Packing list
What gets forgotten when packing is almost never clothes. It is the charger, the plug adapter and the medication: things you use until the last minute, which is exactly why they are not packed when you close the case. This list puts them first on purpose.
What gets forgotten (check this last)
- Phone charger
- Plug adapter if going abroad
- Power bank
- Regular medication
- Glasses or contacts and solution
- Watch or earbud charger
- Toothbrush
Documents and money
- ID or passport
- European health card
- Bookings printed or downloaded
- Bank cards
- Some cash
- Driving licence
- Travel insurance
Clothes
- Underwear (one day more than the trip)
- Socks
- T-shirts
- Trousers
- A jumper or hoodie
- Jacket or coat depending on destination
- Pyjamas
- Sportswear
- Swimwear
- Comfortable shoes
- One smarter pair
Toiletries
- Toothbrush and toothpaste
- Deodorant
- Shampoo and shower gel (travel size)
- Comb or brush
- Sun cream
- Razor
- Wipes
- Small first aid kit (plasters, ibuprofen)
Electronics
- Phone
- Headphones
- Camera and memory card
- Laptop or tablet and charger
- A spare cable
If travelling with children
- Nappies and wipes
- Spare change of clothes within reach
- The usual toy or teddy
- Snacks for the journey
- Pushchair or baby carrier
- Children's sun cream
What you don’t need to pack
- Towels (there are almost always some)
- Hairdryer
- Iron
- The big shampoo bottle
- Extra paperback books
- “Just in case” shoes
- The whole first-aid kit
- Clothes for a plan that isn’t confirmed
How much to pack, by trip length
| Item | Weekend | One week | Two weeks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Underwear | 3 | 7 | 10 and do laundry |
| Socks | 3 | 7 | 10 and do laundry |
| T-shirts | 3 | 5 | 7 |
| Trousers | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Jumper or hoodie | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Shoes | 1 pair worn | 1 pair + 1 | 1 pair + 1 |
| Pyjamas | 1 | 1 | 2 |
How to use it without it becoming a chore
- Start ticking it two days before. Packing the night before is what causes the forgetting, not the lack of a list.
- Leave the chargers until last, but write them down. They are the last thing packed and the first thing missed.
- Split the list if you travel together. Seeing what is already packed stops you taking two hairdryers and no toothpaste.
- Two weeks doesn’t mean twice the luggage. After the first week you do laundry, and the bag weighs the same as it would for seven days.
- Leave chargers for last and tick them off. They’re the one thing you can’t replace cheaply at your destination, and the first thing left plugged in at home.
When several of you travel
The problem with a shared suitcase is not forgetting: it is duplicating. Two bottles of shower gel and no adapter. If the list is the same for everyone and you tick things off as they go in, each person sees in real time what is genuinely still missing.
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