Last updated: Dec 19, 2019
A Epic (and extremely comprehensive) Packing List
Lucky you!
You're headed on a big trip and are wondering what to pack.
Sure, it's a bit of a pain working out what to take with you, but c'mon - that's a small price to pay for what lies ahead.
I must admit, I'm a last minute packer. I'll wait until just about the last moment to shove a few things in my bag and hope for the best.
As long as I remember a few key things, I'll be ok. Those are:
- My Passport - they will not let me leave without it
- My Wallet - because as long as I have money, I can buy anything I need
- My Phone - generally that has a boarding pass or something similar on it
Yeah ok, it's a bonus if I also take some fresh underwear. But at a basic level, those three things will pretty much get me by. Because there aren't many places in the world where you can't buy whatever you need to survive in that part of the world.
Having said all that, people are different and they need different things when they travel.
The list of items we've collected here are not designed to be what you will actually pack. Honestly, you'd need a packhorse to take all this stuff.
What it is though is a list of things to consider. We tapped into the wisdom of our community and asked them what their suggestions were. We're pretty fortunate to have a fantasticly diverse and experienced group of travellers on this site and these suggestions are a reflection of that
If you have any suggestions for items that should be included, contact us with your ideas and we will gladly review them.
We also know of some more specific packing lists out there, so if you prefer that, then by all means visit one of the ones below:
- A packing list for an all inclusive vacation by Alyssa from Like Where You're Going
- A packing list for Thailand specifically from Two Scots Abroad
- Choosing the right Backpack from our Travel Unravelled blog
Essentials
- Address list and list of important contacts or numbers
- Backpack, suitcase, sports bag (something to pack everything in)
- Paper or Notebook
- Passport (check validity!)
- Pencils, Pens
- Tickets and itinerary (airline, train, bus, accommodation bookings etc.)
- Visa
- Travel Insurance
Finances
- ATM card (Maestro or Cirrus logos on the back are most widely accepted)
- Calculator or currency converter
- Cash in the local currency of your arrival destination
- Credit card (Visa or Mastercard are most widely accepted)
- Money belt (You can't be too safe in some places)
- Sufficient Travellers' cheques (and receipts for travellers' cheques)
Resource: Money on the Road
Clothes
- Boots
- Bra (sports and regular)
- Dress shirts
- Dresses
- Jacket
- Jeans
- Jumper, sweater or fleece
- Light jacket
- Long or thermal underwear
- Long sleeve shirts
- Pants or trousers
- Pyjamas/Sleepwear (Member's tip)
- Sandals, shower shoes, thongs or jandals
- Sarong or Lava lava
- Shoes
- Shorts
- Ski clothes
- Skirts
- Sneakers
- Socks
- Suits
- Swimming gear
- T-shirts, singlets
- Underwear
Clothes Accessories
- A good hat
- Bandana
- Belt
- Cotton handkerchief or tissues
- Eye-mask
- Gloves or mittens
- Jewelry
- Knitted (woollen) hat
- Raincoat or poncho
- Safety pins
- Scarf
- Sewing kit
- Ski glasses
- Suit bag
- Sunglasses
- Ties
Toiletries
- Anti-bacterial cream
- Comb or brush
- Condoms and/or contraceptive pills
- Contact lens equipment or glasses
- Copy of your glasses prescription (Member's tip)
- Cotton buds
- Q-tips
- Dental floss (also great for fixing things!)
- Deodorant
- Earplugs
- Fingernail clippers
- Hair products (gel, spray etc.)
- Lip balm
- Make-up
- Mirror
- Moisturiser (face and body)
- Nail file
- Razors
- Shampoo and conditioner
- Shaving cream
- Sleeping pills
- Soap
- Sunscreen and after sun cream
- Talcum/baby powder - Useful against prickly heat, in shoes, on sticky zippers and more (Member's tip)
- Tampons and pads
- Toothbrush, toothpaste
First Aid Kit
- Band aids
- Blister packs
- Compression bandages
- Diarrhoea tablets
- Gazes
- Insect and/or mosquito repellent
- Iodine/hydrogen peroxide
- Medicines/prescription Drugs (Member's tip)
- Motion sickness tablets
- Paracetemol, Tylenol etc.
- Replacement/rehydration salts sachets
- Small scissors
- Tweezers
- Vitamin pills
- Water purifying tablets
- Yellow Fever certificate or International Certificate of Vaccination (Member's tip)
Resource: Stay Healthy on the Road
Other Items
- Backpack rain cover
- Batteries
- Binoculars (Member's tip)
- Books/Ebooks with a reader
- A reusable water bottle
- SteriPen for purifying water
- Camera, film and batteries - Spare flash cards or memory for digital
- Carbohydrate snacks
- Chewing gum or mints - Especially if you are flying chewing something will help your ears
- Combo or key locks
- Compass
- Cup
- Diary or organiser
- Duct tape - Fixes everything! (Member's tip)
- Eating utensils
- Electrical adapter and plug converter
- A double adaptor or power board. This way you only need one converter to charge 2-4 devices at once. (Member's tip)
- Fishing line - Can be used as clothesline, etc. Strongest string in the world! (Member's tip)
- Flashlight or torch - Don't forget the batteries
- Frisbee, hackey sack, ball, pack of cards or other recreational items
- Gifts are always appreciated while travelling (Member's tip)
- Guidebooks, or print outs from our online travel guide
- GPS (Member's tip)
- Inflatable travel pillow
- International driving license - If driving overseas, have your driving license translated
- International Student Identification Card - For discounts worldwide
- iPod, MP3 player, etc. - Including music and batteries
- Laptop or tablet - Especially for the business travellers
- Laundry detergent
- Maps (incl. small map of the world to show where you are from) (Member's tip)
- Mini camera tripod - Big is better if you have the space!
- Mobile phone or SIM card
- Mosquito net
- Passport photos
- Phone card - Both for local and international calls
- Photocopies of important documents in case they are stolen (Member's tip)
- Phrase books or dictionaries
- Pillow or pillowcase to stuff with clothes
- Plastic bags
- Power cords and chargers for all your electrical items - Save some money on batteries
- Resume and work references - Don't forget these if you are planning to work while travelling
- Skis, ski shoes, ski poles or a snowboard - If you are planning a winter holiday, you want to remember these!
- Sleep sheet
- Sleeping bag
- Sleeping mat
- Speakers for iPod etc.
- Swiss Army knife or Leatherman tool - Don't keep in your carry on as it will be removed
- Toilet paper (Member's tip)
- Towels, beach and otherwise - the quick drying versions are very handy!
- Travel alarm clock
- Universal sink plug - Squash ball can double as one (Member's tip)
- Umbrella (Member's tip)
- Watch
- Wet wipes/Baby wipes - Handy for cleaning hands or washing yourself in absense of a shower (Member's tip)
- Ziplock bags - The freezer ones are usually the best
More suggestions: What Would You Pack?
Trip Planning and Packing Tips
Busy packing and afraid it's not all going to fit?
Not sure how to start planning your trip?
Check out our Trip Planning tips and Packing Tips to help you get started and pack efficiently.
Use the travel planner to help organise your research
Online Travel Guide
If you're looking for more information about your destination, have a look through our Free Travel Guides contributed by users and print out the articles that are relevant to you.
Packing Discussions
- What would you pack?
- Bag packing stress!
- Essential Packing For RTW Trip
- My packing list for Australia... Opinions?
- Do airports allow you to pack a knife in your main luggage?
- Brilliant travel accessories you've used before
If you have any questions about what things to take, feel free to ask in our Travel Gear forum.
Free Travel Blog
Start a free travel blog, choose a template to illustrate your trip and let everyone know where to find it before you leave.
Thank you for printing this packing list from www.travellerspoint.com/packing-list.cfm!