Essentials

Packing inspiration

There's plenty of travel inspiration out there on the internet (not least on our own site). But when you've pinned down your destination, you might start wishing for slightly more practical inspiration: what to put in your massive suitcase, or how to weed out the nice-to-haves from the essentials in your rucksack.

Here are a few humble TripLocator suggestions that we hope will spare you some of that “I-know-I've-forgotten-something-but-I-can't-remember-what” agony at the baggage check-in desk:

  • Weather-appropriate clothes. Do check the weather reports in your destination country – we've been caught out before by less-than-sunny southern jaunts!

    On which note...thermal underwear can be a life-saver.

  • Space-saver bags. Great for keeping your clothes clean and dry, and...well...saving space.
  • Shoes. Err on the side of sensible (sob) – you'll likely be doing some walking at some point, even if you're on a city break.
  • Spare shoelaces
  • Sewing kit
  • Swimwear
  • Suncream
  • Sunglasses
  • Toiletries
  • Wet wipes
  • Antiseptic hand gel
  • Sanitary products (depending on where you're going there may not be readily available)
  • Ziplock bags – perfect for keeping the soap out of the souvenirs.
  • Notepad/diary
  • Pens
  • Binoculars
  • A book. (Or a Kindle, if you insist.)
  • Guidebook and/or map
  • Travel games (come on, you know you want to.)
  • Padlock
  • Swiss army knife. (Not in your hand luggage!
  • Water bottle
  • Water purification tablets
  • Torch and spare batteries
  • Adaptor
  • Spare passport-sized photos
  • Sleeping-bag liner (this one's more for the wilderness wanderers among you, in case you hit a lodge where you're not sure about the bedding)
  • Copies of your passport, visa, and travel insurance documents (don't forget the originals!)
  • First-aid kit
  • And of course your camera/phone/other magical moment preservation device of your choice!

That sounds like a nearly-full suitcase to us. Save a corner for the souvenirs...