Packing for a 9-night Contiki tour that covers four cities, two countries and four different hotel rooms over 8 nights can be a little intimidating. You have to pack enough to meet all of your needs but pack light enough to be able to move easily from one place to another.
Here, I share my complete packing list for my Contiki tour of Portugal and Spain as well as my packing list for that dreaded overnight flight from the U.S. to Europe.
Read More: Check out my full Contiki Tour review.
What to Pack for an Overnight Flight
All the products on my list I bought in mini sizes so they would pass TSA scrutiny and fit into a small travel bag I tucked into my backpack for easy access during the flight. In terms of packing for the plane, especially overnight ones, I make sure I always bring these essential things:
- Toothbrush & toothpaste
- Facial wipes (washing your face in the bathrooms can be too messy)
- Aquaphor (Your body gets naturally dehydrated on planes)
- Small face moisturizer and face wash (Doing skin care on the plan can be a good way to pass the time!)
- Small mighty patches (I always get a little zit on planes and this treats them by the time you step off the plane.
- Neck pillow
- Compression Socks (this helps increase circulation and reduce swelling)
- Small body lotion
- Eye mask (People next to you will probably turn on their reading lights)
- Melatonin (I have a hard time falling asleep on planes)
- Ear plugs (In case my Air Pods die or I want to block out sound more comfortably)
- Water bottle
- Portable charger
- Universal charger (I bought mine on Amazon for $25)
- Small perfumes (I also go to Sephora to grab small perfume samples, so once I land and get off the plane I have something handy to spritz on to refresh and smell nice)
- Tide stick (You never know when it may come in handy)
What to Pack for the Tour
I am a light traveler – the less I have to lug around with me the better. I brought a small suitcase and the large Contiki-branded backpack the tour company sent me the week before the trip. If you like to buy a lot of souvenirs, consider sizing up to a medium-sized suitcase but not packing it full at the start of the trip so you’ll have room to bring back all of your treasures.
SheBuysTravel Tip: Check the weather at your destination(s) periodically before you pack. This will heavily impact what you bring. I traveled in March, when temperatures in Portugal and Spain were projected to be cooler (low 60s Fahrenheit) with a decent chance of precipitation.
Because of this, I packed these things to wear:
- 2 pair of comfortable jeans
- 1 linen lightweight pant
- Short flowy skirt
- 1 long flowy skirt
- 3 long-sleeved shirts (mix and match)
- 3 – 4 nice tops for dinner/going out
- Sweater
- 1 lightweight raincoat
- 1 swimsuit
- Scarf
- Vintage Belt Accessory
- A pair of black boots
- 1 pair of comfortable white sneakers
With all of that in my small suitcase, I had just enough room to carry back a few small items.
SheBuysTravel Tip: I use the rolling packing method to save space. Tightly roll up all of your jeans, tops, and jackets to keep them wrinkle-free and make for more room in your suitcase.
Toiletries to Pack
It can be tricky to know what to bring in terms of personal items because it depends on what the accommodations will provide. I reached out in advance to Contiki to understand what I would need to bring.
Here’s the list:
- Small personal skincare items (All hotels provided a bar of soap for showering)
- Daily SPF
- Face Wash and Moisturizer
- Any extra small skincare items you might need (medicinal topicals, etc.)
- Microfiber towel
- Not every hotel offers complimentary towels (and in some cases you may find yourself having to pay for a towel service). Microfiber towels are great because they are incredibly fast-drying fabric and this is better than having to lug around a damp wet standard towel as you go from place to place.
- Small Shampoo and Conditioner
- All the Portugal and Spanish hotels we stayed in supplied shampoo and conditioner; that may not be the case for some other country trips.
- Deodorant
- Hairbrush
- Clips and ties for hair
- Makeup
- I kept this minimal and brought small sizes of products that would be lightweight and easy to put on at any given moment.
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