Family Beach Vacation Packing List

Checklist of Gear and Clothes for Your Next Tropical Trip

Jun 4, 2007 Kara Williams

I love lists--and I absolutely need them as I'm gathering items to pack for a family vacation.

Since we travel to Mexico or Hawaii every year, and we make an annual trip to my mom's lakehouse each summer, I keep a running checklist on my computer (in a Word document) of things I typically need to pack, from swimsuits to sunscreen, sandals to shampoo, socks to surf shirts.

Depending on the length of the trip, I might bring 2 pairs of shorts per kid or 3. I visit the list each time we're getting ready for a vacation, and customize it according to the length of the trip, as well as the specific location.

For example, if we're staying in a hotel on the coast of Mexico for a week, I know I'll want to bring our snorkeling gear. If we're visiting my Mom at her summer home, I know she always has keeps a hefty supply of sunscreen on hand, so I don't need to pack that.

The things listed below are items that I pack in our checked luggage, but I've also got a short "carry-on" category of a few things. Kelby Carr wrote a thorough article about the Family Travel Tote, which includes more items you might want to consider. (You won't see "portable DVD player" listed below, because that's just automatically included on all our travels! We keep it ready to go in its own little duffel bag, complete with the kids' DVDs that they don't watch unless we're traveling--which means they are practically "brand new" to them each time we pull them out.)

Below, I added a "baby" category, for those of you traveling with infants or toddlers. (My children are ages 5 and 7, but I remember those earlier years well!)

Son

Shorts

Shirts

Pajamas

Surf shirt

Pants

Swim suits

Socks

Underwear

Baseball hat

Sneakers

Sandals

Bear/blankie

Toothbrush/toothpaste

Daughter

Dresses

Skorts

Shorts

Swim suits

Surf shirt

Shirts

Skirts

Terry cover up

Pajamas

Socks

Underwear

Baseball hat

Sneakers

Sandals

Bear/blankie

Toothbrush/toothpaste

Baby

Onesies

T shirts

Shorts

Diapers

Swim suits

Baby wipes

Cuddle object

Bottles

Formula

Breast pump

Light blanket

Mom

Book light

Makeup

Face cleanser & moisturizer

Razor

Shampoo

Toothbrush/toothpaste

Medicines & vitamins

Purse

Visor or beach hat

Swimcap & goggles

Workout shirts

Workout shorts

Workout tanks

Shorts

Tank tops

Capri pants

Light pants

Shirts

Socks

Pajamas

Sweatshirt

Sweater

Underwear

Bras

Skorts

Sandals

Sneakers

Flip flops

Bathing suit

Sunglasses

Dad

Underwear

Shirts

Shorts

Swimsuits

Sandals

Sneakers

Pants

Book light

Sunglasses

Dopp bag with toiletries

Miscellaneous

Baby powder (put it on each child and sand will fall off!)

Ziploc bags (to protect valuables)

Sunscreen

Kids’ vitamins

Booster seats

Cell phone charger

iPod charger

Snorkel gear

Boogie boards

Swim rafts

Swim toys

Shovels, pails or other sand toys

Tote bag to carry towels to beach or pool

Address book & stamps

Extra batteries for any and all electronics

Carry on

Mom's books and magazines

Kids’ activity books

Kids’ picture books

Crayons and paper or notebook

Snacks and cereal bars

Waterbottles

Antibacterial wipes

Travel documents

Camera

Cell phone

Ipod

What did I miss on this vacation packing list? Feel free to email me (click on my name above and then click on "Contact Me" on my bio page). I'd love to know what your list looks like, and if there's anything I'm missing, I'll add it here and to my own personal Word document. I am always up for learning more tips for packing. Happy travels!