Beach Lovers Gift Guide
Travel books are wonderful items to have when traveling since they help identify places of interest, fun activities, good restaurants, where to shop, and places to stay. Most usually include essential information on the destination as well. Travel guides come in many forms from print to ebooks to apps. If you have an upcoming vacation already planned, get a guide for that location. If not, pick out a place you think your beach lover will be going soon and/or a long-held dream trip.
Lightweight Beach Chair
If you really want to spend the day, or longer, at the beach, it’s important to have a comfortable perch to relax even if you spend most of your time out of the chair. There are many, many portable beach chairs available from the cheapest plastic to the most expensive handmade items, so the one you choose is up to individual choice and budget. My personal recommendations are chairs that recline like an anti-gravity chair or a portable hammock with built-in stand. They aren’t the easiest to transport, but they’re definitely comfortable.
Sea Glass Jewelry
Sea glass is glass that has been tumbled and worn down by the forces of nature to create polished pieces that look like gems or stones. It’s most frequently found on beaches where it’s collected by artisans and other sea glass lovers. Artificially produced and mass manufactured sea glass jewelry is available, but for the most unique and stunning pieces it’s best to find an artist/purveyor who specializes in sea glass jewelry. Tears of the Sea is one example of an artisanal seller of sea glass where you won’t find any artificial, mass-produced merchandise, but you will find one-of-a-kind jewelry.
Sun Hat
Sun hats are extremely useful for preventing sunburn and keeping cool on a hot, sunny day. They can also be an attractive accessory, completing a total beach look. The best materials for the beach are lightweight, natural, and undamaged by water. These include straw and cotton. In terms of style, there are baseball caps, cowboy hats, panama hats, safari-style hats, wide brim hats, fishing hats, floppy brim hats: the list is probably endless.
Waterproof Camera
Waterproof cameras’ obvious benefit for beach lovers is their ability to take photos in and out of the water and their overall durability. I don’t know a lot about waterproof cameras, but Popular Photography has an online review of The Best Rugged Waterproof Cameras.
Snorkel Set
If your beach lover likes to snorkel it’s far preferable to own the equipment and take it with when traveling. Although you can find rental snorkel sets pretty much anywhere you find snorkeling, it’s cheaper in the long run to buy snorkel gear and it will be far superior to anything you can rent. Dive shops are usually the best places to purchase snorkel gear, even though you can buy it online, because this is something you really want to try on and discuss with a knowledgeable sales person.
eReader
eReaders are great for travelers, including beach lovers who like to read at the beach. The benefits of eReaders include their light weight, small size, and ability to store entire book collections. The two most well-known brands are Kindle and Nook, but there are others including Sony and Kobo.
Wetsuit
If your beach lover is also a water sports lover a wetsuit is a luxury to own because when you own a wetsuit you can partake in your favorite water activities without worries about water or air temperatures, unless of course they are extreme and then you need a drysuit! Like snorkel sets, wetsuits really need to be tried on and discussed with a knowledgeable salesperson before purchase. Dive and surf shops are good places to buy wetsuits.
Tahitian Black Pearls
All genuine pearls come from fresh or saltwater mollusks (animals with two shell halves connected by a hinge), but Tahitian black pearls, which only come from black-lipped oysters, are especially unique and beautiful with their myriad color variations. While there are many places to buy Tahitian pearls, this is one item you’ll want to buy from a reputable dealer so that you don’t get ripped off with fake dyed pearls rather than the real thing. You may also want to read How to Buy Black Pearls.
Set of Hand Planes
What are hand planes, you ask? They are remarkable devices that almost no one’s ever heard of. Hand planes go on your hands to help you bodysurf. If someone you love loves surfing and/or boogie boarding, get a set of hand planes for travel purposes. Available from Brownfish and Hess.
Tablet Computer with “Sunscreen”
While there are many tablet computers on the market, currently the only one worth spending your money on is an iPad. iPads are available at Apple.com, the Apple Store, or from independent Apple dealers. One downside to iPads for beach lovers is the difficulty reading them in the sunlight, however, NuShield solved this problem. They sell a screen protector film you lay directly on the iPad’s screen that makes it possible to use in sunlight.
Around the World Cruise
A total fantasy for most beach lovers is a world cruise. Four cruise lines have world cruises scheduled in 2012. They are Cunard, Crystal, Silversea, and Holland America.
As a beachaholic, I would love any one of these gifts, but if my husband is reading this, “Honey, the gift I would really like is an around the world cruise.” I can always dream.
Let me take this opportunity to say Happy Holidays to beach lovers everywhere. If you’re looking for suggestions of a more charitable nature please see the companion post, Beach Lovers’ Giving Guide.
To many joyful beach experiences!
— Lisa Dworkin
Image Source: Adobe Stock
