What I Packed For My Minimalist Beach Trip

There are some things that worked well and others I would do differently.

When I retired, I thought that I would do a lot of traveling. As it turns out, I traveled to San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, and since then have rarely left.

This week I spent a week with a group of artist ladies in the beach town of Sayulita, Mexico. I thought that this would be a good time for me to experiment with packing light. I have been thinking about this a lot. I am 63 years old and my health is good, but it is hard for me to carry a heavy suitcase, even for small distances. I have arthritis in my lower back and I don’t want to miss out on a couple of days of activities because of a backache.

I looked up a few articles on the internet about how to pack light. One piece of advice was to bring items that dry quickly and that you can wash out at night and then wear again in the morning. Another article suggested that you buy clothes at a thrift shop and then donate it back at the end of the trip. I might try that technique some other time. For this trip, I didn’t know if I could have found any good thrift shops. Some of these suggestions were from clothing companies that make clothing specifically designed for travel.

I also did not want to have to check any bags, so I brought two carry-ons.

I decided to carry everything in a school backpack and a cloth shopping bag. In the cloth bag, I put stuff that I wanted to keep with me, including my purse, computer, and cell phone. My backpack contained mostly clothes and a few toiletry items. I was packing for comfort and convenience, not to look great or stylish.

I brought only one pair of shoes, a pair of Converse sneakers.

The Most Useful Item

I bought this pair of men’s bathing trunks at a discount store a few days before I went on the trip. I could have worn these almost every day. If they got wet or needed to be washed out, they were usually dry by the next day. They are really comfortable and go well with t-shirts and tank tops. I love that they even have plenty of pockets!

Other Things That Worked Well

I brought a pair of full-length linen pants that worked out well. They went with all of my tops and could be washed out and worn again within a day or two.

I brought a light jacket with a lot of pockets. This was a really handy item to have in the mornings and evenings when it got a little chilly. It didn’t need to be washed out.

I brought three sporty tank tops that were useful for hiking and just walking around town. I probably would have been OK with having just one of these.

I brought two tropical print, sleeveless tops. One of them I wore several times, and the other I never wore at all.

I brought one huge Hawaiian shirt that was comfortable and could be layered over a tank top when I needed a little more coverage. It didn’t need to be washed out.

A few months ago I bought a beach hat with a wide brim. I only wore it once, because it wasn’t a style that suited me at the time. I remembered to bring it, and it was perfect for the beach. I didn’t get sunburnt at all.

Some things I would do differently

First of all, my Converse got wet and full of sand on the second day and it took a long time for them to dry out. It’s almost a week later and I am still trying to get the sand out. I had only one pair of socks and they took several days to dry. One of the ladies gave me another pair of socks, which was very helpful. the socks helped to protect my feet from being scratched and irritated by the sand in my shoes. I bought a cheap pair of beach sandals and they hurt my feet even worse. They gave me blisters and hurt really bad in the part where the post goes between your big toe and the first toe. I think it would be worth the cost to buy a pair of quick-drying, high-quality travel socks for the next trip.

If I had it to do over, I would have brought some hiking-style water sandals, such as Tevas, in addition to a pair of sneakers. We took a long hike through the jungle, so it was good to have some comfortable closed-toed shoes.

I brought one cute cotton dress to wear for a special occasion. I wore it out very briefly to dinner with the group on our last night, but I probably could have done without it.

I brought three pairs of shorts, including the swim trunks, but I could have gotten by with only two. One pair is a thicker fabric and took a long time to dry, so I could have eliminated that one.

I usually wear cotton underpants but they took several days to dry out when I washed them. The next time I travel light, I want to get some quick-drying underwear that can be washed out at night and worn the next day. I looked this up online and there are several articles where the authors actually tested different brands of underpants. The best ones were usually expensive and made out of wool. I suspect that these are generally long-lasting and well-made. The authors insist that the wool does not itch. I think I will invest in something like this for my next trip.

Other Things To Consider

I am also thinking that instead of one of the bags I brought, maybe I will buy a carry-on with wheels for the next trip, so I don’t have to carry everything. I brought a laptop with me, which is the heaviest individual item. Something like a traveling laptop bag might be useful.

I didn’t want to buy anything that would be a lot of trouble to take home. I bought two lightweight t-shirts and a heavy zip-up sweatshirt. If there was something big I wanted to buy, I might have tried to find a way to have it shipped back home. I definitely didn’t buy anything like pottery that might break on the way.

Of all of these things that I have mentioned, the shoe situation caused the most difficulties. If I go to a beach anytime soon, I would not pack very differently than I did this time.

If you are reading this, I hope that you have found this helpful. If you have any other suggestions, please leave them in the comments.