Spring Break Safety: 17 Items Every College Student Needs to Pack

Spring break trips have changed a lot over the past ten years. Students now depend on smartphones, rideshare apps, and digital payments, but these conveniences can’t take the place of being prepared for unexpected situations. Packing a few simple items in your backpack or day bag can really help if your plans change, your phone runs out of battery, or you find yourself in an emergency situation.

This article updated, March, 2026, with current tips and recommendations.

How To Pack a Spring Break Everday Carry Bag

When my husband and I were in Amsterdam last summer, I noticed a trend that I loved — the much-maligned fanny pack worn across the chest instead of hanging in front of the belly. It’s a Gen Z trend, and that makes these youngsters so much smarter than us old folks who went out in public with the fanny pack worn either behind us or right in front of the belly. Let’s be honest. Neither was a good look.

So, my Number One tip here is to use a fanny pack as a crossbody bag. Not because it looks kind of cool and trendy but because it keeps the bag in front of the body, safe from pickpockets, and so much more secure than a purse or backpack. It also puts the pouch within easy reach, and it’s small and lightweight.

Now that the fanny pack is trendy again, you’ll find designer versions, tactical versions, and for the rest of us, an $8 version! My advice — go with something simple, black/gray/brown, and on the smaller side. Assemble the items you want to have on hand first, and then decide the size and style of bag to buy.

If your student will be carrying ID — driver’s license, school ID, maybe a passport — consider wearing those in a pouch beneath their shirt. When you’re out and about, especially in a foreign country, your identification is the most important thing you own, and young people won’t realize that until that ID is lost and they need help or access to something, like school-provided transportation.

If your student is living away from home most of the year, you may also want to create a small college emergency kit for their dorm or apartment.

17 Items for Spring Break Safety

If you have a college kid doing “the spring break thing” this year, here are a few survival items they should have packed in their suitcase.

1. A water bottle with a good filter, like this one from Life Straw. This is especially essential if your Spring Breaker is heading to Mexico to soak in the sun. Label the water bottle with their name.
2. A flashlight or other light source. I always have at least one LED flashlight with me, no matter where I go, and include a couple of choices in this article about everyday carry for your purse. Dark, unfamiliar areas can be dangerous and a lot of spring break parties and events last well into the night. A dependable light source is highly recommended. Even a tiny keychain LED light is better than nothing, and this one can be charged via a USB port.
3. A bandana. Use it as a head or neck covering from the sun, an emergency bandage, a quick washcloth or towel, or a waist pouch to hold small belongings. A shemagh can also fulfill these purposes and also double as a sarong at the pool or beach.
4. Sunscreen and aloe in very small packets or bottles. Sunburns are no fun on vacay (or any other time for that matter!). If your college student has sensitive skin, they should test one or two brands of sunscreen, maybe even more, to ensure they find one that doesn’t cause an allergic reaction.
5. A whistle. Young women, in particular, can find themselves in precarious situations and in need of help. Additionally, this article by a former CIA officer shares methods to help women to spot and avoid trouble in the first place.
6. A small power bank with a solar panel. Your college student should never leave home without a cell phone and power bank. If their phone’s battery is running low and they can’t get to an electrical outlet, a solar charger can save the day. From my own experience, a power bank with the built-in solar panel can add too much weight to a small everyday carry kit. In that case, check out a super-lightweight power bank with built-in charging cords instead.
7. A good book. Flights can be delayed and canceled. Travel almost always brings various inconveniences, and a paperback book is a great way to pass the time. I don’t recommend bringing a Kindle because they are easy items for a thief to pocket. (A Kindle app on a cell phone is a great option. Just make sure that your cell phone doesn’t get lost or stolen and that you have a charged power bank!) Hey, if your kid is survival-minded, they might like my survival manual, Survival Mom!
8. Travel-sized sanitation products: hand sanitizer, a small packet of tissues (emergency TP), a packet of Clorox wipes. I’m not exactly a germaphobe, but you never know what bacteria and viruses might be lurking, especially in a very large group of people. Moreover, if your kid is going on a cruise ship, I recommend wiping down all surfaces of the stateroom, including phone and TV remote control, with a few disinfecting wipes. Here’s a longer list of hygiene items to consider.
9. Anti-diarrhea medicine. Stomach flu, too much alcohol, food poisoning, and stress can cause tummy problems, and who wants to spend their vacation stuck in the bathroom?
10. Any necessary medications, such as an inhaler or prescription meds. Clearly label this if you’ll be going through customs.
11. Small, basic first aid kit.
12. A pair of cargo pants or shorts. There’s no point in packing a few emergency supplies if you have nowhere to carry them that is both handy and secure.
13. Pepper spray. A small canister can fit almost anywhere, including that pair of cargo shorts. This pepper spray pistol is pretty cool and effective. If they’re flying, they must pack this in checked luggage since it’s not allowed in carry-on luggage.
14. Foam earplugs and sleeping mask. If your Spring Breaker shares a hotel room with multiple people, there will surely be at least one snorer. These are also handy when you’re stuck at an airport, riding for hours in a bus, and just want some peace and quiet.
15. Bug spray, depending on the spring break destination. Travel-sized, if you can find it.
16. Insurance cards
17. Common Sense. Pack a truckload of this, please. Whatever happens on Spring Break does NOT stay on Spring Break. Every year kids make poor decisions during this supposed-to-be fun-filled week that affect their lives well beyond those seven days. This is your mother speaking!

The Smartphone As A Vital Emergency Prep

I don’t know of a single person, young or old, who doesn’t own a smartphone. Not only are they a line of communication, but with millions of apps to choose from, they’ve become a legitimate piece of survival gear.

My kids are young adults, one still in school and the other in a get-your-foot-in-the-door starter job. They save money and aren’t extravagant spenders, but I’ve told them to install these three apps in case of a dire emergency when they have no money:

• My Uber and Lyft apps — These are connected to my own bank account, but if they are ever desperate for (relatively) safe transportation and don’t have funds, these apps will get them to a safe location. Women — be very careful about rideshare drivers. Double check their face matches the name of the driver identified on the app and try to never go alone.
• My Marriott Bonvoy app — Same idea as the ridesharing app. Should they ever be in desperate need of a safe, overnight refuge and don’t have money — PLEASE USE MY APP to get a hotel room! Not you. My kids. Seriously, though, I want them to get to a hotel and be safe overnight, especially if they find themselves in an unsafe situation.
• My Starbucks app — Same idea. Hungry and thirsty, broke, and in a strange place? Use my Starbucks card. Starbucks are everywhere and as long as you buy something to eat or drink, you can stick around for a while. McDonalds — same thing.

After four years, they’ve never needed to use these apps, but they’re a simple safety net I can provide no matter where they wander — and, they won’t need this safety net forever.

A few other phone apps I recommend:

• Life360 location sharing app
• Noonlight — One-touch panic button that can send your exact location to dispatchers
• Weather apps
• Zello turns your phone into a walkie-talkie
• WhatsApp for group communication
• Libby — Free access to public library audio and digital books.
• Airlines apps — These will provide boarding passes, flight updates, and more.
• Digital wallet — As long as they have their phone connected to a credit card, they can pay for food and other important expenses.
• Insurance company apps so a physical card isn’t necessary.

Additional Safety Measures

It’s not the same world we grew up in, but we can teach our kids to enjoy and navigate through it with wisdom and discretion. Beyond packing essentials, consider these additional safety measures:

• Learn and practice situational awareness. This helps your child avoid trouble in the first place.
• Never go anywhere by yourself. I wish things were different, but every year, there are stories in the news about college kids being attacked, robbed, or otherwise victims of crime.
• A lot of churches have Beach Reach teams that help college kids at popular spring break destinations. They sometimes provide shuttle services from the beach to hotels and even serve free breakfast. Let your student know that these nice people might be around and could be a helpful and free resource, no strings attached.
• Protect information about your location. This includes sharing it verbally, which could be overheard, and sharing details on social media like Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook. Likewise, guard your hotel room number also.
• Conversely, make sure that you all know how to contact each other in case of emergency.
• Create a code word for your group as a way to communicate distress and the need for help.
• Birth control/protection — pack it, just in case
• Drive carefully, especially if going to a popular spring break destination. This study about traffic fatalities over the weeks of Spring Break is from 2015 but I doubt much has changed.
• Coach them to think through what they would do in an emergency evacuation. The “What if…?” game is easily adaptable to college-age kids.
• If your children are flying, go through our Ultimate Survival Guide to Canceled Flights with them to prepare them for that possibility.
• Make sure they have smartphone alerts and relevant emergency apps on their phone.

FAQ

Related Family Safety Content

• Pack a Handy Travel Medical Kit & Stay Healthy While Traveling
• Safety for Women: Useful Tips to Improve Street Smarts & Avoid Violence
• Self Defense for Women & Kids: Practical tips, smart strategies
• Cruise Ship Preparedness: How to Stay Safe at Sea

Final Thoughts

We’re parents. We’re always going to worry. But by taking the time to discuss these safety tips and equipping our kids with the knowledge and tools they need to navigate Spring Break responsibly, we can hopefully ease our minds a little. It’s about empowering them to make smart choices and stay safe while still enjoying this important milestone. Ultimately, our goal is to help them create positive memories that will last a lifetime, without compromising their well-being.