Essential things to pack for travelling + free PDF checklist!

What to pack for a vacation? It’s not that easy to figure out quickly, especially if you do it last minute just like me.

I’ve travelled thousands of times, on shorter and longer trips, both on vacations and working as a flight attendant. I still sometimes forget things!

So after messing up my packing one too many times, I sat down and compiled this essential things to pack for travelling checklist. It’s a basic list of things that I take on every single trip, so I just print it before packing. There’s space available to add things that are specific for your trip.

All in all, this travel packing checklist is the ultimate one that will help you take the stress out of packing. Enjoy!

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Documents, electronics and similar – basic travel essentials for your backpack – documents, electronics and similar

• Passport and copies of IDs
• Plane tickets
• Hotel and transport reservations
• A rough itinerary
• Wallet with cards and cash
• Driver’s licence
• Phone charger
• Travel Insurance

So, these are some of the most important things to pack when travelling.

It’s understandable that wherever you travel, you need to take an ID with you. Many countries even require having identification with you at all times if you’re a foreigner. That’s one of those essential things to pack for travelling that we check first.

Just for safety, though, it’s a good idea to have copies of your ID with you in case the original gets stolen, as well as saved on some kind of cloud service (Google, for example, offers it for free). And not just ID, but car documents as well, if you’re going on a road trip.

I believe that you’re not surprised to see wallet and cash on the list as well. Not all places accept payment cards, so it’s always good to have cash on hand.

If you don’t feel like exchanging money, Revolut offers free money conversion (up to a point depending on if you have a free or paid account) and withdrawals up to 200$ or equivalent without fees (just be careful with the ATM fees). It really is convenient – since moving to the Czech Republic where there are Czech korunas instead of Euro, we generally used Revolut for converting money.

What might surprise you is, reservations and tickets, printed. On more than one occasion I would have saved some nerve cells if I had a printed ticket or reservation.

Once, when on a bus on the way to the airport, my phone decided to die on me. Not discharge, actually die. As an environmentally conscious person I had my plane ticket only in the app, so I was looking at a 50 euro fee for a ticket print in the airport. Not happy, obviously.

Thankfully, the phone started working (adding it to a portable battery helped), but those were some very stressful 30 minutes there. Since then, I’ve almost always printed my ticket, even though I mostly use the airline apps – if possible.

Speeeaking of the phone, don’t forget your chargers at home! That wouldn’t be pleasant.

As for the reservations, one of the times when a printed reservation would have been a good idea was in a hotel in the Canaries. We booked the room at a time when they had a “bottle of wine and dinner included” promotion for the same rate as just a room and breakfast on hotels.com. We had to fight the receptionists to not charge us the dinner fee – 20 euros for a person – on 3 separate occasions because they couldn’t see it in the system (images weren’t loading) and couldn’t print the reservation (broken printer).

So yes, although I’m not too fond of the idea of printing everything, it’s possible to save some money and a headache this way.

Speaking of itineraries, I know for many it’s not on the list of basic things to pack for a trip. But we usually have some kind of a list of things we want to see and do, maybe even on which day that we don’t have to think – so, what are we doing today? What’s there to see in this place?

Plus, it’s a good idea to have some backup options for the activities as well, as you never know what could happen. But that’s already for a different article, haha, isn’t it?

If you don’t like the idea of writing them down, I’ve used Wanderlog where you can create trips and itineraries. You can add things to do and see, hotels, flights, and many many more things. It’s convenient to have it, as you can share everything including the budget with others. I used it, for example, for the trip to Dolomites with my friend.

Last, but definitely not least, basic travel essential – travel insurance. I’ve heard many people say that it’s not necessary, but we’ve been proven again and again that it actually is. We’ve had quite a few incidents happen – as a few:

• Michal got 2 stitches in Hawaii (you can imagine how much that cost),
• I had unexplainable stomach pain in Tenerife. I went to a private doctor who spoke English instead of the 2* rated local hospital where no one spoke English but which was covered by my EHIC)
• Broken suitcases on more than one occasion were covered by insurance
• Many times we could have benefited from using the insurance when we didn’t have one. Or, for example, when my parents got robbed, it would have been much better for them, too.
• And friends and acquaintances were covered on many occasions.

So, definitely one of the best things to bring when travelling. Especially for us.

We generally buy our insurance from local distributors, but here’s an international one that is well-rated. And there is, for example, AXA which has quite good reviews, too. Or, if you’ve got a paid Revolut account, they offer insurance.

Essential toiletries for travel

• Deodorant
• Makeup
• Shampoo and conditioner
• Soap/shower gel
• Sunscreen – if needed
• Hand cream
• Lip balm
• Toothpaste and toothbrush

Deodorant and makeup are probably self-explanatory. As are toothpaste and toothbrush. I think those are just basic travel essentials, right? What you might be surprised with is all the other items on this list, haha!

I usually take my own shampoo, hair conditioner, and shower gel (in aeroplane cabin bag-appropriate sizes in a small toiletry bag) with me even if we’re going to stay in a “good” hotel. You can get empty travel-sized cosmetic bottles on Amazon or in many brick-and-mortar stores as well if you prefer those. Even Temu has them for, really, dirt cheap.

In 99% of hotels, the shampoos are so bad that I can barely brush my hair afterwards. And quite often we’ve been stuck with using the same soap for washing our hands in the sink and for taking a shower – it’s just inconvenient. Many hotels, for that matter, provide only soap bars, which I despise, as they make my skin very dry.

As for the hand cream and lip balm, if you’re going to fly to your destination, the air in the cabin is extra dry, so you might end up with very dry hands and lips. It just feels better to moisturize them. And even if you’re driving, different climates (mountains, for example) or extra dry hotel air can make your hands and lips crack. Ouch!

Once, after a work trip to Tel Aviv, I had to get a “lip skin renewal” kind of balm, as my lips cracked so bad they were bloody. The air was so dry, I didn’t hydrate properly, and forgot my lip balm at home.

I usually pack these tiny hand creams with us on our trips, as they take up really little space. Occasionally, if we’re going on a trip to somewhere colder, we’d take Neutrogena Norwegian formula hand cream, as that’s the only thing that helps with Michal’s hands cracking.

As a less-essential travel thing, usually, when we travel for a longer time (a week or more), I pack a little bit of a washing liquid with me instead of extra socks and underwear. It just takes less space than extra clothes. So if you like packing less, this is a thing to add to your list of items to pack for a trip.

Then, when I see that we’ll need clean socks or something, I’ll quickly wash them in the sink. Or, since we usually stay in apartments or houses these days, I’ll just throw everything dirty in the washing machine.

Clothes to pack for travel

• Underwear – 1 for each night spent, plus one extra
• Socks – 1 for each night spent, plus one extra
• T-shirts – both long and short sleeve
• Pants – 1 extra
• Sweater
• Jacket
• Shawl wrap
• Gloves/hat if applicable
• Sandals/flip flops if applicable
• Closed-toe shoes

Always when travelling I take warm clothes with me – long pants, a jacket, a sweater, a shall wrap. Yes, even when going to warmer places like Hawaii.

As it turns out, you can be cold even in tropical destinations or in California in summer!

That’s for a couple of reasons.

First, your body gets used to the warm air during the day, so the chillier evening seems cold. When we went to Yosemite and Michal was taking some sunset pictures, I had to put on all of the clothes that I’d packed in my backpack for the day. Thankfully, there were some warmer things. I was still cold, though. And the dress on top of jeans and under a jacket looked quite funny.

Second, if you go to higher altitudes, it gets significantly colder! I was lucky in Hawaii that I’d also packed my warmer hiking clothes. I would have been grateful for some thermal underwear, but that’s definitely not an essential Did you know that they get snow in Hawaii?

Plus, if you’re flying, it tends to get cold in planes. Even if driving, it’s unpleasant to have the cold air of airconditioning blow on you. On one of our trips to Hawaii, we could actually see the airconditioning in the airplane – the air was so hot and humid that the colder one coming from the vents was steaming.

The opposite is real as well – sometimes it gets quite warm in places even if it’s supposed to be cold, so it’s nice to have a t-shirt with you just in case.

When we went to Japan in November, we experienced +20 in Tokyo and then it was snowing a few days later! It was the first time in 50 years that that region of Japan experienced snow in November!

Luckily, we came from Latvia at that time where it’s cold in November, so we had our winter clothes with us. Although my shoes weren’t waterproof, which was a bit of a pain. I had to wear plastic bags over my socks so that they remained clean.

Anyways, as for the basic travel essentials, such as socks and underwear, I usually pack at least one extra pair when going somewhere, as you never know what can happen.

Maybe you’ll step in a puddle and make your socks wet and dirty on the last day when everything is dirty? Or pour a drink in your lap? Not a nice thing to worry about when you want to be out and about or are just about to go to the airport!

First aid kit – the essential things to pack for travelling

• Medicine for stomach
• Pain medicine
• Fever medicine
• Band-aids
• Sanitizer for hands
• Antiseptic for wounds
• Any medicine you need to take

I’m not providing links for medicine, as I’m a firm believer in buying medicine in a pharmacy where a pharmacist can advise you – so no links from me on this, haha.

You don’t need a professional or store-bought first aid kit. Some pain medicine and medicine for stomach troubles, plus a few other things, are all the essential things to pack for travelling you need.

It’s better to have it and not use it than end up in pain in the middle of the night with no way to reach a pharmacy. And yes, again, I’m speaking from experience.

You don’t need to go to a third-world country to experience food poisoning – I once had incredible stomach pain, which most probably was from something I ate, in a 5-star all-inclusive in Tenerife! And Michal had problems when we were in Puerto Natales in Patagonia.

The same is true about bandaids – not nice to have painful blisters when you want to walk and see things. Especially if you are travelling intending to hike a lot!

Antiseptic, disinfectant and hand sanitiser, I’m pretty sure, are must-have essential things to pack for travelling anywhere. Really, we just returned from a trip to the Dolomites in Italy and were home sick for a week. So many people were coughing! And if you’re travelling by plane, my oh my, make sure to disinfect everything.

As for any medicine that you need to take regularly – I’m bipolar, so, it’s important that I bring my mood stabilizers with me always. If you have some condition that requires any prescription medicine, make sure to have enough with you on your trips! And make sure that you read up on the laws of the other country about what’s allowed and what isn’t allowed. Japan, for example, has incredibly strict rules about importing medicine.

Plus, in case of stomach pain, they’re often not allowed to give you any medicine at all. Even if you’re 110% sure that it’s a period pain (yes, talking from experience here again), you won’t get pain relief from a flight attendant.

Basic travel essentials that should go in your carry-on

Every airline allows you to take a personal item bag on board. Some bigger bags, some smaller. I’ve been considering getting an Eminent bag, as they seem to have good reviews and offer different sizes for specific airlines.

If it seems too much to fit in a small bag (which might happen if you’re flying something like Ryanair and don’t want to buy the extra cabin bag), definitely just pack the documents and medicine with you.

You should be able to pack at least some clothes in your carry-on. If not, wear them in layers. Just make sure to have only a normal amount of clothes on – I remember reading somewhere that Ryanair will charge you for extra luggage if you wear like 5 t-shirts on instead of one. I know it’s a joke, but you know… 😀

And definitely pack basic toiletries like toothbrushes, toothpaste and deodorant with you on-board, as you wouldn’t want to run around and buy them in case your checked-in luggage is late to your destination.

Wild cosmetics have these tiny little deodorants that are lip balm sized. They definitely fit in your carry on.

When our bag was late once, we were given a “basic travel essentials” kit by the airline. It contained a t-shirt, toothbrush, toothpaste, and a little weird deodorant. It definitely wasn’t the best quality, though, but better than nothing when coming from cold Latvia to the hot Mediterranean cost. And it lacked such essentials to pack for travelling as socks, hairbrush, and underwear, obviously. So, it’s good to have them in the carry-on.

Another way to pack your stuff a bit more efficiently is packing cubes. I have the packing cubes, and they are quite convenient for organizing. I’m still unsure about the “saving space” factor that other bloggers advertise.

One of the best things to have while travelling is an empty water bottle. Many airports have drinking fountains with clean water which you can use to fill in a bottle (and save a few euros doing so). If an airport doesn’t have a water fountain, sometimes the tap water is ok to drink, too.

If you’re looking for something more specific…

I’ve made quite a few other packing lists:

• Mountain vacation packing list
• Family beach vacation packing list
• Self-catering vacation packing list
• Spa day or spa weekend packing list
• Road trip essentials for kids packing list

And then there are packing lists for

• Japan
• Patagonia
• Venice

Those contain all the essential things to pack for travelling to wherever you’d like to go.

Last thoughts on basic things to pack for a trip

Even after many years of travelling and even working as a flight attendant, there are times that travel packing makes me feel lost. Will I need this? What else should I pack? Oh hell no, I forgot insert an essential item here!

I should definitely make packing checklists for different types of trips – both for myself and for you, my dear friend!

But anyways, I think this list of essential things to pack for travelling is a good start.

Based on my experiences, these are the things that you always should have with you.

There will be people who object to some of these things. Are you one of them? Which ones would you not pack? What would you take instead?

And now, print this list and pack your things!

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