Quick summary: Pack your documents and medication first, check airline rules before you travel, and keep essentials in your hand luggage to avoid stress at the airport.
Packing for a holiday should feel exciting, not stressful. This simple holiday packing checklist will help you stay organised, avoid last-minute panic, and make sure you have the essentials before you leave.
Before you go
- Check your passport is valid
- Check visa requirements if needed
- Buy travel insurance early
- Check travel advice
- Book parking, hotel or transfers
- Download airline apps and boarding passes
- Check baggage allowance
- Check if vaccinations are needed
Documents and money
- Passport
- Boarding passes
- Travel insurance
- Accommodation details
- GHIC or EHIC
- Bank cards
- Local currency
Top tip: Keep all documents in one travel wallet so they are easy to access at security and boarding.
Hand luggage essentials
- Passport and boarding pass
- Phone and charger
- Medication
- Headphones
- Snacks
- Reusable water bottle
Medication checklist
- Keep medication in hand luggage
- Original packaging where possible
- Prescription copy
- Doctor’s letter if needed
Clothing checklist
- Tops and outfits
- Underwear and sleepwear
- Swimwear
- Light jacket
- Comfortable shoes
Toiletries and health
- Toothbrush and toothpaste
- Shampoo and toiletries
- Sunscreen
- Pain relief
- First aid basics
Family travel checklist
- Nappies and wipes
- Food and bottles
- Spare clothes
- Toys and activities
Carers and accessibility
- Request special assistance
- Medication list
- Medical equipment
- Support documents
Accessibility tip: Book airport assistance in advance to help everything run more smoothly.
Before leaving home
- Lock doors and windows
- Turn off appliances
- Empty bins
- Arrange pet care
Packing tips
- Roll clothes to save space
- Use packing cubes
- Keep valuables in hand luggage
Related travel guides
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Explore more: Visit our community hub for more accessible travel advice and helpful guides.
FAQs
The most important items are your passport, travel insurance, payment method, phone charger, and any essential medication. Without these, it can be difficult to travel or resolve issues abroad.
Your hand luggage should include travel documents, valuables, medication, a phone and charger, snacks, and a few spare essentials in case of delays or lost luggage.
Most UK travellers use a GHIC, while some may still be eligible for a UK EHIC. These cards give access to state healthcare but do not replace travel insurance.
Yes, essential liquid medicines are allowed in hand luggage. If they exceed standard liquid limits, you may need to provide proof such as a prescription or doctor’s letter.
You should check travel health advice around six to eight weeks before your trip so you have enough time to arrange any recommended vaccinations.
You can request airport assistance through your airline or airport. It is best to do this as early as possible, ideally at least 48 hours before departure.
Plan outfits in advance, choose clothes that can be mixed and matched, and avoid packing for unlikely situations. Rolling clothes and using packing cubes can also help save space.
Toiletries are usually limited to small containers in hand luggage. Rules can vary by airport, so it is best to check current guidance before travelling.
Families should pack nappies, wipes, food, spare clothes, medication, and entertainment such as books or games to keep children comfortable during the journey.
Before leaving, make sure doors and windows are locked, appliances are turned off, bins are emptied, and arrangements are in place for pets or deliveries.
Make your airport trip easier
Start your holiday stress-free by booking your airport parking, hotel, or Meet & Greet in advance.
Never leave without your soul mate
i always take my solar charger for kindle so i can read whilst on my sun bed and its harging up at the same time,what a clever idea
I have a red teddy bear given to me many years ago by my best friend of fifty years, and it goes everywhere with me. I am 62!
I never leave behind my husband, someone has to carry the suitcases. Love him dearly though.
The most useful thing, that I never leave behind, is an extension lead. There’s always so much to charge up in the evening after a busy day, and so few plug sockets, I like to keep all electricals together so they’re easy to find when packing the rucksack again the next morning.
never leave behind my common sense x
I never leave home without my best friend. You can buy everything else x
We always take a a four way extension lead and put a European plug on it,so you charge iPads phones etc.theres never enough plugs in a hotel room.so this is very useful
I always take a photo of family I’ve left behind and my medication
What I would pack and make sure I didn’t forget, is my aloe Vera drink that I try to have each day, as I believe it is slowing down my cancer reoccurence, I have already managed to keep the chemo at bay for 9 months, by keeping too fit and healthy! Apart from this it would be the normal of kindle and iPad!
I would never leave home without my keys as it’s difficult to get to the airport without the car and embarrasing to have to break back in to your own house! Yes of course I speak from experience.
As regular self-caterers we never leave home without oven gloves, rubber gloves, and dishwasher tablets.
Toilet roll!!
We always pack a small bottle of 30 ml fairy washing up liquid which will last a week or more on our self catering holidays
I never leave behind my travel kettle, it’s surprising how many hotels abroad don’t supply these, and you can’t beat a cuppa first thing in the morning to start your day off to a good start.
Never leave home without passport, money, credit card and husband
my suitcase is always padlocked wherever I go!
Never leave the wife behind because she will have all the documents, passports and money,including your wallet.
Us Men always forget these things as we are too busy loading the car for the airport and being knagged at about stopping the milk and newspapers as well as making sure everything is switched off except a light to warn off unwanted visitors while your away.
We always pack some portable scales so we can weigh our cases before we leave for the airport on our return journey. This avoids repacking at the airport, having to offload items or pay for the excess.
I always pack my swimsuit! You never know where you will end up!
I never leave behind my underwears!!! :-)
Passports, tickets and parking vouchers are always at the top of our list, but next in line is my ipad. Even if there’s no wi-fi, i can read my books, take pictures, play a few games and even watch catch-up TV on the plane … ideal for those long-haul flights!
I never leave behind – my hubby! Going on holiday with your best friend and soulmate means you always have the best time and can overcome any little holiday glitches together. Travelling is never a pain when you have someone you trust by your side!
Few years ago found a combined smoke/ carbon monoxide alarm always take it with whether we are camping caravanning or hotel/B&B’s it’s no good at home whilst we are not there
Never leave without your passport!
Never leave behind passport boarding pass money and visa if require. These are the most important.
My paperwhite kindle – I used to take a pile of books, worried that I wouldn’t have enough, and then couldn’t read them at the hotel because the lighting was so poor. I now carry hundreds of books weighing less than a paperback, and it’s backlit, so I can read anywhere. Wonderful.
I always pack a fire/carbon monoxide alarm with battery. Think safety first for me…
I never leave behind my patience and sense of humour when I go on holiday.
Unless I am going on a cruise I always pack my telescopic fishing rod
What you never leave behind when you head on holiday…I never leave behind my camera. A camera makes pictures which are memories and make you want to return!!
Medictations, always take a few days more of your medications than you are actually going to need, you only need to be delayed, as lots were with the volcanic ash, and you are desperately trying to find a doctor.
Our only essentials are remembered as ‘PMT’ – passport, money & tickets! Generally everything else can be purchased at destination or airport!
What you never leave behind when you head on holiday……….. when we go on holiday you NEVER leave behind the passport …………………………
Ice cube bags for the essential G&T with ice!
What you never leave behind when you head on holiday…. we never leave behind our pillows :-)
they squash down in the top of our suitcases, don’t weigh much but they are needed especially in the self catering holidays in Greece that we go to. We have been taking them for about 10 years now and I would rather go without extra shoes than my soft comfy pillow.