Holiday packing list: what to take, in the order you need it
Pack in three groups. At the top or in your pocket: passport, phone, cards, chargers and medicines. In the middle: clothes for the days you are away, packed by type in cubes. At the bottom: shoes and anything you only need at the destination. Then check your airline's bag size and weight before you leave home.
Checked 4 Nov 2026
Documents and money
- Passport, valid for long enough for your destination's entry rules
- Any visa, entry permit or travel authorisation your destination requires
- Booking confirmations for flights and the first night's stay, saved offline
- Two payment cards, kept in different places
- Travel insurance details
- Driving licence if you plan to hire a car
Electronics
- Phone and charger
- A travel adapter for your destination's plugs; one with USB ports charges several devices from one socket
- Power bank, carried in hand luggage, not in a checked bag
- Earphones
- Mobile data for the trip, sorted before you land
Health and wash bag
- Prescription medicines in their original packaging, in your hand luggage
- Painkillers, plasters and any travel sickness tablets
- Sun cream and after-sun for warm destinations
- Toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, shampoo
- Clear liquids bag if you are travelling with hand luggage only
Clothes
Count the days, then pack for about two thirds of them if you can wash something midway. For a week:
- 4 to 5 tops and 2 to 3 bottoms that mix and match
- Underwear and socks for each day, or most days if you will wash
- One warm layer and one waterproof layer, even for summer evenings
- Sleepwear and swimwear
- Comfortable walking shoes plus one lighter pair
Packing cubes keep each group together, so you can find things without unpacking the whole bag.
For the journey
- Neck pillow for long flights or overnight travel
- Refillable water bottle, empty through security
- Snacks, a book or downloaded films
- Compression socks on flights of several hours
Before you close the bag
Check your airline's limits for the bag you are taking. Weigh it if you are close to the limit; a small luggage scale settles it at home rather than at the check-in desk. Take a photo of your packed bag: if it goes missing, the photo helps the airline find it.