When talking with people about traveling, one of the most frequently asked questions is what to pack for a trip abroad. Three years and countless adventures later, we think we’re getting a grip on what exactly to pack for any and all adventures! So, what better way to kick off this travel series than a post on what to pack for a trip abroad!
In this post, you can expect all the details of the following…
- The best fabrics for your clothes
- How much clothes to bring
- Meds and Health
- Toiletries Essentials
- Electronic Tips
- What Money to Bring Abroad
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What Kind Of Fabric Should Your Clothes Be?
Try and pack the least amount of cotton as possible! Cotton takes up more space, takes longer to dry when washed, and gets stinky much faster!
Look for wicking fabrics (it will usually say on the tag). Wicking clothing helps with sweat and doesn’t get stinky too fast. Moreno Wool is the best, but can be expensive – so check your local stores for clothes made from fabrics like Rayon, nylon, or polyester. Keep in mind, rayon will shrink when it’s washed.
How Much Clothes Should You Pack?
Remember, when packing clothing, less is best! You really don’t need much! Everything you pack should have multiple purposes, and if it doesn’t toss it out! A simple scarf or layers can completely change an outfit.
We suggest…
- 3 pairs of underwear | clean one, wear one, washing one
- 2 bottoms | depending on destination, two pairs of shorts or capris, or shorts and one lightweight (not jean) pants
- 3 shirts | two short sleeve/tank top and one long sleeve for a layer at night
- 1 swimsuit | You never know when you’ll need this
- 2 pairs of socks | We love our Darn Tough socks
- 2 pairs of shoes | One sandal and one tennis shoe to walk in
- 1 rain jacket | Packable and good for wind protection
- 1 down jacket | Great for cold nights
- 1 “buff” | These are good for so many things!
- 2 bras | Your most comfy bra and a sports bra/athletic bra
READ MORE | The Exact Clothes to Pack for A Trip Abroad
Packing For Your Health While Abroad
Hand Sanitizer | Make sure it’s less than 3 ounces. So convenient to have when there’s no soap in the bathroom or before eating when there’s not a bathroom available.
Medication | Pack a small amount of the medication you typically use for things like colds or headaches. You can’t always get what you use at home or even read what it is you’re buying abroad!
Zinc Oxide | This is a life saver! It’s a pretty good bet that you will chafe at one point or another hiking or walking through the cities. This stuff is liquid gold! Put it on at night and wake up with no chafage! You can also just rub it on and walk with it on during the day too!
Special Things To Pack For Your Flight
Headphones | Obviously great for not just movies, but music too during your flights and travels in general! Don’t forget to download music or some podcasts before you leave!
Water Bottle | Okay, this is good for more than the flight too – but seriously, it’s so nice to just fill your water bottle at one of the restaurants or drinking fountains after going through security instead of paying outrageous airport prices for a water bottle!
Carabiner | This guy is a secret travel hack! Clip your jacket, purse, hat, water bottle .. you name it, you clip it .. to the back of the seat in front of you. It keeps it from getting lost and is so nice to have your water bottle right there when you want it!
READ MORE | Our In Flight Comfort Kit
Should You Carry A Copy Of Your Passport?
Gone are the days of printing off and carrying around a photo of your passport. Instead, simply just take on and load it to Dropbox or email it to yourself. That way you can access it whenever you need, and in the unlikely event that you lose your passport and or phone, you can access a photo of your passport from any computer!
When traveling to certain countries, people like to bring a copy of their passport to give to police if they get stopped and asked for proof of their passport. This helps prevent having to bribe the police to get your real passport back.
What About Your Toiletries
The toiletries you pack is kind of dependent on your daily routine. Just keep in mind that all your liquids need to be under 3 oz and all need to fit in a gallon baggie for carry-on only travel.
Make-Up | I (Heather) don’t really wear any make-up so I simply just pack mascara and call it good. If you typically wear more make-up maybe consider changing your make-up to Maskcara it’s super packable and supposedly great!
Soap | This soap is fantastic. It can be used as shampoo / body wash / laundry detergent and is an all-natural product! It’s the perfect all in one liquid to bring for long trips! Most nicer hotels will offer shower stuff, so check your bookings to see if you even need to pack this first!
Sharps | Razors and tweezers are currently okay to bring, however, nail scissors are up in the air at this point. Go the safer route, and just pack a nail file instead!
Electronics | Keep in mind that the place you’re visiting may not have the same watts as your blow dryer, straighter, electric razor, or curling iron may be. Be sure the volts/watts match up so you don’t ruin your electronics.
But also know that most places these days offer blow dryers, and that extra space is of high value when traveling!
Keeping Your Electronics Working While Abroad
Adaptor & Converter | Most places you’re going to need some sort of adaptor to charge your electronics. And, in some places, you’ll need a converter as well (hello, United Kingdom). We recommend this one here for a few reasons. It’s all in one converter and adaptor for any country saving you space, and with the USB outlets, all you have to bring is charging cords instead of loads of cords and plugs!
Cords | Check if any of your electronics have the same plugs. Like for example most iPads and iPhones have the same charging doodad! Save the space and annoyance of tangled cords and only bring what you need!
Phone | If you plan on buying a sim card to use while traveling abroad, you’ll need to make sure your phone is “unlocked”. If you have a phone through a phone company like say, Verizon or US Cellular for you state folk, you’ll need to go into the store and “break” or “unlock” the phone to allow other sim cards to work in the phone itself.
We got our phones from Target before going abroad, which meant they were already unlocked, so that saved us loads!
There’s also this new thing called E-Sims. An E-sim eliminates the need for figuring out a sim card in each new country you visit.
Packing Money For Your Vacation
Cash On Hand | Bring a small amount of cash on you to exchange at the airport. Like say, a 50 or 100 in the most pristine condition, just in case you get in a pickle. This way you can exchange just a small amount of money to get you out of the airport.
Travel Credit Cards | We are huge believers in travel credit cards. In fact, we recommend getting a travel credit card before your trip abroad. You swipe them without any foreign transaction fees, AND get points and huge benefits like travel insurance and more. We’ve done a whole post on the card we use, you can find it here.
Be sure you put a pin on your credit card and tell your bank where you’re traveling to before taking off, so you don’t get locked out of the card! I mean, you could always try and survive for two weeks with no money or any way to get money when in a foreign country, but we suggest you don’t get locked out of your credit card.. it’s not the most fun travel experience to have! 😉
Pulling Out Cash Abroad | While most places accept card these days, there are places that are still cash-only. Charles Schwab is an online bank that allows you to pull out money in any country without the transaction fees. You can learn more about Charles Schwab here.
More Travel Posts
READ MORE | Finding Cheap Flights for Your Next Vacation
In this post, we share our secrets to finding the cheapest flights, provide links to the websites we use, and give you our tips on the best practices for purchasing your flights.
READ MORE | 10 Apps You Need for Your Trip Abroad
Well the title kind of gives this one away. These 10 apps are sooo helpful when traveling.. just think, currency conversions, maps, and even offline travel advice for most cities in the world!
READ MORE | Packing for A Trip Abroad, The Exact Clothing Breakdown
Wondering what exactly to pack for your next vacation, no matter where you go? This post and the links provided will bring you from a beginner packer to one who’s traveled for ages in one simple read!
READ MORE | 10 Reasons to Pack A Backpack Only
After years of travel, we can say we’ve never checked a bag when traveling together except for when moving to Scotland. If we can do it, you can too – and these 10 reasons are sure to persuade you to pack one backpack only!
