10 of the Top Safety Tips That Will Help You Have a Blast
Are you ready to have an amazing vacation?! If you are feeling anything like us, with the holiday season approaching and our schedules only becoming busier and busier, you wish that you could just forget the endless to-do lists, drop the schedules, say goodbye to all of the holiday obligations, and just take a vacation. Well why not? Take a vacation and actually relax this season. Something you probably haven’t done in a long time. When you do come and take a vacation with us, the only list you will need the entire time is this short list of ten safety tips that will ensure you have the best, and safest, vacation ever.
1). Stay In Quality Accommodations 
Nothing can spoil a vacation more than finding out that the non-smoking place you booked is really smoker-friendly and a hazard to your baby’s lungs. Or that there is mold in the bathroom, along with loose floor boards and missing tiles. Rather than risk your family’s health this vacation, stay in a quality accommodation with us in Surf City, where you will be assured a tranquil time.
2). Pack For the Season
Surf City, along with the rest of Topsail Island, usually experiences lovely and moderate temperatures. Which means you can plan to pack shorts and t-shirts for summer and your favorite jeans and tops the rest of the year. Of course, with each season comes a slight change in weather. In winter, you will want to throw in a warm coat just in case, as well as an umbrella. In spring you will also want an umbrella for those lovely, occasional April showers. Summer is perfect for all your favorite beach wear, and for the most part fall is too, though for both summer and fall you will want to throw in a lite jacket since the temperatures on the coast can sometimes get a bit chilly after nightfall. And you wouldn’t want to get caught without some that is either cool enough or warm enough for the weather you discover upon arrival!
3). Pack Lightly
Nothing can ruin a vacation spirit more than having to lug too much luggage around, causing you to throw your back out and fight with your partner. Instead, bring just the essentials with you: a good book to read, a few changes of clothing, and at least one lite jacket for those cool nights no matter the season. For there are laundry facilities in most all of our charming vacation homes, and there are plenty of charming shops in Surf City in case you forget an essential something or other.
4). Watch the Water
The ocean is to be enjoyed! Get in, splash about, and have fun! Just beware that you swim in safe areas, where there are no undercurrents. Also, please don’t swim in the ocean during a lightning storm, during a pitch black night where you can’t see a thing in front of you, or with an open wound as the salt will burn like nothing you have ever experienced before. Also, if you have young children, you might want to watch their extra sensitive skin for any slight irritation caused by the salt in the ocean.
5). Love Your Pets
We welcome pets in many of our vacation rentals and on the beach as well! If you are coming to Surf City with your pets, please make sure that you do reserve a pet-friendly vacation rental. Please also observe the leash laws on the beach - it would be terrible if your sweet pup got into something potentially dangerous for them such as a beached fish or a rare, stray piece of plastic in the sand. So keep your pets safely on their leashes at all times.
6). Love the Animals 
On the Topsail coast, we have many lovely aquatic animals and birds. It is a treat to get to see them all: sea gulls, cranes, sand crabs, little sea snails, hermit crabs, seals, sea turtles…the list could go on and on! The animals are charming and abundant, and we would really like to keep it that way, so please keep your interaction with the wildlife to taking all the pictures your camera can hold. If you kids are out and about collecting shells and discover a crab, some lovely seaweed, and other little things that kids pick up (just no eggs from the sea turtle nests!), it would be a good idea to wash their hands so that no foreign bacteria spoils your vacation.
7). Bring a Small First Aid Kit
Inevitably, there seems to always be some mishap durning a vacation. A toe gets stubbed. You cut yourself making breakfast. Or you step on a lego. So it is a great idea to bring a small, basic first aid kit with you when you travel! That way you don’t have to run out at three in the morning only to find all the stores are closed. Just include a few band-aids, some Neosporin, and a little bit of antiseptic and you will be all set!
8). Stay Hydrated
Did you know that dehydration is a risk no matter the season? That’s right! In the summer the heat makes you need to drink more water, but at least the heat helps you to remember to open up that cool water bottle next to you. In the winter, as moisture levels drop on clear and sunny days, you run the risk of dehydration as well. There is an easy solution, though: drink plenty of water whether you feel thirsty or not!
9). Watch Your Sun Exposure
The heat of the summer sun reminds you to apply that sunscreen, which is a good thing. On the balmy spring and fall days, though, you have no such reminder. Which means you actually run more risk of sunburn during these cooler seasons when you walk around in light and breezy beach wear without feeling the heat of summer months. So always cover any exposed skin with at least a moisturizer that includes 15 SPF or more and reapply as necessary.
10). Focus on Your Family
Don’t run the risk of being murdered by your spouse this vacation! Instead, focus on your family, turning off your work emails and leaving those laptop lids shut. Or, even better, leave them at home!
We can’t wait to have you come and discover serenity with us for your next vacation! Book with us now, follow this 10 safety tips, and enjoy the much needed rest and rejuvenation you will find here in Surf City!
