What to Pack for a 4 Day Trip to Florida

It’s easy to get to Florida whether you drive or fly. The harder part is figuring out what to pack so you don’t get there and have to spend a fortune on necessities at local stores. Understandably, many people struggle with what to pack for a 4-day trip to Florida.

Pack a refillable water bottle, two swimsuits, several towels, and sunscreen for your 4-day trip to Florida. Bring a sun hat or bucket hat to protect your neck and face from the sun if you plan to spend lots of time on the beach. Invest in travel insurance if you plan to pack valuable items such as high-end electronics and jewelry when you visit Florida.

Bring cash for small purchases and to tip bartenders and waiters at restaurants. Follow along as we explore what to pack for a 4-day trip to Florida so you have everything you need for your vacation.

How Do I Pack for 4 Days in Florida?

Check the Forecast

While Florida is known for sunny weather, the state is also prone to lots of rain. Key tourist destinations like Fort Lauderdale and Miami get plenty of rain each week, so it’s important to check the forecast before you visit. That’s especially true if you plan to visit Florida throughout June, which is the rainiest month of the year for the state.

Thunderstorms are common between July and September as well, so you must check the forecast to help decide the clothes you pack. For example, you may want to bring a rain jacket or windbreaker if you visit Florida in June. January is the coldest month of the year in Florida, so you’ll want to bring long-sleeved shirts and light jackets.

Refillable Water Bottles

The heat and humidity in Florida can quickly dehydrate you, especially if you visit during summer. Rather than spend a small fortune on water bottles at your resort or a convenience store, you should bring refillable water bottles.

Many of the beach entrances in popular cities like Miami and Fort Lauderdale have water fountains where you can refill your water bottle. You can also fill your bottle at the hotel before you leave for the day.

Swimsuits

It may seem that you only need one swimsuit for a 4-day trip, but it helps to have at least one extra. Your swimsuit may get dirty from the beach, and you don’t want to wear one that is covered in sand in the hotel pool. Ideally, you should pack at least 2 swimsuits so you have some variety and wiggle room.

Towels

You will encounter many people on the beaches of Florida who rent and sell towels to tourists. This may help support the local economy, but you’ll typically spend more to rent a towel for the day than you would to buy one. Instead, you should simply pack a few towels to bring to the beach during your trip and save money.

Sandals

Nothing is less comfortable than wearing sneakers or dress shoes on the beach. Pack at least one pair of sandals for your 4-day trip to Florida so you don’t have to worry about getting a rash between your toes. Remember to wash your sandals in the fountains at the beach before you head back to your hotel so you don’t track sand into your room.

Umbrella

You can expect to get rained on during the afternoon throughout your 4-day trip to Florida. The rain may only last 15-30 minutes, but that’s more than enough time to get soaked. Bring a small umbrella if you plan to walk around a lot so you don’t get caught in the rain without protection.

Bug Spray

Florida may seem like paradise to vacationers, but it’s also the state with the biggest bug infestation problem in the country. Because of that, you must pack enough sunscreen to last a 4-day trip in Florida. You cannot fly with bug spray, but you can at least buy some at a store before you reach your hotel.

A Pair of Sunglasses

You don’t want to have to pay double for an otherwise cheap pair of sunglasses at a bodega by the beach. Instead, simply pack 1-2 pairs of sunglasses before you leave for your 4-day trip so you can enjoy the Florida views without squinting. However, you may not want to bring your nicest pair of sunglasses as they may get dirty and smudged by sweat, sunscreen, and bug spray.

Sunscreen

Sure, plenty of places sell sunscreen in Florida, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t bring it with you. While you cannot bring sunscreen on an airplane, you should pack some if you plan to drive to Florida. This can save you plenty of money as stores near beaches sell sunscreen at an inflated rate.

If you fly, make sure to stop somewhere like Walgreens or CVS before you reach your hotel. You won’t have to spend as much as you would if you visited a beachside store.

Aloe Vera Cream

No 4-day trip to Florida is complete without plenty of time in the sun. While sunscreen can protect you from sunburn, you must reapply it frequently to avoid getting burnt. That’s why you must pack some aloe vera cream to treat sunburn in case you get burnt. You can find small bottles of aloe vera cream for as little as $5, and it’s well worth the cost.

Chapstick

Even if you avoid sunscreen, you may experience chapped lips when you visit Florida. The sun exposure combined with the dehydration that comes from spending that much time in the sun can leave your lips chapped. Simply pack some lip balm to keep your lips moisturized so you can enjoy your meals without them burning.

Waterproof Camera

Do you plan to spend time out in the water during your 4-day trip to Florida? If so, you must pack a waterproof camera if you want to document the experience and remember it forever. You can find waterproof cases for small cameras like GoPros that you can mount to your head, wrist, or chest. Otherwise, you can simply get a waterproof case for your phone to protect it when you take pictures from your day on the beach.

Hats

Not only are hats great accessories, but they are quite practical in Florida. It’s called the Sunshine State for a reason, so you must do everything you can to protect your face and scalp from the sun. Bucket hats and sun hats are ideal if you want to protect your face and the back of the neck.

Otherwise, you can’t go wrong with a traditional baseball cap to keep the sun out of your face.

Backpack

Rather than run back to your hotel each time you need something, you should pack a backpack for your 4-day trip to Florida. You can fill it with essentials like sunscreen, bug spray, aloe vera cream, towels, and an umbrella. Depending on the size of the backpack, you can also fill it with any souvenirs you pick up throughout the day.

Fanny Pack

Bring a fanny pack with you on your Florida trip if you’d rather not wear a bulky backpack. They are the perfect size to store essentials, such as your phone, chapstick, makeup, sunglasses, and wallet. You can also store some loose cash for tips or keep a phone charger in your fanny pack for when you visit coffee shops with outlets.

Shampoo and Conditioner

Humidity and hair don’t typically mix well. The constant humidity in the air throughout Florida can lead to frizzy and sweaty hair that may ruin your look for the day. Luckily, you can find travel-sized bottles of shampoo and conditioner that are allowed on airplanes. Otherwise, you can find combined shampoo and conditioner products if you want to save space and time.

Hair Spray

No matter how well you wash your hair, it may be no much for the heat and humidity in Florida. That’s why it helps to pack some hair spray to ensure a firm consistency even through extreme heat and occasional rain. If you plan to fly, you must bring hair spray in a container that holds 3.4 fluid ounces or less to comply with TSA guidelines.

Moisturizer

There’s no doubt that you’ll spend lots of time in the sun during your 4-day trip to Florida. During this time, you will likely dry your skin out due to prolonged sun exposure. That’s not the end of the world if you bring moisturizer to nurse your skin back to health.

Moisturize your face in the morning and at night each day of your trip to bounce back from sunburn.

Toiletries

While hotels provide simple toiletries like shampoo and body wash, that doesn’t mean that they are ideal for your hygiene routine. You must bring toothpaste, deodorant, cotton swabs, razors, and a toothbrush with you to Florida. Make sure to bring any special cosmetics you need, such as creams, makeup, tweezers, and hairbrushes as hotels don’t typically provide them.

Extra Clothes

You never know what type of places you will visit in Florida until you get there, no matter how much you research it ahead of time. Pack several extra outfits to suit casual and fancy restaurants and bars alike. It never hurts to pack some nightlife attire as well because you may discover bars and nightclubs that make you want to come out of dance retirement.

Rather than buy overpriced clothes in Florida, simply overpack so you have enough options.

Laundry Bag

You won’t likely have time to wash your clothes during your 4-day trip to Florida. However, you will still accumulate dirty clothes throughout your trip, and you’ll need to do something with them. There’s no reason to fill your luggage with loose dirty clothes that will taint your souvenirs.

Instead, simply pack a laundry bag to keep your dirty clothes in so you can wash them when you get home.

Power Adapter

The last thing you want is to be unable to charge your electronics in Florida. Bring a universal power adapter that features surge protection so you don’t fry your devices. Many of the hotels in Florida feature sockets with 2-3 pins, so a universal adapter will cover you no matter what the setup is.

Portable Phone Charger

You won’t likely spend too much time in your hotel room on your 4-day trip to Florida because there is so much to do. However, you will need to charge your phone, so you must bring a portable charger with you. Make sure to charge the portable charger before you leave your hotel room for the day so you can charge your phone without having to find an outlet.

Cash

It never hurts to bring extra cash when you pack for a 4-day trip to Florida. That way, you can avoid the ATM fees that you would otherwise incur during your trip. The cash will come in handy when you tip at restaurants and buy cold drinks at the nearest beach bar.

Multiple Payment Cards

Nothing is more frustrating than when your debit card or credit card fails while you are traveling. Banks sometimes decline charges when you travel because they perceive some sort of unusual behavior. When this happens, it never hurts to have an extra payment method to make up for it.

Bring your debit card and at least one credit card or several hundred dollars worth of cash, if you’ve had cards fail while traveling before. Hotels charge incidental fees when you check in and it’s better to use a credit card than a debit card. The charge may not disappear from your debit card for up to 7 days, and that deducts from your checking account.

They will eventually reimburse you, but you don’t have to worry about the fee at all if you simply use a credit card when you check in.

Travel Insurance

It’s easy to overlook travel insurance, especially when you take a trick to Florida that only lasts 4 days. However, anything can happen during that trip, and you will be financially responsible for your belongings without travel insurance. Travel insurance typically costs up to 6% of the value of your trip.

That may seem like overkill to some travelers, but it is a lifesaver when you must deal with lost or damaged luggage. Airlines and hotels lose and damage luggage frequently, and you are often left to incur the cost yourself. Travel insurance is worth the cost if you travel with valuable jewelry and electronics.  

Medication

Medication is the most important thing to pack for a 4-day trip to Florida if you have prescriptions. It’s easy to forget your daily health routine when you visit Florida on vacation, but this can be quite dangerous. Pack any prescriptions that you take daily and take them on your regular schedule.

It also helps to bring over-the-counter medicines just in case you get a headache or stomach ache. Bring some motion-sickness medicine if you are prone to getting motion-sick if you fly to Florida or plant to spend time on boats. You will also be exposed to different plants and foods than usual, so it helps to pack some allergy medication as well.

So, What Should You Pack for a 4-Day Trip to Florida?

Pack sunscreen, bug spray, aloe vera cream, toiletries, and at least two swimsuits for your 4-day trip to Florida. Bring plenty of cash to avoid ATM fees and an extra debit card or credit card in case one of them fails. It also helps to pack a power adapter to charge your electronics as well as a portable phone charger so it doesn’t die while you’re traveling around Florida.