I Travel Internationally for the Holidays Every Year, and These Are the 14 Essentials I Always Pack — All From $8

With humidity giving way to cool evenings and holiday travel season fast approaching, travelers might find themselves pondering over their anticipated packing struggles. Whether traveling to be with family that’s spread across corners of the world or simply escaping to a tropical location, deciding on the essentials you must pack can be a colossal task.

Holiday travel often presents a challenge when it comes to packing, mainly due to unpredictable weather and plans. Do you fill your suitcase with cozy sweaters or light dresses? What if you will be moving from a chilly setting, like Italy’s mountain range, to a humid location, like an Indian island?

Thankfully, time has allowed us to develop foolproof packing strategies for such scenarios. One such solution comes from years of international holiday travel: an international trip packing list that guarantees preparation for any situation thrown your way. This list includes travel essentials that have likely been with you for years. From a lightweight trench coat for warmth on flights to comfortable shoes and an RFID-blocking crossbody bag, nearly every eventuality is taken care of.

Items like trench coats are loved for their feasibility all year round; you might even prefer to grab onto it when you’re boarding a summertime flight. A coat is a fundamental travel item; it’s comfortable, versatile, and can transform your look from casual to stylish. Meanwhile, some shoes are so comfortable and breathable that you may find yourself wearing them even on long-haul flights or while strolling in a tropical location.

Then there are intrinsic travel essentials that serve more than one purpose. A lightweight, RFID-blocking bag, for instance, safeguards vital information while containing your mini-world inside it. From a designated phone pocket to credit card slots and large pockets, this bag doubles as a wardrobe organizer.

When predicting conditions during a holiday trip becomes a challenge, the best way to deal with it is versatility. The idea of trotting around in your fashionable trench coat one moment in Italy or switching to a comfortable, elegant pair of slip-on boots while contrasting a humid Indian island during your international holiday travel cannot be more appealing.

Moreover, technology cannot be left behind when one travels. Portable chargers have become indispensable travel companions, whether you’re traveling within the country or abroad. Layovers can often be long and without reliable access to outlets – this issue gets decidedly worse when those outlets are incompatible with the chargers you’ve brought.

As far as clothing goes, it’s always best to pack something unique as well. If you’re Indian, for instance, you may want to carry traditional South Asian outfits which can be worn to traditional holiday parties. These clothes can be mixed and matched with Western apparel for versatility.

Other items like a flight jacket, wrinkle-free pants, waterproof organizer pouch, a cashmere sweater, sneakers, a scalp scrub, mini deodorant pack, moisturizer, and some of your favorite snacks add to the diverse trove of travel essentials for an international holiday. These items offer utility and comfort by effortlessly matching with different outfits and occasions, maintaining freshness during the journey, protecting expensive items, and providing on-the-go nourishment.

Creating a master checklist of all these items can help alleviate the pressure of packing. It ensures that you fully enjoy the holiday season while making the most out of your travel essentials. With these items in your suitcase, your holiday packing woes will cease to exist. Now, all that’s left to do is plan, pack, and set off for a wonderful holiday season. With a strategy like this, who says holiday travel has to be stressful?