✈ The Beach Vacation Gear I Don’t Leave Home Without, AA’s Next Flagship Upgrade & More From TPG ✈

July 22, 2026

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Life’s a beach ... if you have the right gear

by Tarah Chieffi, Senior Writer

I just returned from a relaxing, sun-soaked week of swimming, fishing, snorkeling, sleeping in and perfecting my crab-leg-cracking method in the laid-back Florida Panhandle town of Port St. Joe (you can catch a few photos from that trip and my other adventures on Instagram).

While I highly recommend this vacation spot, I’m not here today to tell you where to go on your next beach trip. Rather, I’m going to share what you should bring to make your trip more enjoyable (and, more importantly, less sandy).

Let’s dig in (that’s a sandcastle joke)!

Pilotfish Beach Essentials Sand Remover Bag ($16.99) – No matter how much rinsing and toweling off you do at the beach, there’s always sand left behind. This pouch is filled with gentle ingredients that easily remove sand, leaving behind only smooth skin and a coconut scent.
Portable Beach Aquarium ($15.99 for four) – If you are traveling with kids (or, like me, you just enjoy observing ocean critters up close), these portable aquariums will come in handy. When we found tiny coquina clams, sand crabs or little fish, we put them in the aquarium to watch them for a bit before letting them rejoin their friends in the sea.
Beach Game Golf Putting Set ($79.99) – This game was such a fun addition to our beach days, and it was fairly easy to set up. You can make the course easier or more challenging based on where you place the holes. Just remember to fill in the holes at the end of each day to protect baby sea turtles and late-night beachgoers.
Sandproof Beach Blanket ($22.99) – This beach blanket made cleanup a breeze at the end of our beach days. It was large enough for our family (and all our stuff), and a simple shake removed all the accumulated sand.
Foldable Reclining Beach Mats ($67.99 for two) – Beach chairs can be cumbersome to carry, but these lightweight mats were lightweight and easy to tote with the included shoulder strap. Their compact size made them much easier to fit in the car than a traditional beach chair, too.
Soundcore Boom Outdoor Speaker ($109.99) – We had a 10-hour drive to Florida, and we spent much of that time curating a beach playlist. We brought along this waterproof Bluetooth speaker to enjoy our tunes on the beach.

Here are a few more stories to help you prepare for your next beach vacation:

See you in the surf,

Tarah

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Photo Credit: TARAH CHIEFFI/THE POINTS GUY.

TOGETHER WITH

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