Essentials

• Mobile phone & charger
• Home currency & foreign currency
• Debit/credit cards
• House keys
• Passport
• Scanned copy of passport
• Flight boarding passes
• Train tickets
• Travel documents (flight & hotel booking info, travel insurance etc.)
• Plug adapter
• Medication
• Prescription glasses & sunglasses

Clothing & Accessories

• Underwear
• Socks
• Dresses
• Jeans/trousers
• Tops
• Sleepwear
• Cardigan/hoodie
• Sun hat
• Winter hat
• Laundry bag
• Slippers
• Shoes
• Handbag
• Coat, scarf & gloves
• Thermal base layers
• Hair ties/scrunchies & clips
• Jewellery

Personal Care

• Earplugs
• Night guard/retainer & travel case
• Eye mask
• Tissues
• Q-tips/cotton buds
• Tweezers
• Lip balm
• Toothbrush & toothpaste
• Toothbrush charger, if electric
• Mouthwash
• Dental floss/picks
• Deodorant
• Shampoo & conditioner
• Shower gel/body wash & face wash
• Hairbrush
• Moisturiser
• Sunscreen & after sun
• Razor
• Perfume/body spray
• Makeup (foundation, blush, mascara, highlighter, setting spray, bronzer, eyeshadow, eyeliner, lipstick etc.)
• Makeup remover/wipes
• Hand sanitiser
• Plasters including gel heel shields & blister plasters
• Antiseptic healing cream
• Women’s sanitary items, as required
• Towelling hair turban
• Hair straighteners
• Hair dryer
• Mosquito repellent & bite relief

Misc. & Entertainment

• Pen & notebook/small writing pad
• An e-reader/book or two, including a guide book
• Headphones/earbuds
• A handheld gaming console

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Tips 🛄

I tend to pack as light as possible, taking only those items from the above list that I really feel I need for each trip. When flying short-haul, I find that travelling with hand luggage only (i.e. a small cabin-sized suitcase plus a handbag) is far cheaper, faster and just generally easier than taking a large check-in suitcase. Of course, this changes when your trip is for anything longer than several days. In this situation, I would advise to also include a reasonable sized check-in suitcase.

With regards to the type of suitcase, I would advise going for the lightest possible 4 wheeler that you can find. When I started my travels, I was lugging around a heavy 2 wheeler, which did not do me any favours! 4 wheelers are just so much easier to manoeuvre.

Finally, I would advise layering up your clothing when flying, to wear as many items as comfortably possible – this mitigates some of the risk of you taking up too much of your precious suitcase space!

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