To ask what you do with your belongings when you go to the beach solo?

[drinksdilemma]

I’m not new to solo travel, but I am new to solo summer travel.

I have a few beach visits planned and don’t really know what to do with my stuff if I go to the beach? Do I just leave my bag on the beach and hope it doesn’t get knicked, or do I accept that I just won’t be going in the sea unless I book into a beach club?

Same as what I would do if I went to the beach with someone else. Leave it at “camp”. Cover expensive stuff with a towel or something so it’s not too obvious. We don’t take turns for swimming.

I’ve seen reels of people putting valuables in a ziplock bag and then burying them a little under their towel!

Either keep your key/ credit card phone on you in a waterproof pooch

or don't go in the water.

I would NEVER leave my belongings.

Best alternative is paying a private club/ hotel and leaving your belongings in their lockers.

Yeah this… we did buy waterproof phone pouches one year and were able to put our room key in as well but think we have forgotten them every holiday since!

I normally take just the absolute necessary, so perhaps enough money for lunch and my phone. I put my bag under the towel and try to keep an eye on it.

I also put the valuables inside a fake suncream bottle that I bought years back. It would be useless if they nicked my whole bag though!

I have a pop up beach tent. It goes in there and gets zipped up. I do take a phone and cash card. I keep an eye on the tent from the water and only set up near the lifeguards.

I leave most of everything back at the hotel, but have phone, necessary keys, one credit card, some cash etc. And I put it in a more hidden pocket of my bag and leave it there. No-one is interested in your clothes or book or shoes, so I've always found just putting it out of sight to be perfectly fine.

Likely depends what kinds of places you're going to though, and whether there's any kind of pickpocket culture.

My issue is that I will be spending the day out and ending at the beach - so I’ll have a camera etc.

think I need to accept I’ll either not be going to the beach, or I’ll be going via the Airbnb and dropping off everything but the essentials

Will you have a hire car? Leaving it there but well out of sight has also been fine for me so far, but yes, wouldn't leave expensive gadgets lying around unattended.

People get their stuff stolen all the time. It doesn't happen until it does!
Would you leave your keys in the car or door unlocked? Most likely nothing will happen, but you never know.

So I would just keep absolute minimum and keep that with me. You only need a key and phone with you.

No, I’m doing it all via public transport

Don't not go to the beach, that's mad.

I just don't take anything to the beach except my towel, room key and perhaps one card to pay for lunch. If I have my phone on me I hope for the best, but tbh, I've never seen anyone hanging around on beaches looking like they're stealing things, nor posters warning people about thefts. I think the risk of theft is low and as long as you don't leave a load of valuables spread out across your towel, you'll almost certainly be fine.

Even if there are 'beach thieves' you'd have to be pretty unlucky as no-one is going to along a beach picking up multiple random bags, they'd be noticed quite quickly.

They cost a bit but could you hire a beach hut?

You can make your own lunch and teas/coffees in them too so that'd save a bit.

If I am travelling alone I would visit beach but wouldn’t leave my belongings lying around whilst I went in the sea, so swimming isn’t an option.

You can buy a small portable mini safe with combination lock, I would put my credit card/key etc in that under a beach towel. Not sure what I would do with a camera though.

Amazon Basics Portable Security Lock Box Safe with Combination Lock for Documents and Jewelry, Large, Black https://amzn.eu/d/0gifUctd

I’ve just had this dream of swimming in this area for so long, I’d not really considered it properly to be honest

I can't believe people are advocating leaving belongings unattended. My grandson had his phone and wallet stolen while on a beach, and it was a nightmare sorting it out.

Leave valuables at the hotel in the safe. If you want to take your phone or credit card, put them in a swim safe pouch. I wouldn't leave anything valuable unattended on a public beach.

Inflatable tow float (the sort used for open water swimming) and take your valuables in the water with you? Some tow floats do not have storage, but many do and would be big enough to fit most cameras, etc., although you'd definitely need to put your camera inside a dry bag within the tow float for additional protection as they tend to get a little damp inside. A few tow floats also come with rucksack straps if you want to use one as your main bag for carrying around - I have one of these and use it quite a lot to carry my stuff when walking/jogging up to a nearby lake. But as tow floats are inflatable, you can roll them up for storing/carrying in other bags without taking up too much space/weight, so they're not bad for taking on holiday!

How far is your place from the beach

I'd either go back to your accommodation then back out with your key and enough cash or book a beach club.

DS (12, so I can't ask him to take it in turns to swim) and I are on a beach holiday without DH and that's what we've done.

Get a waterproof pouch for your phone and just have your phone and cards in that. On the days you go to the beach leave the camera behind and use the one on your phone

Doubtful it would be that safe there!

To be fair it’ll be in southern Europe. Not England.