How to Protect Your Belongings at the Beach: My Top 6 Tips
Are you wondering how to protect your belongings at the beach? Read on!
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been at the beach and wanted to go in the water to swim, but didn’t have anyone to keep an eye on my stuff. In an ideal scenario, of course, you’d have at least one person in your group who wants to stay on the beach and can watch everyone’s belongings.
But as a frequent solo traveler, I’m sometimes at the beach alone. Or I’m with just one other person, and we both want to go in the water at the same time, rather than taking turns keeping watch on shore.
So what are you supposed to do in that situation? Obviously, it’s a bummer to miss out on being able to swim in the ocean. But it’s even more of a bummer to come back and realize your stuff has been stolen.
And your belongings can even get snatched while they’re right next to you. All it takes is falling asleep in your lounge chair or on your beach towel for a particularly bold thief to steal your valuables.
And there’s nothing that will ruin your day at the beach faster than having anything stolen! It’s easy to let your guard down at the beach, but many beaches are hotspots for petty theft. Relaxed beachgoers and unattended belongings like cellphones, wallets, jewelry, and sunglasses are the perfect target.
Here are my top tips for how to protect your belongings at the beach:
Minimize what you bring with you.
The most important tip is to simply minimize what you bring to the beach in the first place. If you’re solo, or with one other person and you know you’ll want to get in the water at the same time, you don’t want to be loaded down with a bunch of valuables. Leave them locked away back at your accommodation instead.
Don’t bring any expensive jewelry, watches, or sunglasses that you would need to take off before swimming. Don’t bring your entire wallet. Just a little bit of cash, one debit or credit card, and your ID is enough. And don’t bring pricy electronics like a camera or even a Kindle (better to bring a paperback to read instead!) The less you have with you at the beach, the less you have to lose.
You also shouldn’t bring a fancy bag or purse with you. A simple tote bag or beach bag is the better choice. And when it comes to filling it up, just remember that less is more for your beach day.
Get a small dry bag.
A waterproof dry bag is a great solution for protecting small valuables when you go into the water because you’re keeping them on your person! This is best if you have just a few valuables, like your cellphone and a pouch that contains your money and ID. This dry bag and this smaller pouch are both excellent.
There are a few drawbacks to this method, though. The first is that it’s a little annoying. When I’m swimming in the ocean, I don’t want a bag around my waist or my neck — I want to feel free.
This is not really a good solution if you’ll be swimming, diving, or snorkeling underwater a lot, either. It’s better suited for hanging out in shallow water, or better yet, relaxing on a float.
And finally, you’ll want to be extra cautious that your dry bag is fully sealed and working properly before you take it into the water. While having your phone stolen from the beach would be terrible, it would be equally as disappointing for your phone to get destroyed because your dry bag wasn’t sealed.
Befriend the people next to you.
This is a strategy that is best used in tandem with one of the next two tips. Asking someone to watch your things while you go into the water can give you some extra peace of mind. Of course, no matter how trustworthy they seem, asking a stranger to watch your things still has an element of risk to it.
Personally, I have found that you can trust most people — it’s just a few bad apples that spoil the bunch. If I’m solo, I’ll typically look for another solo female traveler to sit near at the beach, or a family, or an older couple. Most people are more than happy to keep an eye on your stuff for you.
If you’re on your own and so is the other person, you can also offer to reciprocate. For example, “Hey, would you mind watching my stuff while I go for a quick swim? I’ll do the same for you after.”
If a would-be thief starts rummaging through your things while you’re in the water, your neighbor at the beach is a lot more likely to notice and speak up if you’ve already established a connection.
Use a small portable safe.
If you don’t want to take your things into the water with you using a dry bag, then another solution is a small portable safe. This works best if you have a beach chair, and not just a beach towel.
With a portable safe, you can stash your valuables inside and then attach it to the side of your beach chair. I recommend then concealing it even further by draping a towel over it. For someone to steal your stuff, they’ll have to take your entire beach chair with you. That’s a pretty big deterrent, I must say!
This portable safe is small and ideal for just a few valuables, like your cellphone, some money, and your passport. If you need more space than that, this portable safe will hold up to 5L of stuff.
Hide or disguise your valuables.
If you don’t have a portable safe, the next best thing is hiding or disguising your valuables. You can get pretty crafty with this, which is fun. Many thefts on the beach are crimes of opportunity. If you make it a little more difficult for thieves, they’re likely to give up and go after an easier target.
One smart thing to do is putting your valuables in a small dry bag, then bury it under a layer of sand. Then put your beach towel over it, and you have the perfect hiding place. (Just do this when no one is looking so you don’t clue anyone into your strategy! And of course, don’t forget where your stuff is hidden!)
You can also go for a diversion. Keep your beach bag sitting in plain sight on your beach chair with nothing valuable in it. Then bring a crumpled-up shopping bag with some empty soda cans in it, and put your valuables in a pouch inside that bag, which you can hang discreetly on the arm of your beach chair.
If you want to go a step further, you can even turn a regular object into a hiding spot. For example, take a soccer ball, cut it open, and stash your valuables inside. Then leave it inside your beach bag.
Choose your spot wisely.
Finally, let’s talk about choosing the right beach spot. I already mentioned who I look for to sit near at the beach. I’m a lot more likely to put my beach towel down near another woman on her own than a group of teenagers, for example. But I also won’t choose a super crowded spot at the beach.
I always choose a spot where people are a little more spread out, but not an isolated area. This way, it’s easy for me to watch my stuff when I’m in the water, but I’m not at risk by being alone either.
And I make sure to stake out a place as close to the water as I can. Not only would I much rather have a direct view of the ocean rather than sit behind a row of beach chairs and umbrellas, but it’s also easier to keep an eye on your stuff when you do get in the water if you are only a few yards away from it.
How to Keep Your Belongings Safe at the Beach: Final Thoughts
This guide showed you my top tips for keeping your stuff safe at the beach.
None of the methods above are 100% foolproof. But these strategies mean you’re a lot less likely to become the victim of a theft at the beach than someone who’s totally lackadaisical about things. And there’s nothing that will kill the vibes of a beach day faster than becoming the victim of a theft.
By being smart about what you bring, staying aware and vigilant, and following these tips, you can at least greatly minimize the risk of having any of your belongings stolen while at the beach.
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