Travel Packing List
What we take on every trip.
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Hello friends!
The summer travel season is fast approaching. Next month, we leave for four weeks in Switzerland, Germany and France. I’ve started going through our travel supplies, to make sure we have everything we need for the trip. That prompted this post.
I should start by saying I am not a packing minimalist. Unless I’m just going on a quick weekend trip, I’m checking a bag. I like to be comfortable, and I like clean clothes and clothing options. I don’t find pulling a medium-sized suitcase through the cobbled sidewalks of Lisbon any harder than pulling a carry-on size. And in 15 years of traveling together, Elie and I have only had a bag delayed once. That’s a pretty good track record.
That being said, an overstuffed suitcase is a nightmare, especially if you are moving around during your trip. I speak from experience on this. Plus, there’s no room for the treasures you find along the way.
I try to strike a happy medium.
First, a brief discussion of suitcases. We have medium-sized suitcases in multiple brands including Rimowa, Tumi, and Away. Mimi has a Monos. I have a Paravel, which is no longer in business. For the money, both Away and Monos are great and very durable. Elie loves his Tumi. The clasps on the Rimowa are a pain to close, and we almost never use it. Whichever suitcase you choose, get one that is expandable. That extra room at the end of the trip makes all the difference.
For any trip that is a week or longer, we check a medium-sized suitcase and each pack a small carry-on bag for the plane (like a backpack or duffle). If we’re going somewhere where we know we’re going to bring home a lot of souvenirs, sometimes we’ll also bring a small carry-on sized rolling suitcase for extra room. (In many countries, it’s also easy to ship back packages.)
Here are the things we take on almost every trip, whether it’s a week in New Orleans or three weeks in Vietnam. There’s a printable checklist at the end of the post, if you’d like to use it. I have this printed and tacked to the wall in the closet where we keep our suitcases and travel accessories. I check it every time we pack, to make sure I don’t forget anything.
CARRY-ON
On travel days, I always carry a cross-body sling bag to keep all essentials close and easily accessible. My favorite is this one from Lo & Sons, because it has a strap that lets you adjust it from a cross-body to a shoulder to a clutch. So versatile. But I also like the Varley belt bag. It’s a great size with a lot of zipper pockets to stay organized.
In my cross-body, I have my wallet with IDs and credit cards, passports (if needed), glasses, my iPhone and AirPods, and maybe a lip gloss. Elie always takes out several hundred dollars in cash, in small bills, so we have cash for tipping when we land.
The carry-on bag I choose depends on the destination and how long we’re traveling. For a beach vacation, I sometimes carry on a raffia bag that can also be my beach bag. More often than not, I carry an old lightweight bag from Paravel (no longer in business). I had a custom felt insert made to keep the inside organized. (You can do this for any sized bag you have. It’s so good!) If I need a lot of extra room, this Lo & Sons bag is great. I used to carry this when Theo was little and I needed room for diapers and changes of clothes.
I have a travel folder with any documents I need for the trip (like paper visas) and a printed itinerary with addresses and telephone numbers of hotels and confirmation numbers. If your purse or phone are stolen, you’ll be glad to have backup.
I don’t have an iPad, but I usually take my computer on longer trips. I read on a Kindle, because I like to have a lot of choices of books when I’m traveling. It’s good to carry on chargers, in case devices run out of battery during the flight.
Elie likes these Sony noise canceling headphones.
My toiletry kit has this lip balm, hand sanitizer, hand lotion, toothbrush & toothpaste, eye drops, these electrolytes that have liposomal Vitamin C and glutathione, these Chlorophyll drops (your liver can always use a little extra help during travel), stain remover wipes, tissues, nail file, and throat spray.
This is the same kit I always carry in my purse. I just transfer it to my carry-on. On travel days, I add band-aids, hypochlorous spray (good for healing everything from cuts to sunburn), and wrist bands for nausea.
If I’m on an overnight flight, I’ll add face wipes, a hydrating spray (smells like heaven), a Vitamin C serum, a small hairbrush, hairbands, and this eye mask. The Weleda hand cream doubles as an emolliant face cream that keeps your face hydrated and protected.
A package of anti-bacterial wipes always comes in handy. And be sure to carry on all essential medications and supplements you can’t replace at your destination. If you have medications that require refrigeration, this medicine cooler works great. I actually bought the one with the USB option, but I find that I only use the ice pack.
If I have room, I add a change of clothes, including underwear and socks, just in case. Also, a layer for keeping warm on the plane and socks (if you’re not wearing them).
I bring this Waff pillow, which I blow up just slightly and sit on. It saves my hips from aching on long flights. You can also use it for workouts or stretching at your destination.
I rarely eat the food on planes, so I pack my own snacks. Don’t forget your water bottle.
KID’S BACKPACK
Of course, this depends on the age of your child. Theo is ten, so this is what we currently pack. He uses the Amazon Fire tablet, because we don’t want him to have an iPad and all that comes with it. He only watches movies or shows that we’ve downloaded or listens to books. He’s had these headphones forever. He carries his own chargers for his devices. We don’t usually carry a lot of activities anymore, but he does like his Rubik's Cube on the plane. He also packs his own snacks and water bottle. (I’ll put an extra outfit for him in my bag, if needed).
CHECKED LUGGAGE
Clothing is too specific to the destination, so I won’t give a packing list for clothes. If that’s something you’re interested in, drop me a note below!
Personal Items
These are all of the personal care products I pack with us. I love the Parallelle toiletry bags. Everything stands up and the sides fold down for easy access to all your products. Especially if I’m moving from place to place on a trip, I love that I don’t have to unpack. I put my nighttime routine plus haircare in the large bag and my daytime routine and makeup in the medium. Sometimes I’ll put supplements in a third bag, although more often I put supplements and other items in these clear bags (I have a variety of sizes for different uses) or these inexpensive pouches. They are useful for corralling all kinds of things. I use our label maker to label the pouches with the contents.
Why do I travel with my own soap, you ask? Because we’re very sensitive to synthetic fragrance and most hotel soaps (even nice hotels) use products with strong fragrances. So I bring my own, made only with essential oils.
I made this reel about my favorite hair products, including my love for the Virtue shampoo and conditioner. If I use hotel products, my hair turns to straw. I envy those of you who can use anything and still have beautiful hair! So I pack my own shampoo, conditioner and other hair products (including this heat protectant and this style cream). Because my hair is crazy curly and gets frizzy easily, I bring my T3 drier on every trip. I also have a dual voltage international version.
In my toiletry bags I have body moisturizer, face wash, serums, face moisturizer, deodorant, toothbrush, toothpaste, floss/flosser, razor, extra razor blades, shaving cream (for Elie), tweezers, a small pair of scissors and nail clippers. The nail file is in my carry-on bag. You can see a few of my favorite products here.
When needed, I decant into Cadence travel containers, which I’ve had for years. They are washable, magnetic and leakproof. The extenders are great for longer trips.
If you wear contacts, your contact lenses and eye drops. And if you wear glasses, it’s always good to bring an extra pair. Don’t forget sunglasses, of course.
Mouth tape and breathe strips, if you use them. You don’t need fancy mouth tape (with heavy adhesives), just a small piece of surgical tape works great. Theo uses this every night, and sometimes also these nasal strips, which make a huge difference if you have a compromised airway.
I keep my make-up bag pretty simple when I travel, with just tinted sunscreen, bronzer, blush, brow gel, mascara and lip gloss.
In my first aid kit, I keep more band-aids and blister pads. Colloidal Silver Nasal Spray is great if you feel a cold coming on. Sometimes I also carry the colloidal silver on the plane, because it can help with preventing illness. This Viracid works miracles if you start to feel sick. We get it from our naturopath. Dye-free ibuprofen. Zyrtec, in case of an allergic reaction to something (including bad mosquito bites). For food poisoning, charcoal tablets (just don’t take close to any other medications) and this homeopathic remedy, which really works. We’ve used it numerous times. (Note: I don’t give Theo charcoal.) The hypochlorous spray is in the carry-on, as well as the propolis spray. Arnica, both oral and cream. If Theo has some inflammation or pain, this BCQ is my first line of defense before ibuprofen. This sounds like a lot, but I decant everything into small pill pouches, label them with the dosage, and then put them in a small clear pouch. Theo won’t take children’s medicines (he doesn’t like the taste), and he can swallow pills easily. I make sure and note down the appropriate dose for him. And I know there are often pharmacies available where you travel, but the last thing you want to do is run to a pharmacy when you need something. You want relief right away. All of this fits in a small pouch.
In the suitcase, I’ll also pack any medications or supplements not in the carry-on bag. Although I almost always carry on everything I need.
General/Other Items
You’ll inevitably need a tote bag at some point in the trip, so I always tuck one in. Sometimes it’s just one of the cute Sezane totes that come free with purchase. If we’re headed to the beach (and I don’t use it as my carry-on), I pack a raffia bag to use for my beach bag.
Elie brings this Patagonia sling bag.
Pack multiple hats, a sun hat (I’ve had this packable one for years) and a baseball hat. We also tend to buy baseball hats as souvenirs when we travel. My favorite one is from a coffee shop in London.
Ziploc bags, both gallon size and quart size, always come in handy.
I have found that giving everyone their own small laundry bag for each suitcase keeps dirty clothes neatly separated (as opposed to one large laundry bag for everyone). I use laundry bags that we got at a hotel in Vietnam.
I already mentioned that we are sensitive to scents, so I bring my own laundry detergent sheets (if I know there will be a washer available) or handwashing detergent, if not. I don’t have laundry done at hotels. They always use scented detergent and fabric softener, and I always regret it.
We all sleep with white noise, so we’ll bring one or two, depending on whether or not Theo is sleeping in the same room as us.
Depending on where you are going, you might need power adaptors, binoculars or a camera.
Also, don’t forget to add an Apple tags to all bags. I also attach one to Theo’s shoe, just in case he gets lost in a crowd.
Warm Weather/Tropical Vacation
Don’t forget mosquito repellent, this anti-itch cream that actually works, and this itch zapper. A coffee farmer in Colombia showed it to Elie, and now he swears by it.
I usually stock up on sunscreen at home, because I’m also particular about sunscreen. Unless we’re going to Europe, where they have better sunscreens that we do in the US. Here, I like Supergoop.
If we have a pool at our destination, this foam ball is really fun. Our friends brought it to Mexico and it got a lot of use.
If we’re going to the beach, sometimes we’ll bring our own snorkels, masks and flippers (stored in a mesh bag).
Kid’s Suitcase
I always pack Theo an activity pack with drawing paper, colored pencils, scissors, tape, Plus-Plus and card games. When we have down time in the hotel, he’ll draw, make paper airplanes, build with the Plus-Plus or come up with other creative activities.
Depending on where we’re traveling, I’ll also pack a variety of snacks. It always comes in handy on travel days or even just for the return plane trip.
That’s it! I know it sounds like a lot, but it all fits easily in our suitcases, with plenty of room to spare. And those items make us comfortable and cared for on our trip. Every time I try to scale back, I regret it.
If you’d like to download a copy of the packing list I use, you can get it here.
If you have any questions or comments, please leave me a message or send me a DM. Truly makes my day. You can also find me on Instagram. And if you don’t already subscribe to this newsletter, you can do so here!
With love,
Lisa