Dear reader,
Fancy seeing you here.
Oh it’s your inbox and I’m loitering. Sorry, let me cut to the chase!
*Reaches deep into trench coat pocket and pulls out ‘the list’*
This list contains everything I pack in my checked luggage when I travel to London / Europe in the warmer months. It contains items that you may not have thought of that could come in handy on your trip. It does not tell you exactly how many t-shirts and pairs of undies to pack. I’ve never quite understood packing lists that do that, afterall who am I to tell you how many pairs of undies you need! Worst case scenario, you have to jump off the big red bus, pop into Marks & Spencer and buy some more - and that's okay because they will probably be the best undies and t-shirts you’ve ever bought.
My packing checklist for international trips
I always pack in two parts: outfits and everything else. There’s a bit of a formula to planning what I wear for longer trips so let’s start with everything else.
Everything I pack in my checked luggage that isn't clothing:
Apple AirTags fully charged - One per suitcase and I test them before every trip
Light coloured packing cubes - Black cubes look sleek but it’s hard to tell what’s inside, so my advice is to opt for light colours or a colour system so that you can tell them apart when you get to your destination
Emergency health kit - Travelan, probiotics, Ural, Gastro Stop, prescription medications and pain killers (you should also pack a smaller version of this in your carry on)
An old Iphone to use as a backup - After seeing a man’s phone get swiped from his hands by a guy on a bike in one of London’s poshest suburbs, I now pack my old Iphone just in case and keep it stored in my checked luggage at all times throughout my trip. In the event that I do lose my phone (touch wood) then I only need to get a local SIM card to get back online