Packing List

Pack for the gaps. The flight, the first night, the four-hour train, the Sunday when everything is closed, the morning the hotel breakfast turns out to be a buffet.

Not everything here is needed for every trip. Tick as you go — the list resets when you reload.

Before You Leave

None of this goes in the bag. All of it will ruin a trip.

• Notify your credit and debit cards of your dates and destinations. Check which of them charge foreign transaction fees, and travel on the one that doesn't.
• Confirm international phone service. Every app below is useless without data. Sort it before you leave, not at the airport.
• Check entry requirements — visa, passport validity, anything the destination needs.
• Order your translation cards. They arrive printed. Pack one in your wallet and save a digital copy to your phone.
• Download the apps. Find Me Gluten Free, the national celiac association’s app for your destination, and the local transport and mapping apps. Parea sends a full list with every trip.

The Celiac Kit

• Toaster bags — reusable. The most useful object on this list. Hotel and apartment toasters are shared, always. A toaster bag turns an unusable breakfast into a usable one.
• Wipes. For a surface you need to clean before you use it — an apartment counter, a tray table, a picnic bench. Dish soap can be bought when you land.
• Shelf-stable snacks — certified GF bars, crackers, rice cakes, nuts, dried fruit.
• Nut butter in single-serve packets. A jar is a liquid and security will take it. A packet is not. That’s the whole reason for the packets.
• A few ziplock bags. For the bakery you find on day two, and the half of it you don’t finish.
• Exposure medication — in your carry-on, in the quantity you’d want on the worst day of the trip.
• A doctor’s note referencing medically necessary food. Rarely needed, occasionally decisive, weighs nothing.

Bags & Organization

• Packing cubes or compression bags
• Day bag or backpack
• Foldable beach bag
• Reusable bag for the grocery run

Documents & Money

• Passport
• Driver’s license
• International driving permit
• Credit card
• Debit card
• Cash — local currency
• Printed tickets and bookings
• Vaccine card, if required
• Travel insurance details
• A ziplock to keep it all together

Tech & Power

• Plug adapter for the destination
• Voltage converter, if needed
• Phone charger and cable
• Laptop charger
• Portable battery × 2
• Spare USB cable
• Headphones

Health & First Aid

Bring enough for the travel days. Pharmacies exist everywhere — you don’t need full bottles of anything.

• Prescriptions, in original packaging
• Pain relievers
• Anti-nausea and anti-diarrheal
• Antihistamines
• Electrolytes
• Plasters / band-aids
• Hand sanitizer
• Sunscreen — a small one; buy more there
• Sleep aid

Comfort & Care

Travel sizes only. Almost all of it can be bought at the destination for less than it costs to carry.

• Compression socks for the flight
• Toothbrush and toothpaste
• Shampoo and conditioner
• Deodorant
• Razor
• Face wipes
• Hairbrush and hair ties
• Make-up
• Nail scissors and file
• Glasses, spare pair, cleaning cloth
• Sunglasses
• Moisturizer
• Reusable water bottle