List of Essentials for Beach Vacation – The difference between a great day and a total disaster

This is pretty obvious of course, but there are decisions to be made when packing your swimsuit that could make the difference between the best and worst day of your life. Ok, that's a tad dramatic, but here's the thing – what you pack depends on what you plan on doing at the beach. If you want to get a nice tan and relax, then a bikini will be just fine, but, if you plan to take part in water sports activities or play beach sports, then you'll need to make sure your swimsuit is sturdy and unlikely to cause any unwanted mishaps!

The beach is the best way to spend your summer days, but remember, summer means hot sun and hot sun means hot sand. Rubber flip-flops will prevent the soles of your feet from being roasted by the burning sand!

A beach towel/blanket will go a long way in helping you lie comfortably on the above-mentioned burning sand or even the occasional burning beach chair. Or, lie comfortably on the sand in general, as sand can be rather prickly. There are 'sandproof' towels, as well as, quick-dry towels available now that will serve as better beach companions than the traditional kind.

Without a doubt you will require, sunscreen/sunblock, a sun hat, sunglasses and a beach umbrella as well, to protect yourself from those pesky UV rays! Make sure the sunscreen/sunblock is SPF 15 or higher; buy as many of them as you can and remember to reapply at least every 2 hours.

In addition to any medication you might be taking, also pack a few pain relievers as well as first aid items, including bandages, plasters, antibiotic cream, antiseptic wipes, sterilize gauze pads, cold packs, etc. It's better to be prepared for an emergency than not!

The beach is, of course, windy and the wind has the tendency to blow sand at your person. This can be especially bothersome if you wear contact lenses. So make sure you have some contact lens solution with you in case you need to take them out and keep your glasses or spare contacts handy so you won't be left blind.

You'll no doubt be taking your smartphone, camera, video camera, etc. when heading down to the beach, so here's your reminder to also take a fully charged power bank or portable charger with you as well! Batteries tend to run out fast when you're having fun!

The importance of taking of water with you when heading down to the beach cannot be stressed enough. The sun can be extremely hot which means you'll be needing far more than the recommended 8 full glasses of water a day. So take at least a gallon of water with you, a couple water bottles and maybe a cooler as well!

No matter where you're staying in a tropical country, whether it's a bungalow by a remote beach in Sri Lanka, or, a Phuket luxury villa, Thailand, like the iconic, Kata Rocks, you'll come across the occasional insect... or worse the ever persistent mosquito. So buy and take plenty of insect repellant with you on your trip.

The beach is the best place to relax and finally get around to doing all the things you've been meaning to but hadn't had the time for! So take that book you bought aeons ago but never opened and maybe your laptop to finally catch up on that TV show, or just your iPod with all your favourite songs! If you're going down to the beach with friends, don't forget to pack up speakers!