International Travel Packing List; What Eactly you Should Pack

What should be on your international travel packing list?

International trips come with equal parts excitement and anxiety.

What would the weather be like? would the locals like me? how long will the trip be? and many more important questions bore your mind.

Regardless of if its a business trip for work or a fun and relaxing one, travelling to another country is always an adventure.

Whether it’s your first trip around the world or you’ve gone half the globe with hand luggage, you may still get overwhelmed with anticipation and exciting anxiety while wondering, what exactly should i pack?

The truth is, the quality of your trip often directly related to the quality of your packing list. In my opinion, a fun and enjoyable trip does not include forgotten items.

The Essential International Travel Packing List

Here you will find all the necessary things you should have with you on your trip. This packing list has been reviewed and modified again and again, and would be a perfect fit for your needs. An even more customizable list can be made using the checkandpack app.

Storage

Believe it or not, you need to think about the different kinds of storage you would be needing on your trip. Asides your clothes and shoes, there are a myriad of other items that need to be packed and stored properly.

The most important things to keep in mind when packing for your trip are the length of your trip, the weather, etc. The length or the nature of your journey determines whether you’d need to check a bag or if a carry-on would be enough. 

Carry-ons are most suitable if you would always want to reach out for certain items in your bag for use. Items like your ID, wallet, house keys, medications, valuables, camera, phone, laptop, tablet, pen, cash and cards, glasses, and copy of your itinerary can be on the plane with you in your carry-on so that you can access them whenever you want to.

Storage items you should consider on your trip include:

• Carry-on backpack
• Suitcase or trolley 
• Small daypack or shoulder bag
• Money beltor chest pouch
• Handbag (for trips into the city)
• Laundry bag (for hanging)
• PacSafe (to secure your valuables combination locks)
• Plastic bags (for dirty laundry or dirty shoes)
• Compression bags or packing cubes
• Ziploc bags  (1-litre size for liquids)

Clothing

Packing pieces of  clothing for your international trip should be done with a few things in mind; can this piece be worn in multiple ways? Can this piece be mixed and matched? Does this piece conform to general dressing regulations of the destination country? Does it fit into my itinerary? and most importantly, does this piece suit the weather condition of my destination?

Here are some items to pack;

• Jeans
•  Long pants, short pants or 3/4 pants
• Sweater, Shirt & Blouse
• Tops & Tees
• Underwear & Socks
• Pajamas
• Summer dress & skirt
• Bikini or swimsuit
• Sarong
• Evening wear
• Light cardigan or fleece jacket
• Rain jacket and rain pants
• Warm jacket
• Functional clothing & functional jacket
• Hat, Scarf & Gloves
•  Functional underwear
• Bandana or buff
• Headgear & Hat
• Belts
• Flip flops & ballet flats
• Sneakers
• Trekking shoes

Money

Have you ever imagined what it feels like to land in a new country and then realise you have no local currency to spend and almost no means to get one, because you either forgot your card or did not take any cash along. We haven’t! and we hope you do not as well because we are here to remind you to pack money on your trip. 

You could either carry some cash in your currency, change some cash to your destination currency ahead of time or get a travel credit card. But first do your research to know what works best in your destination country.

First aid and Medication

You may have found out that you tend to fall sick in those times when you don’t want to, especially in the most beautiful weeks of the year. That’s when it hits you. While it might not be a serious matter, an upset stomach and throbbing headache are annoying when you’re on vacation. 

Also remember that new food, drinks, sights and smells can also cause our stomachs to sometimes react negatively.

Having a well-packed first aid kit can be your saver in these kind of emergencies. 

What should be in your First Aid Kit?

The items below give a detailed list of medical items that can be administered as First Aid in case of any emergency during your tour.

• Nasal spray
• Eye drops
• Clinical thermometer
• Insect repellent 
• Disinfectant spray 
• Tablets for heartburn
• painkillers
• Medicine for nausea and vomiting
• Ointment against herpes
• Sore throat spray
• Antispasmodic for abdominal pain
• Diarrhoea tablets

Here are some more things you may want to consider to get prepared in terms of medication for anything unexpected in your journey. 

• Mosquito repellent spray
• Mosquito repellent for clothing
• Plasters
• Insect bite healer
• personal medication

Self Care and Hygiene Products

These are a must have especially if you prefer certain brands or you react to specific ingredients. Depending on the length of your trip you could either pack travel sizes or full bottles. Packing cubes and ziplock bags come handy helping you store these products properly.

They include;

• Toothbrush, toothpaste, dental floss & mouthwash
• Body lotion, hand cream & face cream
• Lip balm (preferably with sun protection factor)
• Deodorant and shower gel
• Comb and brush
• Shampoo and conditioner or treatment
• Heat protection spray for hair
• Ponytail tie or hair clip
• Hairspray or hair gel
• Aftershave & Perfume
• Razors, shaving cream & replacement blades
• Makeup tools
• Nail scissors & file
• Tweezers
• Handkerchiefs
• Sun cream with a high sun protection factor & sun lotion
• Damp toilet paper
• Sagrotan disinfectant spray or wipes
• Pocket mirror
• Tampons or Diva Cup for long trips
• Contact lenses including case & solution
• Glasses with case and glasses cleaning cloths

Gadgets and Technology 

Some of the most technical items you must not forget when travelling the world are your phone, laptop, tablet, camera, if not how will you take beautiful pictures and communicate with the rest of the world?

You should also pack electronic adapters and converters of different types as well as camera accessories.

You also want to check for smartphone essentials like a backup charger, phone stand or tripod for photos and waterproof case if you’re headed out on the water.

• Camera & Accessories
• Camera bag
• Memory cards& card reader
• USB cable & stick
• World trip adapterfor the various sockets worldwide
• Voltage converter(if there is a different voltage in your travel country)
• External hard drive
• Laptop, tablet & accessories
• Smartphone & accessories
• External battery (ideally, it can charge different devices on the go)
• E-book reader (Kindle Paperwhite)
• Headlamp, flashlight or flashlight App (on your smartphone)
• Travel hair dryer
• Flat iron or curling iron

Miscellaneous

These items can get easily forgotten, but are vital to your trip. Depending on your destination and the activities on you are scheduled for, you may want to pack;

• Travel towel (preferably one large and one small)
• Stationery
• Travel journal (to write down your favourite memories).
• Travel guides, books, itinerary (preferably as an e-book)
• Sunglasses
• Pocket knife (only if it is safe to do so)
• Sleep Mask
• Earplugs
• Travel pillow
• Safety pins & sewing supplies

Documents

You should save ALL your documents in electronic form and always have them with you on your trip as a backup. You can simply photograph the documents and upload them to a cloud storage facility such as Dropbox, Apple, or Google drive Cloud!

Copies of important documents like your passport, hotel bookings, flight tickets, credit card, and bank contacts should be made and kept with you on the plane. 

Here are documents to pack: 

• Flight/train tickets & booking confirmations
• Passport
• Vaccination and blood donation record. 
• Insurance documents
• Emergency numbers & addresses from home
• International driver’s license (only valid in combination with your normal driver’s license)
• Proof of International health insurance
• Vehicle license and rental documents
• Hotel Records
• Waterproof cover for travel documents
• Map
• Health insurance card
• Visa
• Passport
• ID card
• Travel guide or itinerary 
• Diving or sailing license and logbook (if you are a water sports enthusiast) 
• Dive insurance (sometimes covered in overseas travel health insurance)
• Address of accommodation (have you already booked at least the first one?)
• e-SIM card. 
• Travel health insurance
• Travel cancellation insurance
• Print currency table or currency converter as an app
• Apply for a visa in advance or passport photos for visa on arrival. 
• Street map or a map app

Final Notes 

If you’ve read to this point, then your trip is probably all set and almost nothing can alter the smoothness of your international trip anymore. 

So let the adventure begin. Pack all you want to, and enjoy the fun and beauty of a hassle-free journey around the world.