The Best Trip Packing Lists for Every Destination: Roundup of our Favorites
Packing the right clothes and gear can make or break your vacation, so it’s essential to do your research on what to bring. Over the years, we’ve researched packing lists for dozens of destinations, and when we started PlanIt Wandering, we considered developing our own packing lists. However, we quickly realized there are dozens if not hundreds of other blogs and travel guides that have published almost identical packing lists.
So rather than reinventing the wheel, we’ve scoured our research and rounded up the best packing lists we’ve found and used in our own trip planning. Check out our favorite packing lists online below.
Best Stylish Packing Lists for Women By Destination & Season
Travel Fashion Girl – I first stumbled on Travel Fashion Girl’s (TFG) site when planning our first trip to Europe in 2015. I was nervous about packing the right clothing to stay comfortable and not look too ‘touristy’. I was able to follow TFG’s destination-specific packing guides to find recommended looks for all three of our destinations- London, Paris, and Amsterdam. Ever since then, I’ve used TFG to help plan outfits for most of our trips, especially when visiting larger cities.
In addition to segmenting lists by destination, TFG also usually provides suggestions for what to pack during each season. They also have an emphasis on packing light and have great lists for versatile capsule wardrobes.
Best Packing Lists for Adventure Travel
REI’s Adventure Travel Checklist– Packing for city travel can be a little easier, because, worst case scenario, you can often buy anything that you forgot to back. Adventure travel usually doesn’t offer that convenience, as you’re usually father away from stores. So, when traveling to more remote locations, it’s important that you pack the essentials. For our first backpacking trip last summer, we relied on REI’s checklists because we felt they gave a good baseline for a short and simple backpacking trip.
Once we reviewed the list, we discovered that we needed to purchase or borrow a few things. Once we made our shopping list, we used the reviews on Gear Junkie to narrow down our options and find the best items.
Best General Men’s Packing Lists
Cool Men Style: The Complete Travel Packing List For Men- While many packing lists are gender neutral, sometimes it’s nice to get some specific recommendations for men’s clothing. Unfortunately, packing lists made specifically for women seem to far outnumber packing lists specifically for men. However, this one but this one adds a little more details about what types of styles and fabrics are best for travel.
Best Packing Lists for Cold Weather
Practical Wanderlust’s 25 Essentials for Cold Weather Travel– Traveling to cold weather destinations usually requires extra clothing and sometimes specialized gear. Practical Wanderlust does a nice job of describing everything you need to stay warm, toasty, and protected (even down to the lip balm!). Even as lifelong mid-westerners, used to cold winters, we have found that we needed to supplement our normal winter wardrobe for cold-weather travel. For example, when we traveled to Iceland in December a couple of years ago, we found that our standard winter coats and boots wouldn’t suffice after reviewing packing list suggestions. So we upgraded to waterproof, insulated versions of both. We were so glad we researched recommended packing lists beforehand, otherwise, our we would have been cold, wet, and miserable on our trip!
Best Packing List for Tropical Destinations
Women on the Road: The Complete Tropical Vacation Packing List – We’re currently using this list to plan for our upcoming trip to Costa Rica, because it offers practical packing advice for any tropical destination. This list provides a very detailed list of clothing, personal items, and gear to back for very warm weather destinations. Although it’s targeted at women, there are helpful tips for men here too.
Best Packing List for Conservative Cultures
The Boho Chica: What to Wear in Dubai- When Mike and I got a last minute opportunity to travel to Dubai, I immediately started researching appropriate clothing for a conservative country like the U.A.E. I’m a fairly conservative dresser by nature, however, I wanted to be sure my clothing was appropriate for an Islamic country where modesty is expected. This list was developed by a Dubai-native and gives practical advice on what to wear, and more importantly, what not to wear to avoid offending anyone and stay comfortable. Granted, Dubai is more liberal than some Islamic countries, so this packing list may still not be modest enough depending on your destination. Just do your research on your destination before you pack!
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Now that you’ve found your packing list, use these resources to plan the rest of your trip!