5 Must-Pack Items for International Travel

If you're an ultimate packer and self-proclaimed worry wart like me, you know that feeling of settling into your seat on the plane, closing your eyes for a snooze, and realizing you forgot your ______ (it's usually contact solution for me). While I rely heavily on the regimented packing list stored only in my brain and start packing a week (or two) early to be sure that I have everything ready well before we leave for our trip, there are a few things that generally make traveling internationally a lot more comfortable while I mourn the loss of my contact solution. I hope these outside-the-box suggestions make your international trip a little more comfortable as well!

1. Passport Journal

One of the essential travel items I find most useful to pack when traveling internationally is a handy passport journal to store my passport, obviously, but also any other essential travel documentation that we may need. Following the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, we've needed to travel with our vaccination cards and having a dedicated place to pack them in definitely makes life easier both in the airport and in the customs line. It's also a good place to hang onto our boarding passes before we board and makes keeping all of our travel documents together easy since my husband has both an American and a Colombian passport. I ordered this beautiful leather passport journal with custom engraving for my husband's birthday a few years back, and it has definitely been a huge help in keeping us organized. I would recommend using a passport journal with a clasp, like this one, to ensure that none of your documents fall out, however the one we use also has secure pockets on the inside to hang onto those passports and IDs. Anything that makes my life less stressful in an international airport is a win for me!

2. Insulated Water Bottle

This tip is really just useful for any travel, international or domestic, however I would say that this one is pretty important if you're an avid hiker or visit regions that fall off the beaten path. As long as your bottle is empty, you can take it through TSA with no issues at all and use filling stations in the airport once you're through the checkpoint. Bringing an insulated bottle with you ensures that in areas with scarce or contaminated water, you're able to pack it before you leave and have enough fluids for the day. Not only does this help with staying hydrated, but it's better for the planet in reducing your bottled water consumption where possible, and can save a good bit of money if you tend to travel to areas with water scarcity where bottled water is usually more costly.

3. Slippers

This one is another item that I generally travel anywhere with, but is especially important to pack for an international trip since it may be harder to find something comfortable to pick up while out shopping. Plus, who wants to spend the morning trying to shop for slippers? Aside from the general comfort of having a pair when waking up in the morning in someplace that is not home, I find that a warm pair of slippers in my personal item or carry-on in the cabin of the plane often makes longer international flights a lot more pleasant when compared to spending 6 hours in my tennis shoes. Also, if you are as much of a germaphobe as I am, having a pair on hand definitely quells my fear of stepping on hotel room or AirBnB floors with my bare feet. Save room in the backpack for a pair of slippers.

4. Essential OTCs

The time changes associated with international travel - not to mention the exhaustion of traveling in itself - can result in jetlag and trouble getting into the local routine. I am not the type to miss a complimentary continental breakfast, so I pack some standard over-the-counter sleeping pills helps me get myself back on schedule and accustomed to the local time much faster so we can spend as much time as possible out exploring. As a very delicate creature, I usually pack some Benadryl to prepare for any changes in the weather, sneaky foreign pollens, or the inevitable bug bites that I will acquire along the way. Another essential for me is a few tabs of cold medicine just in case the change in climate or elevation affects my sinuses. The last thing that I always try to have handy is ibuprofen, as someone I'm traveling with always seems to have a headache at some point or end up dancing way too much on their bad knee the night before. Bonus points if you always need to bring your travel Tums with you too.

5. Miniature First Aid Kit

It can be difficult to find the first aid kit items that we're used to using in other countries, so I like to pack the basic first aid items to have handy for an international trip. It helps to maximize our time abroad, and preparing for any accidents or bumps & bruises along the way saves us the effort of trying to find what we need, and oftentimes in another language. I usually make sure I have some band-aids, gauze and small scissors, and antibiotic ointment on hand to cover minor injuries while we're out exploring or simply to protect our ankles from blisters from the backs of our shoes if we're walking a lot.

I hope these quick suggestions help make your next international trip a success! What are some of the things you can't live without when packing for a trip abroad?