Vacation Etiquette: How to be a Polite Beach Goer

It’s travel season and summer often means a trip to the beach (or pool). Here are a few etiquette reminders before you take the plunge.

Put Your Cell Phone Down

While you may want to share your great time (moment by moment!) with your friends and family on social media, focusing on your phone is annoying. When taking endless photos of your food or the immediate experience, you often lose the magic of the moment. Not to mention, you are shouting to the world you are not at home and your valuables are up for grabs.

Keep Noise Levels Down

Loud music and profanity are never welcomed vacation guests. If someone is displaying disrespectful behavior, think carefully before confronting them yourself. This is a different time and approaching a loud and often inebriated group of people can escalate out of control quickly. Even if you speak in a pleasant tone of voice, you can’t control another person’s perception or behavior. Better to steer clear of any potential altercation or danger. Contact management or someone of authority and ask for their assistance.

Locate Key Areas of the Resort

It’s a good idea to know where the restrooms, water fountain and vending machines are located. An indoor gift shop can also be a nice, air-conditioned spot to cool down and re-hydrate while making any last minute purchases of items you might have forgotten. Bug spray, body lotion and Aloe Vera gel are often top of people’s list.

Bring Your Own Towels

Often, when staying with a host, they may not have a large number of extra beach towels on hand so be sure to pack a few of your own. On the beach, check to see if there are towels available or if you should bring one or two from the room. It’s better to be prepared than to have to go searching at the last minute.

Pack Smart

The sand is hot and the pool may or may not have a place for shade.  Fill an insulated beach bag with products and supplies you will need to enjoy your day.

For example:

• Sunscreen and lip balm with a strong SPF
• Inexpensive flip-flops and sunglasses
• Travel sized disinfectant wipes
• Heat-friendly snacks for the kids such as nuts, seeds and cut up vegetables
• Ziplock bags for anything you don’t want to get wet or sandy
• Bottled water
• A hat or ball cap to shield your face and eyes
• A beach blanket
• Beach toys
• Cash

Keep Your Food Simple

Remember, condiments like mayonnaise cheese and onions are not a good match with the heat. So skip the potato salad! Foods that are easy to eat, healthy and filling should be top on your list when packing your vacation picnic basket.

For example:

• Sandwiches
• Skewers make a nice hands-free option for sandy fingers
• Applesauce pouches
• Trail mix, nuts or granola
• Chips and dips or pita and hummus
• Power bars
• Whole fruits such as peaches, apples, cherries or grapes
• Cookies without chocolate chips or other ingredients that might melt

Kids Need to Wear Swimmers

It might be tempting to let your toddler go without a swimming diaper in your friend’s pool, but accidents do happen. Avoid the worry and hassle by remembering to put a couple of extra swimmers in your diaper bag. Fellow pool goers will appreciate the courtesy.

Save Only the Amount of Pool Chairs You Will Need

Some people place their towels over several chairs in anticipation of an extra friend or family member possibly joining them. Be a polite pool guest. If your friends don’t arrive in a timely fashion, be prepared to share the extra seats with hotel guests and beachgoers.

Mind Your Social Media Manners

There are often some really amusing sites on the beach but that doesn’t give you free reign to take another person’s picture and post it on social media. It’s disrespectful to make fun of someone under any circumstances.

Give People Their Space

At a crowded pool or beach, keep an appropriate distance from other sunbathers and swimmers. If you are taking a seat next to them, do your best to stay out of their private conversations. It’s also important to be mindful of what you say in the vicinity of perfect strangers who do not need to know your business.

Hydrate

Getting plenty of fluids is important when you are spending the day out in the sun. Make sure that some of the liquid is water and not only alcoholic beverages. It’s easy to get dehydrated and/or over-imbibe on a fun beach vacation. For every Blue Hawaiian or Bay Breeze, match it with a bottle of water.

Shake Your Towel Out Carefully

Sand from your towel will fly all over and stick to your neighbor’s suntan-oiled body. Walk away from your group before shaking out your sandy towel. And remember to rinse off any excess sand from legs and feet before getting into your vehicle.

Clean Up After Yourself

Whether you are poolside or along the shore, be polite to those around you by cleaning your area before you leave. Pick up any wrappers, plastic bottles and other trash as well as any towels that were provided. Remember to leave the space as clean, or cleaner than it was when you found it.

You may also like What a Hunt for Seashells Can Teach You About Life. For more of Diane’s etiquette tips read her posts on Inc., subscribe to her articles on HuffPost, “like” The Protocol School of Texas on Facebook, and follow her on Pinterest, Instagram and Twitter. Buy her new book, Modern Etiquette for a Better Life.