Family packing guide for the Dominican Republic

While vacationing in a crowded resort near the beach in the Caribbean isn’t my favorite way of traveling, sometimes, a beach vacation is just what the soul needs!

I’ve always loved spending time at the beach, the peacefulness, the quiet, hearing the waves crashing on the shores, and the sun tanning my skin. I’ve always preferred a good road trip around a country to see the most of it while on the road.

But with Covid still in full swing nearly two years after the whole ordeal has started, myself, my supposed to be husband ( we were supposed to get married in 2021 but we had to postpone to 2022) and the kids, we needed to get away from all of this. Out here in Quebec, Covid is all we hear about all the time. So we needed to get away, have a change of air, and live a little since our lives have been on pause for so long now.

I’ve put together a family packing guide for the Dominican Republic for all of you guys out there wishing to travel somewhere warm and spend some time at the beach. Packing for the whole family can be somewhat more stressful. There are a lot more things to think about.

With this family packing guide, you’ll be in business and you are sure to enjoy your resort experience in the Dominican Republic to the fullest!

When to Visit the Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic is located in the Caribbean. The island is shared between Haiti on the west side and the Dominican Republic on the east side. The Dominican Republic is mostly known for its beaches, golfing, and resorts.

The best times to visit the Dominican Republic is during the winter seasons which are from December to mid-April.

We traveled to the Dominican Republic the week before Christmas. We got back on the 23rd and the entry requirements were pretty easy. At the time, we didn’t have to show proof of a negative Covid-19 test result to enter the country. We needed to complete an e-ticket prior to our departure to enter the country.

Weather in the Dominican Republic

The average temperature in the Dominican Republic is 25 degrees Celsius year-round. While we were there, we had almost 30 degrees Celsius weather the whole week which felt amazing!

The dry season is from December to April and the wet season is from May to November.

Hurricane season runs from June to November. Most likely between August and September.

Currency

Money in the Dominican Republic is the Dominican Pesos. You can use US dollars or the Dominican Pesos to pay in cash while you are there. Any other currency will have to be converted.

You can also use your credit cards. Especially in your resort, they will accept cards everywhere. If you go outside of your resort make sure to bring some cash just in case they don’t use credit cards. Some shops only accept cash.

Pre-travel preparations

These first few pre-travel preparations are especially important for booking your trip during Covid-19. Especially during these uncertain times, research the destination and the resort you want to go to. You might have to consider IF you should travel or not during the pandemic. Everyone can travel you just have to consider if you are comfortable with the uncertainty of traveling during Covid, how your health is, and can you adapt if the situation changes before, during, or after your departure.

Choose a destination that you consider safe for yourself. Also, look at the entry requirements where you wish to travel. Can you enter the destination or is it closed off to tourism? Do you have pre-entry tests to do? Consider everything and choose a destination that will work for you.

We chose the Dominican Republic because it was easy to enter the country as fully vaccinated travelers. As for the resort, we chose a 5 stars hotel that had good reviews about the safety measures during Covid. Yes, we wanted to escape this pandemic but we didn’t want to get Covid while over there either. For us, it was important to choose a resort where they were also being careful with the safety measures.

Pre-travel preparations should include verifying everyone’s passports validity dates. That way, you won’t have a bad surprise once you get to the airport and someone on your travel party doesn’t have a valid passport. I also take a picture of everyone’s passport and I also send myself a copy by email in case we lose one.

If you need to have a visa to travel to the Dominican Republic, make sure to apply in advance so you have it prior to your departure.

Travel insurance is very important! Make sure to read the next section for some tips on that.

Give a call to your credit card before leaving if you have to notify them that you are traveling. Some credit cards will block the card if they think it is being used fraudulently.

With all that done, you are almost ready to follow my family packing guide for the Dominican Republic and pack your bags!

Insurance

I never used to travel with insurance other than medical when I went abroad. During the pandemic though, I think it is very important to cover more things.

Medical for sure you need to have that. When we left for the Dominican Republic, we also purchased insurance in case we got Covid while on vacation and would have to quarantine there for 10 extra days before coming back home. I think it is something important to consider buying because the cost of the vacation can increase considerably if you have to add an extra 10 unplanned days to your costs.

Cancellation insurance could also be something to consider as well. I have one with my credit card but it doesn’t cover Covid. So if someone broke their arm and can’t go on vacation, it will be covered but if someone caught Covid and we can’t leave, we wouldn’t be able to cancel and get a refund. So it is definitely something to think of as well.

Packing and travel tips for the Dominican Republic

Traveling with kids to a sunny destination is definitely something you can do! Yes, you will have more stuff and yes they will not carry their stuff either! I prepared each of them their little backpacks for the plane and we ended up carrying them on top of our luggage and our own carry-on. But everyone still had an amazing time! The memories will be worth the family vacation!

To minimize the luggage as much as possible, I combined the kid’s clothes in one luggage. So instead of four suitcases half-full, we had three mostly full suitcases.

My husband folds his clothes and I prefer to roll them and use packing cubes. In my opinion, packing cubes and rolling my clothes is much more compact and takes less space! But whatever works for you is great too!

When traveling to a resort, I personally don’t plan to do some laundry unless absolutely necessary. So I pack some clothes for every single day for everyone. I want to make the most of the beach, and I also want to dress up nicely in the evening. So I do not go gentle on the clothes I bring. I always have extra and in this case, it’s OK with me. It would be totally different on a road trip or backpack trip though.

What to wear in the Dominican Republic

Traveling to the Dominican Republic, you will definitely need some clothes for warm weather. I do pack a couple of sweaters and pants just in case there is a colder day but 95% is shorts, bathing suits, tank tops, and so on.

If you’ve never traveled to an all-inclusive resort, they usually have a couple of a la carte restaurants for supper. Depending on the resort you’ve chosen, some restaurants might have a dress code while some others might not. Some restaurants will have a casual/elegant dress code and others might have a stricter dress code. You can usually verify if the a la carte restaurants have dress codes on the hotel’s website.

Plan some clothing accordingly for your evenings out. I find women’s are easier because a dress will do just fine. For men though, some restaurants will ask for something more than a pair of jeans or nice shorts and a dress shirt. So if you need to pack dress shoes and a tuxedo, you’ll know in advance.

Casual clothing and resort wear

Now is the time to start on the family packing guide for the Dominican Republic! For clothing, I’ve brought the same for everyone, I will detail stuff for kids, women, or men as we go if needed.

• Pants : I usually leave with a pair on, and have an extra one in my suitcase as well.

• Shorts : plan for a couple of pairs to wear to the beach. For men and the kids, plan some nicer shorts to wear in the evening to go out to the restaurants. Especially when the restaurants have a dress code.

• T-shirts : Pack some nice t-shirts for the guys to wear in the evening.

• Tank tops : I like to wear tank tops to go to the beach during the day. I do the same for the kids and my husband wears them too.

• Sweater : I do the same as for pants. I leave with one on the plane and have an extra one in the bag.

• Dresses : I usually pack a dress for every evening of the trip.

• Socks : For the girls, I always have a couple of pairs. If you are going on an activity and you wear shoes, you’ll be set. For the guys, I bring a bit more because they usually wear shoes for the evenings.

• Underwear : My boys wear their boxers under their bathing suit so I pack a lot for them. For myself, I bring only a couple of extras. For the kids, I bring a lot of extras in case they have a little bathrrom accident.

• Bra : I bring about three bras overall for the week.

• Pajama : I usully pack two for the adults and about four or five for the kids.

Swimming wear

• Bikini : I think I have three or four bathing suits for my daughter so I bring them all. With all the sand, the more the better. At the end of the day, the bathing suits are full of sand! As of myself, I love bikini’s! So I have a different one for every single day! But that’s just me! You don’t need to have one for every day but it’s good to have a couple bathing suits.

• Bathing suit : For the guys, pretty much the same thing as the girls. Bring all the ones you have to change them often.

• Float : If the kids need floats to swim make sure to carry them with you. So you don’t have an unfortunate accident happen.

Footwear

• Flip flops : I bring a pair of flip flops for everyone. That way we have them to walk during the day to go to the beach, the pool, walk around the resort…

• Sandals : I always bring a dressier pair of sandal to wear in the evening with my dresses. I also bring a pair of sandals for the kids. Since the flip flops are usually full of sand, this way they have another pair that won’t hurt their feet while walking because of sand rubbing against their skin.

• Shoes : I bring a pair of shoes for everyone. In this instance, we didn’t do any activities, but shoes can be useful when you go on an excursion. The boys also wore their shoes at night to go to the restaurants.

• Dress shoes : If your resort have a more elegant dress code for the a la carte restaurant and that shoes won’t cut it, pack a pair of dress shoes for the occasion.

• Water shoes : I bring these for the kids. Sometimes they are a bit disgusted with wathever lays on the sand. So if the beach has a lot of algues, they can wear them and still have some fun.

Basics and toiletries for everyone

• Shampoo/Conditionner : I know the hotels usually provide shampoo but I prefer to bring our own. I bought some reusable silicone bottles which you can find by clicking here. I just fill everyones shampoo and conditionner and pack them in our toiletry bags.

• Hair detangler : When you go to the beach, rare are the days where there is absolutely no wind. With the kids playing in the sand, the water and all that wind, sometimes a bit of detangler can do the trick and untangle that mess! It is definitely a must in your beach bag!

• Hair Brush : You’ll need it at the beach to untangle the kids hair and to brush your hair while getting ready to go out at night!

• Face cleanser : I like my skin care routine and I find it hard to let go of it while on a trip. Every morning and before bed too, I wash my face. I carry a small container with some facewash in it to last me on the trip. I never bring a full size bottle of something. That is why those silicone bottles are so handy! They don’t take much space, they are refillable, and I can put wathever I want in them.

• Face moisturizer : With the climate in the Caribbeann, I find it very important to moisturize my skin. I’ve been using it for everyone as well. Sometimes your skin feels a little dry so it’s great to have some moisturizer on hand. If you have a sunbrun, it’s also great to moisturize!

• Contact lenses/ Contact lenses liquid : If you are like me, I can’t see a thing without them! I carry a small bottle of contact lenses liquid, I have a pair of contact lenses that I leave with, I have an extra pair just in case and I also bring my glasses. It’s important not to forget these as your vacation could be a little blurry!

• Makeup : I don’t bring much makeup on vacation. Just the basics so I can apply a little bit of makeup at night to go out.

• Toothbrush/Toothpaste : Pack a toothbrush for everyone. I usually bring toothpaste for us and toothpaste for the kids and that’s it.

• Razor : I always bring a reusable razor with me while on vacation. On a one week sunny vacation, I might use it once or twice. My husband also brings his electric one.

• Deodorant

• Mirror : I like to carry a small mirror in my handbag. It can always be useful.

• Baby powder : This is probably the most important item to have in your toiletries if traveling with your kids to the beach! If you have kids with diapers and you need to do a diaper change, sand is most likely to be everywhere in the diaper. Apply a bit of baby powder and you’ll be able to brush off the sand. Then you’ll be able to proceed without hurting their skin. Even when they are older, I still use the baby powder to brush off sand whenever needed.

• Wipes : They can have multiple usage. From changing diapers, to cleaning hands after a snack, to cleaning up a mess, they can be useful for many things. Carrying a pack of wipes in your luggage will probably comme in handy with kids.

• Q-tips : I always carry a small box. I use them to remove makeup mostly. On this trip, I’ve also used them to remove a bit of sand from my kids ears.

Skin protection

• Aftersun : I personnaly apply some aftersun before going to bed every night while on vacation. It helps moisturize my skin and also helps to heal small sunburns. If any member of the family has a small sunburn it’s easy to sooth it with some aftersun cream.

• Sunscreen : Very, very, very important. I always bring my Sunbum sunscreen. I bought 3 bottles of sunscreen for a one week vacation for the four of us and we had to buy another bottle at the resort. You can easily find some in the little shops around the resort but I found that 40 US dollars was a bit much for a small container of sunscreen.

• SPF lipbalm : I love the Sunbum brand for multiple reasons, but they also have many products for skin protection. SPF lipbalm is one of them. Being outside in the sun all day can affect not only your skin. I always have one of these handy to apply when needed.

• Aloe : I always have a small pot of aloe in my bag. An aftersun cream is good but in case of a bigger sunburn, this is magical!

Medicine kit

• Advil/Tylenol : I always pack both for adults and for kids as well in my medical kit.

• Allergy tablets : It can come in handy if someone has an allergy to something.

• Antibacterial ointment

• BandAids

Accessories

• Water bottles : I carry some empty water bottles in each one of our carry-ons. This way, we can go through security without any problems and fill them up on the other side of security so we have something to drink while waiting for the plane, on the plane, and while making our way to our hotel. You can reuse them all week long to have some water while being at the beach or at the pool.

• Hats : Hats for everyone is important to cover yourself from the sun. I don’t burn easily but for some reason, on our latest trip, I burned my face 2 days before leaving and even with sunscreen all the time it didn’t help. With my hat though, I was able to cover my face and not make it worst!

• Sunglasses : Although I don’t wear them while laying down to tan, I like to have them handy especially when walking around the resort to go and get some lunch. If you have sensible eyes, it will protect them too. Every single one of us has their own pair handy in our beach bag.

Bags, luggage

• Suitcase : As I said earlier, traveling with kids isn’t always easy but totally worth it. Because our kids aren’t that old, 7 and 3, we tried to minimise the number of items we had to carry. Which is why we had three suitcase instead of four. It made it a little easier to carry everything.

• Carry-on bag : Each one of us had a small bag with our entertainment for the plane and essential documents.

• Daypack : If you are planning on doing some excursions while on your vacations, a daypack will be helpful to carry the things you will need during that day. It could be a great idea to have an older one you don’t mind getting dirty. On a previous trip to the Dominican Republic, we did a buggy excursion and the trails were quite muddy. So it might not be the best time to carry your new white bag.

• Handbag : I always bring a small handbag that I use in the evening to carry my money and small accessories.

• Wallet : Important to have all your important cards.

• Dirty laundry bag : I like to keep my dirty clothes separated from my clothes. I have a small bag for everyone of us that I throw in our suitcases. Any bag that you do not use and that are compact can be used as a dirty laundry bag. You don’t really have to purchase a special bag for this.

• Beach bag : This will come in handy to carry your different things to the beach everyday. I’ll usually put our sunglasses in there, water bottles, our reading material …

• A clear TSA approved bag : I use this to bring my toileteries. Especially the liquid ones. If there is a spill, at least it won’t spread all over my clothes. It can also be used if you are doing a trip with only a carry-on bag. As it is TSA approved and has the right size for the carry-on liquid limit, it is great for not having too much while going through security.

Extras to pack for the Dominican Republic

• Eye mask : Every single one of us has one in their carry-on bag. It can be handy to sleep on the plane, have a nap if needed while on vacation (good for the kids) or even if you are having a hard time sleeping at night. Sometimes this does the trick for me and helps me fall asleep easier.

• Adapter : Going to the Dominican Republic from Canada, the electrical plugs are the same so I don’t have to carry mine around. However, if you are coming from a different country, make sure to bring your own as the plugs might be different.

• Bikini Bag : I have two small bikini bags that I bought a couple of years back from a Roxy Store. I don’t believe they sell them anymore as I wasn’t able to find any on their website. But I find that some sort of plastic bag can come in handy when your are packing your bags to come back home and you still have some bathing suits that are wet. This way, you can store them in this type of bag and it will prevent the rest of your clothes to be soaked. If you don’t have anything of the sort, some hotels have small plastic bags in their bathroom. You could just use them to put your wet clothes in your suitcase.

• Travel-size board games : We like to play some board games a lot, and nowadays you can find many travel-sized ones. With kids, it’s great to have two or three. Rainy days can get boring quite quickly so if you have a couple of games, you’ll have something to do other than watching TV in your room all day.

• Book : Whether it’s a paper book or a Kindle, make sure you have something to do on your down time. You can read on the plane, at the beach, at the pool, on rainy days…

Travel tech

• Ipad/laptop : Depending on your plans while on vacation, you can bring some electronics if needed. We usually use our Ipads mostly on the plane to watch a movie and they are in the safe the rest of the week.

• Camera : I like to bring our DSLR camera and spend some time doing a bit of photography. If you prefer to take pictures with your phone and not carry anything else, this is fine as well!

• Chargers : Make sure you don’t forget chargers for any of your electronics.

• Headphones : I bring a pair for every single one of us. I also had an extra small pair in case someone’s headphones broke.

Essentials

• Passports for everyone

• Visas if needed depending on the country you are visiting from.

• ID’s

• Travel insurrance so you can easily access it if needed

• Currency

• Pre-entry test results if you need them

I also brought our vaccination booklets. My husband and I have our Canadian QR codes showing that we are fully vaccinated, but in case they needed paper proof, our vaccination booklets are up to date as well with the information. Our son has also one dose of the vaccine so same for him, if needed, we had paper proof.

Places to Visit and Explore

Outside of the resorts, there are many great places to explore. There are some excursions you can book with your tour operator but here are a couple of great places you might want to see while visiting the area.

Northwest of the Dominican Republic

• Monte Cristi’s Isla Cabra
• Buen Hombre town
• Cayo Arena

Southwest of the Dominican Republic

• Bahia de las Aguilas beach
• Los Pozos de Romeo
• Baoruco River

The Dominican Alps

• Jarabacoa
• Valle Nuevo

North Coast

• Cabarete

Samana peninsula

• Samana’s Limon waterfall
• Las Galeras

Santo Domingo

• Santo Domingo

What should I pack for an all-inclusive resort checklist

Make sure to download your family packing guide for the Dominican Republic below to help you pack your next trip there! You can also use it for any tropical getaway you are planning whether you are going solo, as a family, as a couple, or even with friends!

Whether you are an expert with all-inclusive resorts or a complete newbie, I hope this family packing guide for the Dominican Republic has helped you sort out what to bring and whatnot on your next trip to the Dominican Republic or next tropical getaway.

This is not my typical trip but a good beach getaway can sometimes be just what you need. I hope you have an amazing trip and that you have plenty of fun even though the pandemic is still in full swing!

Have fun, stay safe, and have happy travels!

Disclosure: Please note that some of the links above are affiliate links. At no additional cost to you, I earn a small commission if you make a purchase through these links. I would never recommend anything I don’t personally love and use!

If you need a bit more inspiration or you aren’t set on a destination yet, here is a bit of inspiration for you!

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