I spent a week in the Caribbean. There are 5 items I’m glad I brought, and 3 I wish I’d packed.

When preparing to travel to Aruba for the first time this year, packing quickly became overwhelming.

I wanted to bring the essentials, avoid overpacking, and steer clear of paying inflated tourist prices for items I may have forgotten.

Some items in my suitcase made my life easier, and I ended up using them every day. However, there were also some things I quickly regretted not packing. After spending seven days on the island, I have a better idea of what was really useful.

Here are five items I’m glad I packed in my suitcase, and three things I wish I had brought with me.

Nothing beats relaxing on a pool float.

Whenever I go on a beach vacation, my main goal is to relax. For me, there’s nothing better than floating in the water while listening to the crashing waves and the singing seagulls. The simple pool floats I brought with me made that possible.

Since I packed them deflated, they were easy to fit in my suitcase. Luckily, my hotel had an inflator, so I didn’t have to waste my breath.

Sandbag anchors are a game changer.

Sandbag anchors are empty bags that can be filled with sand on the beach. They’re perfect for securing tents and beach umbrellas, especially in places with strong winds.

They were especially helpful for anchoring our pool floats in the ocean. We filled the bags with sand, tied them to the floats, and dropped them down to the ocean floor. This kept us from drifting while we soaked up the sun.

Even better, we could leave the floats in the water unattended without worrying they’d float away.

A waterproof phone pouch made it easy to capture photos and videos.

I don’t care how silly I looked walking around with my phone in this waterproof pouch — it was so worth it.

I had my phone out on our snorkeling excursion, captured some awesome kayaking shots, and even snapped some beautiful photos during a sunset swim.

The pouch kept my phone safe from water and sand while letting me capture some of my favorite memories from the trip.

A Bluetooth speaker can change the vibe of any environment.

Sitting on the beach is relaxing, but whenever I’ve forgotten to bring a speaker, boredom tends to creep in. A Bluetooth speaker can instantly elevate the mood during those quiet lulls.

We used ours while sunbathing, floating in the ocean, paddling around in kayaks, and even while getting ready at the hotel for a post-beach dinner.

However, one lesson we learned the hard way is that there’s a difference between water-resistant and waterproof. Although our speaker was water-resistant, it ended up submerged in the water at the end of our trip and unfortunately broke.

To avoid this, I recommend buying a waterproof pouch specifically made for speakers.

My reusable water bottle kept me hydrated.

Staying hydrated is important, and I didn’t want to have to juggle an open plastic cup every time I needed a drink.

That’s why I highly recommend bringing a reusable water bottle on any beach vacation. It doesn’t have to be fancy — just something that holds a good amount of water.

However, I wish I had brought water shoes to protect myself from ocean creatures.

I didn’t think water shoes were necessary for my trip, especially because I planned to do most of my swimming right in front of the resort. To save a few bucks, I decided to skip them.

However, I quickly regretted my packing decision when I stepped on a sea urchin. The sting was sharp, and the soreness lasted for two days. After some ice and a dose of pain reliever, I made a mental note to never travel without water shoes again.

Towel clips would’ve made our beach time more enjoyable.

As we set ourselves up on the beach each morning, we draped our towels over the lounge chairs.

Every time we got up, though, the wind sent the towels flying. After a few frustrating chases, we placed rocks on them to keep them in place.

Towel clips would’ve been the perfect solution to hold everything in place, saving us the time and hassle.

Next time, I’ll be sure to pack a shirt to wear in the water.

The sun in the Caribbean can be intense, so I packed plenty of sunscreen. Still, by the end of the trip, I got a nasty sunburn, and sunscreen was no longer cutting it.

It was the kind of burn where you really need to stay covered, but I didn’t want to hide under an umbrella and miss out on the fun. So, I bought a water shirt at the resort’s convenience store.

The only problem? It cost three times as much as it would have on Amazon.

The post I spent a week in the Caribbean. There are 5 items I’m glad I brought, and 3 I wish I’d packed. appeared first on Business Insider.