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It’s finally here! That vacation you’ve been looking forward to for months is finally here and now you have to figure out exactly what to take with you. Don’t worry, I’ve created the Ultimate International Travel Packing List so you don’t have to figure out on your own what you should and shouldn’t take with you.

Your International Travel Packing List

When you travel overseas there are certain things you will absolutely need to have no matter the location but whatever else you take is up to you. I’ve put together a printable packing list of items that you might need to pack when traveling overseas. Not everything on the list will apply for every location you travel, but you can still use the list for what you need.

What Kind of Suitcase Should You Take

As you get ready to pack, you’ll have to figure out what kind of suitcase to pack everything in. Are you planning on checking a bag at the airport or do you want to get it all in a carry-on bag? What kind of suitcase you take will mostly depend on two things: where are you going and how long will you be gone?

If you’re planning a long weekend getaway to the beach you can probably get by with a smaller suitcase like a carry-on. You’ll mostly have lightweight clothing and bathing suits so you won’t need much.

However, if your vacation is taking you to the mountains of Switzerland to go skiing you’ll need something larger than a carry-on. Even if it’s a weekend getaway your clothes will be much heavier and thicker than beach clothes.

You’ll be like Goldilocks trying to figure out which suitcase to take: this one’s too big but that one is too small. There’s no wrong choice, just different options depending on your vacation. Well, unless you’re actually trying to fit all of your ski clothes in a carry-on. That probably won’t work.

Women sitting on a silver hardshell suitcase that is stuffed with clothes trying to get the suitcase closed.

Checked Luggage

There are pros and cons to checking a bag at the airport and for me, checking a bag is something I try to avoid but sometimes it’s just unavoidable.

One pro to checking a bag is you get to take more of what you want to bring. You won’t have to choose between this outfit and that outfit: take them both! You can also bring more than the TSA’s 3oz limit of liquids.

Another pro to having a checked bag is having more room for the things you buy. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve traveled with just a carry-on bag only to end up buying another suitcase because I’ve bought too many clothes and souvenirs.

There are cons to checking a suitcase at the airport. If you’re traveling to multiple cities you’ll have to drag the large suitcase each time. If you’re in Europe (or pretty much anywhere outside of the United States), that might mean dragging it down uneven cobblestone streets. Cobblestone streets look so cute until you have to drag a big suitcase on it.

If you’re taking public transportation such as trains to get from one place to another you’ll have to lift that heavy bag up the stairs and maneuver it through the crowded train. Not fun.

One thing I always worry about when I check a bag is whether or not my suitcase will arrive at my final destination. This is the number one reason that I try to avoid checking a bag when I travel.

Carry-on Bag

Traveling with just a carry-on bag is always my goal. It doesn’t always happen but it’s what I try to do. Just like the checked bag, there are both pros and cons to having just a carry-on when you travel.

One of the pros to just taking a carry-on is not having to worry about your things getting lost or stolen. Have you ever arrived at your destination and your checked bag didn’t? You don’t have to worry about that with a carry-on. It’s also very freeing to not have 10,000 outfits with you. Makes picking what to wear much simpler.

The biggest con is having to really narrow down what you bring. Shoes will take up the most space so for me, it’s typically shoes that get cut first. Another con is having to drag it everywhere with you until you reach your final destination. From dragging it through the airport, going through security, lifting it up into the overhead and making sure it’s not overpacked so much that it won’t fit in the overhead are the biggest cons to traveling with a carry-on bag.

Of course you don’t have to settle for just one. You can take both as well as a personal item such as a backpack or purse. However, just remember that you do have to carry those with you once you leave the airport so make sure you’re sure.

Women lifting a gray hard shell suitcase into the overhead of the airplane cabin.

TSA Rules

It’s become an unfortunate part of traveling but we all have to follow the rules of the TSA when we fly. It’s annoying but we don’t really have a choice. Unless you have your own private plane. If you do and you’re reading this please invite me on your next trip! ๐Ÿ™‚

You can check the TSA website for what you can and cannot bring in a carry-on or even a checked bag so if you aren’t sure it’s always good to look it up. They’re pretty thorough on their site and list everything from weapons to electronics to even a bread machine.

You might even want to check the official website of the visiting country’s airport to see what they allow you to take. It won’t affect you going there but it will coming back home.

Most of us won’t be transporting weapons or bread machines but you may want to know how big your shampoo bottle can be, can you bring a razor, or if you can bring a drone in your carry on. You can visit their website and enter your item in the search bar to find your answer.

Must Have For An International Trip

There are definitely some must have items that you have to pack when traveling overseas. These are 4 items you need in order to go overseas or things you will need once you are there.

  1. Passport and Visa
  2. Travel Adapter
  3. Travel Documents
  4. Money and/or Credit Cards

These 4 items are pretty much non-negotiable for an overseas packing list. You need to make sure your passport is up to date, which means you’ll need to have at least 6 months left on your passport AFTER you return from your trip.

Not every country requires you to have a visa when you travel there but if it does you need to make sure you have it. A lot of countries now allow you to apply for your visa online instead of going somewhere in person. You’ll usually get the approval in your email within a few days

If you’re traveling to a foreign country you’ll likely need a travel adapter. A travel adapter is a device that allows you to plug electronic devices into foreign outlets when traveling to countries with different plug types or socket designs. You’ll want this for charging your phone, camera batteries, laptops, using your hair dryer, and more.

Next, either have your boarding pass printed or on your phone. As far as I know all international airports do accept a digital boarding pass.

And finally, you’ll need some money. These days it’s not really necessary to exchange money (your home country currency for vacation country’s currency). The fees are pretty outrageous to do that so I skip it.

Nearly everywhere you travel accepts credit cards or will have an ATM to withdraw cash. This makes it easy to keep track of what you spend and to not have to carry around a bunch of money. The one place where you DO have to have cash is Cuba.

woman holding a credit card in one hand and a cell phone in the other with her passport, a suitcase, and beach hat

What to pack for an International Trip

What to pack for an overseas trip will depend on where you’re going. Not everything on a packing list will apply but it’s still a good idea to have a pre-made list that can be used over and over again. You can either print the list out each time you need it or print it, laminate it, and use the same one again and again.

However you decide to use your overseas packing list you’ll probably still want to try to take as little as possible. I have some tips below for each category of items you’ll need to pack.

Clothing

What you’re going to wear is probably the first thing you think about when it comes to packing for a vacation. We all have our own style but one thing I’ve learned over my many decades of traveling is that it needs to be comfortable.

I have a closet full of clothes and probably only wear 25% of them. I really need to get rid of half my clothes! The older I get, the more I just want to be comfortable. I rarely want to wear anything tight or anything I’m going to have to constantly be adjusting. Make sure whatever you bring it’s actually something you’ll wear.

  1. Try the outfit on before you leave to make sure it still fits. Sounds simple enough but many times I’ve thought “oh, I want to wear this tonight” and when I put it on it doesn’t fit right. Even a weight gain of 5 pounds will cause something to not fit. Try it on if you haven’t worn it in a while.
  2. Don’t go out and buy a brand new wardrobe for your trip. One or two things is fine but bring the clothes that you know you’ll wear and are already comfortable in.
  3. Try to mix and match your clothes. My whole wardrobe is very neutral. Mostly black with some white, gray, and browns. I can easily pack 10 items of clothing and have more than 20 combinations of outfits. Makes it super easy for packing.
Suitcase with clothes inside laying on a bed. A technology bag with plugs and charging cords lays open next to the suitcase in preparation to going on a vacation. Getting ready to travel.

Shoes

Again, I cannot stress the word comfort enough. Chances are good that you will be doing a lot of walking and you don’t want to end up with blisters. Even if it’s shoes you wear often, you might find when you’re walking around a city with lots of hills or uneven ground (like cobblestones), you might still end up with blisters.

I wear flip-flops at home all the time but even when I take the same shoes I wear every day at home, I can still end up with some blisters on my feet. Don’t take just one pair of shoes. Make sure you have a back-up.

Think about the activities you’ll be doing and the weather at the location. Will you be doing any hiking or bike riding? If so you’ll definitely want good tennis shoes or hiking shoes.

Shoes take up a lot of space in a suitcase so try to take just 2-3 pairs, including what you wear on the plane.

Toiletries

I think one of the hardest parts of packing for your trip is trying to fit all of your liquids in a tiny ziplock bag. But, we are forced to do just that unless you plan on checking a bag at the airport.

Basically, if it’s a liquid you’ll be limited to just 3.4 oz. You can take as many 3.4 oz containers as you want AS LONG AS they all fit in ONE quart size ziplock bag. Makeup that is not in a solid or powder form will need to be 3.4 oz or less and fit in that ziplock bag.

I typically put all of my non-liquid makeup in a makeup bag and the few items that are considered liquids go in the ziplock bag. Just know that if you have more than 12oz of powdered makeup it will need to be inspected. So many rules!

The TSA considers solid deodorent to be a liquid. Doesn’t make sense to me but whatever. Same goes with aerosol cans like hairspray and deodorent.

Bath accessories that include soap in a pink soap dish and plastic travel containers that have makeup and facial creams inside.

Health Items

If you have medications that you take daily, you’ll need to make sure to bring enough for your trip. I always bring a few days extra just in case our flight is cancelled or delayed. You should also put all of your medicines in your carry-on or personal bag.

It’s also a good idea to take a small first aid kit. Nothing too big but you’ll want to have some things on hand in case you need them. I usually take cold and allergy medicine, bandaids, immodium, sunscreen, tylenol and motrin, eye drops, cough drops, dramamine, rolaids, etc.

Not all countries have these things available to buy in a store. You’ll have to go to the pharmacy if you need them. You don’t need a prescription but even for a headache you’ll have to go there for medicine. Other countries also have different medicines (even over-the-counter ones) than what you might be used to at home. If you think you might need something, bring it.

travel bag with medicines inside - ultimate international travel packing list

Technology

When I travel I bring a slew of electronics with me. It’s really hard these days to live without them. For me, I’ve been a photographer for over 25 years so my camera equipment has to come with me. I try to minimize what I bring because it becomes pretty heavy in my backpack but I just can’t seem to leave it behind.

Even if you don’t take camera equipment with you when you travel, there will likely be some kind of technology you bring with you on an overseas trip. You’ll likely have your cell phone and charger and maybe a battery bank at the very least.

Other items you might want to bring are headphones, a tablet or laptop, or a drone.

Whatever kind of technology you travel with you’ll want to make sure you carry it with you on the plane. Do not put anything of great value in your checked luggage because it could get stolen.

gray technology bag with airpods and charging cables inside - travel packing list

Miscellaneous Items

Anytime you travel overseas you have to really think about what you might need while you’re away. It’s much different than just traveling from one state to another where you can typically find the same kinds of things you can find at home. You don’t want to have to walk around a city where you don’t know where to find a needle and thread to sew a button back on your shirt.

Some things you’ll want to consider bringing are an umbrella, raincoat, and a walking stick. If you’re going to be gone for several weeks or longer, you may want to bring some detergent and a clothesline so you can wash your clothes.

The list of possible things you might need to bring with you is endless. I’ve put a variety of items on my International Travel Packing List.

Carry-On Essentials

If you’re spending 8+ hours traveling to another country, you’ll likely want to have some personal items with you. This includes lotion, lip balm, tissue, snacks, a book or magazine, and more. Picture yourself at the airport and in the plane for a half a day (or longer) and imagine what you could possibly need.

Have a backpack or purse to put those things in and make sure it can fit under the seat in front of you so you have easy and quick access to it. You can check the airline you’ll be flying on to get the exact maximum size measurments for your personal bag.

Closeup female hands putting reusable water bottle into a pink handbag that has a wallet, tablet, and agenda planner inside.

Frequently Asked Questions

What do US citizens need to travel internationally

The one item you need that you absolutely need to travel overseas is a passport. Some countries require a visa as well.

How do you keep your passport safe when traveling to another country?

Once you get to your final destination you can either keep your passport in your hotel room safe, lock it up in your suitcase, or you can keep it with you.

How do you pack lightly for an international trip?

Most people tend to overpack when they travel so you will need to pack with intention. Resist bringing more than you need by taking half the clothes you really want to take.

How many 3 oz bottles can I take on a plane?

You can take as many as you can fit into ONE quart size ziplock bag.

Can I take food on the plane

Yes, food is allowed on the plane but if you’re bringing something from home it will still need to follow the 3oz rule if there are liquids (like soup).

Can I take a water bottle on the plane

You cannot bring a full water bottle through airport security but you can bring an empty bottle and fill up at a water fountain or buy one after you get through security. Warning: after security everything is really expensive.

Things to Pack for an International Trip – Final thoughts

There really is a lot to consider when you’re traveling to another country. Not only do you NOT want to forget something important, you also have to make sure you are in compliance with the TSA and airline.

It’s a lot to try and remember and having a packing list that tells you what to pack when traveling overseas will help keep you from stressing about what you need to take with you. It also ensures that you do not forget something important.

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