How to Pack for a Long Haul Trip – Superwoman Style

Hi lady loves!

Before we delve into beautiful, beautiful places, first thing’s first. Let’s talk about packing. Living on a suitcase can be a horror for some, especially the packing/organizing part. You never know what important things you forgot to bring during a trip until you actually find yourself needing it right then and there. Hehehe Trust me, happens all the time.

Departure after departure, I’ve learned a lot of tips when it comes to baggage organization. Three words: MAKE A LIST. Simple as it may seem, throwing in a few essentials here and there isn’t as easy as it’s cracked up to be. I’ve learned to always follow a check list when it comes to travel. Listing all the things you may need not only saves you time, it saves you money as well. (Yup, those little trips to the nearest 7 Eleven for toiletries you forgot may mean lesser moolah for admission fees and shopping.)

So here we go. I’d like to share my little list of packing musthaves and how to organize them. Finally, this list will be immortalized in this blog. Poor little thing, it’s been on my Iphone Notes for years now. hehehe Trip after trip, I’ve come to add a thing or two into it until it finally worked for me. I hope it does the same for you too.

Superwoman’s Pack List:

• passport + visa (if required)
• 2 valid ID’s
• flight itinerary print out
• hotel voucher print out
• money (in local currency or USD)
• credit cards
• maps + travel journal+ ballpen
• cellular phone + charger + earphones
• camera + charger
• extra memory card and battery pack
• selfie pod (trust me, it’s super helpful especially in solo travels. hehe)
• emergency meds (asthma meds for me)
• clothes (pack an extra day in case of emergencies)
• undies (always pack two extra pairs)
• slippers (optional. but a must for long walks)
• toiletries
• kikay kit (for girls hehe)
• grooming kit (comb, shaver, tweezer, toothbrush)
• an extra sling bag for tours (i chose one with anti-slash capabilities)
• sunglasses
• hat (optional)
• contact lens + solution (for legally blind people like me hehe)
• eye glasses (a must for long haul flights. contacts just won’t do.)
• swiss knife/swiss card
• handy luggage scale (never go overboard on luggage ever again)
• universal adapter
• powerbank
• scarf/sarong (a versatile piece you should never leave home without)
• socks (a must inflight for me)
• band aids + safety pins (just the girl scout in me talking, hehe)

Tips and Tricks:

1. Apart from carrying a travel itinerary and hotel voucher print out in your hand bag, make sure you screenshot all the necessary details and save them into one album in your smart phone. I learned how convenient this can be especially now that airport/hotel personnel allow electronic copies of your documents. Saves you all those extra minutes of digging through your carry on.

2. Always carry a travel organizer to keep important flight documents organized and readily available especially inflight. I always find it such a chore to stand up and get my bag in the baggage cabin for a pen i keep forgetting. But with this little baby, filling out those departure/arrival cards halfway through the flight will be a cinch. Get yours here: https://www.facebook.com/zandra.estrellasalvador.

3. Always carry local currency and/or US dollars. US dollars are universally accepted in all money changers worldwide. I once carried Philippine peso only during a trip only to find out that that certain country doesn’t buy PhP. eek. hehehe Yup, it pays to be always ready and informed.

4. What goes with what:

This is how my typical bath pack looks like during a long haul flight. All liquids come in a maximum of 10 mL containers all zipped to spill-free perfection by a trusty ziplock. The pack includes: facial wash, toner, toothbrush and toothpaste (perfect for hostels/bed and breakfast accommodations that do not offer free toiletries), mouthwash (doubles as an antiseptic gargle especially for sudden sore throats during travel), shampoo, soap and feminine wash. You may add or subtract items on the list depending on your preference and country of destination. For example, if you are off to Bangkok, items there sell for the cheap especially on basic essentials like these. So you may opt to save space and buy items there. But if you’re going to visit some place that burns the pocket like say, Europe, hehe make sure all the things you need are packed and ready for use. Some countries can be very stressful to our wallets. hihi!

Apart from the items above, I keep these items in another ziplock for emergencies: sunblock, make up remover, body lotion, and awesome freebie kits from a recent hotel accommodation in Shanghai : shaving kit, sewing kit, cotton tips and pads kit and sanitary bag. Woohoo! Who doesn’t love freebies? Super useful and convenient, yes they are.

Items above are securely packed with tape and double stored into a large ziplock container to avoid unfortunate spilling. They are then placed into a safety pocket together with all other items for check in.

Below is what i pack into my carry on apart from my travel organizer, gadgets + chargers, earphones, sarong and socks: tissue, contact lens + case + solution. Now here’s where all those sephora samples/hotel freebies truly come in handy. Nothing beats single use sachets you can easily dispose of after use. For long haul flights, make sure you have the following at hand: facial wash, dental kit, wet wipes and moisturizer sachets— great for freshening up during layovers. Don’t forget the night cream and eye cream samples for the 12-17 hour flight itself. Nothing beats waking up to well hydrated, well rested skin upon arrival.

5. Lastly, ROLL. Yep, we’ve heard it time and again. Always roll those clothes to ward off air and allow for more room in your check in baggage.

There you go ladies! Superwoman’s Pack list in a nutshell. Here’s hoping I get to save you a couple of minutes of packing time come your special travel day!

‘Til the next adventure… Happy rolling, everybody!!! =)

All my love,