As a travel blogger I have a list that works great for me, let me share it with you. With the help of this checklist I manage to fit all the stuff I need in my luggage, while keeping it nice and easy to carry.
I sometimes come home from a journey and re-pack immediately to start off on my next trip, so I don’t really have time to think about what to pack, or even start organizing my thoughts days before. I’ve also noticed that if I have to pack in a jiffy, I tend to pack a lot of more useless stuff than if I have time to think it all over.
Once the flight company lost my main luggage, which was only found the day I was flying home. Luckily enough, to avoid situations like this, I always pack an extra outfit in my carry-on bag. And what a good idea it turned out to be.
Basically if I have the chance to take 32 kg with me, I have no problem packing it full , still the previously mentioned situation taught me I can manage with one single outfit per weekend. The general rule is that the limit on a charter flight is 15-20 kg, and 23 kg on a commercial flight, which you can increase up to 32 kg if you pay extra.
So here is my absolutely detailed checklist for you, note that you will probably need no more, but can manage with less:
Documents, cash, tickets
- Passport,
- Driver’s licence,
- Insurance,
- EU health insurance card,
- Flight ticket (the printed boarding card in case of low-cost airlines)
- Hotel reservation ticket,
- Vouchers (a voucher can be a flight ticket, hotel reservation ticket, or even the ticket for a pre-paid programme you are planning on attending)
- Visa (check whether a visa is required in the country you are travelling to, and also whether it is enough to buy it at the airport after landing, or do you have to apply for it at the embassy in advance)
- Credit card (you will find it easiest to pay, and withdraw cash with an embossed Master or Visa card)
- Cash (local currency, plus EUR or USD, and 10-20 USD in one USD notes if possible, to make giving tips easier if you wish)
Toiletry basics
- Sun cream, Irix, after sun cream
- Makeup,
- Face wash, facial cream, makeup remover wipes
- Shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, body lotion, soap (you will find mini versions of most of these in the bathroom of your hotel room)
- Toothbrush, toothpaste (if you happen to forget these, you can usually ask the hotel reception to give you one)
- Hairbrush, hairspray, hair gel
- Small sized washing gel (however your shampoo or soap will do the trick just as fine)
- Tissue paper, wet wipes, toilet paper (this latter is also available at all accommodations)
- Hand sanitizer (a must)
- Scissors, nail-clipper set
Clothing basics
- Pants, Capri pants, shorts
- Sweater
- T-shirts, short sleeved, tank tops
- Casual T-shirt, shirt, dress (you will probably want to dress nice for a dinner)
- Under-shirt, panties (shorts), socks, bra
- Beach shawl, beach dress
- Swimsuit (hat if you have one)
- Pajamas
- Flip flops, indoors slippers, water shoes, trainers, walking shoes, casual footwear, sandals
Technology
- Cell phone, charger, adapter, power bank (you can make great use of this, if there are no sockets nearby, they will usually fully charge 2-4 phones)
- Electrical converter
- Laptop, camera, video camera, stand
- Pendrive, memory card
Other
- Back pack
- Beach bag, hook (this may come in handy when on the beach you would like to hang your bag somewhere), clips (to hold your towel on the sunbed in the wind)
- Glasses, sunglasses, reading spectacles
- Books, magazines
- Jewellery
- Medicines (do take with you a basic set including pain and fever relievers, diarrhoea medicine antiphlogistic pill, etc.), thermometer
- Flash-light
- Games (cards, etc.)
- Different types of packing cubes, toiletry bags and organizers (you may find it a good idea to pack different chargers, pendrives, cosmetics and documents or even underwear in all separate cases, it will make your trip so much more comfy, and you will find all your stuff much easier)
- Gifts (if there are people you know at your destination, you may want to surprise them with a little something)
Of course you could make all different lists depending on your choice of travel (whether you drive or fly, etc.), whether your destination is in cold or hot climate, or whether you will be hiking or lying on the beach. This is a general list, so you only need to consider the items which best suite your personal journey, however I think it is really helpful for a start.
Travel well!