How to Easily Pack for a Shore Vacation Without Stress

Going to the shore in the summer is a fun time especially if you love spending time near the ocean.  I'm not a beach person and have had issues with sun poisoning in the past, so I have to watch how much sun I get exposed to in the summer. However, recently, we decided to rent a shore home. It's something we wanted to do while the kids were still under our roof. This post will include all the things you need to get your stuff ready for the shore. No one wants to have to worry about stuff to bring a few weeks before, so I created a comprehensive list of things for you to take with you. I'm going back to my roots in this post. This week I will be sharing a complete checklist to organize your stuff for a week or two at the shore.

A Complete Guide to Creating a Shore Home Rental Packing List

What to bring to the shore house?

There are many things you can bring to the shore house. But, are they the right things? We will explore the items that need to go and what can stay home for the week or two you are away.

Since we were there for a week, we didn't need a lot. But since I am self-employed, work doesn't necessarily stop. So I needed to bring some work with me. I reduced the workload and the amount of time I worked which was great for our morning bike rides and dinner with the family. So I did bring my laptop and other essentials, so I could reconnect when possible.

Some other things we could not forget was our professional camera. I wanted to take a lot of pictures to use on future blog posts and social media backgrounds. We also remembered to take the chargers for all the electronic devices we were taking, as well as, batteries and a flashlight.  You never know when you will need these items. We also brought board games and card games. Only a few so not to take up too much space in the car. Something that helped us was taking our Chrome Cast and HDMI cable so we could hook up our laptop to the TV and watch movies with the kids.

I found that bringing cash to the shore was a lot easier than using the credit card. I decided that I would only use the credit card for dinners with the family. And, since my daughter's 16th birthday was going to be at the shore, we wanted to go out and enjoy a delicious Italian meal. For those early morning runs to get fresh donuts and coffee, it was nice just to be able to grab cash and go. It was also easier for me to allow my teenagers the freedom to go where they wanted since I could give them money to spend.

Bringing my linens and bedding made the house feel more like our home even though the homeowner provided them.  We rented a house that had pretty much everything we needed except food, but we didn't know that before we arrived.  Tip: If you can, find out what the house will have for you to use, like pots, pans, plates, etc... This tip will help you not feel like you need to bring everything.

What do I need to bring for my family to the shore house?

If you are planning on doing water activities and lay on the beach, you may want to bring the beach bag, a cart to hold all the beach stuff, and maybe even a sun umbrella. Beach towels are handy. We also brought things like a mini first aid kit, sunscreen, insect repellent, water shoes, and sunburn ointment. And, make sure you have beach passes. Some beaches have a fee to use their space. So, ask your realtor if the homeowner provides them.  It was a pleasant surprise for us when we got to the beach house.

Clothing and other essential items are also important. But, remember you don't need too much if your shore house has a washer and dryer.  I loved that our place had this because the day before we left, we washed all the clothes and linens and brought everything home clean and folded. Yay!  It was a lot less of a transition to reallife we had to do when we returned.

Documentation is important to bring to the shore.  Making sure we had our driver's licenses, insurance documents, reservation for the rental, and vehicle registration all were useful to have with us.

Then, when you leave the house at the end of the week, you will need to clean it up a little. We took with us a Swiffer mop with wet and dry pads and then found out they had one, so that worked for us. We also brought wipes, Windex, soap and other cleaning products specifically for the rental.

We brought items that helped us make our morning routine a little easier like shampoo, conditioner, razor, hair products, etc... If you can share these products with other family members, it will eliminate a lot of duplicates and most definitely a lot of space needed in the vehicles.

And, we couldn't leave without our water kettle so we could make French press coffee or tea. It was beneficial to have it there with us.  It is probably not necessary, but it made the house feel more like our home.

We also knew we would have leftovers, so we brought gallon bags and plastic wrap just in case we needed to store something.

What do I plan on cooking or eating at the shore house?

We didn't feel like washing dishes often, so we brought paper products that we used primarily for lunch.  It was helpful to have the option to use something else other than washing dishes all the time.

I talked with my family and determined that we wanted to make breakfast and lunch easy so we stuck with cereal, oatmeal, hot dogs, lunchmeat, hamburgers, pasta, tomato sauce, soups, and veggies/salads. There was a farmers market every Saturday and Sunday in town, so we visited it to get some fresh food to cook that week. It was lovely, and we enjoyed the walk.

Below are some of my easy recipes you can do at the shore for a homemade meal.

GRILLED ASIAN CHICKEN THIGHS RECIPE

QUICK EASY TOMATO SAUCE RECIPE

Below is the sample checklists for you to get inspired to make your customized packing checklist. It includes everything I discussed above and including space for you to write in your food necessities.

Well, there you have it. I hope this inspires you to create your own packing list. If you want a copy of my shore home packing list, please feel out the form below, and I will send you my version.

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