How To Have A Beach Vacation At Home
When you’re a freelancer and work from home, it can sometimes be tough to leave your work at work. This is especially true when you love what you do, which is even more common for freelancers. One of the best ways to create a separation between your work and your play is to treat yourself once in awhile — and let’s face it, if you don’t allow yourself a little beach getaway at home whenever possible, then who will? So let’s look at have a beach vacation at home to make sure you have time off AND create a buffer between your work and life.
Whether it’s your time off from work, or a paid vacation from work, one of the best things you can do is to travel and visit new places. Let me guess, you’re probably thinking how much better it would be if you were at the beach. Well, take that thought one step further and imagine yourself enjoying your favorite drink while watching the sun set on the beach with the accompanying sound of waves crashing down onto shore. That’s right, you should feel like this almost every day — except when it’s nighttime. Or better yet, treat yourself by having a full-time beach vacation at home!
Beach vacations are great for a lot of reasons. They get us out of the house and away from our everyday jobs. It gives us a chance to relax and focus on things that we put aside. It gives us a chance to meet new people, which can make doing things around the house more fun. But how can you get that beach vacation feeling at home? Restaurantbezoek en winkelen (Selected) in steden die voorzien zijn van een park of gazon waar je kan nuttigen en genieten van het uitzicht op de Middellandse Zee (wordt beschouwd als een van de mooiste in de wereld). Concerts en feesten die zich in zo’n ruimte organiseert is een belangrijk deel van het leven in Ibiza , waar het publiek dronken feestvierders en dansers nodig biedt, uiteraard, reikende voor muzikaal evenement
Dreaming of going to the beach? It’s summer, so you’re probably getting a lot of sun exposure, and skin cancer is always a threat. Here are a few ways to create beach vacations in your own home.
How To Have A Beach Vacation At Home
Savvy Travel Tips to Make Your Next Beach Vacation Perfect
- MARGARET SCHINDEL
- MAY 16, 2022
Margaret Schindel has traveled for business and pleasure for 40+ years. She shares travel tips to help others make the most of their trips.
Beach Trip Tips
Do you love spending time at the beach? Proper preparation can mean the difference between having a blast in the sand and sea and being miserable because of things like sunburns, bug bites, bad weather, etc. These ten tips will help you have a fabulous time, whether your oceanside stay will last a month, a week or two, a weekend, or just a day.
A great beach vacation requires planning and packing for both good and bad weather activities, bringing essentials like sunglasses and suntan lotion with broad-spectrum UV protection, picking up a few things to make your stay easier, safer and more enjoyable, and—most importantly—bringing along a positive attitude and your sense of humor. Follow these tips to make sure you have a great time in the sun, sand, and surf!
1. Choose the Right Beach for the Type of Vacation You Want.
Do Your Research
Start by deciding what type of experience you want from your stay.
Do you enjoy lively crowds or would you rather read a book and listen to the lapping ocean waves in relative quiet? Are you traveling with young children or would you prefer mostly adult company? Do you want to bring your dog along or would you rather be somewhere that doesn’t allow pets? Do you want to avoid biting insects? Do you plan to spend most of your time on the sand or in the water? Do your research first to find a beach that has the type of environment you’ll enjoy most.
Check the Rules Regarding Your Favorite Activities
Do you require a location that is accessible by someone with limited mobility? Do you want to be able to bring a grill and have a cookout? Stay out after sunset for a romantic moonlight walk or swim? Bring your Jet Ski or WaveRunner? Collect seashells? Find out in advance whether whatever you need or want to do is allowed.
Try to Vacation at a Beach With at Least One Properly Trained Lifeguard on Duty
Statistics from the United States Lifesaving Association (USLA) over a ten-year period show that the chance of drowning at a beach without lifeguard protection is nearly five times that of drowning with lifeguards. The association also says the chance that a person will drown at a beach protected by USLA-affiliated lifeguards is only 1 in 18 million (.0000055%).
How Do You Feel About Beach Vacations?
2. Bring a Comfortable Place to Sit or Sunbathe.
An oversized, plush and thirsty beach towel and/or a comfortable portable chair or folding recliner will give you a comfortable base for your fun in the sun.
Do you want something close to the ground or would you be more comfortable in something with a higher seat? Do you want something with a drink holder? Something that’s lightweight or has a strap that makes it easy to carry? If you’re not going alone, what would the others traveling with you prefer? Will you be bringing a toddler or young child along? What type of seating would make them most comfortable?
Are the beach chairs or portable loungers you have in good shape, or have they started to rust? Are they comfortable?
Are your towels large enough to keep you sand-free when you lie down on them after swimming in the ocean? Are they colorful and distinctive enough so it’s easy for you – and others – to identify which towel is yours? A little pre-trip planning will ensure that you’ll be able to sit, recline, or lie back in comfort while you enjoy the sand and surf.
A Gravity-Free Folding Recliner Is a Great, Versatile Beach Companion
One of the main reasons for taking a vacation is to relax. A gravity-free folding recliner with a built-in sunshade is a much more comfortable option than a regular beach lounger or chaise lounge.
I visited a friend who lives two blocks from the Atlantic Ocean and tried out her Bliss Hammocks Zero Gravity Folding Recliner With Sun Shade and Drink Tray. It was my first experience with this type of portable lounger and it was a real treat. It was roomy and extremely comfortable. I especially appreciated its supportive, ergonomic design and the adjustable, cushioned headrest that could be positioned to support either my lower back or my neck.
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Reclining was effortless with this zero gravity lounger. After leaning back until I found the most comfortable angle, I locked it in that position until I was ready to get up. Leaning back far enough to take the maximum stress off my joints felt a bit odd initially, but I got used to the unfamiliar position quickly and found it very relaxing.
I love to read and was able to adjust the angle of the sunshade during the course of the day as the sun’s angle changed. With a snack on the handy side tray and a refreshing, cold drink in the cup hole, I was able to read, nap and enjoy looking at the ocean in comfort all afternoon.
Just one caveat: This is sturdy, well-built seating, so don’t expect it to be lightweight.
3. Protect Yourself
Nothing can ruin a beach vacation faster than a sunburn, itchy bug bites, or a cut on the foot! So be prepared to deal with them so they won’t spoil your trip.
Protect Your Skin From the Sun’s Damaging UVA / UVB Rays
Buy a new bottle of sunscreen to pack to make sure you won’t run out, and be sure check the expiration date. The Skin Cancer Foundation recommends using a broad spectrum sunscreen formula for UVA and UVB protection with an SPF of 15 or higher. For extended outdoor activity, they recommend a water-resistant, broad spectrum (UVA/UVB) sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher.
Consider using two different sunscreens, one for your face and another for your body – especially if your skin is sensitive or prone to acne breakouts. More and more brands of sunscreen are offering a variety of sensitive skin formulations for both face and body.
Chemical Sunscreens Vs. Mineral-Based Physical Sunscreens
In a 2018 pilot study conducted by the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research and published in JAMA (the Journal of the American Medical Association) in 2019, researchers learned that four active ingredients commonly found in chemical sunscreens, avobenzone, oxybenzone, octocrylene, and ecamsule, were absorbed through the study participants’ skin into their bloodstream. The agency emphasizes that “These results do not mean that the ingredients are unsafe. Rather the results support the need for further absorption testing and other safety studies of these ingredients for repeated use.”
In January 2020, the FDA published a second sunscreen absorption study, “Effect of Sunscreen Application on Plasma Concentration of Sunscreen Active Ingredients: A Randomized Clinical Trial,” in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). This study, which tested the effects of six active ingredients in lotion, aerosol spray, non-aerosol spray and pump spray formulations, found that all six were systemically absorbed in concentrations high enough to support the need for additional studies to determine the clinical significance of the findings.
Titanium dioxide and zinc oxide currently are the only sunscreen active ingredients that meet the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) criteria for a product to be considered “generally recognized as safe and effective” for its intended use, based on the agency’s proposed rule to update regulatory requirements for over-the-counter sunscreen products in the US. Sunscreens whose active ingredients are only titanium dioxide, zinc oxide, or both are considered physical sunscreens, AKA mineral sunscreens, because they sit on the surface of the skin rather than being absorbed into the skin and are not absorbed into the bloodstream.
Whether you choose a chemical sunscreen or a physical sunscreen, the most important thing is to wear one whenever you’re outdoors.
Apply Sunscreen Generously and Frequently
According to skin cancer experts, you need to apply at least 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) of sunscreen to your entire body 30 minutes before going outside (and presumably more if you’re larger than average) and reapply every two hours, or immediately after swimming or excessive sweating. If you plan to spend a lot of time in the water, look for a waterproof sunscreen (and don’t forget to reapply it immediately after you come out of the water). Also, the water acts as a reflector, increasing the amount of exposure to ultraviolet rays, so use a waterproof formula with SPF 30 and remember to come out of the water every hour or two, dry off, and apply more sunscreen and wait another 30 minutes before going back in.
Before going on a recent vacation to Fort Myers, Florida, I researched high-SPF formulas with UVA/UVB broad-spectrum protection. I wanted a mineral-based, physical sunscreen that was reef safe, rather than a chemical formula, and that was tinted so it wouldn’t leave the typical white cast of most physical formulas. And I wanted it to be free from PABA and parabens and to be water-resistant for 80 minutes (this was a beach vacation, after all!). My favorite was Australian Gold Botanical Sunscreen Tinted Face Mineral Lotion SPF 50. In addition to meeting all my above-mentioned criteria, it also has several attributes that have made it a real winner for me.