We have enjoyed a good family beach vacation many times over the years! It is just a few hours away and makes it easily accessible.  We have plenty of experience with young children to teenagers, and a big family when going to the beach.  I am drawing from our years of experience to put together these five don’t miss essential beach vacation tips for your family’s next vacation. Scroll down for my 5 tips!

Ahhh, the beach…

Sun, waves, sand, pool, and of course yummy seafood! 

Do you love it too?

Andy and I have been taking our family to the beach since our children were little. I recently shared a complete 30A travel guide for families which is a beach close to us that we love visiting!

I also grew up going to the beach with my family each summer and through the winter months too. 

Needless to say, we love the beach and feel like we’ve learned many things through our experiences there together.  While there will be hiccups (because any family will have those on a vacation), following these five tips during your family’s beach vacation will allow for more enjoyment and less stress!

Are you ready to check out these amazing tips? Let’s go!

5 Essential Beach Vacation Tips for your Family

Beach Vacation Tip: Set Clear Expectations

This one is so good! Instead of reactive be proactive.  From packing to your itinerary, set expectations for how the days will look for your family while at the beach.  My husband and I even had a shared note on our phone this past beach trip to track our plans for each day.  Getting ahead by letting your children and communicating with your spouse on what to pack, who is staying in which room or space, if you’ll go out to eat daily, stay on the beach all day vs. swimming some, and everything in between will keep things running smoothly for everyone.

Beach Vacation Tip: Allow For Plenty Of Space

Learn from us on this tip, haha! Last year, we took our family of 6 to the beach and thought we could all be happy in the same room during the wintertime there at the beach.  While there were enough beds for everyone (it had a suit bunkbed space in the hallway), it turned out to be just too much with many age variances.  With 3 teenage girls and 1 elementary-age boy, everyone’s sleep schedules were different proving it tricky to be quiet at night for my son and quiet in the morning for my girls.  We’ve learned to take advantage of AirBNBs and VRBOs now. Having plenty of space is definitely worth the extra saving haha!

Beach Vacation Tip: Carve Out Couple Time

This family vacation idea is one we have enjoyed over the years so much! Make the effort to carve out time with your spouse.  Andy and I love getting away at least once to enjoy a nice dinner together at the beach.  We typically get the children pizza and let them watch a movie (our girls are built-in babysitters!) while we go spend time together. 

Highly recommend al fresco dining at the beach under string lights. So romantic and refuels you as parents too!

Shop some of my beach favorites below!

Beach Vacation Tip: Use A Grocery Delivery Service

Aren’t we always looking for ways to save money and time that don’t shortcut our vacation?

This is a newer tip in our personal lives, and that is to utilize a grocery delivery service.  I can’t tell you how easy this has made our beach vacations of recent. I use SHIPT (and you can use this code for XX), but you can use whichever one you may be using already of course. 

The goal is to have selected our items for the vacation in the car ride and have them delivered to our door close to the time of arrival or shortly thereafter. Ahhhh, dodging beach crowds (especially in the summer) at the grocery store is so fabulous! Noone is having to get back in the car and drive to the store only to wait in long lines cutting into relaxation time. This is a game-changer!

Beach Vacation Tip: Sun Care

Unfortunately, we’ve learned the hard way on this tip. I am here to say, make sure your children and your spouse have access to plenty of sunscreens.  Not just an initial application at the beginning of your day at the beach, but reapply too!

Both of my daughters did not reapply often enough on a recent family vacation at the beach and ended up with a sunburn.  Not only is it not good for your health but it also can put a damper on their experience (can’t get back in the sun) but also on the families.  So, push through the drama of applying sunscreen (because we all know our kiddos don’t like it haha), and be intentional about making sure they are fully covered.

I believe these tips are amazing ways to maximize your family’s enjoyment on their beach vacation.  Give them a go!

Is there a beach vacation tip you would like to share? I’d love to hear in the comments below.  Happy travels!

Don’t miss these travel essentials below too.

White Skort // Glowscreen SPF 40 // Personalized Weekender Bag // Sunglasses for Women //

Toiletry Bag Travel Bag with Hanging Hook // Quilted Handbag // Cotton Short Sleeve Dress

 

If you enjoyed this travel post, I’d recommend checking out these additional guides too:

• Quick Guide For A Family-Friendly Weekend In Ashville, NC 
• Quick Guide For A Family-Friendly Weekend In Jekyll Island, GA
• Quick Guide For A Family-Friendly Weekend In Orlando, FL 

Have you been on a fun family beach vacation recently?  Let me know in a comment below!