TRAVEL PACKING CHECKLIST & TIPS
By CAMS
Packing for your travels can be quite stressful sometimes, especially if you leave it until the last minute! To put your mind at ease a little, I’ve put together this Travel packing checklist & useful tips! Download your own Travel packing checklist at the bottom of this page.
ESSENTIALS
These are your must-have items. Without these, you won’t be getting further than the airport. So to ease your mind, try to pack these first!
- The most vital of all… Your Passport!
- Travel insurance documents (I usually email a copy of mine to a relative back home as well).
- Your flight ticket/ boarding pass.
- Printouts of your booking confirmations- accommodation, airport transfers etc. (I say printouts because from experience I know that our mobile phones can be unreliable at times!)
- Money, money, money! (Your bank card/ cash/ travel money card/ foreign currency. Plus take some extra for emergency purposes).
FACE & BODY
- Washcloth
- Facial/ Wet wipes
- Face cream
- Shower gel/ soap
- Body lotion
- Sun lotion
- Makeup
- Makeup remover
- Insect repellent
- Body spray
- Towel (If you have room to spare)
CLOTHES
I tend to pack my luggage with the aim of being able to wear two outfits a day; especially if I’m going to a hot country. This could mean wearing the same bottoms with different tops to save space.
- Underwear (it’s handy to double up, and they won’t take up much space)
- Socks
- Day tops and dresses
- Shorts
- Skirts
- Trousers
- Smart outfits, for night outs
- Nightwear (They are easy to forget)
- Swimwear, and cover-ups
- A cardigan or light jacket (for cool evenings)
- A scarf
- Sunhat
- A raincoat
FOOTWEAR
I’ve learnt to drastically cut down on the footwear that I take on holiday. Once, I went on holiday for two weeks and when I got to the hotel, I realised I had 14 pairs of shoes! 1 pair for each day that I was there! So much wasted space, and I ended up wearing the same 3 shoes the entire holiday. All you really need is:
- 1 pair of trainers and/or closed-toe shoes
- 1 pair of high heels and/or wedges (Personally, wedges are my holiday party shoes. Mainly because my feet tend to swell up a little during the flight and they’re more comfortable). I know how tempting it is to pack lots of heels though!
- 1 pair of sandals and/or flip flops
- 1 pair of slippers
TOILETRIES
- Toothbrush
- Toothpaste
- Deodorant
- Perfume
- Razor
- Shaving cream
- Nail Polish (I always get shellac done before I go on holiday so that I don’t need to worry about my nail colour chipping).
MEDICATION
I think it’s important to take some form of medication with you when you travel. It’s better to be prepared, just in case!
- Paracetamol (This is the one I bring, without fail)
- Antiseptic tablets/ cream
- Diarrhoea relief
- Plasters
- Your personal medication, of course!
EXTRAS
- Chargers for your devices
- Earphones
- Travel adaptor
- Sunglasses
- Jewellery
- Pen/notebook/diary
- Camera (Although, most people use their phones)
- Reading material
- Day/ beach bag
- Handbag/ purse
- Hair straighteners/brushes/ bands/ wraps
Cams’ Top Tips!
Roll, don’t fold!
Maximise the space in your suitcase by rolling your clothes, instead of folding them. This will also help to prevent your clothes from getting creased.
Limit jeans
Jeans are heavy and can take up weight in your suitcase. Limit the amount you take with you to 1 or 2. Go with more lightweight trousers instead.
Stuff your shoes and bags
Stuffing your shoes and bags with underwear, socks and delicate jewellery helps to maximise the space in your suitcase. This also helps to prevent your shoes and bags from getting squashed. Your delicate jewellery is less likely to get damaged also.
Put jewellery in hand luggage or wear it
Speaking of jewellery, it’ll be safer to wear it or place it in your hand luggage. Also, be selective with what you bring. When we were going to New York, my mum put her jewellery box in her check-in luggage, when we got to Newark airport, the zip of her bag had split open and her jewellery box was missing. Needless to say, she was devastated!
Stand Out
Tie a colourful piece of ribbon or string to your luggage. This will make your luggage stand out so that it’ll be easier to spot in baggage claim.
Download your free Travel packing checklist here:
