Packing List

Home Packing List

We created this packing list with the help of our members - keen travellers who've been there and done that. They contributed their suggestions through our forums, which are a great resource for any traveller.

Of course, no two people are the same, so consider this list a starting point. It has been designed to be useful for travellers of all types: male, female, young, old, short-term, long-term, etc.

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If you have any suggestions for items that should be included, contact us with your ideas and we will gladly review them.

Essentials

Address list and list of important contacts or numbers
Backpack, suitcase, sports bag (something to pack everything in)
Paper or Notebook
Passport (check validity!)
Pencils, Pens
Tickets and itinerary (airline, train, bus, accommodation bookings etc.)
Visa
Travel Insurance (and why you need it!)

Finances

ATM card (Maestro or Cirrus logos on the back are most widely accepted)
Calculator or currency converter
Cash in the local currency of your arrival destination
Credit card (Visa or Mastercard are most widely accepted)
Money belt (You can't be too safe in some places)
Sufficient Travellers' cheques (and receipts for travellers' cheques)

Resource: Money on the Road

Clothes

Boots
Bra (sports and regular)
Dress shirts
Dresses
Jacket
Jeans
Jumper, sweater or fleece
Light jacket
Long or thermal underwear
Long sleeve shirts
Pants or trousers
Pyjamas/Sleepwear (Member's tip)
Sandals, shower shoes, thongs or jandals
Sarong or Lava lava
Shoes
Shorts
Ski clothes
Skirts
Sneakers
Socks
Suits
Swimming gear
T-shirts, singlets
Underwear

Clothes Accessories

A good hat
Bandana
Belt
Cotton handkerchief or tissues
Eye-mask
Gloves or mittens
Jewelry
Knitted (woollen) hat
Raincoat or poncho
Safety pins
Scarf
Sewing kit
Ski glasses
Suit bag
Sunglasses
Ties

Toiletries

Anti-bacterial cream
Comb or brush
Condoms and/or contraceptive pills
Contact lens equipment or glasses
Copy of your glasses prescription (Member's tip)
Cotton buds
Q-tips
Dental floss (also great for fixing things!)
Deodorant
Earplugs
Fingernail clippers
Hair products (gel, spray etc.)
Lip balm
Make-up
Mirror
Moisturiser (face and body)
Nail file
Razors
Shampoo and conditioner
Shaving cream
Sleeping pills
Soap
Sunscreen and after sun cream
Talcum/baby powder - Useful against prickly heat, in shoes, on sticky zippers and more (Member's tip)
Tampons and pads
Toothbrush, toothpaste

First Aid Kit

Band aids
Blister packs
Compression bandages
Diarrhoea tablets
Gazes
Insect and/or mosquito repellent
Iodine/hydrogen peroxide
Medicines/prescription Drugs (Member's tip)
Motion sickness tablets
Paracetemol, Tylenol etc.
Replacement/rehydration salts sachets
Small scissors
Tweezers
Vitamin pills
Water purifying tablets
Yellow Fever certificate or International Certificate of Vaccination (Member's tip)

Resource: Stay Healthy on the Road

Other Items

Backpack rain cover
Batteries
Binoculars (Member's tip)
Books/Ebooks with a reader
Bottled water
Camera, film and batteries - Spare flash cards or memory for digital
Carbohydrate snacks
Chewing gum or mints - Especially if you are flying chewing something will help your ears
Combo or key locks
Compass
Cup
Diary or organiser
Duct tape - Fixes everything! (Member's tip)
Eating utensils
Electrical adapter and plug converter
Fishing line - Can be used as clothesline, etc. Strongest string in the world! (Member's tip)
Flashlight or torch - Don't forget the batteries
Frisbee, hackey sack, ball, pack of cards or other recreational items
Gifts are always appreciated while travelling (Member's tip)
Guidebooks, or print outs from our online travel guide
GPS (Member's tip)
Inflatable travel pillow
International driving license - If driving overseas, have your driving license translated
International Student Identification Card - For discounts worldwide
iPod, MP3 player, Discman etc. - Including music and batteries
Laptop - Especially for the business travellers
Laundry detergent
Maps (incl. small map of the world to show where you are from) (Member's tip)
Mini camera tripod - Big is better if you have the space!
Mobile phone or SIM card
Mosquito net
Passport photos
Phone card - Both for local and international calls
Photocopies of important documents in case they are stolen (Member's tip)
Phrase books or dictionaries
Pillow or pillowcase to stuff with clothes
Plastic bags
Power cords and chargers for all your electrical items - Save some money on batteries
Resume and work references - Don't forget these if you are planning to work while travelling
Skis, ski shoes, ski poles or a snowboard - If you are planning a winter holiday, you want to remember these!
Sleep sheet
Sleeping bag
Sleeping mat
Speakers for iPod etc.
Swiss Army knife or Leatherman tool - Don't keep in your carry on as it will be removed
Toilet paper (Member's tip)
Towels, beach and otherwise - the quick drying versions are very handy!
Travel alarm clock
Universal sink plug - Squash ball can double as one (Member's tip)
Umbrella (Member's tip)
Watch
Wet wipes/Baby wipes - Handy for cleaning hands or washing yourself in absense of a shower (Member's tip)
Ziplock bags - The freezer ones are usually the best

More suggestions: What Would You Pack?

Trip Planning and Packing Tips

Busy packing and afraid it's not all going to fit?

Not sure how to start planning your trip?

Check out our Trip Planning tips and Packing Tips to help you get started and pack efficiently.

Use the travel planner to help organise your research

Online Travel Guide

If you're looking for more information about your destination, have a look through our Free Travel Guides contributed by users and print out the articles that are relevant to you.