On a recent trip to South-East Asia I was parted from my checked luggage for two and a half days. A great learning experience- never again will I be caught without everything I need for a day or two at my destination neatly packed in my carry-on bag. By fluke I had lots of underwear and a spare t-shirt packed in my carry-on, but my hairbrush was in the checked luggage, as were my sandals, hat and all my cool clothing. Day 1 at our destination was a tour on foot of Angkor Wat in 35 degrees heat with 100% humidity.
I was given $50 by Qatar Airways due to the delayed luggage. The problem is that our final flight was about to leave so we only had time to shop in duty-free. I was able to get insect repellent and sunscreen, but the designer clothing wasn’t within reach on that budget.
Women
Handbag, purse
Cosmetics, including facial cleanser (remember for overseas flights liquids in hand luggage are limited to 100ml containers that must be packed into a clear resealable bag).
sanitary items
warm scarf or wrap for plane trip
It’s recommended you wear your expensive jewellery and luxury items
Men
Wallet, extra pair of clean socks, items of personal nature, shaving kit with cosmetic items.
Unisex
Passport (obviously)
Photocopy of important documents, e.g. travel insurance
Keys
Deodorant
Toothbrush & toothpaste
Small container of shampoo- it doubles as a gentle laundry soap in case of having to recycle underwear
Address for destination, contact information for tours / excursions etc.
Phone & charger for phone
Camera if separate, charger & accessories for camera
Book or Kindle & charger
Laptop & charger
Appropriate clothing for the destination climate, e.g. swimwear, hat OR scarf, gloves, hat, raincoat
Appropriate shoes for the destination climate, e.g. sandals, waterproof shoes, hiking boots
Sunscreen and insect repellent if appropriate for destination
Sleepwear
2 x underwear
A spare top
Medication
Valuable items
Pen
Spectacles, if relevant and sunglasses
Snack
Couples
In case one of your items of luggage goes missing, you may want to pack half each person’s clothing in each of the two suitcases. This will only work for a couple with a similar packing style or superhuman forbearance!