have something to wear with every outfit, but let's be real. You don't need THAT many pairs of shoes. They took up so much room in my bag, and I didn't even end up wearing half of them! Just bring one or two pairs of wedges, and one pair of heels if you absolutely think you'll need them. I didn't even end up wearing my heels. They just sat there.
Your entire makeup collection - I realized when I was there that I didn't use half of the makeup I brought with me. Next time, instead of bringing all of the makeup I own I'll stick to the essentials. Tinted moisturizer (preferably with SPF), foundation, oil absorbing powder or papers, mascara, blush and my favorite eyeshadow palette. There's no need to bring everything you own- you won't use it!
Cooler - As nice as it sounds to have a cooler with you, unless you plan on staying in one spot all day leave your cooler at home! We brought one, but it ended up staying in the room the entire time which meant it just took up space in the car unnecessarily. It's big, and awkward and you won't want to cary it with you from place to place. Just throw your drinks in your beach bag and you're good to go! Besides, after you've had a couple, you won't really care if your drinks are cold, let's be real.
I know this was a super long post, but I'm hoping it was helpful! If you have anything to add to any of these lists, I'd love to hear about it in the comments! I've got some super fun stuff planned for this week's Spring Break series, so make sure you check back tomorrow for a step by step tutorial on painting Bubba Kegs!
See ya tomorrow!
Olivia
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