By During the cold winter months, many people begin to plan their holiday travels to warm beach locations for some fun in the sun. I’ve been on two beach vacations in my life, and I’m not going to lie – each time we’ve gone I started biting my nails at the planning stages. Like, what am I going to wear? It’s literally one of the most difficult first world problems I’ve encountered.
In the water you want to be light and comfortable; you don’t want your clothes to weigh you down. It goes without saying that you also want to stay cool while you are chilling on the sand. There’s nothing more uncomfortable than sweating it up under your hijab while you bake in the warm sun. Having said that, here are three must haves to pack as you plan your winter beach getaway:
Workout clothes
If you are in a hurry and have no time to go on the hunt for swim clothes, a good quality workout top and pants work just fine.
Verona model, Sarah I., just recently came back from a Cancun cruise looking stylish and relaxed in her attire.
In a social media post, she stated, “The outfit was actually my workout clothes, both made by Nike, the polyester material made it easy to be in the water without it soaking in too much and making my clothes heavy.” She went on to say that she felt it was more practical than the burkini. Since this outfit didn’t come with an attached hijab, she wore her hijab turban style. For extra coverage, Sarah wrapped a workout jacket around her waist so she can comfortably walk around the beach.
If you want something a little more covered and comfortable on the beach, go for a workout skirt. Side-note: I did try this method and it works great, but make sure you wear a swimsuit under your clothes. If you don’t, sand will get bunched up in your undergarments.
Rash Guards
Rash guards are long sleeve swim tops that are used to protect your body from the sun. They can be a little expensive, but they come in different lengths and styles.
Nabila A. bought her cute polka dot rash guard from Amazon and stated, “I was searching for something that was long sleeve and wouldn’t weigh me down in the water. It is really hard as a hijabi to find something to swim in.”
The rash guard pictured above from Amazon runs small, so opt for two sizes bigger (for example, if you are a medium, get an extra large.) They run about $22.99, and can be delivered the next day. Nabila said she wore her workout pants over the rash guard and made sure to wear a swimsuit underneath. Fashionable rash guards can be also purchased at coolibar.com
A Burkini
The burkini is always a popular option amongst hijabis. I’ve chosen to go this route on all my beach vacations, even when I wasn’t swimming in the ocean. It helps with temperature control.
It can be very challenging when trying to figure out what to wear on the beach, but there are viable modest options.
I will say that the one thing I don’t like about the burkini for me is that it makes my look kind of like a sausage. (Don’t play. I know I’m not the only one that has a sausage head in a burkini.) In fact, the hijab can be a bit uncomfortable because it is very tight on the ears.
My burkini top came with a high neck, so I wear an under piece and pin it from the back. If you choose to go this route, again, wear something swim friendly under your clothes. There are a lot of options on the internet, such as Madamme BK. Invest in a good quality one that doesn’t have too much fabric. I would recommend looking at the ones that have tights rather than flowy pants because sand tends to stick to the bottom.
It can be very challenging when trying to figure out what to wear on the beach, but there are viable modest options. I love seeing the different ways hijabis get fashionably creative with how they vacation. I hope the bit of advice I’ve provided helps you in planning your beach vacation. Your wardrobe should never get in the way of you basking in the sun.
Let me know what you pack for you holiday getaways.
CabanaLife.com has much more stylish rash guards than Coolibar, and is a comparable price. Though Coolibar does have swim leggings, Cabana Life only has shorts and skirts…
A little more expensive but much trendier is Mott50.
They’re all rated for significant sun protection, as well 🙂