a mexico beach trip, packed for the plane

two coasts, two oceans, and one towel that packs flat for either.

mexico is the easy yes for a winter beach trip: a short flight from most of the u.s., warm water from december through march when the mainland is grey, and coastline on two entirely different oceans. the one real decision is which coast you are after, because the caribbean side and the pacific side ask for different kinds of days. once you have picked, the packing sorts itself out.

the caribbean side, for the postcard water

the riviera maya runs down the yucatan from cancun through playa del carmen to tulum, and it is the side people picture when they picture mexico: pale turquoise, calm, and warm enough year round that you never flinch walking in.

• playa del carmen is the walkable hub, a long soft-sand beach with the town right behind it, good if you want dinner and a swim in the same afternoon. the ferry to cozumel leaves from here.
• tulum trades the town for a quieter, wilder stretch of coast under the cliffside ruins. the beach is narrow in places and the sargassum season (roughly april through august) can change the water, so winter is the calmer call.
• cozumel is built for snorkeling and diving, with reef walls a short boat ride out and some of the clearest water in the region. akumal, back on the mainland, is the spot for swimming with sea turtles in shallow, protected water.

mornings are the move on this coast, before the day boats arrive and the afternoon heat settles in. the water is at its glassiest early.

the pacific side, for surf, sunsets, and a slower pace

the pacific gives up the glass-clear water but hands you bigger surf, real sunsets over the ocean, and towns that move at half the speed of the riviera maya.

• sayulita, an hour north of puerto vallarta, is the surf town everyone falls for: cobblestone streets, a beginner-friendly break, and a beach that gets busy but stays charming. easy to learn to surf here.
• san pancho sits ten minutes further up the coast and is the quieter sibling, a single main street and a wide beach with stronger shorebreak, better for walking and watching the sun go down than for long swims.
• cabo, at the tip of the baja peninsula, is where the pacific meets the sea of cortez. the open-ocean beaches near san jose can have strong currents, so the calmer swimming coves on the sea of cortez side, like chileno and santa maria, are where you actually get in the water.

the pacific runs cooler than the caribbean in winter but stays comfortable, and the sunsets are the reason you came to this coast instead of the other one.

getting around, and what each coast costs you

the caribbean side is the shorter flight from the eastern u.s. and the more developed, with easy transfers and walkable towns. the pacific side is a longer haul and rewards a rental car, since the good beaches are spread out and the towns are small. neither is wrong. if it is your first mexico beach trip and you want it simple, the riviera maya is the gentler introduction. if you have done that and want fewer crowds and better sunsets, fly to puerto vallarta and drive north.

packed for the plane

whichever coast you choose, the smart move is to pack for carry-on. a rashguard doubles as sun protection on the boat and saves your shoulders, a dry bag keeps your phone safe on a panga ride out to a reef, and a fast-drying towel saves the room and the weight that a thick cotton one steals. ours is sand free and packs flat: 63 by 31.5 inches, waffle microfiber on both sides, dry by the time you leave the beach and clean by the time you reach the airport, so nothing goes home damp at the bottom of your bag. it is made from recycled ocean bound plastic, the same water you flew down to enjoy, which feels like the right thing to bring to it.

if a winter beach trip is the plan, the same packing logic carries to the calm-water caribbean islands outside the hurricane belt, and if you would rather stay stateside, the california coast end to end is a road trip instead of a flight. different beach, same idea: beach more, worry less.