Don't Settle For Damp Beach Towels Ever Again With This Genius Hack

All kinds of hacks exist for making your beach day a bit better; for example, who knew how helpful a sled could be at the beach? And now, you'll want to add a yoga mat to your packing list. Not to perform Sun Salutations on — though you can do that too — but so you don't have to try to relax on the sand while lying on a damp, possibly cold beach towel. Granted, if you don't plan on getting in the water, you could get away with only a towel. But if you intend to swim, bring that yoga mat and see what a difference it makes.

By all means, you can and should still pack a towel so you can dry off. However, with the addition of a yoga mat, you won't have to rely on your towel to perform the double duty of drying you off and providing a comfy, protected place to sit. A yoga mat can also supply more cushion than your towel, a particularly helpful feature if you go to a rocky beach.

If you use a yoga mat at the gym or for your at-home yoga practice, you might want to consider purchasing a dedicated mat for your beach vacays. Exposure to sand, sun, and salt water (depending on your location) can break down the mat over time. If you fly to your seaside getaway, you can bring your yoga mat with a strap as one of your carry-on bags, or you can get a foldable yoga mat made for travel.

No matter what mat you choose to make your beach escape more comfortable, don't forget to clean it when you get home. Just as you don't leave your towel and swimsuit all bunched up after a day at the beach, don't roll up your yoga mat and forget about it in the back of your car. If it has sand stuck to it, leave it out to dry — that will make it easier to brush the sand off. Looking for more beach day hacks? Peanut butter jars have a surprising number of benefits for this type of outing.