Traveling to new places is always an exciting experience, however, packing for travel is a different story.
Nobody wants to be far from home when they realize they forgot to bring an essential with them. While making a list of things to bring is helpful, you may forget to add certain things to your list until it’s too late.
Next time you are packing for a trip, check this list to make sure you aren’t forgetting any travel essentials.
The Basics
The best way to start packing is with the absolute must-haves. They aren’t always exciting, but this basic list of travel essentials are not to be forgotten.
1. Outfits
“What to wear?” We ask ourselves this question every day. Last-minute packing can lead you to stuff your entire wardrobe into your suitcase, leaving room for nothing else. This is not the way to go unless you want to end up overpacked and underprepared.
Consider the climate, events and travel occasions for your trip to better understand what outfits you’ll need. When you pack by outfit, you’ll be able to get dressed quickly and feel prepared with your clothing. Remember, pajamas are outfits too! With every outfit, pack a pair of underwear, bras, socks, and make sure you are bringing a pair of shoes to match.
Pro tip: organize your outfits in different packing cubes for easy access and organization!
2. Toiletries
You want to stay feeling fresh and clean while you travel, so you need all of the basic toiletries. Bring a toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, tampons/pads, wipes, moisturizer, body wash, a razor, floss, lip balm, or any other toiletries you deem a necessity. Keep the most important things close by - like your menstrual cup, pads, or anything you’ll need in an emergency!
3. Medications
If you take regular medications that are prescribed, it is extremely important to pack your supply for traveling. If you leave your daily prescriptions behind, it will cause lots of hurdles to make sure you can access them. Plus, if you miss taking your medications it can negatively affect your health.
If you don’t have medications that you take daily, think about other over-the-counter products that you may need to take. This can be allergy medications, pain relievers, decongestants, natural supplements, and more.
4. Makeup
If you wear makeup, then find your most-used products and pack them for your trip. This way, you won’t have to spend extra money to get makeup when you are away, and you’ll have the makeup you need to look & feel your best. If you have a special event to attend on your trip, remember to pack any other makeup that you may want to use for the occasion.
If you don’t wear makeup, pack sunscreen. Everyone should always have sunscreen.
5. Accessories
So, you have your outfits, shoes, and undergarments. Now, it’s time to pack some essential accessories. If you are going somewhere warm and sunny, pack a hat and sunglasses to protect yourself from the sun. If you want to bring your jewelry, pack your favorites in a travel-friendly case.
Next, you want to make sure you have a good bag or purse for your trip. You don’t have to pack your whole collection, just the styles that you will need to carry with you for convenience or fashion.
6. Travel Journal
Traveling is a gift and you don’t want to forget the memories you make on the trip. When you pack a travel journal, you can keep track of all the special moments.
It’s always nice to reflect on your days spent away with a thoughtful journal entry. Plus, it can also be used to write reminders, to-do lists, or travel itineraries.
7. Comfortable Sleep Essentials
Depending on the trip you are taking, make sure you have what you need for a comfortable sleep. If you are going camping, bring a pillow, blanket, and sleeping bag.
If you are staying in a b&b or hotel and tend to be picky about bedding, you might want to bring your own linens or pillow just in case.
What To Bring In Your Carry On
If you are traveling by plane, your carry on is extremely important. You want to imagine that all of your luggage goes missing and you can’t get it back until your trip ends.
When you are left with your carry on items, will you still be prepared? Here are some essential carry-on items to make sure you have a great backup plan
8. Underwear
This one is self-explanatory. You don’t want to lose your luggage and only have the underwear you are wearing to get you by during your trip. Always pack extra underwear in your carry on.
9. Medications
These were previously mentioned, but we just want to emphasize that you should have them with you while you travel. This is important for daily medications you take because you don’t want to lose them if your luggage goes missing.
10. Safety Gear
Even if your bag gets lost, you might want to have safety gear nearby. It’s not easy being a woman - many like to keep a personal safety alarm nearby in case of emergencies.
Pepper spray is best kept in your checked luggage, but sharp keychains and other safety gear should be kept close by.
11. Travel Pillow/Blanket/Sleep Mask
Travel days can be long and very uncomfortable. If you have a long flight ahead of you, make sure you have everything you need to cuddle up and feel at ease on those stiff plane seats. If you have back problems, a pillow is a must-have to avoid soreness post-flight.
12. Extra Clothing
Like having extra underwear, it’s important to have some backup clothing so you don’t get stuck wearing the same outfit you wore to the airport. Also, flights can get a little chilly so it can be beneficial to pack a cozy sweater.
13. Nasal Stick
Airports are filled with allergens and the air on planes is extremely dry. We suggest bringing a natural ingredient nasal stick on board to enhance your breathing or help you relax.
14. Wallet/Passport/Keys
You won’t get anywhere without your wallet, ID, passport, and keys. Travel is almost impossible without these essentials, and you don’t want to return from your trip and get locked out of your home.
Electronics
15. Portable Charger
With long flights, layovers, and all-day travel adventures… you might end up with a dead phone battery. Luckily, plenty of portable chargers are available to buy, so you can easily recharge wherever, whenever. Most of these designs are small, so you can bring them in your bag in case you need to recharge.
16. Laptop
If you can’t get away from work while you take a vacation, bring your laptop with you. When you pack it in your carry on or backpack, you can even get some work done on your flight.
Depending on your job (or maybe you are a student), you may need access to a computer for last-minute assignments or tasks. You don’t have to bring your computer, but workaholics will definitely want to pack one.
17. Essential Chargers
You are bound to pack some kind of electronics that need to be recharged. Make sure you have all the chargers you need– for laptops, cameras, phones, speakers, or even your electric toothbrush. If you forget your chargers, then you might have to pay to buy brand new ones, which can take a hit on your trip budget.
18. Camera/Camcorder
Traveling is a time when you are making memories that you will never forget. When you have a camera or video camcorder with you, then those memories can last forever.
As long as you aren’t too attached to technology that you don’t enjoy the moment, a camera is a great way to capture lifelong memories in the making. If you bring one, you can even put together a video with all of your photos and videos to remember the trip by.
19. Noise Cancelling Headphones
Being away from home can make you feel out of your element and there may be times when you need to zone out. Get some peace and quiet by blocking distractions using some noise-cancelling headphones.
Then, you can enjoy the silence or curate a playlist for you to relax and listen to when you need it.
20. Wifi Hotspot
While traveling is a great way to get lost in the moment, you don’t want to actually end up lost with no way of connecting to the outside world. If you are traveling to places that may not offer public wifi, having a portable wifi hotspot will change everything.
You can stay connected no matter where you are on your journey. If you get lost and can’t get any service, your wifi hotspot might just save your life.
21. Converter Plugs
Traveling abroad is much different than traveling in your own country. You might get confused when your phone charger isn’t fitting the wall plug in your foreign hotel room.
This is why you might need to pack some converter plugs, so all of your chargers and electronics still work in out-of-country outlets. You may not need them, depending on where you are traveling, so remember to research beforehand.
22. Tile Mate
Are you the kind of person who is always misplacing things? That is more manageable in your own home, but if you are out of town, losing important items can ruin your plans.
Bluetooth tile products allow you to keep track of all the essentials you cannot afford to lose (ex. Passport, keys, wallet, etc.)
Things To Maintain Wellness
23. Essential Oils
Some people love the experience of hopping on airplanes, while others find it to be stressful or uncomfortable. Depending on where you’re traveling and the length of your trip, sometimes travel anxiety is hard to avoid. If you plan to take a trip somewhere soon, you may benefit from using essential oils to keep those travel-related worries at bay.
Essential oil products like this are portable and can also help you feel refreshed and ready to take on the day, no matter how exhausted you are.
24. Skincare
When you are busy enjoying your travel plans, you might forget about taking care of your skin. Make sure to pack your everyday skincare products, as well as some fun spa-like products for when you want to unwind and pamper yourself.
25. CBD Products
Being in a new environment than what you are used to can affect you in different ways. You might feel anxious or have trouble sleeping. In addition to these mental stressors, your body might take a hit from cramped planes/trains/cars or long walks.
That’s why it can be extremely helpful to pack some broad-spectrum CBD products to help you relax and heal from all of the intense elements of traveling.
26. Anti-Hangover Products
Some trip itineraries may include a wild night out, full of bar-hopping or drinking booze more than usual. While those nights are fun, the mornings after can feel unbearable.
If you get a hangover while you are home, you can cope by ordering food delivery, drinking water, and relaxing in bed watching your favorite show. However, when you are traveling, you will probably have to get up the next morning to attend to an activity you planned in advance. The good news is, you can have your cake and eat it too.
By that, we mean you can pack some hangover healing products to avoid that next-day hangover. This might include hangover patches, supplements, or mini detox drinks that you can use before the party to prevent hangovers.
27. Vitamins/Supplements
Staying healthy while on your trip is important, so make sure to stock up on natural supplements like vitamin C to make sure you feel your best.
28. Hand Sanitizer and Wipes
Germs are everywhere, but they can be excessively present when you travel. Stay clean of germs, viruses, and bacteria by packing sanitizer and anti-bacterial wipes for your trip.
29. Aloe Vera
Even if you are confident that you will not get sunburnt on your sun-filled vacation, it’s better safe than sorry. Pack some travel size aloe vera (or more if you think you’ll need it) to have a way to heal in case you get a bad burn.
30. First Aid Kit
You are more likely to get minor cuts, major blisters, or other inconveniences when you travel. First aid kits are handy and helpful to make sure you stay feeling healthy & comfortable.
Fun Stuff
Amp up the excitement with these fun travel must-haves!
31. Portable Hammock
Most portable hammocks are lightweight, easy to travel with, and can hang up securely on trees and other stable outdoor structures. You can pack one in your bag for a great place to chill, nap, or just lay down wherever you are.
32. Stylish Rain Poncho
While you could always rely on the plastic bag style rain ponchos, they might ruin your look and only provide minimal waterproof protection. Luckily, tons of stylish rain ponchos roll up into handy carrying cases, so you can stay dry and still look cool.
33. Disposable Cameras
It may have been quite some time since you’ve last used a disposable film camera, but these are a must-have for traveling. They offer a retro aesthetic that you just can’t get with a phone camera.
However, you don’t need to know anything about photography to get great photos with one of these cameras. The best part about bringing them to a festival is that you have to wait to get the pictures developed afterwards, allowing you a chance to look back and relive all the fun moments.
34. Bluetooth Speaker
Bring the party with you on the go, with a portable Bluetooth speaker! When you are enjoying your time out and about, your favorite song can make it even better.
35. Party Decorations
All ladies love some fun decor, which is why this might be the best travel addition for you. Curate an adorable, fun, and Instagram-worthy setup with fun party decorations.
You don’t even need to decorate for a specific occasion because when you are traveling, there is always a reason to celebrate!