Summer is supposed to be a time of relaxed afternoons, lounging in the sun and travel…well for me relaxed, laid back time like that just does not happen without some serious planning…to include shopping, stocking up and pre-packing. If I get everything in order, ahead of time- I am more apt to take friends up on those last minute outings and opportunities to just coast and take it easy.

For example, I pick up a new beach tote every year. Last year’s bag is stained yellow, the copious amounts of sunscreen that have been accidentally applied to its inner and outer layers has in fact not protected the bag from the rays, although the label promised lush, wrinkle free fun in the fun.

When it comes to beach bags I like fun colors or prints and lots of room inside with a decent shoulder strap so I can carry all my stuff while still clutching an icy cold beverage glass in one hand while I gently stir the straw around the refreshing elixir with the other.

A summer day out of the house and having fun in the sun often means not being home for lunch. I love hanging out by the pool or on the deck with friends, but having to spend extra money for fast food or having to clean up to go into a sit-down style restaurant takes away from my pool time. I always pack a nice little lunch, simple, easy to keep cool and I know it will hit the spot.

I have tried lots of different types of lunch carriers. The Cooler: These keep things cold alright, but they are all so big and bulky….even the littlest ones I’ve seen are still too big and bulky for easy carry. The Brown Bags, (then subsequently and unpleasantly, my purse.) can’t keep up with the cool and condensation that comes with summer lunch. I treat myself to a new lunch tote every year as well. Lunch poolside or at a picnic or even at the office can be a nice break in the day and a stylish lunch toe can really be a nice pick me up.

No one wants to appear vain, but there are very few times -when after we spend all that time getting ready to go on a summer outing -that our carefully procured look is not under attack as soon as we step out of the house. The sun is working hard to melt the colors from our faces and wind teases at our carefully placed locks. The best defense against gasping at your reflection in a store window several hours later, is a personal compact cosmetic mirror. Keep it in your tote and it will always be packed, along with your sunscreen and a back up lip balm. A compact mirror is perfect because it is made to travel, it closes easily so it is protected from the elements and breakage. They come in so many very cool and fun designs, finding one to match my tote is almost as much fun as using it pool side while my friends ooh and ahh over it.

Last year, my best friend got a great last minute deal on a summer trip out of the country and she was whisked away with almost no notice. She had an absolutely fantastic time but she did not have a plan in place to take care of her passport.

She has sun screen to protect her skin, a huge floppy hat to protect her salon blonde and some of the cutest and supportive walking shoes I have ever seen-but came home with a very damaged passport. She had to go through all the work of having to replace it and all she would have had to do was pick up a passport cover before she left. I recently found out that you don’t have to settle for the same ‘ole same ‘ole when it comes to passport covers either. They come in so many colors and styles; Zebra print and Giraffe, hot pink and the basic black croc styles as well. They secure the passport, have pockets and pouches for other travel documents and they look great.

Something I will be doing differently this summer, is that I picked out a new purse hook to use exclusively with my beach tote. Last summer, I would take my purse hook from my ‘everyday’ purse and throw it into the beach tote. It was essential to keep my bag out of the puddles by the pool, off the flip flop tracks, sand and other summer obstacles. Well, I would often leave it in the beach tote and then I would not have it when I needed to hang my ‘everyday’ purse in the bathroom at the gym. So this year I found a fun and “Summer Perfect” purse hook to keep in my beach tote. I never have to make the switch or make sure it’s packed. It was just hard not to go crazy, the hooks come in so many great styles and colors-it was hard to buy just one…but I also found one to match my lunch tote…and one of the bracelet style hooks for my back up ‘everyday’ purse too.

So there you have it. I am all set with my top 5 essential accessories for summer. I made sure to get my favorite styles. Pick out your own at Silverhooks.com!