The Countdown to Spring Break: The Five Spring Break Essentials!

The cold of February is still in the air and I’m antsy to escape the vicious New England winter. I’m ready to trade the whipping wind, biting cold, and the ugly brown snow for warm, sandy beaches. Although Spring Break is a month away, the time to plan is now. Of course, location is the first thing, but it’s important not to forget some of the Spring Break must-haves.

1. Of course, cute bikini. While you’ll want to relax and tan, you want to be able to play some beach volleyball and not worry about your bathing suit falling off. My favorite is the bandeau style. It’s flattering on more petite girls because it’s tight so you’re able to be mobile without having to worry about the suit moving in ways it shouldn’t. Plus, you can wear strapless dresses and not have to worry about tan lines. Victoria Secret always has a great selection!
2. The tote bag. You’re going to be spending time at the beach and you'll want to take your book, sunscreen (let's face it, tanning oil), towel, flip flops and anything else you'll want. Thus, you will need a cute tote bag to carry it all. One of the best beach totes is the L.L. Bean Boat and Tote canvas bag. You can get it in a variety of colors and have it personalized for about $30. If you want one that's a little more colorful and beachy, Lilly Pulitzer has different tote bags every season that I'm in love with.
3. WATER BOTTLE! Everyone knows that Spring Break is just a week of nighttime partying and day beaching lazing and hangover recovery. The combination of lots of sun and lots of boozing can lead to serious dehydration. To avoid this, it’s important to drink tons of water throughout the day. The best thing to do is to bring a reusable water bottle and just carry it around in your tote bag. Even, if you don’t want to bring a water bottle, be sure to drink tons of water! Smart water is great because it has electrolytes. If you aren’t a huge fan of plain water, try Zico coconut water. It comes in regular, mango, and passion fruit and it hydrates you better than Gatorade! Not to mention, it’s delicious!
4. Tanning supplies. Girls, we all know that we plan on coming home from Spring Break golden brown and we’ll do whatever we have must to get that way, but PLEASE, at least, use sun block on your face! Coppertone oil free lotion is wonderful. It’s oil-free…so no breakouts and it’s so light— it feels just like a moisturizer. If you’re going to use tanning oil, a great one is Coppertone dry oil continuous spray. It has different SPF levels and it won’t leave you feeling greasy and gross. Just be careful not to burn. If you do spend too long in the sun, slather on the aloe! Vaseline makes a nice cool aloe and it smells really good.
5. A good beach book! You go on Spring Break to get away from classes, thesis, internships, etc. so it’s only fair that you treat yourself to a light, beach read. Lauren Conrad’s book “L.A. Candy” is perfect for the beach. It’s fun to read and nothing that requires any analysis.

With these five things, you’ll be ready for the beach! Enjoy!