How to Ace at Packing for Hills vs. Beaches

“Hills or beaches?”

One of the most polarizing questions in the sphere of travel, the hills vs beach debate is one that is immortal and may well decide your choice of travel companion, friends and even life partner, depending on how nutty you are about your wanderlust.

More often than not, however, things tend to go wrong. Perhaps you didn’t bring the stuff necessary. Perhaps you ended up bringing too much stuff. Perhaps the stuff you brought wasn’t ideal for this kind of hill/beach. Yes, this blog relates to your “stuff”.

Let’s take you through the kind of packing you need to do before going to a hill vs. a beach.

Dressing Up

 

Well, this one’s kind of obvious isn’t it?

When in the hills, make sure you pack warm, sturdy clothing to see you through the crisp mountain cold. Even if it’s summer, odds are you will feel the freeze (especially if you’re a townie). So do carry light sweaters and a jacket for the purpose. Climbing shoes are a must if you plan to trek about which, in the case of a hill vacation, is almost a given.

Beachwear is also pretty standard. Flip-flops, shorts, cool cotton shirts and a nice pair of shades will ensure you belong at the beach. Do not forget swimwear – the sea has a way of being too irresistible not to take a dip.  

Also, towels. You’ll need a good towel.

Carry Along 

 

This one’s a bit more varied. You’ll need things for your trip to the hills that would not make any sense whatsoever on that beach shindig.

Pitch Camp: Like camping gear. If you’re looking to go backpacking across the hills, camp gear is an absolute must. Beach bums find no use for camping – or backpacks, come to think about it.

Kits and Screens: On the beach, the sun is your best friend and your worst enemy. So you need to carry that sunscreen. Up the hills, you’re more likely to need a well-stocked first aid kit to see you through those little scrapes from bushes and brambles and such.

Lighting Up: This one is arguable, sure. But you’re more likely to run into situations where a torch will come in handy on the hills than the beach. And by torch, we don’t mean your iPhone’s app – a real torch with a strong beam which preferably has an SOS feature.

Fun Quotient: Beaches offer plenty of recreational activity apart from dips and getting than tan. Think beach volleyball, football and racket sports. The uneven terrain on the hills makes it a little difficult to enjoy any of those, so think campfires and cards. Yes, cards will come handy.

There are many distinct ways to make the most of that vacation on the hills or the beach. But it’s important to remember that you should be well-prepared before that trip. It’s not a great feeling, finding out you could have upped the fun quotient by a huge degree if only you’d remembered to pack that (or not that, luggage weight is an important factor). Just be smart before you hit the road, and you’ll have the time of your life, whether it’s up the Aravalis or down the South Goa beachfront.