Get packing help online

Packing need not induce panic. If you plan a careful list in advance and review it as you’re as loading up your bags, you can avoid distress at home and disaster on the road. The Web makes it easy, as you can find all kinds of packing lists online, and even tools that can tailor a list specifically for your trip.

• I like the lists provided by Traveller’s Tale, Rick Steves, and Travelite. You can find plenty more lists that are specific to certain types of travel (e.g. Search for “infant packing list” or “Inca Trail packing list”).
• Packinglistonline.com allows you to create a personalized list based on criteria including trip length, destination, gender, age, activities, accommodations and transportation types, destination temperature range, and travel with kids. I created several and found the lists quite helpful, particularly for thinking of specific items needed for activities like camping in a tropical climate or city sightseeing in the cold.
• Packlistonline.com allows you to create and email yourself a personalized list. Simply browse the site’s list of 500 items, check the ones you want, and hit “show the packlist.” You’ll then be emailed your specific list. It can take a while to get through and many items are labeled with British terms (“trousers” instead of “pants”), but the list is so extensive that it’s unlikely you’ll forget anything important.

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