Spring Break Essentials

I can’t believe spring break is just around the corner. Where did January and February go? I used to think spring break was just for crazy college kids. I clearly am many years beyond college, but I now understand why so many people plan trips around this time of year. School. No one wants their kid to miss school on purpose. So we all suck it up and deal with the crowds to go plan around our 4 year old’s school schedule. At least that’s what I’m doing this year.

As you may have seen on my Instagram page, I have a pretty big trip planed this year. We are going to Madrid and the Canary Islands in Spain and Marrakech, Morocco. Only reason we are going there: my husband reads a ton of travel blogs and is super into the points and miles game. Sort of crazy but totally awesome because he magically found us $400 round trip tickets in premium economy. Yes, four hundred dollars, round trip to and from Spain. We paid more to get back to Ohio for Christmas! So Spain and Morroco, here we come!

I asked my IG followers for some help on spring break essentials earlier this week. My entire family has been hit with some bug over the last couple weeks and I’ve had zero energy to even start thinking about packing. I decided to round up the best ideas and link to some goodies to help the rest of you that might also be looking for spring break essentails, or even those of you who want to start shopping for summer now.

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A good swimsuit. I’m loving crochet details on swimsuits this year. There is something about a little crochet knit that makes a suit different and exciting. This one is from Romwe (C/O) and is plain black except the awesome detail on the back. I did order up a size based on the measurements on their website so make sure to keep that in mind. Since it is a racer back, the top is totally kid-friendly, which is perfect since we are dragging my two crazy kids along with us. Now the best part: This suit is only $10.99!! Tons of other affordable options as well.

Cover-ups. Yes, a swimsuit is important, but I arguably think a good cover-up is almost more important. Especially for us moms that probably spend more time preparing to go to the beach, walking to the beach, then heading back to the room 5 minutes later when your little one needs something. I recently received a few cover-ups C/O Amita Naithani and they are absolutely amazing. A friend of mine was wearing this black La Blanca cover-up last weekend and we all loved it as well.

Sunscreen. Whether you are spending spring break at the beach or in the mountains, always take SPF with you. My favorite face sunscreen is Coola. Warning, it is good stuff but isn’t cheap. I honestly haven’t found an adult body sunscreen that I’m obsessed with, but I’m currently using Coppertone Clearly Sheer and it is doing just what it needs to do. My go-to kids sunscreen is ThinkBaby. I’ve tried them all and this one smells amazing and isn’t like trying to rub white tar into your children’s skin.

Sunglasses. I’m one of those annoying people who wears sunglasses on cloudy days because my eyes are so dang sensitive. A good pair of sunnies is really important to me. I have a similar pair to these Marc Jacobs butterfly glasses in black and brown that are my go-to pairs. My best friend was wearing these round Ray Bans last weekend and couldn’t stop admiring them. I’m also a huge fan of Colossein sunglasses if you are looking for an affordable pair.

A few good sundresses. One of my favorite parts about beach vacations is wearing easy breezy dresses. No coordinating of pants and tops. In fact, no pants at all. A roomy maxi dress is great to hide all the all-inclusive meals you may overindulge in, or just because they are so comfy. This one is from StyleWe (C/O StyleWe), which is unfortunately sold out, but I’m also a fan of this one. I also think you could order just about anything on the Lilly Pulitzer website and be beach ready. Gotta love Lilly.

A beach bag. I usually try to use my beach bag as my carry-on to perform double duty. If I’m being honest, on this trip it will be carry-on #2 because I’m traveling with kids. I’m in love with the entire Mar Y Sol collection available at Nordstrom. All the little pom pom and tassel details are right up my alley. However, if you aren’t looking to spend $100+ on a beach bag, check out the Target Dollar Spot. I got my bag in the photo at the top for only $5. Dollar Spot gets me every time.

Sandals. Once spring rolls around, I tend to ditch the boots and sneakers and head straight for the sandals. You can never go wrong with a classic pair of Tory Burch Millers, and I’m kind of digging the updated fringe version that is out for this year. Don’t want to spend $200 on sandals? Go with a pair of Jack Rogers Georgicas which have almost an identical style. They are also jellies so they are perfect for by the pool. Also, if you are still looking for wedges, check out my post from last week on my favorite wedges for spring and summer.

A cute sunhat. Yes, it keeps the sun off your face, but it also means you don’t have to do your hair AND you look super chic. Some of you might recall from last year that I previously struggled with sun hats because I have an oddly small head. I finally found a solution to my problem: hats from the girls department. I know it is ridiculous, but it works for me AND they are like 1/2 the price of the adult hats. This one is totally from the Cat and Jack collection at Target and it only cost $10. I also picked up a cute navy one from the crewcuts department at J. Crew. My fellow small-headed readers, I promise, you will thank me for this tip. For those of you with normal sized heads, Target does have a great selection of sunhats, and even Nordstrom has a number of them for under $30.

A jean jacket. Yes, we all love those warm nights, but not every location will be over 75 degrees in March. Take along a jean jacket. It will match with everything, work on top of your sundresses and they are totally in style right now. Mine is a couple years old from GAP, but this one is really similar. I also like this distressed version from Old Navy which is also more affordable.

A beach read. I’ll admit, I don’t read as much as I would like to. I absolutely love to read, but kids, housework, blogging and life gets in the way. I think the last book I read was about 10 months ago when we took our last overseas trip, so I’m long overdue. I’m totally not the person to ask for book recommendations, but I’m planning to read Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty on this trip. If you need more book recommendations, Pinterest is a great place to start.

What are your spring break essentials? Anyone else traveling somewhere fun?

Jenny

4 Comments

  1. I’m leaving tonight for a trip to a Jamaica- good idea about a jean jacket! I only packed a rain coat, which is NOT cute haha

    • I’m sure the rain coat is practical but the jean jacket is definitely cuter!! Have so much fun in Jamaica!!!

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