7-day beach trip packing list

A week at the beach needs less than you think, in the right combinations: two swimsuits so one is always dry, five outfits rather than seven, and considerably more sunscreen than one bottle.

61 items · 7-day beach holiday, hot and dry weather, with a checked bag · tick them off, print, or adjust the list to your trip below

Two swimsuits is the rule that matters

One dries while you wear the other. Pulling on a cold, damp swimsuit at nine in the morning is the small daily misery that a second one removes for almost no weight. If you're swimming twice a day, make it three.

You will wear less than you pack

Beach days are swimwear and a cover-up. The clothes only matter in the evening, which means five outfits covers a week with room to repeat. The category people genuinely under-pack is the evening layer: air conditioning indoors and a sea breeze after sunset make a light long-sleeve the most-worn item of the trip.

How much sunscreen a week actually needs

A full-body application for one adult is roughly 30–35ml — about a shot glass. Applied twice a day for seven days, that's around 500ml per person, and most travel bottles hold 100ml. Buy the big bottle and decant, or plan to buy more at the destination and accept resort pricing. Running out on day four is the most common way a beach holiday turns painful.

Sand gets into everything

A zip pouch for phone, cards and keys keeps sand out of charging ports, which is the failure mode that ends holidays for electronics. A quick-dry towel packs smaller than a hotel towel and, unlike the hotel's, is allowed to leave the property.

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Frequently asked questions

How much sunscreen do I need for a week at the beach?

About 500ml per adult. A full-body application takes 30 to 35ml, and correct use means twice a day for seven days — which works out at roughly five standard travel bottles per person. Running out mid-trip and paying resort prices is one of the most common packing miscalculations.

How many swimsuits should I pack for a week?

Two, minimum, per person. One is drying while the other is on, and pulling on a cold wet swimsuit is the small daily misery that a second one removes entirely. Two also means an afternoon swim is not blocked by the morning's laundry.

How many outfits do you actually need on a beach holiday?

Far fewer than instinct suggests. A beach week is swimwear and a cover-up for most daylight hours, so the clothing that matters is the evening set. The single most-worn item is usually a light long-sleeve layer, for air conditioning indoors and the after-dark breeze outside.

Each one is a full list with advice specific to that trip — and the generator underneath it, so you can adjust it to yours.

7-day beach trip packing list

Two swimsuits is the rule that matters

You will wear less than you pack

How much sunscreen a week actually needs

Sand gets into everything

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