Traveling is sometimes stressful, and I always worry that I'll forget something that I really need while I'm away. I also am very big on packing only the necessities and saving space in our bags. In fact, we would have had two carry-ons and no checked baggage if we didn't have to bring so many liquids on board (sunscreen). If you want a fast easy way to make sure you are packed for your next beach vacation, here's an easy checklist that we made and used when packing for our trip to Playa del Carmen, Mexico.
One of the most important tips is making sure you have a sunscreen, swimsuit, underwear, and one outfit in your carry-on baggage. Our travel agent told us about a couple who went on vacation and didn't get their checked baggage until three days after they arrived, but because they had a swimsuit and one outfit their trip wasn't completely ruined.
It's also recommended to leave a photocopy of your passport with a family member or friend in case yours gets stolen. I've also read online you can upload it to a secure document sharing website like Google docs.
To save space, I just put a few of the meds in the red pill container. Overall this was our med kit:
Ibuprofen
Neosporin (I had just got stung by a bee or something and didn't want an infection)
Waterproof bandages (also to block out nasty ocean and pool stuff from entering my sting)
Anti-Diarrheal Medicine
Benadryl (in case we had trouble sleeping)
Earplugs
Tums (We used these the most)
Carry On Bags
Passport
Tip $$$
Travel Information from Agent
Ipads + chargers
Iphones + chargers
Camera + charger
One dress
One outfit for Jake
Swimsuits
Travel sunscreen
Meds
Books
Pens (for filling out immigration forms)
Sunglasses (bring two pair, I lost a pair!)
Checked Bag
Toiletries
Curling Iron
Brush
Toothbrushes + paste + floss
Travel Hairspray
Al's travel shamp + conditioner
Makeup bag
Face moisturizer and cleanser
Aloe Vera
Sunscreen
Contact solution
Deodorant
Razor
Clothing
5 dresses
5 dinner outfits for Jake
2 workout outfits + socks + tennis shoes (rainy days we went to gym until it stopped)
Flip flops
Jake brown shoes
Swimsuits
Jake tanks and Al swimsuit coverups
Other Supplies
Beach bag
Sun hat and ball cap
Tumblers (we didn't bring these, but many recommend)
Umbrellas