General Travel Tips

Travel Packing List

Having a travel packing list is with no doubt the most effective way to make sure that you’ve got everything you need for your trip and that it is all packed in your bag.

If you don’t have a travel packing list the chance of missing something is a lot higher, so before you pack, make a travel packing list.

But knowing exactly what to bring when traveling can be difficult, especially if you haven’t done it much before.

So when deciding what to bring with y0u on your trip, here is a list of questions that can be useful to look through when writing down what you will be bringing to Europe.

•  What is the climate and weather like where you are going? Is it warm, sunny and steady, does it change a lot back and forth or is it rainy and cold?

•  What will you be doing while there? Your travel packing list will look very different if you plan to go hiking and camping a lot rather than spending your holiday in a city staying in hotels. Have you planned to go out clubbing? Have you planned to do a lot of shopping?

•  For how long will you be away? Is it a few days or several weeks?

Once you have these questions answered and have figured out what you plan to do on your holiday, you can start putting together a travel packing list for your trip.

There is no right or wrong since we are all different, but here is an example of a travel packing list that I wrote on my previous trip to Scotland this year.

Now Scotland is a place which has very moody weather, it can be warm, cold, rainy and sunny all in one day. And we had planned to spend time both in the cities as well as in the highlands. So what do you pack?

Here is my travel packing list for a 9 day trip to Scotland in autumn:

- 2 Long sleeved cotton tops

- 1 pair of jeans

- 1 pair of leggings/tights

- 1 thermal top

- 1 rain and windproof jacket

- 1 hoodie

- 1 scarf

- 1 dress

- 1 pair of high heels

- 1 pair of sneakers (good for walking but doesn’t stand out in the city)

- 5 pairs of socks

- 7 pairs of underwear

- 3 bras

The dress and the tops all worked together with both the jeans and the leggings, and the dress could be worn alone. The leggings were also used in the highlands when going mountain biking, along with a thermal top.

Also, I brought all of that in a carry-on bag.

If you are planning to go to Greece on a summer vacation, here is what I would suggest bringing instead:

Summer Clothing:

- 1 Bikini/ swimsuit

- 1 dress

- 1 pair of shorts

- 1 skirt

- 2 t-shirts

- 1 loose linnen/cotton shirt

- 1 sleeveless top

- 1 longsleeved top

- 7 pairs of underwear

- 2 pairs of socks

- 1 thin summer jacket

- 1 pair of high heels

- 1 pair of walking open toe sandals

- 1 sunhat

As you can see, the clothes vary highly depending on the climate. When you pack your clothes, try to make all the clothes match each other so you can wear and combine them with each other. It’s not effective to bring a top that can only be worn with one other thing.

However, there are some things on the travel packing list that I would recommend bringing no matter the destination. These are more universal items.

Tech Gadgets:

- Universal power adapter

- Lap top + charger

- Camera + charger + memory stick

- iPod /mp3 player + charger + headphones

- flashlight/torch

- tripod

- cellphone + charger

Necessities:

- Passport

- Tickets + Itinerary

- Visa (if needed)

- Money, Credit cards, ATM cards

- Insurance papers and other important documents

Toiletries:

- Deodorant

- Nailclippers/nailfile

- Face wash

- Showergel

- Tampons + pads

- pills/medicine

- Hair products

- Money, credit cards, ATM cards

- Makeup + makeup remover

- Toothbrush + toothpaste

- hairbrush + hairties

- Condoms and/or contraceptive pills

- Tweezers

- Razors (if you bring carry-on luggage, buy them at the destination)

Other Gadgets:

- Ear plugs

- Books or e-books on kindle or similar

- Sleep sheet/sleeping bag

- Towels (lightweight)

- watch

- moneybelt

- Address of the hotel and directions of how to get there from the airport/station.

- sunglasses

- Daypack/handbag

- Insect repellent

Would you like to add anything to the list? Write a comment below and tell us!

 

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