We live in a great country for lake vacations. If you’re thinking about taking a lake vacation any time soon, then there’s no doubt you’ve made an excellent choice – though you may be wondering where to go and, indeed, what to pack.
The popularity of lake vacations in America is nothing new. In fact, there have even been resort towns built for the specific purpose of facilitating leisure time at lakes. Just look at Hot Springs, Arkansas – not one of the parts of the country most associated with lake vacations, but a terrific location nevertheless and one that many take advantage of year on year.
Hot Springs Village Homes, a company specializing in Village Springs real estate, note that there are many considerations to make before heading on a lake vacation. Going to the seaside, for example, is not quite the same thing as going to the lakeside, at least not in terms of what you need to pack.
Transport
A big consideration when deciding what to take with you on your lake holiday depends on what activities you plan to do when there. And with lake vacations, it is typical to go boating, kayaking, fishing, and so on. A lot of this involves pretty heavy equipment, and for that you will need a car, possibly a trailer and certainly a means of securing all that equipment to the vehicle. Depending on what large items you’re bringing, that can take some foreplaning.
Setting aside the larger items however, what should everybody going on a lake vacation have in their rucksack? Here follows a list of the top things to bring, as well as the things you might not have expected:
Food and Drink
It depends very much on how wild you are going, but do not just assume that because you are by a freshwater lake that you’ll always have ample supplies of water. For more rustic properties, you might need to also plan for the absence of water too. The same goes for food, as there may not be a store nearby for you to stock up at.
Sunbathing and Beach Things
For a summer lake vacation, you might find yourself doing many of things that you would do at the beach. However, beaches are usually designated as tourist spots and have all that stuff already supplied. A secluded lakeside spot in the woods on the other hand will not have any of these provisions. So bring your own.
Water Shoes
If you are doing some paddling or swimming in the lake, then you need to be aware that this is a still body of water. That means that the bed can be anything but smooth. Nothing dropped in there will be washed away, the stones are typically uneven and sharp. Protecting your feet with some water shoes, therefore, is a very wise move.
Basic First Aid Kit
It is not that the lakeside is particularly dangerous, but it does have its own unique dangers. The aforementioned sharp lake beds are one example, so too is the chance of injury from the natural setting. If your location is remote, then having a basic first aid kit becomes even more important.
Books and Games
This is something you might pack for any vacation, but the lakeside is particularly associated with whiling away the hours with a board game by the lapping water. Reading in such a setting can also be a particular bliss.
Ultimately, packing for a lake vacation is not particularly difficult, but there are a few things that set it apart from other types of vacations.
