My Four Beach Must-Haves Before Another Week of Travel

Before another week of airports, hotel rooms, and conference schedules kicks off, I needed a little beach reset.

Nothing dramatic. Just a few quiet hours, some vitamin sea, a good book, and the kind of beach setup that doesn’t require hauling half my house onto the sand.

Besides loads of sunscreen (which you can see in my “What’s In My Beach Sunscreen Bag” post), these are the four things that always come with me to the beach lately.

This beach chair has solved one of my biggest beach annoyances: dragging extra shade equipment across the sand.

The attached umbrella gives me enough coverage without dealing with a giant tent, separate sunshade, or a complicated setup situation. Lightweight, compact, easy. Exactly the kind of practical purchase that quietly makes beach days better.

And the hot pink doesn’t hurt either.

The Brumate has officially entered emotional support tumbler territory for me — but this one actually earns the hype.

It genuinely keeps drinks cold for hours, even sitting directly in the heat, and the handle makes it easy to carry alongside a tote, chair, sandals, and everything else you inevitably end up balancing on the walk to the beach.

Also, if we’re being honest, the color coordinates suspiciously well with my entire current personality.

Right now I’m reading “The Wedding People” by Alison Espach, which feels like exactly the right kind of beach read.

Sharp, funny, observant, slightly chaotic.

I’ve become a full Kindle convert recently, mostly because traveling with actual books started becoming unreasonable. It’s lighter, easier to throw in my tote, and somehow still feels a little luxurious in the best way.

And finally: Turkish towels. I resisted them for years for absolutely no reason.

Now I get it.

They dry quickly, wash beautifully, don’t hold onto sand the same way traditional towels do, and — most importantly — they don’t take up half the beach bag.

I can throw one into my tote without carrying around an oversized bulky towel all day, which makes them ideal for beach afternoons and pool days.

Right now, this is my ideal beach formula before another travel week: a little shade, a cold drink, a good book, and far less stuff to carry across the sand. -LME

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