Only one thing left to do, with a trip on the horizon, after buying Travel Insurance and diving into our Training Plan to prep for open water – it’s time to pack!
This is our second blog in a series where we address your most Frequently Asked Questions. This time, we're diving into everything you need for your upcoming adventure. We will start with the essentials and meander to a few less crucial items that might enhance your experience. No one should fear having to pack and we hope to take some of the anxiety out of the task as we explain the thinking behind our item list.
You may notice a few of our essentials have changed due to our ongoing commitment to more responsible travel. Additionally, we have made changes in how we approach personal hygiene, reducing the number of items that are shared between guests - notably, we now request you bring personal drinks bottles with you. Please be aware our guides are fully trained in first aid and carry a fully stocked kit on all our swims, sticking close as they escort you through the water.
You may want a swim watch if you're used to tracking your distances and stroke rate
As always, SwimTrek has you covered when it comes to trip-specific swim caps - perfect souvenirs to take home and wear with pride after you leave us. Our fantastic graphic designer, Esme, has been hard at work on fresh designs for many of our trips as well. To keep you fuelled in the water, we will also provide electrolyte drinks and water. You may be handed a mix of snacks, including fruit, nuts and sweets (a welcome surprise), when you stop to take a rest.
Now, let's get into the essentials!
“Next time I would pack more than two swimsuits - inevitably, the one I think it going to be awesome ends up chafing me and it's wonderful to have another one or two as alternatives..." – Liz (Guest)
Don't forget your sunglasses!
The Checklist
Before leaving, we recommend you quickly run down this list to ensure you having everything you need for a safe and enjoyable SwimTrek trip. For some locations, specific requirements are included on the trip pages within the Trip Info section. For example, our warmer and more tropical trips will necessitate sun hats, Factor 50 sun cream and possibly insect repellent. Whereas colder trips with us in more temperate climates could call for woolly hats, gloves and extra layers of outerwear.
Sun protection is a must-have when you're relaxing on the boat.
In addition to your daily non-swimming clothes, we recommend you pack the following items:
| Item | Notes |
|---|---|
| Swimming Costumes (x2) | No surprise, you will need something to swim in. We suggest bringing at least two swimming costumes for your trip. This saves you from having to put on a wet pair of togs for your afternoon swim, or early swims the next morning. Top tip from our Founder Simon is to always carry a costume in your hand luggage - even if you end up losing your bags, you’ll still be able to swim! |
| Swimming Goggles (x2) | You’ll likely have a favourite pair of trusty goggles that accompany you on most swims. Bringing a backup pair is always a good idea. We recommend one clear lens and one tinted lens to be prepared for varying light conditions. Different goggles suit different swims. |
| Towel | A towel is essential for drying yourself off after a swim session and to ensure you don’t get cold. It’s a good idea to bring two with you so that you can alternate and don’t get too wet or salty. Microfibre towels are suitable for packing light as well. |
| Aqua Shoes | If you expect to be walking on rocky ground, or shores where you might find urchins lurking in crevices, submersible shoes are essential to protect your feet and for added warmth, protecting your extremities. |
| Sandals or Closed/Walking Shoes | We have newly introduced our SwimHike trips and many others still involve coastal walks, or inland exploration, for which a good pair of walking shoes is definitely essential. |
| Warm Clothes and Waterproof Jacket | When out on the boat you can experience a little wind chill and you also can never tell when you may be surprised by a downpour. A light jumper to slip on after a swim is a great option to warm up quickly and handy thing for evening dinners after the sun goes down. |
| Eco Friendly/Natural Shower Products | We encourage you to bring ecofriendly shower products, gel, shampoo and conditioner where possible. We know the damage pollutants can have on the very environment that we enjoy. We are also working closely with our suppliers to introduce environmentally friendly products on a daily basis. |
| Eco Friendly Waterproof Suncream | Suncream is essential for skin protection when you swim - your legs, back and neck are particularly exposed, as well as your face when sunlight reflects off the water. Sustainable alternatives are marine-friendly, reef-safe and eco-friendly can help to mitigate the impact we have on the nature around us. For further protection, a rash vest is a great idea for locations where the sun is more intense, such as Egypt, the Galapagos, Belize and the Maldives. |
| Anti-chafe balm | We recommend Ocean Lube's anti-chafing cream to all our swimmers, which is both plant-based and plastic free. If you have an anti-chafing product that works well for you and is environmentally safe, please ensure you include it in your suitcase. |
| Sun Hat and Sunglasses | Plenty of locations are blessed with many days of sun per year and so it is important to remember to protect yourself other than just with your sunscreen. A sun hat is essential to prevent burning of your face, head and neck as we will stop for our lunches at the time of the day when the sun is most intense. |
| Small Daypack/Dry bag | Waterproof bags are fantastic for carrying anything you may need on your swims to store on the boat. Small bags can carry goggles, water bottles, anti-chafing cream, and anything else you might be searching for in those final moments before you dive in. |
| Personal Drink Bottle | Guides will no longer distribute shared drink bottles. Instead they will fill up each individual guest's personal bottle. We recommend bringing one bottle but if you want a bottle for isotonic and a bottle for water, then please bring a second. These must be clearly marked to help when guides need to distinguish each bottle. |
Bring a spare swimming costume to be on the safe side
As we wrote above, different trips may require slightly altered lists of additional items. For our Coaching Camps you might also want to bring training fins and a central swim snorkel. Please be aware, snorkels are permitted on all trips, but swimmers are advised to discuss their use with guides at the welcome meeting. It is vital that if you choose to wear a snorkel, you continue to listen for instructions or warnings which may be issued by the guides.
We understand packing limits may restrict what you can carry to the start of your adventure with us. It's important you refer to the information provided for each trip, so you don't overpack and burden yourself with anything you definitely don't need. Other items may be useful to accompany the essentials above, including a swim watch if you're used to tracking your stroke rate and following your swims via GPS, a neck buff to protect more of your exposed skin from sunlight, and an underwater camera - a GoPro being the most popular choice - which is a non-essential yet great toy for capturing incredible shots of you and your tripmates. You may even have a chance of winning our Photo And Video Of The Year competitions.
Pack a camera for a chance to win our Photo Of The Year competition!
“Something I’ll bring in my second trip this summer, having learnt from my first holiday, is a pair of very light cotton shorts, which can be put on over my cozzie, for sitting on the boat at lunchtime..." – Margaret (Guest)
To wetsuit, or not to wetsuit?
"Should I bring a wetsuit?"
Some of you will be used to swimming 'skins' and donning light costumes (no neoprene!) for longer swims in the sea at cooler temperatures. Less confident and conditioned swimmers will require wetsuits to enhance your swimming experiences and enable you to stay in the water for longer. After all, this is a holiday and we want you to be comfortable.
Wetsuits come in various sizes, divided by gender and categorised as follows: XS, S, M, ML (medium long), L, and XL. Remember, it is important that yours fits well, without chafing - like a good suit of armour. It should feel tight, but you should also be able to zip and unzip it yourself without assistance. We recommend you try your wetsuit on a few swims before travelling with us.
In warmer climates, a rash vest may be a better option - a lightweight top to protect your skin from UV rays. For more information, select the 'Trip Info' tab on the trip you're exploring, and you will be able to check our recommendations for each swimming holiday. Our Wetsuit Guide may also be helpful as you make your final decisions on whether to pack one for the conditions on your trip.
If in doubt, we have found wisdom in this mantra: “it’s better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it!”
Water bottles are essential to stay hydrated while swimming in warmer temperatures.
More questions for our team?
If you have any specific questions for us, please do contact us directly and our customer team will be happy to answer your queries. We want you to feel prepared for your holiday, arriving with everything you need to get the most out of your time with us. And remember, if in doubt, it is often better to have and not need something than to find your bag a little lighter and emptier than it needed to be.
“Check the sea temps before you go - I brought and wore my wetsuit every day. The water seemed fine for every second swim but turned out to be very useful for early swims [in the Galapagos Islands] and snorkeling..." – Sherry (Guest)
One thing we pack for you: your trip-specific swim caps!
