Take only what you need.
Store information in your phone but depending on where you're going, you might want to take a written copies of your itinerary, hotel addresses, etc. in case the phone gets lost, stolen, or your battery dies.
Take a photo or make a note of where you park your car in an airport lot.
Remember to take a picture of your bus number so you return to the right bus after a highway stop.
Note the make/model/license plate number of your rental car.
- Print-outs: hotel confirmations, rental reservations, tickets, directions to hotels and airports/bus stations/train stations, coupons for attractions.
- Documents: visas, passport/birth certificate, driver's license, car insurance, motor league card, travel insurance, travel medical insurance, medical/health cards
- Medical information (1-page, brief medical history listing any surgeries, major illnesses, allergies, vaccinations, date of last tetanus shot, medications (type and dosage), blood type, contact info for doctors, dentists.
- Copy credit card numbers in case of loss
- Car rental/airline/hotel privilege cards/numbers (sign up before you go)
- emergency contact numbers
- Roll of mints/candy/gum
- Prescription medications--photocopy the labels or write down the prescription number, name of drug, and pharmacy phone number in case of loss
- Tie an identifier (bright ribbon or luggage tag) on your luggage
- eyeglasses/contact lenses, case, solution, prescription in case of loss
- sunglasses
- water bottle
- corkscrew (in checked luggage)
- beach tote
- earphones
- cell phone, charger
- inexpensive camera, extra memory card, charger
- some cash & change, hidden mad money
- foldable tote/beach bag/extra bag for bringing home things you didn't think you'd buy
- liquids in airport security-sized clear plastic bag
- extra plastic bags
- bar of laundry soap
- hidden money bag/waist wallet if necessary
- electrical adapters/converters
- shoelaces*
*The Tilley packing guide advises bringing a pair of shoelaces because they often break on a trip if you're walking in all weather. I disagreed, until my shoelaces broke in Hong Kong and I spent an hour or so looking for shoelaces in a street market.
Clothing
It's best to travel with just a carry-on suitcase and whatever you can fit into it.
Some packing guides tell you to wear things like pants that unzip to convert to shorts, but I think this kind of thing shouts TOURIST, especially if you're travelling to cities, and attracts pickpockets and maybe undesirable attention. Try to look like a local and fit in wherever you go. It used to be, when walking in Europe, that wearing sneakers and a ball cap shouted AMERICAN TOURIST, but that isn't so anymore, though older people in Europe still don't wear ball caps and runners.
Always wear your most comfortable shoes. Carry band-aids if you insist on wearing sandals in cities with cobblestones and streetcar tracks, you might need them if you stub your toe.
- Wear loose, stretchy clothing for air travel.
- Pair of socks, underwear, t-shirt in carry-on in case of loss of checked luggage.
- Light long-sleeved shirt (cover-up in the sun, an extra layer in the evening)
- Baseball cap or sunhat
- hooded windbreaker (rainproof)
- 1 pair jeans/casual pants
- 1 pair slacks or a skirt
- 1 pair shorts/exercise clothes
- 1 dress
- sweater or hoodie
- blazer or evening wrap or cardigan
- underwear
- bras
- pantyhose or tights
- socks
- sleepshirt (long tee)
- bathing suit & cover-up, flip-flops
- 3 - 4 t-shirts, shirts, or tops
- tie or scarf
- watch, earrings
- belt
- 2 pairs comfortable shoes (1 slip-ons you wear to the airport)
- runners
Personal Care & Toiletries
Creams, lotions, gels, lip gloss, mascara, hair products must be in a small clear plastic zip-top bag the size of a medium Ziploc bag. So choose products that are solids over lotions, creams or gels. Like a bar of shampoo, or solid antipersperant.
- Bandaids (assorted)
- First aid or Antibiotic cream (Polysporin)
- Anti-itch cream/cortisone cream (insect bites or rash)
- Antihistamine: allergy tablet.
- Antacid, Anti-nauseant, diarrhea remedies (Pepto-bismol tablets, Gravol)
- Tampons/pads/liners
- Birth control
- Safety pin, sewing needle and thread wrapped around a bit of cardboard, small scissors (checked luggage only)
- Hair ties
- comb/brush
- Shaving supplies
- Toothbrush with cover, toothpaste, dental floss
- Tweezers
- Nail file/clippers
- Make-up remover pads
- Moisturizer, hand lotion
- Insect repellant
- Sunscreen (face/body)
- Small roll of clear hockey tape or duct tape
- Small flashlight or night light
- Medical face masks and vinyl gloves
- If travelling by car with small children or a dog, bring life jackets, in their size, in your trunk, if you'll be going to unfamiliar beaches or on canoes
- Snacks (cookies, crackers, dried fruit, juice)--if travelling by car
- Map or guidebook (download apps for tours)
- Novel
- Pen, notepad or sketchbook
- Business cards. Tuck one your luggage tag holder, inside your purse and suitcase, in children's pockets
- Deck of cards
- Packing
- Use packing cubes or large, clear zip-loc bags to separate underwear and socks from the rest of your luggage, and keep them dry in case your backpack/bag gets wet.
- Bring an extra plastic bag for soiled laundry
- If using a larger suitcase, pack shirts and dresses on thin wire drycleaner hangers.
- Take undergarments that will dry overnight if washed in a sink.
- Tank tops (small and light) and a light shirt over (which you can wear more than once before washing).
- Double-duty clothes (a large, long t-shirt is a cover-up at the beach, sleepwear, extra top)
- Kids are easier to keep track of in a crowded place if they're all wearing tees in the same bright color.
- Use hotel toiletries unless you have allergies
- Take extra hair conditioner, hair oil in small tube, in cream form or even better, in a solid bar.
Hotel
- Sign up for privilege clubs. Check for upgrades and access to express line-ups at reception desks.
- Rooms are usually set up for 2 guests per room, but will send extra supplies if you request them.
- Buy juice, water, sodas at a convenience store and put them on ice in the hotel ice bucket when you arrive. Also, get snacks, especially when travelling with kids.
- Resorts will have beach towels but for use outside a resort, find large, thin towels at beach shops or a local Walmart. You can bring them home as souvenirs if you have room.
- Keep a piece of hotel stationery with your hotel name and address with you--you can hand it to a cab driver who doesn't speak your language, and as a reminder yourself (if you're travelling from hotel to hotel, you can get mixed-up.)
Amusements
- A small activity you don't have time for at home--a harmonica with instructions, knitting or embroidery, sketchpad and pencils, a paperback novel, deck of cards, game or puzzle, craft kit.
- Magazines for beach reading, or to roll up as a temporary splint if someone breaks an arm or a leg.
- Take a scrapbook, a glue stick, make a travel collage or "wish book."
- Ask kids to take a "photo" in their mind of something they'd like to remember, and draw it that evening. A fresh pack of crayons is nice.
- When taking travel photos, also take a photo of the sign of the town, or a street sign, or your feet on city manhole covers.
- Sidewalk chalk--let kids leave a picture and chalk message everywhere they go, if permissible. (My mother-in-law was upset when my daughter decorated the walkway leading to her rented Florida townhouse with pastel-colored chalk flowers my daughter and I thought were really pretty! But sidewalk drawing was against the condo rules! I spent an afternoon in Florida transporting water in a small pot to wash the sidewalk.)
