My family of three went on a 10-day trip to Cancun during June 2023. We flew to Cancun and then did a roadtrip of the Yucatan Peninsula. We stayed in Cancun, Akumal, Uxmal, and Merida. Read on to learn about the 12 must have items you need for you trip to Cancun.
Table of Contents
Suncreen
I burn easily, so I always pack sunscreen. In the Maya Riveria, you should plan to use reef safe sunscreen. Lab-based studies suggest that some chemicals in many sunscreens cause coral bleaching. No one ever checked our sunscreen, but I was a guest in Mexico. Whenever I travel, I try to abide by local norms and requests. Therefore, I used Badger Reef Safe Sunscreen and Badger Sunscreen Lip Balm. I recommend buying the 2-pack of sunscreen because my group of three almost ran out on our trip. Also, be sure to reapply often even on non-beach days. I got a nasty sunburn on a non-beach day because I forgot to reapply. If you need more sunscreen than the 2-pack, either buy more on your trip or make each person in your group pack their own sunscreen. And don’t forget about your lips! I bought one lip balm for each member of my group and they were responsible for carrying their lip balm.
Insect Repellent
Somewhere in my research for this trip, I learned to bring biodegradable insect repellent and Ranger Ready was recommended. I like that it comes in small containers that are easy pack for the day or in carry-on luggage. We definitely needed bug spray when we visited Mayan ruins in more wooded areas.
Water Shoes
Our trip to Cancun was our first major trip with a lot of water and beaches, and of course, cenotes. I highly recommend these water shoes. They are inexpensive and pack a lot of value for the price. These shoes are designed with drainage holes in the bottom to keep your feet comfortable in or out of the water. The insoles are removable, which helps with rinsing out the sand and for drying quickly. The best part is that these shoes come in a ton of colors and sizes. You can find different colors for each member of your group and sizes for everyone wearing adult-sized shoes.
Waterproof Phone Pouch
There are so many water-based activitivies in and around Cancun that you must have a waterproof phone pouches for each member of your group. The Pelican brand is super easy to use and its design makes it quick to dry. With only three people in my family, I bought a 2-pack of the Pelican brand and another model at Burlington Coat Factory. The model from Burlington Coat Factory was cheaper, but it had a roll-up design which was harder to use and harder to dry. Both models kept our devices dry and allowed us to take plenty of water photos, but I defintely prefer the Pelican brand.
Microfiber Towels
For any trip longer than an extended weekend, I pack at least one microfiber towel. For longer trips, I usually do sink laundry and use the towel to help squeeze out excess water from our clothes. I have also encountered enough hotel staff that scoff when I ask for extra towels. There are never enough towels in our hotel rooms no matter where we travel! But, if you are going on a beach vacation and not staying at a resort, then you will want to be sure to bring towels. You will also need your own towel at cenotes. I brought a Rainleaf Microfiber Towel for each member of my group. These towels take up very little space in your suitcase and dry quickly. They also came in handy when we wanted to sit on the beach without renting chairs.
Swim Mask and Goggles
Most people do not need to buy their own snorkling gear or give up precious suitcase space for it. My child, however, needs her glasses to see and is uninterested in contact lenses. Enter prescription goggles or swim masks for snorkling. She needed both on this trip. I have bought several pairs of prescription goggles at Swim Outlet over the years, so she had a pair of goggles for the trip already.
I did not think to buy her a swim mask though until the day before we departed! I ran to Target and bought a swim mask. I removed the lenses from her last pair of glasses and used Gorilla Glue to adhere them into the mask. It didn’t look great, the prescription was a bit off, but it did the trick. If I ever plan another trip where a swim mask is needed, I will be sure to order one well in advance from Swim Outlet. Their prices are inexpensive and allow my kid to experience the same views as us.
A Drawstring Bucket Hat
I bought this drawstring bucket hat for our trip. The hat comes in a variety of colors and packs up small. The drawstrings are great to keep the hat on when it is windy (see photo). This hat has venting to help keep you cooler, too. And finally, the design keeps your face, ears, and neck shaded so you do not need to reapply your sunscreen as often (and helps if you forget to reapply your sunscreen).
Action Camera
If you don’t already have an action camera, a trip to Cancun is a perfect excuse to try one out. We used ours at the beaches, cenotes, and Mayan ruins. We did not want to invest in a GoPro without actually knowing how much use we would get out of it. Instead, I found the AKASO Brave 4 Pro priced at about $100. The reviews were promising and it lived up to expectations. The kit also came with plenty of supplies to get the best use out of the camera. I recently bought a gimbal stabilizer for action cameras to help take better video and have something to help hold onto the camera better. Do you need a gimbal stabilizer? I do not think it is a must-buy but if it fits your budget and you want to take less shaky videos, then consider buying a gimbal stabilizer.
Portable Power Bank
You will want to have a charged portable power bank with you. We traveled around the Yucatan Peninsula and did not want to be left with no phone battery.
A Map
I always buy a map for any travel that includes venturing outside of a major city. We used the Yucatan Peninsula: Riviera Maya Map by National Geographic for this trip. Google Maps is great, but imperfect. We have ended up on logging roads in Oregon before, so I now I buy a map for road trips.
Toilet Tissue
I hesitate to even list toilet tissue on this list because we had access to toilet paper everywhere we went. We visited heavy-tourist areas and areas less traveled. However, we also visited Playa Puerto Progreso, a beach-town north of Merida. If we bought drinks (alcoholic or non-alcoholic, we could use a table, chairs, and umbrella for as long as we wanted AND we would get access to the changing rooms and bathrooms. The bathroom had an attendand who gave you a few squares of toilet paper. In this case, I had enough toilet paper, but you might be more comfortable having some extra on you just in case. And remember, toilet paper goes in the trash can, in Mexico.
Travel Umbrella
We only used our umbrellas for rain once on this trip. These umbrellas came in handy to provide shade at Uxmal. I always pack whatever umbrellas are on their last leg for vacation. These umbrellas have about one use left in them, so they are perfect for travel. These umbrellas do not return home with me. However, I have run out of one-more-use umbrellas and will likely buy the Hero Travel Umbrella. It has great reviews and a lifetime replacement guarantee. But, it is bigger than I prefer, so I’m not yet convinced that it will make the cut.
Read More About Our Cancun Road Trip
10-Day Mexico Roadtrip from Cancun
5 Hotels for Your Cancun Road Trip
Staying Safe on Your Trip to Mexico
How I Flew My Family to Cancun for Free*
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10 Comments
Very helpful list – I’m in the market for a camera as I’ve been using my phone – is this camera better than a phone?
That’s a good question. I need to spend some time comparing the output between the action camera and a phone. I know my 15-year-old had a lot of fun using the action camera in the water. It was easier to use in the water than a phone. I think it really depends on what activities you are doing and how much stuff you want to carry with you.
Cute bucket hat! I wish I’d brought my water googles with me when I was in Mexico. It’s so beautiful underwater but the salt stings so much. Thanks for sharing
Thanks! Goggles are so useful!
Good list of must-haves for Cancun. Completely agree with most of these and would add a bag to carry it all plus, perhaps, a snorkel to go with the mask/goggles. It’s a great list for most of the Caribbean and any tropical location as well!
Thanks! We got a snorkle at the place we snorkled at, but it would have been helpful to have earlier in the trip. We designated a suitcase for all the wet/sandy stuff and brought that in the car. Then we just pulled what we needed into our daypacks. But, a separate bag would be useful!
Oh gosh i definitely need that drawstring bucket hat, why didn’t i think about that??? the number of hats i’ve lost in open waters over the years… 😂😂
For sure! It’s not as pretty as other hats, but it has great functionality!
Very helpful list. Sun hats, sunscreen, and waterproof phone bags are so important for beach vacations.
Thanks! I still need to practice taking photos underwater with the waterproof phone bags. I didn’t always take pictures correctly underwater, so I didn’t get as many photos as I’d hoped.