Head To Toe Self-Care Travel Packing List Guide

Get ready to pack up in style for your next vacation with my “Head To Toe Self-Care Travel Packing List Guide” We all know that traveling nowadays is completely different. We have to be concerned with being exposed to illness and want to do whatever we can to come home healthy and safe.

In this guide, I’ll share some of the go-to items that I put in my luggage for my upcoming mini road trip to help you be prepared for whatever adventures come your way.

According to the Travel and Leisure online article “The Most Common Items People Forget To Pack,” the top items that travelers forget to pack are cellphone chargers, toothpaste,  swimsuits, combs, and brushes.

Self-Care Travel Packing List

Never, I mean NEVER. Pack for a vacation, big or small, without sitting down and creating a packing checklist.

Ever since I was a little girl, my Mom always nailed it to our heads that we are responsible for making sure everything comes home from school or a trip.

Sit down and write everything on a piece of paper and then type it up into a word document. Save a copy on Google Drive or OneDrive account so you can access your list anywhere. A quick, low-tech way to keep track of your personal items is to print out two copies of your travel packing list.

One for packing at home and another checklist to pack up before you go home. Put one checklist in your front compartment with a pen and a ziplock bag. This should help to make sure that you don’t leave any personal items behind. 

If you prefer to use your phone, you can easily create a Self-Care Packing List checklist to check off items as they go in your luggage. Likewise, if you have a bullet journal that travels with you at all times, you can also create a travel checklist and make off the items in your journal. 

Labeling Luggage

It’s always a good idea to label your luggage and any items of value. For example, if you’re traveling with high-value equipment like laptops, cameras, etc., you can take photographs of the items, write down the model of your equipment and serial number, and keep it in a safe place at home and a saved copy to your Google Drive account.

Packing Cubes or Roll Clothing

 Packing cubes are also a nice way to separate items based on categories and condense down the size of the items. I’ve tried rolling clothes and socks and always had a tough time keeping things organized, and it wasn’t easy to get everything I needed into my luggage.

I prefer to use packing cubes, but do what works best for you. The benefit of using packing cubes is that you can easily label them with the inside items to keep you organized. I like Well-Traveled Compression Packing Cubes that are available on Amazon. What I like most about this particular packing cubes is that it comes in various colors and has a pocket to put labeled tags in each cube!

Comforts From Home

When I travel or spend a few days at a friend’s house, I always bring one or two items from home that help me feel safe. One of these items is my blanket that I can’t sleep without. Having it with me when I travel helps me feel a bit more at ease. I also bring a pair of flip-flops or house shoes that I can wear when I’m at the hotel so I can relax my feet after a long day of hiking or shopping. Bring whatever makes you feel comfortable that can easily be packed in a carry-on bag.

Hair

Don’t rely on hotels or resorts to have everything you need if you forget an item. Locating a local store or buying items from the gift shop is a pin and quickly adds up.

Instead, make sure to bring your favorite shampoo and conditioner with you in travel-sized bottles. Don’t forget to label the outside of your bottles and put them in a ziplock bag to avoid leaks.

• Bobby pins
• Brush
• Comb
• Conditioner
• Hair ties
• Shampoo

Face

Taking care of your money maker on vacation is essential. Bring your essential skincare cleansers, moisturizers, and makeup removers with you when you travel.

Did you know that the most common forgotten item when traveling is a toothbrush? So pack your toothbrush, toothpaste, and dental floss first. Also, make sure to bring an SPF facial sunblock to apply to your skin before you head out.

My favorite facial care brand is Murad, and I love Murad’s Essential C Skin Brightening kit. It has a facial cleanser and facial sunblock that’s perfect for traveling.

• Chapstick
• Cosmetic bag
• Dental Floss
• Eye creams
• Facial cleanser
• Makeup wipes
• Moisturizer
• Toothbrush
• Toothpaste
• Toner

Body

Keep your body feeling fresh and moisturized with your favorite body wash and lotion. Hotel lotions and soaps can be drying to the skin, so it’s best to opt for a body wash from home. My favorite body wash is Dove Cucumber body lotion. I usually purchase the biggest size they have with a pump to transfer the body wash into a travel-sized container.

• Body wash
• Deodorant
• Lotion
• Razor
• Sunblock

Hands

This is the second most annoying item I forget on my travel packing list, but I need nail clippers the most. That annoying hangnail or chipped nail always happens as you rush to catch your flight. So always have a nail clipper and file in your cosmetic bag just in case.

• Hand lotion
• Nail clippers
• Nail file

Feet

Shoes can be the hardest items to pack and take up the most room in your luggage. Choose wisely if you are traveling by plane. If you’re going on a road trip, you have a little more room to store some shoes in the trunk. By all means, pack more.

However, it’s best to bring one pair of flats, heels, athletic shoes and a pair of boots, depending on the time of year. If you’re traveling by plane, a pair of slip-on flats are ideal for comfort and can fit easily into your purse if you plan to go dancing.

• Socks
• Shoes- Athletic shoes, flip-flops or flats, heels, boots

Health & Wellness

Another must-have kit in your luggage is health and wellness. You can easily buy a small first aid kit from Target or Walmart for under $5 and have the travel-sized version of most of the items on the list (Advil, ibuprofen, bandaids, Neosporin, etc.), but a few of the items you will need to purchase or down-size into smaller traveling containers.

Think of your health and wellness kit as a “just in case” so you can take immediate action if you have a sore throat, scratch, or headache.

• Allergy medicine
• Aromatherapy oils-roll on
• Asprin or Ibruprofen
• Bandaid
• Benadryl 
• Cotton balls
• Cough drops
• Emergen-C
• Essential oils- tea tree oil is great for treating small scraps, insect bites, and deodorant
• Eye mask
• Facial mask- if you’re in a crowded place
• Feminine products- tampons or pads
• Hand sanitizer
• Hollywood Fashion Kit (travel size)
• Lysol wipes and Lysol spray (travel size)
• Neosporin
• Pepto Bismal
• Q-tips
• Reusable Water bottle
• Throat coat herbal tea
• Tissues (travel size)
• Tums or Acid Reflux medication
• Tweezers
• Vapor Rub

Miscellaneous Self-Care Items

Last but not least is essential self-care items to keep you sane while you travel. These are must-have items that you need to have in your purse or carry-on bag. For example, noise-canceling headphones are perfect for drowning out annoying passengers and a journal to document your memories from your vacation. 

• Cellphone 
• Cellphone Charger
• Digital Camera
• Journal
• Noise-canceling headphones
• Pens

Did your essential self-care items make it onto the packing list? If not, please leave a comment below on your must-have essential self-care travel items. If you enjoyed this article, check out my latest blog, How To Create Your Own Self-Care Glam Squad.