Headed to the Beach? Check Out These 7 Beach Trip Hacks!

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DIY beach hacks

Will you be spending time at the beach soon? If so, be sure to take note of these creative, helpful and inexpensive tips to HACK your next beach trip like a pro!

Baby Powder Trick for the Beach Hip2Save.com

1.) Baby Powder

Bring along some baby powder and sprinkle on skin to get rid of extra sand. This really works well!


Pack A Beach Cooler Hip2Save.com

2.) Pack Smart

Make edible ice packs with frozen grapes, juice boxes, and bottled water to save room in the cooler.


Fitted Sheet Beach Trick

3.) Fitted Sheet Trick

Lay out a fitted sheet on the sand and anchor with heavier items on each end to slow down the sand from getting on yourself and/or the kiddos.


Instant Phone Cover Hip2Save

4.) Instant Phone Cover

To avoid getting your phone wet, place inside a resealable plastic bag. You’ll be able to still view text messages and incoming calls while at the beach without the risk of water damage. Just keep in mind that this is not 100% waterproof since seal or bag could break.


Hide Valuables at the Beach

5.) Disguise Your Valuables

Place items in an empty Pringles can or wrap in a clean disposable diaper to keep valuables safe while you swim.


Snack Containers Hip2Save

6.) Snack Smart

Re-use food containers to keep snacks from crumbling in your beach bag!


Reuse Wipes Container

7.) Plastic Wipes Container

Use an empty plastic wipes container to house trash bags and then use it store wet swim suits inside once you are ready to head home from the beach.


Do you have any tips that help your beach trips go smoother?  Please let us know in the comments!

 Lina (lina@hip2save.com) loves cooking new recipes, thrift store shopping, and DIY home decor projects. 
Join The Discussion

Comments 52

  1. Janet

    Many of those tips also work for water park vacations.

  2. Emily

    Lol I love the disposable diaper idea for keeping your valuables! That is a good one!!

    • Andrea

      Except it’s so popular now that everyone knows about it. It’s like keeping your spare key under a rock near your front door 😉

      • Margarita

        Idc what you have I’m not going in a diaper to steal your stuff

        • Scarlet

          I bring clean 2 litter soda bottles filled with water and leave them in the car. Usually one per person. When it it time to put warm clothes on or get back in the car I have warm water to rinse everyone off with.

      • Lizzie

        I agree! Seems like everyone knows that diaper hack! Lol unless you spray it with fart spray! 😂 Also might not be effective if it’s a couple with no babies in sight.

        • Tara

          @tara- what if it was an adult diaper 😂😂😂😂😂 you don’t need a baby then 😂😂😂😂 maybe also consider an adult diaper that you saturate with red food coloring (let it dry) then put valuables in there- think a thief is going to go in that? 😂😂😂 idk how many people would unravel a diaper that looks like someone perioded in it from the outside 😂😂😂😂

    • LaDon Hall

      What a fantastic idea. Even if this is a well known practice, not sure many would risk opening a diaper for any reason.

  3. Marcy

    These are great!!! Thank you

    • Lina (Hip's Modern Martha)

      Sure- Thanks for stopping by Marcy!

  4. Jenny

    Fitted sheet idea is pure genius. Also I’ve been using baby powder at the beach for years. It works soooo good.

    • Lina (Hip's Modern Martha)

      Great! – thanks for your feedback Jenny. 🙂

  5. $avvy $am

    The baby powder really dies work! It’s a must! And/or a paint brush to brush off the sand.

    • $avvy $am

      does*

      • MIR Princess Lori

        Would flour work the same way?

    • CO Mama

      Cornstarch does the same thing & no talc or baby smell. Leaves your silky smooth. Also good in beach hair, absorbs the moisture & adds volume, giving you fresher feeling hair.

      • Bethany

        Was wondering given all the warnings about talc and cancer!

        • nin

          I *think* most/ a lot baby powder is now 100%cornstarch? At least what I buy at the grocery store is

        • Tracy Weltz

          Anything can cause Cancer. We all had cancer cells that lay dormant until something activates them. It could be even hereditary that activates them.

  6. Jenni

    Baby powder is the best trick. I found it by accident a couple years ago.

  7. Julie

    We just got back from taking our 3 year old, 2 year old and 7 week old to the beach, I’d recommend simplifying as much as possible! First day we took everything and it was super stressful, second day we narrowed it down to only what we could carry(with needing to carry baby in ergo and sometimes needing to carry two year old) and it was so much easier! For the baby a beach tent is perfect along with a bath chair and tiny fan-he kept cool and barely got sand on him the entire time which was great.

    • Lina (Hip's Modern Martha)

      Great ideas! Thanks Julie 🙂

  8. Diana

    Cool tips 🙂 thank you!

  9. Katie

    I love the pringle can idea!!!

  10. Queenmum

    Great ideas!!! The diaper one is awesome!!

  11. Jennifer

    We put those multicolored frozen Popsicles that are in the tall clear plastic packaging into the cooler and they are perfect to keep things cold and then turn slushy after awhile. Frozen Capri suns or koolaids cool bursts work great too.

  12. Laura

    I use a mesh pop up hamper at the beach to put sand toys and small floats in. Worked like a charm.

    • Sarah

      And you can get them at the Dollar Tree for a buck! 😀

  13. Linda

    Love these ideas! Thanks for the post.
    Another tip someone might be able to use – put sand toys in a plastic storage tub. Great for transporting home when they are damp and sandy. Also great to throw in wet suits and towels afterward and makes for easy carrying of gear to and from car.

    • Lina (Hip's Modern Martha)

      Thanks Linda for the tip!

    • Julie

      i did this when i lived in an apartment (short term) and kept it in my car, sand toys, sidewalk chalk, inflatable balls, bubbles, small/med dump trucks/dozers … all the kids at the playground loved when we pulled up to play… 🙂

  14. Heather C.

    These are great tips, thank you! Love the baby powder idea!

    • amy

      Put the baby powder in a thin sock, and wipe off with it. It saves excess powder, still does the trick and powder isn’t everywhere

      • Lina (Hip's Modern Martha)

        Oh smart idea Amy!

    • Lina (Hip's Modern Martha)

      Sure Heather!

  15. Sarakate25

    We put Valuables in a disposable wipes container in the bag! Sometimes thieves get hungry 🙂

  16. Lindsey

    Use a plastic Stax chips container instead of pringles. It won’t get soggy like cardboard does if it gets wet.

    • Joyce

      You are so smart

  17. Rob

    Honestly go to a local headshop and buy a “stash can” that you think by your judgement works well. They make fake Pringle ones that actually have chips, fake Coca Cola one etc. I personally use a Coca Cola stash can and blend it in with other real Coca Cola and other drinks!

  18. Hannah

    Even though the diaper trick is popular, thieves are not as keen to look through a diaper then a pringles can or an empty chopstick!

  19. Sherica

    I save money by shopping online using Swagbucks and use the gift cards to pay for hotel, gas, flight, and food.

  20. Amber

    The diaper trick is a good idea! My only concern would be someone from our group accidently throwing it away! ….Who I am kidding, Im the only one that cleans up!! Lol!

  21. Marcia

    Place your sand toys in a mesh bag with drawstring top when you shower hold under the water will wash off the sand and will be dry by the time you get to the car then place bag in plastic storage box with lid along with wet suits.

  22. Betty

    Babies and tottlers can be…… Hard at the beach. Scared of the ocean, eat sand, too much sun. I bought a small, small blow up pool. Blow it up, put under an umbrella, add a bucket or two of water, baby toys and baby. The water warms quickly. Baby is safe, they splash. If you were ambitious you could bring a gallon from home. Wish I had learned this as a mom instead of a grandma.

    • Julie

      Or a blow up bath tub… i used one at an outdoor swim meet as 18 month old wouldn’t understand why his cousins were swimming and he couldn’t…

  23. Denice Moore

    I like to use a laundry basket for one of the sheet corners… place all of the sand toys in it when finished… carry it to the surf and the sand will wash out…

  24. Elmer Navarette

    Hello, just wanted to inform you that we had a great vacation at Marina de Bolnuevo in July of this year. We flew into Alicante and hired a car from the airport for the short drive to Bolnuevo. The beaches are sublime, most of them awarded the Blue Flag. The cafes were great, with paella on the beach a delight and managed a trip to the nudist beach there. Very liberating. We also visited the Big Guns, The Roman Mines and the Sand sculptures. Will be returning there again in 2018. Thanks for reading Tony.

  25. Edythe Metropoulos

    Hi, I am trying to get together a list of the local establishments in Bolnuevo & Mazarron, so that we can create a local directory for people visiting Marina de Bolnuevo. If you have any ideas, please submit them to the Marina de Bolnuevo Blog on the website. If you can, please include their email address. Thanks in advance Alicia.

  26. Abraham Yovino

    Just seen this great article if you are ready to plan your holidays for next year. Have a look, its good to know.

  27. Kristen Bell

    I put toys in a small plastic basket w handles and that way we rinse everything off at the shower. The basket has holes in it. A larger hamper w handles would work best but we don’t have a lot of sand toys

  28. Tracy

    How about you dont take valuables to the beach

    • Belinda

      We use one of those beach stroller carts from Costco to hold everything (towels, kids toys and it even has a soft-sided food container and a hanging space for chairs & umbrella). It is Tommy Bahama brand and it is worth every penny!

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