One of the best things to do in the summer is to take some time off to go to a cottage and enjoy the lake life, BBQ, bonfires, and the great outdoors. Traveling locally can help you save time and money if you can’t travel out of the country. Depending on where you live, cottage country may be close by or it can be a couple hours away or even farther. Road trips can always be fun and there’s so much to see along the way. Being able to get out of the city once in a while and have time away to enjoy the simple things in life to clear your mind is super refreshing. You’re able to get away from all the noise and take a moment to appreciate the little things in life. And it’s always nice to have a quick getaway, even if it’s just for the weekend
Of course, if you aren’t a super outdoorsy person (speaking from experience here) but still enjoy nature once in a while, the cottage life may be for you. I will admit however, sometimes even a nice hotel is a bit tough for me since I like things super clean and comfortable and maybe have an irrational fear of hotel beds. Surprising right? Considering I love traveling so much – I just have to suck it up. I am not a big fan of not sleeping in my own bed so I have to bring everything I need to make my stay a little more comfortable, especially at a cottage. After years of going to my friends’ cottages, staying at rented cottages, and other similar accommodations, and my most recent stay at the Muskoka Beer Spa in a cabin in the woods, I found that these 13 items are what you need to pack for a cottage stay in the summer.
1 – Bring Your Own Water
As much as I talk about staying hydrated, this is always the most important point as usual. You can also read more details on How To Stay Hydrated For Great Skin While Traveling. When you’re at a cottage, the water filtration system is not as good as it is in the city so you shouldn’t be drinking out of the taps unless you boil the water. The water also has a funny smell to it, and you can already kind of tell it’s water you don’t want to be drinking. When I go to cottage getaways, we always have to bring gallons of water from home or a grocery store to last the duration of our stay. The last thing you want is to get sick from the water while you’re trying to relax. Also remember to have water bottles with you to refill as it will be super useful as you enjoy your time by the docks, at the lake, or on a hike.
2 – Pack Snacks
Whether you’re at a friend’s cottage or at a rented one, I’m sure you’ll have bought enough food to cook for your stay or you can go to a restaurant nearby if there is one. But in between that time, I’m sure you’ll get hungry after an active day outdoors walking trails, fishing, swimming, playing games, or even drinking. Snacks are a life saver as always and it’s always nice to have something light to eat before you indulge in a big meal. I usually like to pack salty snacks with me for the cottage like chips, popcorn, crackers, and jerky sticks. Some other ideas could be trail mixes, nuts, protein bars and even fruits. But since you are outdoors most of the time, a great snack to bring for the nighttime is s’mores! Nothing is better than ending the night with gooey, chocolatey marshmallows between graham crackers by the fire.
3 – Sunscreen
Assuming that it will be amazing, sunny weather during your cottage stay, sunscreen is so important to have. Well, even when it’s cloudy. Especially in Ontario, for some reason the sun hits different and is surprisingly a little more painful than even in the Caribbean sometimes. As you’ll be spending a majority of the time outdoors, you want to be able to protect yourself from the harmful rays. You can find the body sunscreen I’m using currently in my blog post on 13 Things You Absolutely Need To Bring On A Hike and my current face sunscreen which I’m only using until it finishes since I don’t like to waste anything. They both worked very well during my stay at the Muskoka Beer Spa last week and I didn’t get burned at all, but I did get a nice tan. I also like using the EltaMD UV Clear Tinted Broad Spectrum SPF 46 or the Avéne SPF 50+ Emulsion for the face. Prior to using my current sunscreen, I used the Vichy Ideal Soleil Cream SPF 30. These are all very good sunscreen options as well.
4 – Beach/Bath Towel
It’s always useful to pack your own beach or bath towel for the cottage. Sometimes, it’s not provided at your accommodations or the quality of the towels just aren’t very good. I’ve been at many hotels where the towels has little fibres that easily come off when wet and get stuck on my face or hair after washing. This also happened to me at the Muskoka Beer Spa, but luckily I brought my own towel and quickly fixed the issue. It is a little annoying when you finish your entire skincare routine just to find towel fibres stuck to your face.
5 – Bathing Suit
One of the best things to do to enjoy your time at the cottage is to spend time at the lake. Whether you’re tanning on the dock or cooling off in the water, packing your bathing suit for the cottage is a must! Unless you’re on of those people who don’t like the water or tanning, you can of course leave this item out.
6 – After-Sun Or Aloe
Like I mentioned above, the sun in Ontario can get very hot. After only a couple hours in the sun chilling on the docks or paddle boarding with sunscreen on, I already got darker. My husband actually got at least 3 shades darker along with a nice Apple watch tan. I actually missed putting sunscreen on my knees for some reason and they did get a little burned and was red. Luckily it wasn’t bad and went away in 2 days. Using after-sun products or even aloe really helps cool the body down as well as help the areas that you did burn after a long day in the sun. You don’t want to go to sleep at night with a sunburn and no remedy! This is a good item to pack for the cottage and have for those just-in-case moments. I use the Nature Republic Aloe Vera 92% Soothing Gel since it is easy to take with me. But when I’m at home, my dad normally gives me some aloe from his plant.
7 – Bug Spray
When you’re out in nature and in the woods, it’s crucial to have bug spray with you. Especially if the area you’re in is not being fumigated. I know it’s almost a given to go home with multiple mosquito and bug bites after a stay at the cottage, but you can at least reduce the amount you’ll get with a good bug repellent. I not only pack bug spray for the cottage, but I do my best to bring it with me at all times when I go hiking. Depending on the area you go, sometimes the amount of bugs are more extreme than others.
8 – After-Bite
In the event that you do get bitten, and they become super irritating, an after-bite product can come in handy and is important to pack for the cottage. Just in case. I have my Avéne Thermal Spring Water Spray which not only acts as a hydrating mist but helps with things including relieving itchy bug bites as well as sun burns. I’ve also recently gotten the Purple Frog Wild Relief Spray from Whole Foods and it has worked well for my bug bites.
9 – Makeup Removing Wipes
Because I do wear makeup very often, I find using face wipes when I’m at a cottage or traveling saves a lot of time as well as the amount of products I need to bring. Whether it’s because I’m wearing a full face of makeup, minimal makeup, or just skincare products and sunscreen, it’s important to be able to remove all the dirt and grime at the end of the day before my usual skincare routine. I like using The Honest Beauty Makeup Remover Wipes and the Ole Henriksen Truth On The Glow Cleansing Cloths. When I’m at home, I like using my MakeUp Eraser.
10 – Portable Charger
If you’re like me and you take a lot of photos and videos on your phone, or just happen to use your phone a lot, a portable charger is a must. There may be limited outlets to use where you are, and if you go to a cottage with a lot of friends and family, it can be tough getting a spot. I always have to bring a portable charger with me wherever I go and thankfully I had one with me at the Muskoka Beer Spa because not all the outlets worked for my phone, or it just charged extremely slowly. I’ve been using the Aukey brand for many years now and I’m currently using an older version of this one. You can also find Aukey chargers with a higher mAh that will last you double the charger of the one I have.
11- Lighter/Matches
When you’re in the woods, or any survival situation, having a lighter or matches is an important part of surviving in nature. Whether you’ll use it or not, it’s always good to have on you in case of emergencies. If you want to start a bonfire to keep warm or roast marshmallows, having a lighter or matches will help speed up the process. Of course, there are many other uses as well and it’ll come in handy.
12 – Flashlight
A flashlight is extremely useful for an overnight stay at the cottage. If you’ve ever stayed at a cottage or cabin, you’ll know that not all rooms have lights, things are just pitch dark everywhere at night, or the light switch may be far away from you. It’s definitely a little creepier at night and having a flashlight close by if you wake up in the middle of the night and have to find the light switch or go to the bathroom, it’ll really help. Flashlights are also useful when you’re outside at night walking through the woods back to your accommodations or bringing things back in the house at night or getting extra wood from storage. I use the Fenix E12, a gift from my brother when I mentioned that I needed a good flashlight. It is durable, waterproof, and has 3 outputs.
13 – Personal Fleece Blanket And/Or Pillow
As I touched on above with my dislike for hotel beds, I always bring a travel fleece blanket with me. I just feel cleaner that way and the sheets and comforters are not always soft and can be scratchy or starchy. If you’re not high maintenance or have an irrational fear like me in that department, then you can leave this item out. But I will say that it makes sleeping a lot more comfortable and makes me feel a little bit more at home. I know lots of people like to bring their own pillow on their travels as well, so this might be something important to pack for the cottage. Hotels and other accommodations don’t always have the nicest pillows and they can be super high, super hard, or super fluffy. Everyone likes a good night’s sleep and if it’s hard for you to get comfortable at night, bringing your own pillow or travel blanket can help a lot.
Don’t forget to check out my What’s In My Travel Toiletry Bag if you’re looking for ideas on how to pack your travel toiletry bag for your stay at the cottage.