Planning a vacation doesn’t just end at having a perfect itinerary with cheapest flights and accommodation. It also requires meticulous planning and accumulating all the essentials at least a week before your trip so that there are no ugly surprises once you land.
Travellers who spend not more than 30 minutes in packing, even for a 2 week vacation, in their defence, they say- ‘everything is available everywhere’. I hear you. You may call me a nerd and that’s okay because that’s the truth. I’d rather spend my precious vacation time enjoying the place than waste hours finding the one tiny thing I forgot to bring along.
Sure, we all know we need to pack our mobile chargers, power bank, sunglasses, medicines, etc. but often we overlook certain items that may not sound ‘necessary’ but can exponentially improve our travel experience.
1. Packing Cubes- I am actually surprised that so many travellers still pack their luggage without this ‘obvious sounding’ item. These magic cubes will revolutionise the way you travel. Sounds hyperbolic? Read on.
Save Space- All tall claims of rolled clothes saving space are true only if you stuff those cylindrical chunks into packing cubes. You will soon realise how much space you’re able to save even with 4 pairs of bulky jeans if you roll them and tightly tuck them into a medium/ large sized cube. All your woollens and fluffy jackets will behave themselves inside a packing cube and not be all over the place. Think about how much more shopping you’re now able to do since now you fly to your destination with a half empty suitcase!
Save Time- Using different sized and coloured cubes to compartmentalise your dresses, tees, undergarments, PJs and jeans will save your precious vacation time. You no longer spend several minutes rummaging through your bags trying to find that little scarf you want to wear. It also saves so much time repacking when you change hotels and unpacking when you are back from your vacation. Keep placing dirty clothes in separate cubes while on your trip and straight up place that in your laundry bag once you’re home!
Be Efficient- Packing cubes are not just for clothes. Pack your electronics, souvenirs and even food packets (chips, biscuits etc) in them, to keep them organised and at one place in your luggage. Just knowing what is kept where will ease your anxiety tremendously if you are a control freak like me. If you are a backpacker and have already lost interest in my ‘packing cube appreciation’ rant, please do yourself a favour and convert your free-spirited backpack into a super organised zone with these. A family sharing a suitcase can segregate their belongings into different cubes with each member responsible for his/ her own packing cube.
No Wrinkles- There’s no rule that you HAVE to roll your clothes in packing cubes. Your formal cotton shirts, which will inevitably get creases if you roll them, can be folded and stacked neatly on top of one another. I have even packed my blazers this way and they were ready to wear, without ironing.
Using Packing Cubes has been life-enriching for me. Imagine them as Tetris blocks and add some fun to packing!
A little secret? I use them even in my home closets to store my clothes! Only difference is they’re called ‘sari-covers’ in India which are much bigger in size.
I use the ones from Amazon Basics (~INR 1000 for 4; they’re always on discount) and Travel Check (double sided). If you can spend a fortune on these, then EagleCreek is the best brand to go for. Make sure you buy the ones with mesh which allow you to easily find what you’re looking for, and with a handle. Get these in at-least 4 different sizes.
2. Garbage Bags- Long ago, I forgot packing these for a road trip and the fact that I still remember it speaks volumes on how underrated but essential this is. Got a puking baby in the car? Garbage bags are your saviour. Even after the damage is already done, separate the soiled clothes into these and wash once home.
Other use cases? Road trip snacking that makes your car resemble a trash can, hiking in the mountains while munching on a packet of chips, quarantining your wet/ dirty clothes from clean ones in your suitcase, using it as a poncho during unpredictable showers etc. Just stuff a couple of these in your car/ day bag and say hello to peace of mind. Make sure you buy the bio degradable ones, they’re available on Amazon.
3. Car Accessories (Mobile stand, AUX)- There will be plenty of times while renting a car in Europe that you are expected to pay extra for a GPS, and it IS expensive. Few times it may be free but you WILL have certain challenges in using it efficiently and seamlessly while driving. We all are so accustomed to using the traditional Google Maps that a slight familiarity while dealing with other foreign parameters like - a different driving side, a different language, different traffic rules, etc, will give you the much required comfort. I always end up using both the car GPS and Google Maps (have always taken unlimited data plan on overseas trips) esp. if there are location coordinates shared by my Airbnb host for last mile tracing. Well, coming to the point.
You need your phone within your line of sight while driving as it is frustrating to look down or sideways for directions.
Pack a good quality suction Mobile Phone Holder and test it before you leave for your trip. If you pack something new and untested, you may discover on your trip that it can’t even take your phone’s weight.
More often than you imagine, your phone will fail to connect to the car bluetooth at least for the first few hours of renting your car. Just pull out the good old Aux Cable that you almost reluctantly packed and enjoy your road trip playlist.
Another handy thing to pack is a USB Splitter that you won’t ever get in your rental car. We all need to charge our phones at the same time, don’t we? Make a small kit with these three items and keep it at an accessible area inside your bag so that as soon as you rent your car, you set these up quickly and get moving!
4. Sonic Soak- An almost accidental discovery that my husband made back in 2017 on US-based crowd-funding platform indiegogo.com but now so relevant in post-Covid times.
It is a compact cleaner that uses ultrasonic waves that travel through the water to clean at a microscopic level.
Just put ANYTHING you wish to clean- clothes (along with detergent), shoes, vegetables, toys, makeup brushes in a tub of water, set the time, switch it on and wait for the magic to happen. You obviously will need to wash clothes/ shoes with hand too to remove stains but you can rely on this for removing invisible bacteria and viruses.
Slightly pricey at $250 (check for discounts here) but an investment for bacteria/virus-free travel. I got 2 of these at $200 (incl. shipping) at the time it was launched and was selling only through Indiegogo. There may be many more similar products that you can research on.
5. Toilet Seat Sanitizer- I hate to admit that I carried one for the first time in my last trip. With an obvious surge of demand on personal hygiene products in the ‘new world’, where everyone is sanitising everything that is touched, not disinfecting a toilet seat seems daredevilry. A little spray bottle is useful not only while traveling but also when you are out and about in your own city. There are other products available like wipes and toilet seat covers but a spray is the easiest to carry and use. I carry a 50ml PEESAFE bottle.
6. Plastic Tiffin Box- Another storage item that I started carrying just recently is a light-weight medium sized plastic (make sure it’s microwaveable) box to store my snacks (loose candies, biscuits, sandwich) while I’m out for sightseeing. Before leaving for a hike or a long road trip, I usually pop into a supermarket and pick up sandwich/ bagel to satiate sudden hunger pangs.
Keeping these inside a leak-proof airtight box will not only retain their freshness but also save your other stuff from unexpected mayo explosions, likely to happen with flimsy sandwich wrapping.
You may even use this box to heat leftover food in a microwave if you’ve run out of clean ceramic dishes in your B&B. While packing on your last day of trip, stuff the delicate souvenirs like fridge magnets, cosmetics etc. into this for excellent protection. There are even collapsible Tupperware boxes available in the market.
7. Coin Pouch- Raise your hand if you ever felt pressurised to pay quickly at a store in a foreign country where you just couldn’t pull out the right coins from your overstuffed purse. You know that flashing a EUR 10 note for a ridiculously low bill amount will attract a few stares from the cashier and the people queuing up behind you. A small pouch where you keep collecting the spare coins becomes even more useful while paying tolls, for toilets and parking tickets where exact change is required.
I love this cute plastic case with a handle.
8. Duct Tape/ Feviquick- I have clubbed these two super adhesives into a single point, but they have pretty much different applications. Use a duct tape to mend a holed jacket, dress, bag, etc. or taping any shampoo/ liquid bottles/ food containers to make them leak proof. It can also be a makeshift bandage for cuts or even shoe blisters.
A Feviquick is a super glue which practically bonds anything- mug, ceramic plate or your B&B host belongings that you accidentally broke during your stay (listen all you fellow butterfingers). Just be mindful of how ridiculously icky it is when it falls on your skin; you definitely don’t want horrid-looking fingers for 2 days on a vacation (been there, suffered that).
9. Quick Dry Towel- We will use the same towel for weeks at home, but during a 2 day hotel stay we want a new fresh towel the next day. If you’re staying in a B&B in Europe, please bear in mind that you will get max one extra set of towels in your room regardless of the length of your stay and you’re expected to make do with it.
Many B&Bs even charge you for an extra set and in the post-Covid world, it is prudent to carry your own set of towels.
A soft compact microfibre towel which dries in minutes is the best and cheapest solution. I bought mine from Decathlon and can swear by it.
10. Dry Shampoo- I am the one who used to wash her hair everyday on a vacation, until I got myself a dry shampoo from Batiste. If washing your hair seems like a task and you just don’t have the time for it, a dry shampoo works just fine.
Please don’t step out with a semi-wet head in sub zero temperatures on your winter vacation. Just spray a little dry shampoo on your head and smell like a jasmine or a coconut or mint. You get the point. It is not an overrated ‘just another haircare product to cheat you’, it is a haircare essential.
I hope this article could help you add even a single new item in your future packing list.
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