• Jennifer Tapner is a 52-year-old who moved into the senior living community she managed.
• She eats all her meals in the same restaurant as the 200 residents, whom she now considers her friends.
• Living alongside older adults has made her a more empathetic listener.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Jennifer Tapner, Executive Director of The Watermark at Brooklyn Heights, a senior living community. It has been edited for length and clarity.

Two years ago, I was managing 10 senior living communities across the country when I started to miss the human interaction and relationships with the very people I was working for — older adults.

An executive director role within my company became available, and while most viewed this as a step back in my career, I raised my hand for the job, eager to be in closer contact with residents.

The job was based in Brooklyn Heights, New York, too far to commute from my home near Philadelphia, so I packed my bags and decided to move with my German Shepherd Chihuahua mix dog, Diego. I return home to my husband on the weekends.

We took an 11^th-floor apartment in the same high-rise building as all the other 200 residents. While I am working during the day managing the community, outside work hours, I live alongside everyone else.

I have my meals with the residents

My day starts at 7 a.m. with a run, as I’m training for the New York City Marathon.

All the residents get really excited when they see me leaving and then arriving home each morning. No matter the weather, they greet me in the lobby, asking me how the run was, how the training is going, and if I am having fun preparing for the race.

They’re all planning a cheer squad for me on the day of the marathon. I genuinely think they are enjoying the training and anticipation more than I am.

Although I have a kitchen in my apartment, I haven’t used the stove once during my entire stay, opting instead to eat my meals with the residents in the dining room.

After work, we walk our dogs together, having formed a dog walking club. All the residents put their dogs in little vests with illumination strips.

Even though I could disappear to my room every night, I love joining in with whatever they’re all doing. We’ll play games, watch movies, go to a Mets game, and have pizza parties on each other’s floors.

I cherish these interactions

The interactions with these older people have been among the most cherished experiences of my life. The stories they share with me in our deep conversations have given me a different perspective on life — one that reveals how fleeting life is.

Before this year, I recall listening to the concerns they shared — how the shower pressure was low, or how they needed more warm, communal spaces in the winter — but not sharing their perspective, because I didn’t see things from their point of view. But when I moved in, immersed in their world, I could feel what they felt, see what they saw.

It’s made me a better listener, even more empathetic than I was previously.

They have so many stories to share

Recently, I saw a resident leave the restaurant without eating dinner. Following him, I asked why he hadn’t eaten.

“I’m just really sad today,” he said.

He asked if we could go on a walk with Diego as a bit of a distraction, and that night, we talked endlessly while walking around Brooklyn Heights. Afterward, he was like a different person, happy and light.

This is a moment I would have never experienced had I not been living on-site. I’m here to witness their loneliness and sadness, and sit with them in it.

I believe older adults are often overlooked in society, particularly those who lack family to visit frequently. But we as a society need to learn to pause and listen to their voices. They aren’t just numbers; these seniors are individuals with rich histories, diverse professions, varied experiences, and compelling stories.

There will be times when I need advice or thoughts, and I now have 200 mentors to consult. One resident teaches at Juilliard, so I’ve gone to him to speak about program ideas. Another was a businessperson, so I spoke with her about business perspectives on plans I have.

I might have thought that setting boundaries would be difficult to do living here, but this hasn’t been the case. Residents respect that when I’m “off duty,” I don’t want to talk about work.

When they see me in the morning or evenings, I’m just another resident to them — not a director.

Although at times exhausting, keeping up with the residents and their busy social lives, I have no regrets. I won’t be able to sustain this lifestyle forever, but for now, it’s fantastic.

• This was a historic year for Miss USA, which took place last Friday in Reno, Nevada.
• Miss Nevada Mary Sickler was the first Miss USA contestant with a public alopecia diagnosis.
• Miss Congeniality winner Tetra Shockley, 44, became the oldest woman to compete in the pageant.

The 74th Miss USA pageant was full of historic firsts last Friday night.

Miss New Hampshire MonaLesa Brackett competed in a hijab and burkini during the pageant, while fourth runner-up Miss Nevada Mary Sickler became the first contestant with a public alopecia diagnosis to walk the Miss USA stage.

This was also the first year that the top 20 at Miss USA included mothers and women over the age of 28.

Here’s all the history that was made at Miss USA 2025.

Tetra Shockley, 44, became the oldest woman to ever compete at Miss USA.

In September 2023, the Miss Universe Organization — which oversees the Miss USA pageant — announced that it was lifting the age limit for contestants, giving all women 18 and over a chance at the crown. Miss USA 2024 was the first time in the pageant’s history that women over 28 were allowed to compete.

On Friday, Miss Delaware 2025 Tetra Shockley became the oldest woman to ever compete at Miss USA. The married mother of two, who is a licensed attorney and minister, also won this year’s Miss Congeniality award.

This was the first Miss USA featuring contestants selected from an open casting call.

Due to leadership turmoil behind the scenes of the Miss USA Organization, multiple state directors who had resigned or left the organization were never replaced. This meant that eight state pageants for Miss USA were never held, and eight Miss USA state titleholders still needed to be crowned.

In September, new CEO Thom Brodeur announced that the organization was holding an open casting call to find the eight titleholders. The winners were announced on September 29, three weeks before the Miss USA 2025 pageant began.

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A post shared by Thom Brodeur (@officialthombrodeur)

Although they had little time to prepare, four contestants from the open casting call placed in the top 20: Miss Idaho Jenny Crawford, Miss New Hampshire MonaLesa Brackett, Miss Oregon Chantea McIntyre, and Miss Vermont Victoria Chuah.

This was the first year that the top 20 featured contestants over the age of 28.

Miss USA 2024 might have been the first year women over 28 were eligible to compete, but no contestant over 27 made it to the top 20.

Seventeen of 51 contestants were older than 28 at Miss USA 2025, and five of them placed in the top 20. They included Crawford, 37; Brackett, 36; McIntyre, 43; Miss Rhode Island Brianna Vega, 29; and Miss New Jersey Ivy Harrington, 30.

McIntyre ultimately placed second runner-up, while Harrington was named first runner-up.

Miss Oregon and Miss Idaho were the first mothers to place at Miss USA.

In August 2022, the Miss Universe Organization announced that married women and mothers would be eligible to compete at all national pageants starting in 2023.

Crawford — a former Los Angeles Lakers Girl and San Diego Chargers Girl — told the Miss USA audience after she made it to the top 20 that she had a 2-year-old and planned to try her first-ever peanut butter and jelly sandwich with him someday. She won this year’s People’s Choice Award at the pageant.

McIntyre, a mother of four, became the first married woman and the first mother to make it to the top five at Miss USA. She is also an author, model, and owner of a clothing brand.

Miss New Hampshire was the first woman to compete at Miss USA in a hijab and burkini.

In a previous interview, Brackett said she felt “so fly” competing in a burkini at pageants.

“So many people thought, ‘How will the judges know you’re fit?'” she added. “The way I stand, the way I walk, the way I talk, you know I have abs.”

Miss Nevada Mary Sickler was the first Miss USA contestant with a public alopecia diagnosis.

The 22-year-old is now using her platform to raise awareness for alopecia. During the preliminary competition on Wednesday night, Sickler wore a bejeweled cap instead of her wig to spotlight the condition.

She walked onstage with Brackett, who was wearing her hijab, as they both made history.

• Business Insider is seeking nominations for this year’s list of rising stars of venture capital.
• Please submit your nominations via the Google form by Friday, November 10.

Business Insider is assembling this year’s list of rising stars of venture capital — our definitive roster of the up-and-coming investors finding (and winning) the next breakout companies.

We’re looking for sharp, rigorous investors who are making their mark in Startupland, whether they sit at a blue-chip firm or a scrappy emerging fund.

Submit your suggestions below or via this form.

In the past, we’ve included vice presidents and principals who became partners at their firms, such as Deedy Das at Menlo Ventures and Abby Meyers at Bain Capital Ventures. Solo capitalist Rex Salisbury went on to raise a second fund, while IVP’s Yuri Lee now invests out of a multibillion-dollar pension fund as head of venture capital.

Take a look at our 2024 list here.

Submit a nomination below or through this form by 11:59 p.m. EST, November 10 for your selection be considered. We can’t guarantee feedback on individual submissions due to volume.

Who qualifies

• US-based venture capitalists across roles, from vice presidents to principals to partners
• Investors with clear, recent wins: sourcing or leading competitive deals, developing theses ahead of the crowd, or delivering outsize portfolio support
• We welcome nominations from funds of any size, including emerging funds; self-nominations are fine

What to include in a nomination

• Role and firm, plus any promotion history within the firm
• Notable deals in the past 12 months: their role and how they helped support the investment
• Evidence of edge: backgrounds or perspectives that give them an unfair advantage in investing; examples of winning competitive processes; measurable influence inside their firms and ecosystems

Questions?

Include a contact in your nomination, and a reporter will follow up as needed.

• Meta reorganizes its metaverse unit, shifting Vishal Shah to its AI division, per an internal memo.
• Gabriel Aul and Ryan Cairns now lead Meta’s metaverse efforts, focusing on VR and mobile.
• Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth said the metaverse remains a priority.

Meta is reorganizing its metaverse unit and shifting an executive who led the efforts to its AI division.

Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth told employees on Monday in an internal memo, which was seen by Business Insider, that Gabriel Aul, who led products for its virtual worlds, Meta Horizon, and Ryan Cairns, who is in charge of Meta’s virtual reality hardware, will now lead the company’s metaverse bets.

“The priority of the metaverse work remains unchanged, and it continues to be a companywide priority,” Bosworth wrote in the memo. “We’ve proved our thesis to the industry, and we continue to see competitors enter this space to try and catch up to us, so we need to continue to press our hard-earned advantage.”

Vishal Shah, who helped lead its metaverse bets over the past four years, announced in another memo that he’s transitioning to Meta Superintelligence Labs, according to a copy of the memo seen by Business Insider.

Shah said he’s taking on a new role as vice president of AI products in the Products and Applied Research unit within MSL and will report directly to Nat Friedman, one of MSL’s leaders.

The reorganization of the metaverse team comes as the company’s total investment in mixed and virtual reality is set to top $100 billion this year.

Meta declined to comment and confirmed the move with Business Insider.

Last week, Meta cut 600 jobs in its AI division, MSL, and also laid off employees in its risk organization, telling workers that their roles are being replaced by AI.

Read Bosworth’s full memo below:

An update to Metaverse’s structure

I hope you’ve had time to read Vishal’s update about him taking on a new role in MSL leading product and cross-company integrations on the Products and Applied Research Team. I’m pleased that he will oversee the integration of personal superintelligence with FoA and RL’s portfolio. I’m confident that his deep expertise and experience with RL will accelerate our work.

It is thanks to Vishal’s leadership for the last four years that we find ourselves well-equipped 1 deliver on our vision and strategy. We already have the right leadership and team in place.

Gabriel Aul will step in to lead the Metaverse PG. Metaverse will continue to focus on creating high-quality experiences for both VR and mobile. Jason Rubin, Samantha Ryan, and Thamara Sekhar will move to report to Gabe. We will also welcome a new leader, Saxs Person, to lead the Horizon Experiences team under Gabe.

Ryan Cairns will continue to lead Horizon OS which will become an org-level PG, and he’ll report directly to me. The Horizon OS charter and reporting structure remain unchanged. They will continue to focus on building quality hardware and software for the metaverse, especially ahead of our big launches and exciting VR roadmap. Metaverse and Horizon OS will continue to work closely together to ensure an integrated product experience across our devices and platforms. Gabe’s and Ryan’s posts will have more on this, and you can ask me more questions during Tuesdays with Boz tomorrow.

The priority of the metaverse work remains unchanged and it continues to be a companywide priority. We’ve proved our thesis to the industry and we continue to see competitors enter this space to try and catch up to us, so we need to continue to press our hard-earned advantage.

VR is evolving beyond its roots in gaming to become a broader platform for entertainment, productivity, and connection as we deepen our Al and general compute capabilities. Mobile is starting to attract young social gamers at a greater scale and our Al creation tools are accelerating world-building to create the flywheel. We have the right team and strategy in place and now we need to focus on execution.

Read the memo Shah posted about his new role below:

A New Chapter: Transitioning from Metaverse PG to Leading Product for MSL PAR

After four years in Reality Labs, I’m making the simultaneously difficult yet exciting decision transition from leading the Metaverse Product Group to taking on a new role as VP, AI Products in Products & Applied Research (PAR) within Meta Superintelligence Labs (MSL), reporting Nat Friedman. In this role, I’ll lead product management and oversee MSL’s integrations in the Family of Apps and Reality Labs. My first day will be Monday, November 3.

While the Metaverse hype has thankfully died down, we have been hard at work building over the last few years. We laid the foundations for VR hardware, have become market leaders in competitive categories, and developed a very exciting device roadmap to broaden appeal, invested years in our new Horizon engine to support a much higher level of concurrency and fidelity. We rebuilt the avatar stack, created a new house style, and will introduce photorealistic codec avatars. We brought Horizon mobile to market, have exciting Al-centric tools, and a compelling roadmap designed to make world-building much easier for everyone.

This work has been really awesome and personally rewarding, and I am very confident we har the right leadership team to carry it forward. We’ll share more details on what’s next in the RL and Metaverse Org groups soon, so stay tuned.

I truly believe that Al is one of the most transformative shifts of our generation, and I’m excite for the new challenge of leading Product for PAR. My experiences at Reality Labs and Instagram have shaped how I think about building products that connect billions of people anc drive innovation. Working across so many different parts of Meta over the years will be valuable in ensuring the work we’re doing in Al can truly scale and deliver value across the entire company.

As Mark shared at Connect this year, Al and the metaverse are deeply intertwined, with Al enabling more personalized, context-aware, and meaningful experiences. Our goal of building personal superintelligence will help unlock new opportunities for creators, businesses, and communities in the metaverse. I plan to remain very involved in building bridges between MSL and RL that will enable us to shape how we deliver personal superintelligence to billions of people across all devices.

Thanks everyone for your ongoing support and for following along with me on this next chapter. Let’s keep building.

Have a tip? Contact this reporter via email at jmann@businessinsider.com or Signal at jyotimann.11. Use a personal email address and a nonwork device; here’s our guide to sharing information securely.

• Taylor Sheridan is one of Hollywood’s most prolific screenwriters.
• The “Yellowstone” co-creator has a number of other projects in various stages of production.
• This includes several stand-alone TV series and multiple “Yellowstone” spinoffs.

When “Yellowstone” ended its five-season run, viewers didn’t have to say goodbye — they just had to saddle up for more.

Thanks to Hollywood’s busiest cowboy, Taylor Sheridan, there’s now a whole herd of spinoffs from the Sheridan universe ready to stampede onto your watchlist.

Since moving away from acting, Sheridan, 55, has become one of the most prolific screenwriters in Hollywood. After writing feature films like “Sicario” and “Hell or High Water,” which earned him an Oscar nomination, and directing “Wind River,” he transitioned to TV, where he’s put Paramount+ on the map not just with “Yellowstone” and spinoffs “1883” and “1923” but “Tulsa King” and the hit Billy Bob Thornton-starrer “Landman.”

In October, Sheridan reportedly made a move that shocked Hollywood, as Puck revealed that Sheridan is taking his TV talents to NBCUniversal after his contract with Paramount expires in 2028. (His feature film deal with Paramount ends in March, so expect Sheridan movies to hit Universal sooner than his TV work).

Here’s what we know about all the projects he’s working on and where they stand.

Eve Crosbie contributed to previous versions of this story.

1. ‘Y: Marshals’

CBS announced in May that Luke Grimes will reprise his role as Kayce Dutton in a “Yellowstone” spinoff titled “Y: Marshals.”

Per its logline, “Y: Marshals” will see the character join an “elite unit of US Marshals, combining his skills as a cowboy and Navy SEAL to bring range justice to Montana.”

Sheridan will executive produce the drama alongside Grimes.

It’s set to premiere in spring 2026.

2. ‘The Madison’

While announcing that “Yellowstone” would be drawing to a close in 2023, Paramount bosses promised “expansions of this incredible world” that Sheridan had built.

In February 2024, Puck reported that Matthew McConaughey and Michelle Pfeiffer were in negotiations to lead the cast of a present-day continuation titled “2024.”

In August 2024, it was announced that Pfieffer will star in and executive produce the new series, which has been renamed “The Madison.”

Sheridan will write the series, which is set to follow a family of New York City natives who live in the Madison River valley of central Montana.

Per Paramount Network, “the series is a heartfelt study of grief and human connection.”

Chris McCarthy, the co-CEO of Paramount Global, said of Pfieffer’s casting: “She is the perfect anchor to the newest chapter of the ‘Yellowstone’ universe, ‘The Madison,’ from the brilliant mind of Taylor Sheridan.”

As of 2025, McConaughey has not officially been cast in the series.

3. ‘1944’

“1944” is yet another “Yellowstone” spinoff series that has been greenlit by Paramount. It’s also the one we know the least about.

It’s expected that it will, like the previous prequels “1883” and “1923,” take place in the titular year and focus on the difficulties the Duttons faced during the wartime period.

4. ‘6666’

This long-teased “Yellowstone” spinoff is set to revolve around the history of a real Texas-based ranch that Sheridan purchased in 2022. It was first announced in early 2021 and originally set to debut in 2023.

However, the future of the show remains up in the air. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter in 2023, Sheridan explained the delays in getting “6666” (pronounced “four-sixes”) off the ground.

“That, for a number of reasons, needs a unique level of special care because this is a real place with real families working here. You have to respect the lineage,” he said, adding that he had told Paramount to “be patient.”

5. ‘Landman’

Based on the podcast “Boomtown,” the series was billed as a “modern-day tale of fortune seeking in the world of oil rigs” in Texas, per a synopsis from Paramount+.

Demi Moore and Billy Bob Thornton starred in the first season of the show, which debuted in 2024. A second season was announced in early 2025, with Sam Elliott — who previously appeared in “1883” — joining the cast.

A second season of the show is set to air in 2026, according to Puck.

6. ‘Lawmen: Bass Reeves’

The first season of the series, on which Sheridan served as an executive producer, told the story of legendary lawman Bass Reeves, one of the first Black US marshals west of the Mississippi River.

David Oyelowo, who starred in the lead role and served as an executive producer, said the series was set up to be an anthology, with each season focusing on “other lawmen in history whose story should be told.“

Chad Feehan, the show’s creator, showrunner, and executive producer, echoed this in an interview with Deadline shortly after season one finished airing.

“There are several figures in history much like Bass who deserve their day in the sun. As much as it pains me that this marriage is taking a hiatus, that is the reality,” he said.

“Lawmen” hasn’t been renewed for a second season.

7. ‘Special Ops: Lioness’

The first season of the espionage thriller, which Sheridan created, wrote, and executive produced, premiered in the summer of 2023, and a second season began airing in October 2024.

The series was inspired by a real-life US military program focused on bringing down terrorist organizations from within. The first season starred Zoe Saldaña, Laysla De Oliveira, Nicole Kidman, and Morgan Freeman.

A third season is set to air next year, according to Puck.

8. ‘Tulsa King’

“Tulsa King,” which marked Sylvester Stallone’s first leading role in a scripted television series, debuted in late 2022.

The series focuses on an aging mafia capo who is released from a 25-year prison sentence and sent to Tulsa, Oklahoma, to set up a new criminal organization. Sheridan created and executive-produced the series.

A second season premiered in September 2024, and a third premiered in September 2025.

9. ‘Mayor of Kingstown’

“Mayor of Kingstown” was the first series Sheridan created as part of his deal with Paramount. It premiered in late 2021.

Starring Jeremy Renner, the series is set in the fictional town of Kingstown, Michigan, and follows the powerful McLusky family as they attempt to bring justice and order to a community rife with corruption.

The show’s fourth season premiered in late October 2025.

10. ‘The Road’

Sheridan teamed up with “The Voice” coach and country star Blake Shelton for a new singing competition show for CBS.

“The Road,” which launched as part of the network’s fall 2025 schedule, follows “a headlining superstar on their journey to discover the next big artist,” per a press release.

Competitors will perform as opening acts for the headliner’s tour at venues across the US and must win over local fans to advance to the next location.

Sheridan and Shelton will executive produce the series along with “The Voice” producer Lee Metzger and “Yellowstone” producer David Glasser.

11. ‘Empire of the Summer Moon’

As if all of Sheridans’ existing commitments weren’t enough, it was announced in January 2024 that he and his Bosque Ranch production company had optioned the Pulitzer Prize finalist book “Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe in American History,” by S.C. Gwynne.

Sheridan will produce the project alongside Jenny Wood, Deadline reported.

The book recounts the story of Quanah Parker, a chief of the Indian Comanche tribe, and the tribe’s 40-year battle against white settlers for control of the American West.

12. ‘The Dutton Ranch’

“Yellowstone” regulars Kelly Reilly and Cole Hauser are set to have their own spin-off, which is set after the events of the “Yellowstone” finale.

According to the official synopsis: “Beth Dutton (Reilly) and Rip Wheeler (Hauser) are grateful for the peace they sought, fought, and nearly died for with their 7,000-acre Dutton Ranch. With tough times and stiff competition, Beth and Rip do what they must to survive.”

Annette Bening, Ed Harris, and Jai Courtney will also star.

The series will premiere in 2026, according to Puck.

13. “NOLA King”

Samuel L. Jackson is the latest major star to enter the Sheridan universe.

Jackson plays Russell Lee Washington Jr., a tough customer who has ties to Dwight Manfredi (Stallone) in season 3 of “Tulsa King.”

Inspired by what Dwight is doing in Tulsa, “Washington returns to New Orleans, the home he abandoned forty years ago, to rekindle his relationship with his family, friends, and to take control of the city he left behind,” according to the official synopsis.

The show will premiere in 2026, according to Puck.

• When I traveled to Aruba, there were some items I’m glad I brought and others I wish I’d packed.
• I’m glad I took my sandbag anchors, which prevented my pool float from drifting in the ocean.
• After a painful sea urchin sting, I wish I had packed a pair of water shoes.

When preparing to travel to Aruba for the first time this year, packing quickly became overwhelming.

I wanted to bring the essentials, avoid overpacking, and steer clear of paying inflated tourist prices for items I may have forgotten.

Some items in my suitcase made my life easier, and I ended up using them every day. However, there were also some things I quickly regretted not packing. After spending seven days on the island, I have a better idea of what was really useful.

Here are five items I’m glad I packed in my suitcase, and three things I wish I had brought with me.

Nothing beats relaxing on a pool float.

Whenever I go on a beach vacation, my main goal is to relax. For me, there’s nothing better than floating in the water while listening to the crashing waves and the singing seagulls. The simple pool floats I brought with me made that possible.

Since I packed them deflated, they were easy to fit in my suitcase. Luckily, my hotel had an inflator, so I didn’t have to waste my breath.

Sandbag anchors are a game changer.

Sandbag anchors are empty bags that can be filled with sand on the beach. They’re perfect for securing tents and beach umbrellas, especially in places with strong winds.

They were especially helpful for anchoring our pool floats in the ocean. We filled the bags with sand, tied them to the floats, and dropped them down to the ocean floor. This kept us from drifting while we soaked up the sun.

Even better, we could leave the floats in the water unattended without worrying they’d float away.

A waterproof phone pouch made it easy to capture photos and videos.

I don’t care how silly I looked walking around with my phone in this waterproof pouch — it was so worth it.

I had my phone out on our snorkeling excursion, captured some awesome kayaking shots, and even snapped some beautiful photos during a sunset swim.

The pouch kept my phone safe from water and sand while letting me capture some of my favorite memories from the trip.

A Bluetooth speaker can change the vibe of any environment.

Sitting on the beach is relaxing, but whenever I’ve forgotten to bring a speaker, boredom tends to creep in. A Bluetooth speaker can instantly elevate the mood during those quiet lulls.

We used ours while sunbathing, floating in the ocean, paddling around in kayaks, and even while getting ready at the hotel for a post-beach dinner.

However, one lesson we learned the hard way is that there’s a difference between water-resistant and waterproof. Although our speaker was water-resistant, it ended up submerged in the water at the end of our trip and unfortunately broke.

To avoid this, I recommend buying a waterproof pouch specifically made for speakers.

My reusable water bottle kept me hydrated.

Staying hydrated is important, and I didn’t want to have to juggle an open plastic cup every time I needed a drink.

That’s why I highly recommend bringing a reusable water bottle on any beach vacation. It doesn’t have to be fancy — just something that holds a good amount of water.

However, I wish I had brought water shoes to protect myself from ocean creatures.

I didn’t think water shoes were necessary for my trip, especially because I planned to do most of my swimming right in front of the resort. To save a few bucks, I decided to skip them.

However, I quickly regretted my packing decision when I stepped on a sea urchin. The sting was sharp, and the soreness lasted for two days. After some ice and a dose of pain reliever, I made a mental note to never travel without water shoes again.

Towel clips would’ve made our beach time more enjoyable.

As we set ourselves up on the beach each morning, we draped our towels over the lounge chairs.

Every time we got up, though, the wind sent the towels flying. After a few frustrating chases, we placed rocks on them to keep them in place.

Towel clips would’ve been the perfect solution to hold everything in place, saving us the time and hassle.

Next time, I’ll be sure to pack a shirt to wear in the water.

The sun in the Caribbean can be intense, so I packed plenty of sunscreen. Still, by the end of the trip, I got a nasty sunburn, and sunscreen was no longer cutting it.

It was the kind of burn where you really need to stay covered, but I didn’t want to hide under an umbrella and miss out on the fun. So, I bought a water shirt at the resort’s convenience store.

The only problem? It cost three times as much as it would have on Amazon.

This story was originally published on July 29, 2024, and most recently updated on October 27, 2025.