Vacation Checklist; Things to Take on Holiday - A Greensleeves Page

This is my second page devoted to the subject of holiday packing. In the first - a Vacation Guide to Effective Holiday Packing - I give some practical tips on luggage to take and how best to pack it to keep it safe, accessible, clean and tidy, and below air travel weight restrictions. One piece of advice I offer on that page is to compile a checklist of things to take, and tick it off as you pack to ensure nothing is forgotten. On this page I produce a sample list for you to consider. Of course we all have different priorities and interests, and it is beyond the scope of this page to cover everything that you may need to take - I know little about requirements for small children, or specialist sports gear, camping gear etc, so your list would undoubtably differ from this one. Having said that, maybe this list will give you a few general pointers to enable you to create your own template list. I hope so.

Further advice about other aspects of holiday preparations which will ensure peace of mind whilst away from home can be found in the third hubpage in this series - my Guide to Good Holiday Preparation. Please check this out.

It can be a major headache if important papers get lost or stolen on holiday. Hence the advice to carry copies to show to the relevant authorities. An alternative is to put copies of these documents on an e-mail address you can access when abroad. And take money in at least two different forms, or have two different ATM cards.

Sarongs (suggested by Aniolinde) apart from being an item of clothing, could also be utilised as a bed or beach sheet, or as a large piece of cloth in various other ways. If at all possible avoid taking heavy coats to warm counties, even if you have to return home to a freezing winter. Remember however that you may need to cover up in warm countries for skin care or for cultural reasons.

Quite a long list, but remember you can almost certainly buy some of the toiletries locally, and you probably won't need ALL the medicines (unless you suffer from that serious and distressing disease called hypochondria). Some of the sundry items are only required in very small quantities. Just pay attention to the particular requirements of the country you're visiting.

Of course a technology list is determined by your own specialist interests, but also pay heed to the weight of such equipment, and the amount of rough treatment your luggage is going to receive before packing delicate electronics. Besides, do you really want to travel to exotic locations and then shut yourself off from the outside world with a laptop or iphone?

The miscellaneous objects on the left are self-explanatory. The list on the right reveals my own interests in natural history. These will be elaborated upon in a future page, but suffice it to say that even if you're going on a beach or hotel holiday, you may venture out into the countryside in an exotic country, and it adds to the holiday if you know something of the world you see around you.