Unfortunately, the burden of beach weekend preparations falls upon the girls; it’s the simple truth.

As a senior, I look back upon my first beach weekend at Wake Forest and I realize how absolutely clueless I was going into it all. As a freshman, I wouldn’t have been preparedin the least if it weren’t for the older girls in my sorority who guided me through the process by sharing their advice from years past.

I can remember tirelessly painting my date’s cooler for two weeks, scheduling time to take study breaks in between my homework to tackle different designs; I squeezed all of my frozen food for the weekend into my friends’ mini-fridges on my hall; and I packed way too many bikinis for a beach trip in early April.

So for all the girls out there who feel like they have more questions about beach weekend than answers, fear not. Here’s what you need to know. And to my mom, if you’re reading this, don’t worry I promise it’s a safer trip than it sounds.

1. Start working on your cooler in advance: It takes so much longer than you’d think for paint to dry. Use Pinterest for guidance.
2. Sheets: Most houses that fraternities rent do not provide sheets on the beds. So I highly recommend going to Target and getting a super cheap set of sheets or blankets that you won’t care about if they get sandy.
3. Towels: Bring one for the beach, and one that you can use after showering. Everyone always forgets these for some reason.
4. Don’t bring anything you would cry over if you lost it: I know people who have lost shoes, shirts, purses, sunglasses…anything and everything you could possibly imagine. If you question whether or not you should bring it, then the answer is probably no. Not to mention, the houses are not religiously locked while people are away so you never know what could happen to your belongings.
5. Sunscreen: It’s April, so you probably don’t have a very good base-tan. Bring some sunscreen because there is a high chance that you might turn into a lobster after a few hours on the beach.
6. Bring Games: As cliché as it might sound, games are some of my favorite memories from beach weekends: Jenga (personalize your blocks by writing different tasks on each one during the car ride to the beach), Cards Against Humanity, a deck of cards, Heads Up!, Spike Ball, a football, etc.
7. Speakers: Somehow people always forget speakers, ask your date if anyone is bringing them…but don’t bring your own.
8. A Formal Outfit: The guys always forget to tell their dates that Saturday night is a bit more formal. Bring one or two options for outfits; a semi-dressy romper or dress with heels should do.
9. Mini Shampoo & Conditioner: You’re not in a hotel and these will not be provided for you. Not to mention, you’ll probably forget whatever larger bottles you bring.
10. Dry Shampoo: If you’re not lucky enough to get a shower, dry shampoo is an essential.