Does the thought of packing overwhelm or enthrall you? It’s an exciting part of the entire travel process because, when done well, you can be lacking for absolutely nothing in your next destination.
Below, we’ll help you gather 17 items that you should always pack for overseas travel, including your personal item, carry-on, and checked-in luggage.
1. Adapter Plugs
If there’s one thing we need, it’s to be plugged in – wherever we go. Be sure to pack two to three adapter plugs in your carry-on bag. You have to consider the need to charge your cell phone, laptop, and curling iron, at a minimum.
2. Charging Banks
Even though you’ll be all plugged in wherever you go, it’s helpful to carry a portable charging bank for your cell phone in your carry-on bag – especially if you have a long flight.
There are popular brands like Anker that make charging banks for cell phones and laptops. Both varieties are about the size of a cell phone and light enough to carry with you.
3. Headphones
Next, you’ll want headphones for the airplane, at least. When walking in a foreign city, you don’t want to put yourself at risk by walking with headphones on and not being fully aware of your surroundings.
But, they’ll certainly serve you well on any plane or train rides. If they’re earbuds, you can also charge them with your portable charging bank so they’ll last more than a few hours.
4. Ear Plugs
With a good pair of noise-canceling headphones, you might not need these. But, ear plugs can come in handy while your earbuds are charging, if you’re sharing a room in a hostel, or if you plan to be sleeping beside someone who snores.
5. Air Tags
Air Tags have become a traveler’s dream. It helps us know where our luggage is at all times. Pack an Air Tag in any checked luggage, as well as your carry-on and personal item.
In the worst-case scenario, if your bag is ever lost or stolen, you can use your Air Tag to help local authorities find your belongings.
For more on what to pack in your personal item (vs. your carry-on), here’s a complete list to help you get organized.
6. Visa and Documents
If you’re traveling somewhere that requires a visa, it won’t do you any good to arrive at the airport on the other side and find you’ve forgotten your visa.
For more on that, here’s a list of over ten countries that require a visa for U.S. travelers.
In terms of documents, most airline tickets, hotel reservations, and other activities provide e-tickets. But, it doesn’t hurt to have a backup copy of everything on paper.
Pack a folder with a backup copy of everything you need, from the airlines, to the hotels, to any excursions like bus tours and day trips.
7. Paper Maps
Does anyone even know how to read paper maps anymore? It’s funny – Google Maps is so handy that looking at an old-school map can feel kind of foreign.
But, there are a few reasons for this. First, you may not always have service wherever you go. To sidestep this, Google allows you to download offline maps. Be sure to do this before you go.
If, for some reason, your phone is ever dead (or, dare we say, lost or stolen), you still want to be able to navigate. This is where you can pull a handy, dandy paper map out of your backpack or purse.
8. Local Currency
In a digital world, we’re more prone to swipe our cards than dig through our wallets for cash. There are even certain countries that rarely deal in cash anymore – like Norway and other Scandinavian countries.
Still, it’s helpful to order some of the local currency from your bank before you go. Even just a little bit of cash on-hand can come in handy when you’re finding your way through your new city or town.
9. Credit Cards
Which brings us to the next form of currency: credit cards. There are a few things to consider here. Will your bank charge an exchange rate if you use debit or credit?
There are many credit cards that will charge a 3% foreign transaction fee. Call your credit card company to see if yours is one of them.
If so, see if you can apply for a new credit card in time. You can play things right here if you, first, secure a credit card without a foreign transaction fee and, second, use one that will award you travel points or cash back.
To help you make a plan of action, here are 15 of the top credit cards for international travel.
10. Light Blanket
This is more for the plane ride, but it might serve you well in your destination of choice, as well. On the plane, a light blanket can help you settle down and sleep for a little while. Further abroad, it might serve as a creature comfort in your Airbnb or hotel.
11. Layering Clothes
Whether you’re headed to a tropical, temperate, or wintery climate, you always want to have the option to layer by day and by night. Take the desert, for instance. It may exceed 100 degrees during the day and then drop significantly at night.
You’ll be well-positioned for comfort if you have tank tops, t-shirts, long-sleeve shirts, and sweaters or sweatshirts. If you’re headed to a climate that can get quite cold, you’ll also need at least one scarf, a pair of gloves, and a warm hat, beyond your winter coat.
12. Walking Shoes
Shoes can be the toughest part of the packing process. How many do you need and how many can you fit?
You have to contend with the possibility of needing walking shoes, dress shoes for a night or two out on the town, sneakers, and possibly boots. Flip flops are often an easy add-on, whether or not you’re going to a beach location. You can use them getting in and out of the shower at your accommodation.
Be careful not to overdo it on shoes. No one will notice if you wear the same pair every day. In the end, you might be happy you saved space in your luggage for a trinket or two to take home.
13. Toiletries
You can tackle the issue of toiletries in one of two ways. First, you can pack just enough to get you through a day or two. When you land, you can find a local pharmacy to sustain you for a longer trip.
Or, you can pack the basics in your carry-on bag like shampoo, face wash, a toothbrush, toothpaste, and soap. Then, in your checked luggage, you can pack full-size versions of your favorite shampoo, conditioner, and more.
There are a few things to consider here. If you buy things on the other side, you may have to pay more in the exchange rate.
Conversely, if you bring full-size items in your checked luggage, that will add to the weight and can explode in your suitcase due to the air pressure. If you choose to pack them in your checked bag, be sure they’re locked up tightly in ziplock bags.
14. Vitamins and Medicine
If you take regular vitamins or medicine, be sure to pack one of those neat little weekly pill boxes in your bag. As long as they don’t require needles or syringes, try to keep these in your personal item or carry-on.
Heaven forbid your luggage should ever get lost. But, if there is a delay, you’ll still be well-equipped with basic toiletries, a layering item or two, your medicine, and a fully-charged phone.
15. Reusable Water Bottle
A reusable water bottle comes in handy on many different fronts. First, it helps you stay hydrated on the plane, which can be very drying for our body and skin. This is part of our article on how to master in-flight sleep.
Second, it may help you save a little money while abroad, instead of buying water bottles from the local markets. You’d have to, of course, see if the tap water is safe to drink and/or your hotel provides free bottles of water that you can pour into your bottle and take with you for the day.
16. Snacks
Easy snacks like cereal bars, pretzels, or nuts are useful on-the-go snacks. These will come in handy if you’re still a little hungry after the snack cart or food service has passed.
They may also come in handy on the other side while you’re waiting for your taxi or Uber before you can settle into your accommodation.
17. Paperback Book
Finally, a simple paperback book can do wonders if you’re all screened-out. This may be a comfort to you on the plane, in bed at night when you’re trying to fall asleep, and on the beach, where screens can be hard to read in the sunlight.
If it’s a particularly good book, you’ll always associate it with the vacation of your dreams, making it a nice memento for your bookshelf when you return back home again.
Strategy Is Key
With a little bit of forward thinking and strategy, you can not only have an organized bag, but a well-packed bag with everything you need to land on your feet.
We love a good travel tip or two. With that, you’ll find many other helpful items in the travel tips section of our website. In addition to that, we’re also likely to have a destination guide to help you plan the itinerary of your dreams. Safe travels and we’ll see you out there!