Beach Day Packing Essentials

If I was asked what my favorite place to go was, I wouldn't say the mall, or even the Smoky Mountains. I would respond excitedly: the beach! I absolutely love the beach. I go on day trips to the beach quite often, so I have a pretty good idea of what to pack. Here are my beach day packing essentials in no particular order:

Sunscreen
Above, I said no particular order, but really if these were in a particular order, sunscreen would be at the top of my list. I don't usually get very sun burnt, but I always wear sunscreen to keep from getting skin cancer. Banana Boat Sport is my favorite since it stays on in seven conditions. 

Floppy Sun Hat
A floppy sun hat makes it onto my list of essentials because it does two vital things: it keeps the sun off my face, and it is super cute and makes a bit of a fashion statement. This one from Target is adorable.

Lip Balm with SPF
As much as it is important for me to wear sunscreen, it is also super important for me to wear a lip balm that has SPF so that my lips don't burn. I raved here about my love for EOS lip balm, and the Lemon Drop scent with SPF 15 works really well.

Beach Towel
Beach towels are essential because I like something to dry off with after wading in the ocean, and I like something to lay on and get a tan. This chevron one is so cute and looks very comfy.

Swimsuit
This one is super obvious. I hardly ever go to the beach without my swimsuit on. I actually have this swimsuit top, and I love it. It comes with a detachable strap, too. I usually like wearing swim skirts or shorts instead of a plain bottom, and this one is pretty.

Cover-up
Cover-ups are essential for me because I like to wear my swimsuit to and from the beach instead of bringing or wearing a change of clothes. I have a few, and this one is so cute. I especially love the palm tree print.

Sunglasses
The beach sun is bright. I always make sure that I have a pair of sunglasses to not only shade my eyes from the sun, but also to protect my eyes. Plus they look really cute! 

Tote
I like having a nice, big tote to carry all of my beach essentials (the ones I'm not wearing, of course). I love this one that has an adorable, trendy tassel.

Books/Magazines
At the beach I like to catch up on my reading; whether that's magazines or books. I recently read this book and loved it!

That's all! 

What are some of your beach day packing essentials? Answer in the comments. I'd love to hear from you!

Linking up at Still Being Molly, Spreading His Grace, Garay Treasures