How to pack for your summer travel

Summary

Life Kit Podcast Episode Summary: "How to Pack for Your Summer Travel"

Introduction

In the May 27, 2025 episode of NPR's Life Kit, host Marielle Segarra delves into the often daunting task of packing for summer travel. Recognizing the common frustrations of forgetting essential items or lugging around an overpacked suitcase, Segarra brings together a panel of seasoned travel experts to share actionable tips and creative strategies. This comprehensive guide aims to transform the packing experience, ensuring a smoother and more enjoyable trip.

Key Takeaways

1. Pack Essentials That Are Hard to Replace
2. Customize Your Packing for Specific Circumstances
3. Incorporate Multi-Use and Creative Items
4. Streamline and Condense Your Luggage

---

1. Pack Essentials That Are Hard to Replace

Marielle Segarra emphasizes the importance of prioritizing items that are either indispensable for travel or difficult to procure at the destination.

Essential Documents and Medications:

• Segarra advises travelers to ensure they have all necessary documents such as passports, visas, real IDs, driver's licenses, boarding passes, immunization records, and financial cards. These are crucial for navigating airports and accessing funds abroad.

• Quote: "Pack the stuff that would be hard to replace at your destination," says Christine Sarkis, editor in chief of Family Vacationist (00:59).

• Medications are another critical category. Travelers should carry sufficient quantities for the entire trip, keeping them in their original bottles with labels intact. It's also recommended to have a doctor's note detailing any medical conditions and prescription names, especially when traveling internationally. This is vital for avoiding issues with customs and ensuring continued access to necessary medications.

Electronics and Toiletries:

• Electronics such as phones, laptops, and their chargers should be included, along with any necessary adapters or converters for different electrical outlets.

• Segarra also recommends packing travel-sized toiletries and personal items in carry-on bags to avoid inconvenience should checked luggage be delayed or lost.

---

2. Customize Your Packing for Specific Circumstances

Tailoring your packing list to the specifics of your trip can greatly enhance comfort and preparedness.

Weather-Appropriate Gear:

• Checking the extended forecast of your destination is crucial. If rain is forecasted, packing a rain jacket, umbrella, and a rain cover for your backpack can save you from unexpected downpours.

• Personal Anecdote: Jada Yuen shares her experience in La Paz, Bolivia, where unexpected rain left her unprepared, highlighting the importance of always having rain gear (06:04).

Sleep Arrangements:

• Consider where you'll be staying. Whether camping, staying on a friend’s couch, or in a hostel, items like an inflatable pillow or earplugs can enhance your sleep quality.

• Quote: Beck Harlan, Life Kit's visuals editor, mentions the indispensability of an eye mask for restful sleep in unfamiliar environments (07:03).

Travel Mode Considerations:

• How you travel also influences what you should pack. For air travel, wired headphones or pre-downloaded entertainment can prevent boredom from unreliable in-flight systems.

• For road trips, a GPS device or downloaded maps are essential backups to avoid getting lost without service. Additionally, comfortable shoes and ample socks are a must for extensive walking.

Traveling with Kids:

• When traveling with children, entertainment and snacks become paramount to prevent meltdowns.

• Quote: Binae Wilson, a lead reporter at Bankrate, underscores the necessity of bringing portable entertainment and snacks, as well as an extra change of clothes for children (08:44).

---

3. Incorporate Multi-Use and Creative Items

Maximizing space and utility by packing items that serve multiple purposes can significantly reduce luggage bulk.

Versatile Clothing and Accessories:

• Doug, a packing expert, highlights the incredible versatility of a scarf, which can function as sun protection, a headband, a towel, or even a dust mask. He elaborates on the numerous ways a single scarf can be utilized (09:32).

• Quote: Doug shares, "Dental floss can help you lock your luggage, slice cake, or serve as an emergency shoelace," illustrating the surprising utility of common items (10:02).

Household Items as Travel Essentials:

• Items from your medicine cabinet or kitchen can double as travel hacks. For example, Tracy Davis, a project manager at NPR, uses lavender oil-soaked cotton balls to repel mosquitoes and freshen shoes after a day of sightseeing (10:35).

• Quote: Tracy explains, "It's really great to repel mosquitoes... and also amazing for relaxing or refreshing your shoes after a long day," showcasing the dual benefits of lavender oil (10:41).

Compact Entertainment:

• Binae Wilson emphasizes the value of carrying a journal for entertainment and relaxation. It serves as a versatile tool for writing, doodling, and even playing games, eliminating the need for multiple bulky items (11:19).

---

4. Streamline and Condense Your Luggage

Reducing the number of items you pack not only lightens your load but also simplifies your travel experience.

Minimalist Packing Approach:

• Jada Yuen advocates for a minimalist approach by strategically leaving toiletries at home and gradually building a toiletry kit while on the road. This method ensures you carry only what you truly need, avoiding unnecessary bulk (12:28).

• Quote: Jada advises, "You just don't need as much on the road," reinforcing the idea that less is often more when traveling (12:32).

Seasoned Traveler Tips:

• For those traveling with babies or young children, ample preparations might seem overwhelming. However, Sarkis suggests balancing between essential items and flexibility: "Don't go so bare bones that you don't have the things you need to have a comfortable time, but also ensure everything you carry is worth the stress of carrying it," ensuring comfort without overpacking (13:13).

• Jada reinforces this by recommending removing at least a third of your packed items after initially loading your suitcase, considering washability and actual necessity (14:24).

Space for Souvenirs:

• By condensing your luggage, you leave room for new items and souvenirs picked up during your travels, enhancing the overall experience without the burden of excess baggage.

---

Expert Insights and Practical Tips

Throughout the episode, diverse experts contribute unique perspectives and practical advice to bolster the listener's packing strategy.

Beck Harlan on Sleep Essentials:

• Beck Harlan underscores the importance of sleep accessories like eye masks, stating, "It takes up almost no space and it gives you back a little bit of control that you sometimes lose when you're traveling in a new place," highlighting how small items can enhance rest quality (07:28).

Doug on Creativity in Packing:

• Doug's extensive list of scarf uses exemplifies the power of creative thinking in packing. His detailed enumeration of scarf functions, from sun protection to makeshift napkins, illustrates how versatile items can replace multiple single-purpose products (09:37).

Tracy Davis on Natural Repellents:

• Tracy Davis shares her unconventional use of lavender oil, demonstrating how everyday household items can serve multiple roles in travel scenarios, thereby reducing the need to pack specialized products (10:51).

Binae Wilson on Compact Entertainment:

• Binae highlights the value of a journal, not just for writing but as a compact entertainment source, offering an alternative to carrying multiple books or gadgets (11:19).

---

Personal Anecdotes and Practical Applications

The episode is enriched with personal stories that illustrate the practical application of the experts' advice, making the tips relatable and actionable.

Jada Yuen's Rainy Day in Bolivia:

• Jada recounts being caught in an unexpected downpour without rain gear, leading to discomfort and highlighting the importance of always being prepared for weather changes (06:04).

Beck Harlan's Sleep Struggles:

• Beck shares her reliance on eye masks, revealing her sensitivity to light and how such a small item can significantly impact her travel sleep quality (07:28).

Margaret Serino on Journaling:

• Life Kit producer Margaret Serino discusses the multifaceted benefits of carrying a journal, from pass-time during flights to capturing travel memories, emphasizing its practical value (11:19).

---

Conclusion

Marielle Segarra concludes the episode by reiterating the four key takeaways, summarizing the comprehensive advice provided by the guests:

1. Pack Essentials That Are Hard to Replace: Focus on documents, medications, and key electronics.
2. Customize Your Packing for Specific Circumstances: Tailor your list based on weather, accommodation, and travel mode.
3. Incorporate Multi-Use and Creative Items: Utilize versatile items to save space and enhance functionality.
4. Streamline and Condense Your Luggage: Adopt minimalist strategies to reduce baggage and increase travel flexibility.

By following these strategies, travelers can alleviate the stress associated with packing, allowing them to focus more on enjoying their journey. The episode underscores the liberating feeling that comes from traveling light and prepared, free from the clutter that often accompanies overpacking.

Notable Quotes:

• "You want to make sure that everything you're carrying is worth the stress of carrying it." — Christine Sarkis (00:59)
• "Dental floss can help you lock your luggage, slice cake, or serve as an emergency shoelace." — Doug (10:02)
• "It takes up almost no space and it gives you back a little bit of control that you sometimes lose when you're traveling in a new place." — Beck Harlan (07:28)
• "You just don't need as much on the road." — Jada Yuen (12:32)

By implementing these expert-backed tips, listeners are equipped to tackle their summer travels with confidence and ease, ensuring a more pleasant and memorable experience.

Transcript

[Sponsor Announcer]

Support comes from our 2025 lead sponsor of Life Kit, Progressive Insurance. Progressive makes it easy to see if you could save when you bundle your home and auto policies. Try [e-mail] Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates. Potential savings will vary. Not available in all states.

[Marielle Segarra]

You're listening to Life Kit from npr. Hey, it's Marielle. It is truly annoying to be on vacation and have to buy something you already have at home cause you forgot to bring it. But what's worse that or coming back from a trip with aching shoulders from lugging around that huge suitcase and realizing you didn't even touch half the clothes you brought? Packing for a trip is hard to get right and if you get it wrong, that can make an already unpleasant travel day go off the rails or send you into a tailspin in a foreign country. Christine Sarkis at the travel website Family Vacationist says she has a rule of thumb.

[Christine Sarkis]

You want to make sure that everything you're carrying is worth the stress of carrying it.

[Marielle Segarra]

When you heed that advice and you bring what you'll actually use and nothing more, the whole trip tends to go more smoothly. On this episode of Life Kit, Christine and other travel experts are going to give us packing advice. They'll teach us how to customize our packing lists, depending on our group, the weather, how we're getting to our destinations, and more. By the way, there are tons of incredibly useful objects you may never have considered bringing on a trip.

[Beck Harlan]

I always pack an eye mask no.

[Jada Yuen]

Matter where I'm going, some kind of bug bite relief, the tampons you like and then hair conditioner.

[Doug]

I could literally go for five minutes giving you a list of all the different things you could do with a scarf.

[Sponsor Announcer]

This message comes from Schwab. At Schwab, how you invest is your choice, not theirs. And that's why when it comes to managing your wealth, Schwab gives you more choices. You can invest and trade on your own. Plus get advice and more comprehensive wealth solutions to help meet your unique needs. With award winning service, low costs and transparent advice, you can manage your wealth your way at Schwab. Visit schwab.com to learn more. This message comes from Capital One. With the Capital One Saver card, earn unlimited 3% cash back on dining and entertainment. Capital One what's in your wallet terms apply [e-mail] this message comes from Amica Insurance. As Amica says, empathy is our best policy. Whether you're seeking auto, home or life coverage, they'll work with you to choose the policy that best serves you and your family discover how Amica can help protect what matters most to you today. Go go to amica.com and get a quote today.

This message comes from Capital One. Your business requires commercial banking solutions that prioritize your long term success with Capital One. Get a full suite of financial products and services tailored to meet your needs today and goals for tomorrow. Learn [e-mail] Commercial Member FDIC this is.

[Ira Glass]

Ira Glass, the host of this American Life. So much is changing so rapidly right now with President Trump in office. It feels good to pause for a moment sometimes and look around at what's what to try and do that. We've been finding these incredible stories about right now that are funny and have feeling and you get to see people everywhere making sense of this new America that we find ourselves in this American life. Wherever you get your podcasts all right.

[Marielle Segarra]

Let'S dive right in here because if you pack the way I and a lot of us pack, I know you're probably doing it at the last minute and that your flight leaves tomorrow. Takeaway 1 Pack the stuff that would be hard to replace at your destination. So I'm just going to say here, if you get to your destination and you realize you forgot something, it's usually not the end of the world. You can usually buy a tube of toothpaste or a water bottle at the local convenience store, but the operative word here is usually it depends on where you're going. And also there are some items that you either absolutely cannot forget or else you won't board the plane. Or you can forget, but it's going to be a hassle to replace. First off, your documents that could be your passport, a visa, a real id, driver's license, your boarding pass, immunization records, and credit cards or debit cards to get cash when you land. Basically anything you need to pass through security and access your money. Second, your medications. Make sure you have enough for the entire trip and pack them in their original bottle with the label intact in your carry on in case the airline loses your lugg. The State Department also recommends that you carry a letter from your doctor describing any medical conditions you have, prescription drugs you take, and their generic names. Also, check with the foreign embassy of any country you're visiting or passing through on a layover, and make sure your medications are allowed. Find out if you'll need a permit or an import license to bring them. You might also need to talk with your doctor about alternative meds you can take during your trip. Some other items you'll want to Bring electronics like your phone and charger or your laptop and charger and you might need a converter or adapter plug for the outlets wherever you're going. Also consider bringing a toothbrush, travel size toothpaste, underwear and socks in your carry on bag. Jada Yuen is a reporter for the Washington post, and in 2018 she spent the year traveling the globe for the New York Times. She reported on every destination in their annual 52 places to go list during a single year. So she knows how to pack. And she says wherever you go, there are five items that are often particularly hard to come by, especially if you have specific preferences.

[Jada Yuen]

Among the things that are hard to find always sunscreen, bug spray, some kind of bug bite relief, the tampons you like, and then hair conditioner.

[Marielle Segarra]

I also like to pack chewable Pepto Bismol tablets when I travel internationally. Those aren't always easy to find in other countries and the last thing I want to have on vacation is an upset tummy with no recourse. All right, let's tailor your packing list to your specific trip takeaway. 2. Pack for your specific circumstances, the place, the time of year, the weather, and how you'll be getting around. One thing about bad weather, rain will always get you. Jada remembers this one time she was on a walking tour in La Paz, Bolivia. She was getting absolutely dark, dumped on.

[Jada Yuen]

And I didn't have any of my rain gear and there were several people on that tour who were all they seemed to be much more seasoned travelers than I was and they just all immediately whipped out their rain jackets and I was like, oh, oh, okay. So the thing that you always need to have on you is like a rain jacket and an umbrella and a rain cover for your backpack.

[Marielle Segarra]

Go to the weather app on your phone or go online and check the extended forecast for your destination. If it is at all dicey, bring your rain gear. Honestly, maybe even bring it if the skies are looking clear. You just never know. Also, what's your sleeping situation going to be? Are you camping or staying on a friend's couch? You might want to bring a little inflatable camping pillow or earplugs if you're staying at a hostel or in a loud neighborhood.

[Beck Harlan]

I cannot sleep if it is even a little bit light in the room. And so I always pack an eye mask no matter where I'm going.

[Marielle Segarra]

That's Beck Harlan, Life Kit's visuals editor. An eye mask is the one travel item she cannot live without.

[Beck Harlan]

It takes up almost no space and it gives you back A little bit of control that you sometimes lose when you're traveling in a new place.

[Marielle Segarra]

Spend some time thinking through what to pack to make your sleep as restful as possible. That'll help you squeeze more out of the few days of travel you have. Next, think about how you're getting to your destination. If you're boarding a plane, maybe you'll want wired headphones to to watch the in flight movies. Or you'll want to download movies and TV shows and podcasts to your devices now because you don't want to risk it on the in flight entertainment. I've been thwarted by a broken seat back TV screen before. If you're driving, maybe you want to bring a GPS or a paper map in case you lose service. Or you can download the map of the area you're visiting to your phone ahead of time. Also, if you wear eyeglasses when you're driving, make sure you're bringing those. And if you're going to be somewhere that you're walking around a lot, bring comfortable shoes, ones that you've already broken in and lots of comfy socks. Now let's say you're traveling with kids with toddlers.

[Binae Wilson]

You need to bring stuff to amuse them.

[Marielle Segarra]

Binae Wilson is a lead reporter at Bankrate.

[Binae Wilson]

My child, well this was back in the day before iPads and everything but we had a little portable DVD player so she could sit there and watch her movies. Also snacks kids, kids get hungry. My child likes to eat so I always have food for her on the flight. And make sure you bring an extra change of clothes because accidents happen. You know, anything you need to do to make the children as as comfortable as possible because one thing and you're dealing with a meltdown and nobody wants that.

[Marielle Segarra]

Okay, time for takeaway three. Consider some creative multi use items and some other clever tips from our life kit experts.

[Doug]

I could literally go for five minutes giving you a list of all the different things you could do with a scarf.

[Marielle Segarra]

Doug loves to pack simple objects that can serve multiple purposes.

[Doug]

I will give you protection from sunburn and dust and sand and wind and that which is what it was designed to do. But it's also a headband and a hat and a napkin and a towel and a handkerchief and a dust mask and I could literally go on for.

[Marielle Segarra]

Five minutes if it's big enough. It could also double as a picnic blanket or a headscarf at religious sites. Another example, dental floss.

[Doug]

Dental floss can be repair threat. It can help you to lock your luggage. You can slice cake and cheese and pastries and things with it. You can use it as an emergency shoelace or.

[Marielle Segarra]

Okay. There are a lot of ways to use floss, and the list keeps going.

[Doug]

Got a drippy faucet in your hotel room at night you can tie a piece of dental floss around the end of the faucet and let the water dribble down the dental floss so it won't drip, drip, drip anymore. So there's just no end to these little clever ideas.

[Marielle Segarra]

There are other items you might already have in your medicine cabinet or kitchen cupboard that can be surprisingly useful on a trip.

[Tracy Davis]

One of the more unconventional things I do just to save space in my liquids bag, I'll take lavender oil and put that all over like cotton balls. Put those in like a Ziploc bag.

[Marielle Segarra]

That's Tracy Davis. She's a project manager at npr. We asked our colleagues for their favorite travel items to pack, ones that are a little off the beaten path.

[Tracy Davis]

It's really great to repel mosquitoes. They don't like the smell of lavender for some reason, but it's amazing in the evening. If you want to relax, take a couple of those by your nightstand in the hotel. And if you just want to refresh your shoes after a long day of sightseeing, just pop a couple of those lavender balls in your shoes. It's amazing.

[Binae Wilson]

One thing I can't travel without is my journal.

[Marielle Segarra]

That's Life Kit producer Margaret Serino.

[Binae Wilson]

I just think it's a really compact, easy way to get a lot of entertainment value out of something. You know, I don't want to lug around a bunch of books and I can doodle in it and write and play games with my friends and the pages. Yeah, I think it saves me on space and gives me a lot of entertainment on a long flight.

[Marielle Segarra]

Now I've got a few must haves of my own. An empty water bottle with a filter in it, some plastic sandwich baggies in case you need to store wet clothes or you need a place to put the dregs of an apple. A packet of tissues for sneezes or for bathrooms that have no toilet paper left. And a dry snack like a sleeve of saltines, nuts or dried fruit for those in between times when you're too tired to leave the room or you have the hungies at 2am Cause you're Jet lagged. So you've pulled out all your travel essentials plus all the fun outfits you're planning to wear. And now you're looking at a big old pile of stuff and wondering how it's gonna fit in your suitcase. Takeaway 4. Condense. You never need as much as you think you do.

[Jada Yuen]

You just don't need that much on the road.

[Marielle Segarra]

This is Jada again. She traveled around the world for the New York Times and she had to pack a suitcase that could work in all 52 places she was going. So some urban, some rural, some hot, some cold, some rainy, some windy. If she could do it again, I.

[Jada Yuen]

Would have actually set out with almost none of my toiletries. I would have just left them all at home and then slowly built up a toiletry kit when I was on the road. Because it turns out that most of the time you don't miss the things you're carrying around.

[Marielle Segarra]

Let's say you're going on a trip with a baby or a young kid. It's easy to feel overwhelmed. And there are a lot of websites with special, special baby travel gear and everyone's got a different recommendation on what you need, what you don't need.

[Jada Yuen]

My number one recommendation when packing for.

[Marielle Segarra]

Babies and kids is that kids live.

[Jada Yuen]

All around the world.

[Marielle Segarra]

This is Preeti Harbuck. She runs the blog Local Passport Family.

[Jada Yuen]

That means that most of what you.

[Marielle Segarra]

Really truly need you can probably access there diapers, wipes, formula and baby food. You can often find them at local stores. Sometimes you can even rent strollers or travel cribs. We have a whole other episode on traveling with kids. But when it comes to packing, err on the side of bringing less. Christine Sarkis is the editor in chief of Family Vacationist.

[Christine Sarkis]

Her advice, you want to make sure that you, you don't wanna go so bare bones that you don't have the things you need to have a comfortable time. But at the same time making your sort of your list of things you're gonna pack and then going through and being this, do we not need this? You want to make sure that everything you're carrying is worth the stress of carrying it.

[Marielle Segarra]

So really try to imagine yourself wearing those strappy heels if you can't picture it, or if you're only going to wear them one time, leave them at home. Jada follows another cardinal packing rule.

[Jada Yuen]

You pack and then you remove a third of the things that you packed. You pack and then you just, you have to think about it. You're like, how many days am I going to be gone? Can I wash any of this stuff in a sink? Because schlepping things around is a great way to kill your buzz on a vacation.

[Marielle Segarra]

Plus having a little extra space in your luggage. Depending on the trip is part of the fun. It means you can fill that space up with your new treasures. Now that you've got an ironclad packing list, it'll be a lot easier to relax into your trip because you'll be prepared, at ease, and knowing that you have exactly what you need and nothing more. That in itself can feel freeing. For a rare moment, you're not weighed down by all the clutter in your house, all the unread emails in your inbox. You don't need to think about the past or the distant future. All that matters right now is where you can track down the best scoop of gelato. And if it's going to rain as you walk over okay, it's time for a recap. Takeaway 1 Remember to pack the stuff that you need to board a flight or that would be hard to replace at your destination, like some of your electronics or your medications. Takeaway 2 Pack for your specific situation. What's the weather going to be like? Where are you sleeping? How are you getting around? Are you traveling with kids? Takeaway 3 Think outside the box. There are some objects you might never have considered packing, but they can be super useful, like a scarf, dental floss and plastic baggies. And Takeaway four Condense. Hold every object up and try to picture yourself using it on your trip. And a rule of thumb is to remove at least one third of the clothes and other items from your suitcase. Remember a lot of stuff you can buy at your destination. For more Life Kit, check out our other episodes. We've got one on how to keep your cool while you're traveling and another on how to find fulfillment from your trip. You can find [e-mail] LifeKit and if you love Life Kit and want even more, subscribe to our [e-mail] LifeKitnewsletter Also, we love hearing from you, so if you have episode ideas or feedback you want to share, email [e-mail] this episode of Life Kit was produced by Margaret Serino. Our visuals editor is Beck Harlan and our digital editor is Malika Gharib. Meghan Cain is our supervising editor and Beth Donovan is our executive producer. Our production team also includes Andy Taegle, Claire Marie Schneider, and Sylvie Douglas. Engineering support comes from Jimmy Keeley. I'm Marielle Segarra. Thanks for listening.

[Sponsor Announcer]

Support for NPR and the following message come from Rosetta Stone the perfect app to achieve your language learning goals. No matter how busy your schedule gets, it's designed to maximize study time with immersive 10 minute lessons and audio practice for your commute. Plus, tailor your learning plan for specific objectives like travel. Get Rosetta Stone's lifetime membership for 50% off and unlimited access to 25 language courses. Learn more at rosettastone.com NPR this message.

Comes from NPR sponsor Shopify. Shopify is the commerce platform behind millions of businesses around the world and 10% of all e commerce in the US from household names like Mattel and Gymshark. Get started with your own design studio. With hundreds of ready to use templates, Shopify helps you build a beautiful online store to match your brand's style. If you're ready to sell, you're ready for Shopify. Sign up for your $1 per month trial and start selling [e-mail] NPR.