Before I begin, I just want to say I love the beach. Everyone loves the beach, hence why millions of people flock to it for vacation every year. However, there are definitely some struggles that everyone experiences while lounging around by the sunny surf all day.
Sand. Everywhere. All the time.
Sand is basically unavoidable. When you’re at the beach, you not only get covered in sand when you’re actually by the ocean, but then the sand actually accompanies you home. Sit on the couch to watch TV, sand. Get in bed to take a nap, sand. Go for a drive in your car, sand. Take a bite of your sandwich, sand. Going to the beach is just preparing to live in a sand-infested environment for the duration of the trip, and to have sand in your hair for weeks to come.
Wind.
Just when you set up your base camp perfectly on the beach, a huge gust of wind is guaranteed to blow by and take your towel and everything else with it. Don’t even try to lay everything out just where you want it because it will be messed up in no time. Also, with that gust of wind comes more sand covering everything and anything.
The constant struggle between being too hot and too cold.
Tanning at the beach is infinitely greater than tanning at the pool, but it's a lot easier to hop into a pool to cool down than to hop in the ocean. The ocean can be extremely cold and other hazards like the salt water and seaweed don't help. Get out to avoid the cold and ten minutes later you’re burning up once again.
Your phone overheating.
iPhones can only handle so much, and the scorching sun is not something they are equipped to deal with. They’re almost like children, they need to be in the shade in order to maintain a normal temperature, and when they overheat, they just shut down for what feels like forever.
Losing everything.
What’s a beach trip if no one loses or breaks their phones/sunglasses/valuable possessions?
Sunburns.
Nothing is better than having a fresh tan right after a week at the beach, but more likely than not, you’ll come home with some nasty sunburns as well. No matter how much sunscreen you apply, the pain of a pesky sunburn is virtually unavoidable. Even more exciting is when you start to peel everywhere.
Awkward shower times.
Just got back from the beach, sand everywhere, need to shower. But wait, I’m going in the pool later today then maybe back to the beach. Should I shower or wait until tonight? Wash my hair tonight, go back in the ocean tomorrow morning and do it all over the next day.
The beach is amazing, and, under the right circumstances, it can be an extremely popular family vacation spot. With all good comes bad though, and going to the beach includes good, bad, and don’t forget, sand.
