Printable Packing List For Travel

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regardless if you’re more of a type A traveler (aka ‘the planner’) or more of a type B traveler (aka ‘the carefree’) there comes a point when you need to make sure you’ve got everything tucked away in that little suitcase of yours. i have just what you need in terms of a printable packing list!

Printable Packing List for a Trip

i know it says the ultimate women’s packing list, but the printable is gender neutral so men feel free to use it too (you can just cross off the tampon reminder).

as my husband and i prepare for 23 days of travel to mexico, australia and then hong kong, my list making skills roared their organized heads. he suggested i create a more permanent packing list on excel for us since i’m always writing them out. then i one-upped him and said “ohhh my goodness…maybe others on the internet could benefit from this and i could learn how to make the elusive printable!” and after much formatting, i did!

here’s what the basic but helpful ultimate packing list looks like!

you can download it for freesies because i appreciate you and really want to make sure you have everything you need whether you are traveling internationally or domestically. it helps to cut down on the anxiety too.

click here so you can download it, print it out and then check it twice, just like santa! there are little lines next to many of the check mark boxes so you can put the desired quantity based on how long and/or how many people.

if you don’t want to download it now, feel free to pin it so you can find it easier when you travel next!

Printable Packing List for a Trip

 

i am spending the rest of the day getting packed up, dropping off our puppy (so sad) and then meticulously selecting what snacks shall join us on the journey. i hope your week is off to a great start!

questions
1) what is something that you’re always paranoid of forgetting when you travel? (mine is our passport and our “peace flag”)
2) how soon do you start packing before a trip?
3) what trips do you have coming up?

31 Comments

  1. Ashley

    May 18, 2015 at 8:50 am

    Definitely needed this! I am going on a cruise in just a few weeks!
    Ashley recently posted…The Weekend I Went to Way TOO Many Bars

    • chelsea

      May 18, 2015 at 11:08 am

      ohhhh fun! have a fantastic time ashley and hope this list helps keep it all organized 🙂

  2. Brittany

    May 18, 2015 at 8:55 am

    This is GREAT! Thanks so much for sharing–I’m awful at packing
    Brittany recently posted…Weekend Round-Up // The Best Self-Tanner

    • chelsea

      May 18, 2015 at 11:09 am

      hooray! so glad you like the printable brittany. packing totally stresses me out too and this list absolutely helps!

  3. Audrey

    May 18, 2015 at 8:55 am

    Great idea, Chelsea!! This is such a thorough checklist! I will definitely be printing and pinning to save for our July vacation!

    I typically pack very early, but for Niagara Falls last month I tried to wait until the last minute (similar to my husband’s style)… Not a great idea- packing a week or two ahead keeps me sane!

    We’re headed to a lake in Missouri for a week at the end of July with my family. I’m not 100% percent sure how it’s going to go or what we’re going to do, but I’m staying positive. Lol!
    Audrey recently posted…The Golden Vlog || Link-up

    • chelsea

      May 18, 2015 at 11:10 am

      woohoo! glad you found the list thorough and there’s also spaces to add your own needs. excited for your vacation in july to missouri.

      i know what you mean about getting prepped about a week before, it helps keep me sane too!

  4. Amanda

    May 18, 2015 at 9:07 am

    Great idea! I keep meaning to make a master list too for myself, but then never do. It varies too when you travel for fun versus for business (because then you need business cards, notebooks, maybe a recorder, and nicer clothes), and what climate you’re traveling to.
    I’m always paranoid I’m going to forget my phone charger.
    Amanda recently posted…Golden Vlog: Travel Edition

    • chelsea

      May 18, 2015 at 11:12 am

      you’re totally right that it’s different too when you travel for business! i started out with this one having a business section but figured “misc” could cover it and then people could add things they needed! so many things go into travel based on what it’s for and where you’re going and ohhh those climate changes too. whew.

      ohh phone charger is one that makes me nervous of forgetting too amanda!

  5. Elyse

    May 18, 2015 at 9:41 am

    This is a great idea, even if I have no immediate plans to travel! I know it’ll cut down on my travel anxiety!

    I’m always paranoid of forgetting my medications, since those aren’t easy to replace, so I usually put extra in a purse I’m taking a week before just for peace of mind!
    Elyse recently posted…The Later-Moon

    • chelsea

      May 18, 2015 at 11:33 am

      me too, elyse! i wanted to be able to call out what i deemed the most important and hard to replace things right up front like medications for that exact reason! my passports have been living in my purse for a while now too and i clutch it like someone is going to steal it at any moment 🙂
      chelsea recently posted…Printable Packing List For Travel

  6. Ashley @ Saving Money in your Twenties

    May 18, 2015 at 11:46 am

    Love this!! Just pinned it for use next time we go somewhere 🙂 I’m always paranoid that I’ll forget warm clothing (I am alwayyyys cold) or my makeup (#firstworldproblems) or toothbrush or face wash! Basically anything and everything.
    Ashley @ Saving Money in your Twenties recently posted…One purchase I REEEEEALLY want to make…

    • chelsea

      May 19, 2015 at 7:41 am

      thanks so much for pinning, ashley! hah i feel you on having a long list of forgetting things. i will say i’m pleasantly surprised that while i write this in the airport, i’m feeling pretty good that i got everything! we will see once we open the (overweight) suitcase!
      chelsea recently posted…Printable Packing List For Travel

  7. Lindsay

    May 18, 2015 at 2:15 pm

    THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT I NEEDED THANK YOU FOR SAVING MY LIFE.
    Lindsay recently posted…Weekend Update

  8. Kristi

    May 18, 2015 at 5:27 pm

    Love this!

    In a month I’m heading to Turkey for the first time and back to Egypt for a month. I just bought a GoPro and hope to figure out how to use it before I leave. Tech guy hint- I’m waiting on the memory card that didn’t come with it.

    To your list adding homemade flash cards of some Arabic and Turkish words since my language skills stink- and while some words are similar- I’m discovering not many.

    I love travel vlogger Sonia Gil’s YouTube videos (sonia’stravels) and she recommended nail polish remover pads. Since painting my nails helps me relax, I’ll be adding a couple of bottles of polish to your-my packing list too.

    Thank you for writing this.

    • chelsea

      May 19, 2015 at 7:44 am

      wow! i’ve heard turkey is incredible kristi and we can both vouch for how spectacular egypt is. you are going to have SO MUCH FUN!!! we’ve been contemplating a go-pro so let us know how you like it!

      ohhh i’ll have to check out sonia gil’s channel! sounds like a smart lady and glad you’re adding a few bottles of nail polish to your list to help you relax!

  9. Melissa C

    May 18, 2015 at 6:49 pm

    THIS is just what I need. We drive 14 hours (one way) to jersey once a year and my lists are always hand written and start weeks in advance! THANKS FRIEND!
    Melissa C recently posted…Best Friends

    • chelsea

      May 19, 2015 at 7:45 am

      you are so welcome! you could even print them out for each kiddo or do a family one! and 14 hours in a car…whew. that’s making our 6 hour road trip through australia seem much more manageable so thank you!

  10. Meagan

    May 18, 2015 at 7:23 pm

    Well… I always write mine out, not sure why I never thought to just type and print each time! Thanks for printable, saving this for sure!

    • chelsea

      May 19, 2015 at 7:47 am

      i usually do too meagan and i think this will be super helpful to just click print and away we go! hope you find it helpful 🙂

  11. Neen

    May 19, 2015 at 2:43 am

    Great list – I have pinned this to use later! Have a great trip. I would never leave home without my noise cancelling earphones and mophie, pashmini (it acts as a wrap, a blanket and sometimes a booster seat in rental cars) 🙂

    For business trips I pack the same day mostly as my bag is permanently packed (I have an extra of absolutely everything that stays in my suitcase). For my international trips I pack the same day or the day before.

    I have SOOO Many trips coming up and I am grateful. Enjoy Oz they will love you
    Neen recently posted…Get Healthy – Walk and Talk

    • chelsea

      May 19, 2015 at 7:49 am

      neen! what a fun surprise to see a comment from you! thanks also for pinning especially since you’re quite the seasoned traveler 🙂

      haaa love that your blanket also acts as a booster seat in rental cars! hilarious. you are such a speedy packer and you have to be with all your travels coming up!

      can’t wait to visit and play in your home country 🙂 hope to see you in july!

  12. Diana

    May 19, 2015 at 5:34 am

    I start packing about a week before a trip. Or maybe preparing the right word. Anything I don’t have to use in daily life for the trip gets put in a pile to the side in preparation for packing. Personally I’m also paranoid of not having my phone on a trip. I once left it in the airport in Orlando (with all my instructions on how to get to the hotel to meet my husband in DC). Once I got to DC, I realized what had happened and had a complete breakdown in the airport.

    Thank goodness that payphones still exist and I committed early on in our relationship to learn my husband’s number by heart (and in turn made him learn mine). I was able to call him and get all the relevant information I needed. And my husband called my phone and found out the attendant at the gate found it and I could pick it up in a few days when I returned home.

    However, I’m now completely paranoid about having my phone in my hand before I board a flight.
    Diana recently posted…Kick Ass Shows that Pass the Bechdale Test

    • chelsea

      May 19, 2015 at 7:53 am

      oh noooo so sorry to hear you actually left your phone behind once and DC isn’t the most user-friendly city (read: SO overwhelming)! i would have had a meltdown too.

      that is so awesome that at least you got your phone back when you returned! i don’t blame you for the paranoia with need the phone in your hand, diana! i would too after that!

  13. carissajade

    May 19, 2015 at 5:35 am

    This is a great list! I need more organization when I travel. Thank you for this!
    carissajade recently posted…The Thin Line Between Healthy Eating And Disordered Eating

    • chelsea

      May 19, 2015 at 7:56 am

      i sure hope it helps carissa jade! i’m all about the organization when i travel too and now i feel a bit closer to that!
      chelsea recently posted…Printable Packing List For Travel

  14. Vivien

    May 20, 2015 at 6:00 pm

    1) Passport, and currency/access to funds (i.e. credit cards).
    2) Probably no less than a week before the departure date, depending on the duration of the trip.
    3) Thanks for the list chelsea! Much needed as I’ll be heading to my cousin’s wedding and then touring a bit around London. Don’t think I’ve ever tried packing for “two things” before (wedding and being a tourist) and I always tend to overpack…
    Vivien recently posted…Reaching Deep, Being Brave

    • chelsea

      May 21, 2015 at 8:23 am

      ohhhh yes, access to funds is an important one and to have even more than you think we need! we are experiencing this currently while our cash is dwindling since our pre-paid taxi never showed up at the airport and we had to drop $70 cash! frustrating.

      i hope you have so much fun at your cousin’s wedding and then london! i’ve never been to london before but i hear it’s amazing. my advice for packing for multiple things is try to find clothes that can work in multiple locations that can be worn again! have so much fun 🙂

  15. Danielle @ The-Lifestyle-Project

    May 22, 2015 at 9:23 am

    SNACKS and CARDS!! The two things I always forget for my big flights.
    Danielle @ The-Lifestyle-Project recently posted…An Adoption Story: Our Family of Three

    • chelsea

      May 25, 2015 at 3:28 am

      yeeeees!!!! snacks galore for sure!

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