The Ultimate Self-Care Guide for Your Next Beach Holiday
A beach holiday works best when you plan for your skin, your body and your head before you pack. Here is the routine I follow for a week by the sea.
I spent years moving through Southeast Asia with a backpack and a very loose plan. And here’s something I learned: the best days start well before you reach the sand. A little prep at home saves you from a sunburn, a sore back and a suitcase full of things you never touch.
Start With Your Skin Before You Leave
Your skin does the hardest work on a beach holiday, so give it attention first.
Sunscreen comes first. In a randomized trial of 903 adults in Australia, people who applied broad-spectrum sunscreen daily for 4.5 years had 24% less skin aging than people who used it when they felt like it. Daily use wins.
Test any new product on your inner arm a few days before you travel. A rash on day one ruins a week. If you swim near coral, check the label for a reef-friendly formula.
Pack these:
- Broad-spectrum sunscreen, SPF 30 or higher
- Lip balm with SPF
- Aloe vera gel for after the sun
- A gentle moisturizer
- A hat and sunglasses
Reapply sunscreen every two hours and after every swim. Set a phone alarm. You will forget otherwise. It’s that serious.
Build a Beach Bag That Works
Keep it light. Every extra item ends up sandy.
- A large reusable water bottle
- A light cotton cover-up for the hottest hours
- A book you actually want to read
- A small towel that dries fast
- A tote bag for your trash
Leave the beach with more than you brought, and I mean rubbish. Ten minutes of pickup on your last morning makes a real difference to a small stretch of coast.
Eat and Drink for the Heat
Heat and salt water dry you out. Drink water all day, and add a pinch of salt to a bottle if you sweat a lot.
Plant-based beach food is easy. Pack watermelon, oranges, kiwi, cucumber sticks, hummus, nuts and a few bean salads. Citrus and kiwi give you vitamin C, which your body needs to make collagen. Need a shopping list? My vegan grocery list covers the basics for a holiday kitchen.
Move Your Body and Skip the Guilt
The phrase “beach body” makes me tired. You already have one. It is the body you bring.
Move because it feels good. Swim before breakfast. Walk the shoreline at sunset. Rent a bike and explore the next village. I cycled from Kuala Lumpur to Berlin, and I can tell you that the best training plan is a route you want to see.
Try ten minutes of yoga on your towel each morning. Stretch your hips and shoulders after a long flight or a long ride. Your body will thank you by day three.
Slow Down Your Schedule
Slow travel works on a beach too. Pick one plan per day and let the rest happen.
- Sleep with the window open and wake without an alarm
- Put your phone in your bag during lunch
- Eat at a local place instead of the one on the postcard
- Watch the sunset without taking a photo of it
A week of unhurried days beats a packed itinerary. You come home rested, and that shows.
Book a Professional Treatment With Care
Some travelers add a treatment before a holiday, such as a facial, a massage or a contouring session. Book with a licensed practitioner. Ask how far ahead to schedule it and how to protect the area from sun afterward. Never inject anything yourself.
A Note for Aesthetic Practitioners
Summer brings a wave of clients asking about body contouring. If you run a licensed clinic, you can buy Lemonbottle online for clinic use. It is a fat-dissolving injectable sold to healthcare professionals, and trained practitioners administer it. Check your local regulations and your patient selection process before you order.
Give Your Skin an After-Beach Ritual
The evening matters as much as the morning.
- Rinse off salt, sand and sunscreen with lukewarm water
- Pat your skin dry and apply aloe vera or a light moisturizer
- Drink a big glass of water
- Wear loose cotton clothes to dinner
Check your shoulders, nose and the tops of your feet for redness. Add extra sunscreen there tomorrow.
Your Turn
A beach holiday does not need a complicated plan. Protect your skin, drink water, eat food you enjoy, move your body and rest. That routine covers most of what I need on the coast.
What is the one thing you never leave home without on a beach trip? Tell me in the comments.
Amélie is a health and wellness junky. Certified yoga instructor with Yoga Alliance in the Vinyasa and Ashtanga styles, she has a Yoga Instructor Certification – Level I (300 hours) and Yoga Instructor Certification – Level II (200 hours) under her belt. She also has a certified Open Water Diver certification with PADI and SSI Scuba Schools International Freediving Level I certification with SSI Scuba Schools International. She’s been vegan for over 15 years and is obsessed with anything wellness-related.