When people talk about their vacations, it’s entirely possible that they will spend talking to you about the beach. They would speak of the sand, the ocean, and blue skies stretching for miles. Usually, it’s because people hear the word ‘vacation’ and automatically envision swapping the city grind for the sandy relaxation, but here’s the thing: it’s not just about the beach. A vacation is supposed to remove you from your everyday drudgery and bring you something exciting. But why would you spend tons of cash lying in the sand all day along a beach?

Yes, it’s nice to slow down. Yes, it’s nice to relax. The thing is, we don’t get unlimited time to enjoy a vacation break. We get a few days, maybe a week or two, to escape the world of work and enter a different world entirely. For this reason, you should embrace everything you can while you’re in that foreign location. Perhaps a train trip across Europe is going to excite you? The idea of getting multiple land trains across the body of Europe, watching the countries fly past you one by one, could be everything you need to experience joy. For other people, the goal is to see the Seven Wonders of the Natural World, with trips to the Great Barrier Reef. The idea is to pack adventures into your vacation so that when you return to the rat race, you’re full to the brim with fantastic and exciting memories.

When you choose to map out an adventure on the beach, you’ll need a few things. These are things you’ll require whether you are headed to Greece to visit the ruins, Rome to see the Vatican, or Australia to see the Whitsunday Islands for an air tour. Wherever your adventures are going to take you across the world or to the following country, here’s what you’ll need:

• An Itinerary. Where are you going? What are you doing when you get there? How long do you plan to spend in this location? Planning these things can help you plan the activities you’ll do once you get there.
• A Backpack. Adventures don’t require six suitcases packed with clothing. They need light packing so you can quickly go from place to place. Bring something of everything to enjoy snorkeling and sunning yourself, hiking and camping, partying the night away. A good backpack should hold all of these while meeting airport standards!
• A Camera. You’re off to make some memories. Don’t rely on your smartphone camera to capture these: bring your new camera and get snap-happy with spare memory cards. You’ve got a life to live and need to capture it.