Traveling is one of the best things to do. Oh, the beautiful sites, fun activities, amazing food, and experiences you won’t forget for long. Awesome right? However, it can quickly become a nightmare when you’re in the middle of your flight to the Bahamas for a 1-month vacay and remember that you didn’t pack your Macbook as a digital nomad like me, or any other important item. I dread this, and I know you do too.
Many travelers get anxious, unsure of the right travel essentials to include in their carry on, and which to leave behind. This anxiety often leads to overpacking, underpacking, or the worst of them all – forgetting an important item. Imagine having to buy expensive footwear you never budgeted for, at Burj Khalifa in Dubai simply because you didn’t remember to put the one you have in your carry on luggage. This is an unnecessary expense that can significantly cut into your travel budget, making your vacation not as fun and exciting as it was intended to be.
According to a 2,000-respondent survey carried out by OnePoll on behalf of DoorDash, it was discovered that 31% of adults leave their cellular device behind, 28% forget their water bottles or drinks, and 24% forget items like deodorant, body lotion, and makeup. 21% forgot to pack sunscreen and 26% confessed that they would go on without sunscreen if they forgot it. And what’s the result of forgetting these items? About 52% of people said they stress when trying to replace their forgotten items while on a trip and 62% said their relaxation is ruined when they have to replace or retrieve something they forgot.
To me, the most worrisome part of traveling comes before any of the traveling actually occurs: the suitcase-packing process. It’s a challenging and anxiety-filled process – I am caught between wanting my suitcase to be light and worrying I am going to need every single item in my bedroom.
Laura Marano
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Travel Essentials Cheat-sheet
So how can this be avoided? With over two years of active experience in the travel industry, I can tell you for a fact that the best way to avoid this is by adequate planning. I have experienced the anxiety of leaving my apartment and heading to the airport, scanning through my head to figure out what I might have forgotten, only to be 35,000 feet above the ground (in the airplane), and then remembering something important I left behind. Adequate planning with a checklist doesn’t just save you from forgetting essential items and unbudgeted expenses, it also gives you peace of mind so you’re able to focus on all that excitement of traveling across the world.
Expert travelers advise that travelers should have a well-planned packing strategy. A packing checklist ensures that you have everything that you need for your trip and helps you organize your luggage better. In this blog, I’ll run you through the Ultimate Travel Essentials cheat sheet, outlining important travel items and categorizing them to help you stay organized during your travel.
This cheat sheet of travel essentials will ensure you take exactly what you need on that trip. Whether you’re a first-time traveler which can be quite confusing, or you’re traveling for the umpteenth time and you’ve forgotten important stuff in the past, this cheat sheet will ensure that you have a smooth and enjoyable travel experience. It will help you plan your trip more efficiently, ensuring you have peace of mind and setting you up for a perfect trip.
The 8 Categories of Travel Items
This cheat sheet categorizes your travel essentials into 8 key categories:
Clothing and Accessories
For this category, you must pack smartly without overloading your luggage. Traveling light will make your trip even better, helping you reduce extra luggage expenses and allowing you to move around freely. First, consider the duration and the reason why you’re traveling. For a short trip of around 1 week or under, the 54321 packing method is one hack you can leverage – the rule states that you only need 5 tops, 4 bottoms, 3 dresses, 3 shoes, 2 swimsuits, 2 bags, and 1 piece of accessory including a hat, wristwatch, earring, sunshades, and other accessories.
For longer durations, ensure that you include multipurpose clothing pieces that can compliment multiple dressing styles. For me, I always ensure I have a black pant, black jeans, and blue jeans in my luggage. This way, I can always dress up or dress down, pairing it up with different shirts and sneakers/shoes depending on the occasion. Include essentials like underwear, jeans, T-shirts, and others mentioned in the cheat sheet. Don’t leave out your jacket and accessories like sunglasses, scarves, and belts. Especially BELTS!
You can also leverage packing cubes to help you organize your luggage and maximize space. It’s included in the “packing and organizing item” category.
Travel Documents
For this category, you must include all documents you’ll be needing. You should include a document “just in case” you need it. Trust me, you don’t want to learn the importance of certain documents by experience. First, start with the high-priority documents: visa and passport. Ensure that they are both valid and won’t expire during your travel. If it’s going to, it is best that you get it renewed ASAP to avoid any issues.
Next, include photocopies of essential documents like driver’s license, flight ticket, and, travel itinerary. Also, don’t forget to include travel and health insurance documents incase there are any mishaps during your travel. We don’t hope for them but life can happen anytime. Better safe than sorry.
One last item I would advise that you consider using to organize important travel documents like your passport is the Airtag passport holder. This item has a space for an Apple Airtag, and this can help you track your passport of it goes missing using the Find My app, giving you very well-needed peace of mind. This item is also included in the “packing and organizing items” category.
Financial Items
It seems like a cliche but just to emphasize, ensure you take your credit and debit cards along. If you don’t, how do you intend to pay for stuff? Lol. Inform your bank about your impending travel plans to sort out any problems with international transactions. Also, it’s a good idea to take a backup card “just in case”.
When it comes to local currency, you must have some for immediate expenses when you land at your destination, like food and drinks, tips for luggage assistance, and getting a local sim card for communication. Procrastinating and changing to local currency at the airport is not the best of ideas because the exchange rate is usually not favourable. The best way to go about it is to exchange a small amount before you leave and use the ATMs at your destination for the best exchange rate. You can also use the Airtag wallet to keep your cards and cash.
Toiletries and Personal Care
Toiletries and personal care items are important for feeling comfortable and fresh during your trip. Include the basics in your carry on luggage like shampoo, conditioner, bathing soap, toothpaste, and TOOTHBRUSH. Emphasis on toothbrush because we are all guilty of forgetting them at one time or the other.
Skincare products like sunscreen are important for protecting your skin from the sun. This is especially important if you’re traveling to sunny destinations like Dubai or Mexico. Deodorants and perfumes are also important so you’re able to stay fresh through the day. Other toiletries and personal care items are included in the cheat sheet so you don’t miss out on anything. Ensure you keep these items in separate clear and resealable bags for easy access.
Health and Safety
When preparing for your trip, it’s important to be health and safety conscious, so you’re prepared for any unexpected situation. If you have any prescribed medication for health reasons, ensure that you include this when you’re packing, and pack enough and a little extra to last for your entire trip. Keep your prescription meds in the original packaging to avoid any problems at the airport.
Other health and safety essentials like a first aid kit, insect repellant, hand sanitizers, facemasks, and all items mentioned in the cheat sheet should be included depending on the requirements of your trip. Last but not least, if you’re heading to a country that needs vaccination records, don’t forget to include them. Vaccination records aren’t limited to COVID-19, they also include vaccination for diseases such as yellow fever, hepatitis, typhoid, and other diseases.
Gadgets and Accessories
Haha. This is the big deal category for me! Including essential gadgets and accessories in your luggage can significantly enhance your travel experience or make it suck if you forget your Macbook like I did. If you’re a digital Nomad, or someone that operates in the media space in any way, I am sure you can relate.
Starting from the basics, your power bank and phone charger will probably be the most essential gadget in this category. You would need it for many activities, from taking pictures to getting access to a map for directions, communication, and even financial transactions. The list is endless. Get a power bank that can charge your device multiple times. Don’t say I didn’t tell ya!
Earbuds for enjoying soothing music, movies, and podcasts during your trip; a digital camera for immortalizing those special moments so you can reflect later; a universal travel adapter so you’re able to charge those gadgets at any destination; and your MacBook for staying connected to work. Check through the cheat sheet to tick off every essential you need for your trip.
Convenience and Comfort
To ensure you’re comfortable throughout your trip, especially if you’ll be on a long flight, you need to keep essentials in the category at the top of your mind. Ensure you have your eye masks, earplugs, and neck cushion. The neck cushions make you stable especially if you need to sleep during your flight. They are usually softer than your plane’s headrest. Earplugs help dampen the noise and eye masks help to induce sleep as you’re traveling through different time zones.
A reusable water bottle helps you stay hydrated and snacks keep hunger away; compression socks help to maintain good blood circulation during long sitting periods on the plane; a portable umbrella helps you stay prepared for any unexpected weather changes at your destination; ensure you tick off all essential convenience items on the cheat sheet.
Packing and Organizing Items
Of course, you’ll need your luggage to keep all the essentials we have talked about so far. One thing to bear in mind is that airlines usually have a restriction for your carry on luggage so do well to check the website of your airline to know the luggage dimension requirement to avoid additional fees or delays.
As earlier stated, packing light is necessary for an enjoyable travel experience. Invest in packing cubes to help you stay organized and maximize your luggage space. Packing cubes help to segment your clothing and other items into different categories so you can easily locate them during your trip without having to disorganize your entire luggage. Also, include a cross-hand bag to keep your valuable items close to you and secure. Lastly, to keep your luggage secure, get a carry-on bag protector and lock. Refer to the cheat sheet for other important packing and organizing essentials to make the most of your trip.
Size of Carry on Luggage
This is one commonly asked question I get from travelers. The size of carry on Luggage requirements differs depending on the airline. Usually, airlines will include the carry on size requirements when you’re purchasing your flight ticket, however, I’ll be running through the limits for popular airlines:
- British Airways allows one carry on luggage plus a handbag or a laptop. Your carry on luggage should not exceed 22″ by 18″ by 10″ (L X W X D). This includes the wheels, handle and pocket of your luggage. It must also be light enough to be lifted into the overhead bin.
- American Airlines allows you on board with a carry on luggage and personal items like a purse or a small handbag. Your personal item must fit under the seat in front of you and the dimension requirement is 18″ by 14″ by 8″. For your carry on luggage, it must fit into the overhead bin or the seat in front of you, and the luggage requirement is 22″ by 14″ by 9″. Do well to tag or label your items because your luggage will be checked if it doesn’t fit in, and you don’t want your luggage mixed up with someone else’s.
- Turkish Airlines allows a single carry on with a dimension of no more than 23 by 40 by 55 cm and a maximum weight of 8kg for Economy Class. For business class, you are allowed to bring two carry on luggage, each with a dimension requirement not exceeding 23 by 40 by 55 cm and a maximum weight of 8kg.
There are many more airlines with slightly varying carry on luggage requirements. Do well to consult your airline’s website for your specific luggage requirements to avoid problems at the airport or additional luggage fees.
All righty! There you have it, the 8-category travel essential cheat sheet for a perfect trip. Packing efficiently is very important for you to have a good travel experience. Leverage this cheat sheet to pack efficiently and with peace of mind, so you can have the time of your life and focus on the excitement of your trip. If you have any comments or inquiries, ensure you leave them in the comments section and I will respond. Safe travels!
