It’s summer. It’s hot. There’s no denying that a beach day—many beach days, are in order. But there’s a way to do it wrong, and there’s a way to do it right. What follows are handy-dandy instructions on how to have a successful beach day—a day you’ll look back on and go, “Now that was one for the books.”
1. Get there early. And I mean early.
Not teenager early, like, “Let me just sleep in until 12:00 p.m. and then I’ll quickly run over for optimal tanning time.” No. Get there between 10 and 10:30 a.m. Yeah yeah, you have to wake up a little earlier and be a little groggier and get ready a little faster. But just suck it up and get a Starbucks on your way there. Getting to the beach early, before the crowd comes and before the sun starts to really beat down on you, is key to to a successful beach-day start.
2. Pack a lunch.
Another thing that teenagers/young people tend to gripe about—but it’ll save you so much time in the long run. The day or night before you’re planning on going to the beach just run to the deli near your house and get a sandwich or a bagel. You can even go the morning before, if you want to wake up extra extra early. Either way, packing a lunch (plus snacks, many, many snacks) will save you from having to pack up all your stuff and find someplace nearby to eat when you get hungry at 1:00pm and really don’t feel like getting your life together and shuffling your way off the beach.
3. Bring lots of water.
The thirst that overcomes you at the beach is underestimated. Especially after laying in the sun for long periods of time and then soaking your body in salt water, you become dehydrated very quickly. Bring a couple of water bottles per person—or better yet, one giant reusable one. But don’t just bring one tiny Poland Spring because you will end up getting thirstier and there aren’t many things worse than overwhelming dehydration. Plus, drinking water is good for you and will help you feel more alive after being depleted of energy by the sun.
4. Speaking of drinks, bring a cooler.
It’s a hassle, not gonna lie. You have to drag it all the way there, and drag it all the way back. The way back is probably worse, because it’s just this giant empty thing. Honestly, it’s worth it. You can put anything and everything in it, and it’ll stay cold forever. A miracle. Bring lots of drinks and snacks and sandwiches and, what the hell, some ice cream or something.
5. Use a spray-on (instead of rub-on) sunscreen.
Ah, the beauty of the spray-on sunscreen, how I treasure thee. Spray-on sunscreen is just one of those things that makes sense. You’ve just come from the ocean, your hands soaked, you go to lay down on your towel (trying all the while to be as diligent as possible so as to not get sand everywhere), and you brush your palms against the ground. You hope it was harmless, but when you turn them over, they’re covered. Sand is everywhere. Now, you’re panicking because it’s been over an hour since you last put on sunscreen and you just went in the water so most of it probably washed off and you need to reapply. But fear not, you don't need to rub your sand-covered hands all over your body in order to stay protected from the sun. Instead, you whip out your spray-on, no-hands sunscreen and simply spray-on a layer of protection all over your body. No hands, no sand. Easy, breezy, beautiful. Spray-on sunscreen.
6. Bring an umbrella.
This sounds like kind of an old-people thing, like you’re not tough enough to stay in the sun the whole time. It’s not. It just feels nice sometimes to mark your own little beach territory with a substantial object. Plus, if you’re on your phone, it’s nice to go under there and actually be able to see the screen. Plus, if you need, like, a one second break from the blazing sun, you can take refuge under there. Plus, if you’re just a shade freak, you can hide under there all day.
7. Play music on a speaker.
Does this one really need an explanation? Not really. Speakers are awesome. They just give your beach day such a good vibe. This one is really to just remind you to not forget your speaker, because we do that a lot.
8. Keep your electronics in a plastic bag.
This will save you from having to dig through your bag for your phone and use it with your wet and sandy hands. Plus, it’ll protect it from the elements, and you can keep it on the ground next to you instead of having to hide it away. Throw your headphones in there too, when you’re not using them, this way you can prevent sand from getting in those, too.
9. Bring a life-proof cellphone case.
You don’t have to, but it’s so cool! You can go in the water with your phone and take cool pictures and videos with your friends.
10. Don’t bring your nice sunglasses.
Sand is amazing and relaxing and fun. But it is also the enemy. Don’t bring your $200 Ray Ban sunglasses that you just got as your birthday gift—wear a cheap pair of plastic sunglasses that you don’t care about that much. This way, if they get sand or water on them, it’s no biggie, and it’ll be nice not to have to worry about them getting stolen while you’re in the water. The less valuables you bring, the better.
