How I like to prepare for longer trips is:
Packing Step #1: at least a few days before your trip make a pile of clothes for your “first draft” or put them in a tote bag, grab the dirty clothes from your hamper and decide which of those you *might* want to bring and wash those – put into your pile/tote as well.
Packing Step #2: before you go through that pile of clothes (aka your first draft) check the daily weather report and average daily highs and lows for the location you’re going.
Packing Step #3: Narrow down your first draft to clothes you’ll actually wear and a couple pieces that you *might* want to wear based off of the weather and the activities you want to do! Think: if you plan on hiking 5 out of the 10 days you’ll be in a location (btw that could not be me, hard pass), you won’t need to pack 15 dresses and 3 pairs of heels. You’ll want to prioritize your hiking outfits and shoes.
Packing Step #4: Make a detailed packing list of the other stuff you want and need to bring, I personally don’t make a huge list of the clothes I need to bring because I keep it simple (I’ll post my actual packing list I used for 4 weeks in Scotland below).
Do not skip over these tips, trust me!
- DO NOT PACK A SINGLE ITEM IN YOUR PACKING CUBES UNTIL YOU HAVE ALL OF YOUR CLOTHES, SHOES + ACCESSORIES PAIRED DOWN, WASHED AND READY TO PACK. The worst thing is packing what you thought was everything just to find out you forgot to pack a sweater, underwear and 2 pairs of shoes.
- Pack a change of clothes in your carry on luggage: pair of underwear, socks, full outfit, a few spare toiletries to freshen up (deodorant, makeup wipes, chapstick/aquafor, mints, etc). This is just in case your checked bag(s) get lost or delayed, this will make your life so much less annoying – at least you can change out of your airport clothes to feel more comfortable! Trust me, been there, done that.
- Put an Apple AirTag in your luggage! This was a game changer, best $99 I spent (on 4 AirTags). I put one clipped to my small wallet that I keep in my travel purse in case it gets lost/stolen as well as one in each of my suitcases or duffel bags. If you order directly through Apple engraving is free so each of mine has my initials on it!
- Keep your charging cords and at least one adapter (if you’re in a country that has different outlets than the US) in your personal item so you don’t have to dig through your carryon for them while on the plane or at the airport. Also if you board smaller planes sometimes they don’t tell you that they will be valeting your carryon if it’s wheeled so you don’t want to be stuck for the whole flight without those important things! Same with medications, don’t put them in your checked bags and if you do have to valet your carry on then make them easily accessible like in a small bag at the top of your suitcase so you can grab them before giving the crew your bag to put in the storage hold for the duration of your flight. Gosh I rambled but hopefully that makes sense. If not, then let’s just pretend it does. K? Thanks so much.
- Get a good quality theft resistant purse or backpack! The first option below is the one I have, it has slash resistant straps, locking mechanisms, a small flashlight built in, and RFID resistant fabric. don’t ask how that works because I don’t have a clue. The rest of these have awesome reviews and I’ll likely update my bag soon – I’ve had mine since Nov 2021 and have brought it to several countries and 20+ states and never had an issue!
4 Week Scotland Packing List:
Clothes + Shoes
- Gym Clothes + Sweatshirt
- Tennis Shoes
- Boots – cute and rain
- Socks – long and short
- Jeans
- Sandals
- Heels
- Warm dresses
- Scarf
- Sweaters
- Rain Jacket
- Pants
- Tops
- Lingerie/Silk Nightgown/Robe
- Underwear + bras
- Pjs
Toiletries + Miscellaneous
- Shampoo/Conditioner Spray
- Put Deodorant in Spray Bottle
- Dry Shampoo Powder
- Perfume (transfer small bottle)
- Razor + Extras
- Comb
- Skincare
- Makeup
- Thermometer
- Birth Control
- Tampons
- Cash ($500)
- Credit Cards: AmEx, Chase + MasterCard
- Passport + License
- Accessible proof of car insurance
- Jewelry
- Hair Clip + Ties
- Medicine
- Benadryl
- Snacks
- Empty Water Bottle
- Tote Bags
- Umbrella
- Waterproof Bag
Camera + Electronics
- Mirrorless Body
- 50 + 24-35 lenses
- SD Cards + Case
- Battery Charger
- Laptop/Charger
- Hard Drive (SSD)
- AirPods + Case
- Adapters
- Phone Charger
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