If you are a minimalist packer when you go on vacation, me telling you that you need various swimwear styles for various activities and types of vacations is going to make you blanch! Fear not! If you know what you are going to do and how you are going to spend your time, you can narrow down which swimwear styles you need to have and pack.
1 Lounging by the Pool
There is only one reason why you need a fashionable swimsuit and that is to look good. What do I mean by fashionable? This is the swimsuit you pack for lounging around by the pool. The hardest work this swimsuit will do is having to stay on as you take some gentle strokes across the pool to the swim up bar. When it comes to swimwear styles for poolside sunbathing anything goes. They can be as impractical as you like – ruffles, sequins, lace, feathers, rhinestones, chains … they can be a two piece, a one piece, a plunging halterneck – whatever shouts your style.
Frequently asked questions
2 The Waterpark
If you are going to the waterpark, you are going to frolic and have fun, otherwise why bother going? The last thing you want is to be hitching up loose straps and hitching up bikini bottoms that pull down with the pressure of water, or even worse, a boob popping out as you screech down a water slide! For the waterpark, the swimsuit of choice is the one piece. This is one time you also forego all the frills and furbelows of the fashion piece; they just aren’t built for the environment. But that doesn’t mean you have to forego style. You can go traditional, or why not check out the really sporting styles that have features like cap or short sleeves, zippers and boy short bottoms?
3 A Cruise
You might be involved in a range of activities while cruising, but you don’t want to keep going back to your cabin to change into a suitable swimsuit for each activity. You want to look stylish though, as well as being comfortable. Of all the swimsuit styles you could choose, a classy tankini will be serviceable and fashionable. It’s versatile, offers coverage and will hold up to most on-board entertainments. Trendy tankinis feature crop tops and longline bustier tops if you want to be on-trend in 2014.
4 The Beach
If you get pulled into an impromptu game of beach volleyball, or your man has a habit of throwing you into the waves, you’ll understand why earlier I said keep the fashionable swimsuit for the poolside. For the beach you want practicality and beauty. You also want to be safe in the sun. If you want to be bang on trend in 2014, your top pick of swimwear styles for the beach should be from rash guard ranges. Originally designed as items to be worn under wetsuits, rash guard is becoming popular for regular swimwear. It provides great coverage, protection from the sun and also from jellyfish stings. (Of course, you can choose a regular swimsuit or bikini too, if all you want to do is lie in the sun!)
5 Water Sports
You may look fabulous in a string bikini but will it hold up to some activity and exercise out on or in the water? Water sports are about fun and excitement, not constantly adjusting your swimsuit. Choose a suit that will run the gauntlet of snorkeling, surfing, paddleboarding, banana boat riding and pool polo. You can still be stylish in a one piece with zipper, or a sporty two piece that features a bikini top and high waisted bottom.
6 Wet Suit
Generally, you will know if you need to buy a wet suit. If you regularly indulge in a water sport that requires a wet suit, you will make a considered purchase. If you are going on vacation and trying some water sports for the first time, there is not usually a need to buy a wet suit. Most tourist water sports companies are set up to cater to the casual participant and will offer wet suit rental and if not, somewhere nearby probably will. And, if you are going to buy one – look around; fashion and style has come to the wet suit!
7 About Town
I’m always amazed how women wearing just a bikini wrap a sarong around their waists or pull on a pair of shorts and go off sightseeing or take a wander around the shops/market. You might be in a place where this is not considered appropriate attire and will be found offensive, or you’re simply forgetting about the rules of covering up in the sun. You are far more likely to get sunburned when wandering around than when lying on the beach or by the pool. When you are up and about, it is easy to forget that an hour or two has passed since you last applied sunscreen. Also, as you are walking around, you don’t notice the concentration of the sun’s rays because you don’t feel it as direct heat like when you are sunbathing. This is the time to not worry so much about swimwear styles, but more about protecting your skin from sun damage.
Did you ever imagine that choosing the right swimwear styles is more than just what looks good on the hanger and you?
