Long trips abroad or weekends away – traveling is great! However, packing for your trip can be stressful. Some people are lucky enough to be naturally organized and already have their travel checklist for every type of trip. Then there are others who constantly worry: do I have everything? Do I need an extra towel? Did I tell my cat?

Whether you’re going on a mini road trip or across the ocean there are certain things that should always remain on your checklist when you’re getting ready.

Step 1: Organize Your Things

If you have a lot of activities planned, it is best to organize according to the activity. For example, if you know that you will be going hiking as soon as you get to your location, it would make sense to have your hiking backpack already packed with everything you will need for the hike. Don’t forget your binoculars when you go birdwatching.

Keeping your suitcase organized with packing organizers means not only will you know exactly where everything is, but your clothing can be arranged and compressed so you can fit more in your bag. Isn’t that what we all need?

Step 2: Pack Smart

You’ll want to pack smart, which means, don’t pack tons of clothing options if you’re going to various places, especially if you’ll be navigating off the beaten path, such as camping. Having options doesn’t mean that you need to over-pack. Just pack smart.

Include clothing that can be worn on your daily adventures and then dressed up slightly with a different pair of shoes and a light jacket. Also, consider clothing with SPF or mosquito repellency if you’ll be in environments where that would be beneficial.

Don’t forget to pack travel sized toiletries like Face wash and face lotion with SPF! In the hot sun, you need to protect your skin the most!

Step 3: Don’t Forget your Travel Documents

Start by collecting all of your important documents and put them all in one place such as a binder or a folder. Making sure that all of your important information is together, will help ensure that you have everything you need to get from one place to the next without any hassle.

As soon as you book a trip, especially if you are going by airplane it is important to make sure that your passports aren’t expired or would be by the time you travel. This goes for your ID cards as well, especially if you are driving.

Don’t forget to contact your bank before you travel abroad! Especially if you are traveling on a budget you don’t want to run into any last minute costs by not having everything set up. If you don’t contact them before they could potentially assume there is fraudulent activity on your card and freeze it. Nobody wants to call and go through that hassle, am I right?

Also, consider emailing yourself a copy of your passport, driver’s license, medical cards, and itinerary, so if anything happens to them you’ll be able to access them online.

On the trip: Have Fun!

When it comes down to it, it’s important to just have fun! Enjoy your time being disconnected from your day to day work and experience something new.

Take pictures, make memories whether you are traveling alone, with friends, family or loved ones.

Have fun, and don’t forget your selfie stick!?

Check out the Leisure section of our Shop to see all the great gifts you can get for your trips!