The Ultimate UK Holiday Packing Checklist

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Thinking of taking a UK staycation this year? Don’t go anywhere until you’ve read my ultimate packing checklist for UK holidays, featuring 15 essential items to carry when travelling within the UK.

With self-contained domestic holidays due to recommence from 12th April in England and Wales, the UK travel industry looks set to make a long-awaited return this summer. However, with demand likely to be extremely high, you’ll need to act quickly if you’re hoping to take a UK holiday this year. Self-contained accommodation will fill up fast, so you could end up disappointed if you don’t book soon.

Plus, once your booking’s in place, you can start planning your big trip. While there’s far less to think about when holidaying in the UK vs. abroad, you’ll still need to plan out your itinerary, and book ahead for all those must-see attractions. That’s before you even start thinking about the all-important topic of what to pack into your suitcase – often the most stressful aspect of organising a holiday. Whether you’re looking to pack for a holiday park in Devon or a spa break, this handy guide lists everything you need to consider, and more!

What to pack for a UK holiday or staycation

If the thought of packing to go on holiday is almost enough to make you want to stay at home, don’t fret. I’ve got you covered with my ultimate UK holiday packing checklist.

You might think taking a UK staycation means you won’t need to take quite as many belongings with you and, to some extent, you’re right. When holidaying at home, however, there are a few things you should take with you to ensure you have the best time possible.

Read on to discover all the essentials you’ll need to add to your holiday packing checklist for a UK staycation.

1. A decent coat or jacket

Regardless of whether you’ll be holidaying in the UK during the summer or the winter, you’ll need to take some form of coat or jacket with you. After all, we all know only too well just how unpredictable the UK weather can be.

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As the new GAMMA jacket is incredibly lightweight, it’s also easy to roll up and pack into your backpack or suitcase, making it very convenient for travelling with. Even if you’ll be catching a domestic flight, you won’t need to worry about it taking up too much weight in your suitcase.

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• Adjustable draw-strings, high neck and hood
• Breathable fabric
• Water- and wind-resistant
• Anti-odour and anti-microbial
• UV-proof
• Hypo-allergenic

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2. Packing cubes

Whether you’re holidaying at home or overseas, packing cubes can help you to organise your belongings neatly and compactly, while also making it easier to find what you’re looking for when it comes to unpacking at your destination.

Packing cubes are great for saving space and storing small items like underwear, cosmetics and power cables, as it prevents things from moving around in your suitcase during travel.

They can also help to ensure your clothes stay crease-free, regardless of whether you’re a roller or a folder.

3. Credit cards

It should go without saying but I’m going to say it anyway, as I’ve been guilty of accidentally forgetting them before now; whether you’re holidaying abroad or in the UK, make sure you take your credit cards with you.

While you might use debit cards for most purchases or prefer to carry cash, credit cards can be useful for any unforeseen costly purchases – like potential recovery costs if your car breaks down on the motorway, for example.

Plus, while we all hope it’ll never happen to us, there’s every possibility your money could get stolen or lost while you’re on holiday. Carrying a credit card separately to your other bank cards will mean you can access emergency funds in the unfortunate event of a theft or loss.

4. Watch

Most of us are practically glued to our phones these days; so much so, that we mightn’t realise the value of wearing a traditional wrist watch, when we could simply check the time on our smart phone (or perhaps even on our smart watch!)

However, if your phone battery dies and you’re travelling in a remote location, you might struggle to work out what time it is. With this in mind, you should always travel with a reliable wrist watch.

Similarly, it may pay to bring a spare watch strap with you, just in case your existing strap happens to wear thin or break during use. This is often the case for Casio watches, many of which are used for diving due to being waterproof; if you own a watch like this and you’re likely to be diving or snorkelling while wearing it, don’t leave home until you’ve packed a Casio watch strap into your suitcase.

5. First aid kit

Most of us have a first aid kit lying around somewhere at home, but not many of us will remember to add this to our packing checklist when we travel.

In actual fact, however, we may end up needing a first aid kit even more when we travel than we do at home. After all, we’re probably far more likely to be out and about exploring the local area, visiting exciting attractions and, perhaps, taking part in active or adventurous sports like hiking and biking, when we’re on holiday.

Ensure you pack a quality easy-carry first aid kit into your suitcase before you head off on your UK staycation. You should aim to choose a kit that includes different-sized plasters, dressings, bandages, sticky tape, tweezers, scissors, antihistamine cream and alcohol-free cleansing wipes. This isn’t an exhaustive list though. I recommend checking out the NHS’s guide to what to include in your First Aid kit before leaving for your trip.

6. Walking shoes

Wherever you’ll be staying, it pays to pack a good pair of walking shoes into your suitcase if you plan on walking in the UK . Whether you’re a keen hiker or just enjoy strolling around the local town or beach, if you’re likely to be on your feet for a while, you’ll want to be wearing something comfortable.

Hiking in England and other parts of the UK can be more treacherous than you may think, so opt for a comfy pair of trainers with decent grip or a pair of purpose-built walking shoes.

7. Travel pillow

I’d never dream of catching a flight without my inflatable travel pillow, but I often forget to take it with me on UK holidays.

Travelling by car can be just as uncomfortable as travelling by plane, especially if you’ve got a long road trip ahead of you. Even with regular service station stops, your neck will probably start to ache after a while if you’re hunched over looking at your phone or reading books on your Kindle in the car.

You can always opt for an inflatable pillow if you’re short on space or looking to minimise the weight of your luggage.

8. Eye mask

Similarly, regardless of whether I’m jetting off to the Caribbean or heading to a cosy cottage in the country by car, I never leave home without my eye mask.

I find it difficult to fall asleep while travelling, even if I’m really tired, but wearing an eye mask helps to block out light, tricking my brain into thinking it’s actually bed time.

I usually go for a silk eye mask as the material is less likely to irritate my skin, but sometimes it pays to opt for an alternative fabric as you’ll need to ensure the mask is thick enough to protect your eyes from bright lighting too.

9. Face masks

While it might seem obvious that you may need to take face masks with you when you go on holiday nowadays, I’m saying it anyway because we have a tendency to forget the most obvious things when it comes to packing for a holiday. If that does happen, however, you can order face masks from any online pharmacy and get them delivered all over the UK.

If you’re holidaying with your whole family, the costs of replacement face masks could soon add up if you accidentally forget to bring them with you.

10. Hand sanitiser or anti-bacterial cleansing wipes

Even before the pandemic, I’ve always found it useful to travel with a small bottle of antibacterial hand gel or cleansing wipes.

Not only does this help to keep your hands clean of any harmful germs or bacteria, but it also comes in very handy (excuse the pun!) for washing your hands after eating or drinking, particularly if you don’t have access to running water at the time.

11. UK road map

While most of us use our sat-nav or phone apps to navigate our road trips, what happens if your signal cuts out completely or your battery dies while you’re on the road?

If you’ll be heading off on a UK staycation this year, don’t leave home without an up-to-date UK road map. You never know when you might need to fall back on it!

As a tip, it often pays to buy a spiral-bound map as opposed to a bound one; while it might cost a little more, you’ll be able to fold it flat for easier reading.

12. All-weather clothing

Wherever and whenever you’ll be going away within the UK, it’s always worth taking a variety of clothing with you.

As we touched upon earlier, the UK weather can be extremely unpredictable. While the weather forecast might look relatively good when you set off on your journey, it could change in the space of a few days – or even hours!

Besides taking a decent coat or jacket and walking shoes, ensure your packing checklist also includes the following items:

• Lightweight, non-denim trousers (as jeans can get wet quickly and take a while to dry out)
• A hat or cap to protect your scalp from the sun and prevent hair from getting wet in the rain
• A selection of short- and long-sleeved T-shirts
• A couple of smart tops (for formal or evening wear)
• Socks, including a few thicker pairs for hiking and/or cold or wet weather
• Underwear
• A pair of comfy sandals (if you’ll be holidaying in the summer)

13. An umbrella

I wouldn’t go to my local corner shop without an umbrella if it looked likely to rain, so I can’t imagine heading off on a UK holiday without one! In fact, my umbrella practically lives in my handbag these days.

Make sure you invest in a reliable, sturdy umbrella that’s 100% waterproof and won’t flip inside out in strong winds; buy cheap, buy twice!

14. Toiletries

The best bit about holidaying in the UK is not having to worry about your luggage allowance. That said, I still try to travel as light as possible in order to save space and avoid travelling with a heavy canvas backpack or suitcase.

When it comes to toiletries, I usually take the basic essentials, knowing I can pick-up anything else I’ll need locally once I arrive.

For a UK holiday, I recommend taking the following toiletries:

• Handwash
• Shampoo
• Conditioner
• Shower gel
• Face wash or cleansing wipes
• Face moisturiser
• Body moisturiser
• Sunscreen
• Tampons/sanitary pads

15. Medication

Besides your toiletries, you should also ensure you add any necessary medication to your UK holiday packing checklist.

You may prefer to splash out on a medicine bag or pill container to hold any tablets or medicines in; pill reminder cases also make for a wonderful way to ensure you don’t forget to take your medication each day!

Can you think of anything you’d add to your UK holiday packing checklist that I haven’t mentioned? Let me know by leaving a comment below.

WAIT! Don’t head off just yet. Pin my post first, so you can find it when you’re ready to start packing for your UK staycation 🙂

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