What to pack

What it's for

Pack without forgetting anything: the list adapts to the trip type (beach, city, mountain, business) and duration, also working out clothes and underwear.

Tip

Tick items as you pack them. Roll clothes to save space and put liquids in a clear bag for security checks.

The three-pile rule

The fastest way to pack is to make three piles on the bed before opening the case: what you need every day (underwear, toothbrush, charger), what depends on the trip (swimsuit, boots, adapter) and what you take «just in case». The third pile is almost always the one to halve.

The honest test for that third pile is «can I buy it there in five minutes?»: toothpaste, socks and an umbrella exist everywhere, your regular medication and the camera's charger do not. Taking what cannot be bought and buying the rest on site is the simplest way to halve the weight.

Roll, compress, distribute

Rolling clothes really does save space, but the real gain is in filling the gaps: socks inside shoes, belts along the edge, cables in the side pockets. A case packed in compact layers also unpacks better, because nothing shifts on the way.

If you are flying with cabin baggage only, the practical rule is to keep heavy items near the wheels and liquids on top, where you can grab them at security without dismantling everything. And if the bag is on the weight limit, the heaviest jumper goes on you: not elegant, but it always works.

What people actually forget

The classic omissions are not clothes, they are the small things that make something else useless: the charging cable without its plug, the adapter without a power strip, the camera without a memory card, the sunglasses without their case.

The other category is documents and copies: the European health card, an international driving permit where it is needed, a photo of your passport on your phone and, for anyone travelling with medication, the prescription. They weigh nothing and their absence ruins a whole day.

Nearby tools

What you may take on board is answered by What you can take on a plane, and whether the case fits by Cabin bag sizes. For the sockets at your destination there is Plugs around the world.