suitcases

International Vacation Essentials Packing Checklist

Use this cheat sheet to remind yourself of what you need to bring.

Accessories

  1. Check

    Slippers

  2. Check

    Sunglasses

Equipment

  1. Check

    Alarm clock

  2. Check

    Batteries for small electronics and cameras

  4. Check

    Camera (and film, if needed)

  5. Check

    Electrical adapters and converters (consider packing as many battery-operated electronics as possible, as converters can be expensive to buy and heavy to carry)

  6. Check

    Chargers for your cell phone, camera, video camera, and laptop

  7. Check

    Hair dryer (if your hotel doesn’t supply one)

  8. Check

    Headphones for watching in-flight movies

  9. Check

    iPod and iPod dock

  10. Check

    Tripod

  11. Check

    Video camera

Health and Beauty Items

  1. Check

    Antibacterial wipes

  2. Check

    Body lotion

  3. Check

    Contact lens solution

  4. Check

    Comb and brush

  5. Check

    Deodorant

  6. Check

    Extra contact lenses and glasses, if needed

  7. Check

    Face cleanser

  8. Check

    First aid kit, including gas-relief tablets, antacid, antidiarrheal medicine, antihistamine for allergies, bandages, candied ginger for motion sickness, mild laxative, non-aspirin pain reliever, thermometer in a hard case

  9. Check

    Floss

  10. Check

    Insect repellant

  11. Check

    Lip balm (choose one with SPF 15)

  12. Check

    Personal-hygiene items

  13. Check

    Prescriptions

  14. Check

    Razors

  15. Check

    Shampoo and conditioner

  16. Check

    Shaving gel

  17. Check

    Soap

  18. Check

    Sunscreen (at least one all-purpose sunscreen with SPF 15)

  19. Check

    Toothbrush

  20. Check

    Toothpaste

  21. Check

    Travel-sized detergent

Miscellaneous

  1. Check

    Addresses of friends and family for postcards

  2. Check

    ATM cards (check to see if your bank has international ATM locations to avoid high fees, and let your bank know you'll be traveling abroad before you leave)

  3. Check

    Credit cards (credit card companies give some of the best exchange rates available)

  4. Check

    Driver’s license

  5. Check

    Contact information

  6. Check

    Guidebooks

  7. Check

    Health-insurance card (check to see if your health-care provider has an overseas partner, and consider locating a medical facility near your hotel in case of emergency)

  8. Check

    Healthy snacks (chewy granola bars, dried fruit, mini bagels, nuts and pretzels, and string cheese)

  9. Check

    Maps and directions

  10. Check

    Money belt

  11. Check

    Money conversion chart

  12. Check

    Passport

  13. Check

    Photocopies of passport (make a few copies to have on hand in case of emergency)

  14. Check

    Photograph of luggage contents in case of loss

  15. Check

    Printouts of reservations

  16. Check

    Translation dictionary

  17. Check

    Travel journal

  18. Check

    Travel pillow and blanket

  19. Check

    Vaccination certificate

  20. Check

    FAA-regulation plastic bags for stowing small liquid containers

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