The Holidays4Men Ultimate Holiday Packing List & Travel Checklist

 

General Travel Packing List

• Passport 

• Travel Tickets & Boarding Passes

• Visas (if required)

• Travel Insurance Documents 

• Debit & Credit Cards

• Foreign Currency (if required)

 

Health & Hygiene Holiday Essentials

• Over-the-counter medicines such as painkillers or

• hayfever tablets 

• Prescription medication (if you or a family member

• requires it)

• Basic first aid kit / Travel First Aid Kit (these are easy to

• find online)

• Toiletries (including toothpaste, shampoo, shower gel,

• shaving gel + any others)

• Deodorant 

• Bathroom essentials (such as comb, brush or razor)

• Beauty products & Hair products (including make-up or styling products)

 

Clothing Essentials 

• Socks 

• Underwear 

• At least 2 t-shirts

• At least 1 jumper 

• At least 1 pair of trousers/shorts 

• Comfortable trainers

• Pyjamas or sleepwear 

• Plus - why not plan ahead and set aside the clothes you’ll travel in?

 

Electronics & Devices 

• Mains power adaptor

• Mobile phone + charger

• Headphones 

• Camera 

• Charger + cables for all your devices 

 

Gay Sunny Places: Beach Packing List

 

Preparing for a gorgeous holiday soaking up the sun’s rays and relaxing on the beach? Our beach checklist contains items that you should definitely consider packing in addition to those on our essential holiday packing list:

 

• Sunglasses

• Suncream

• After-sun 

• Cap or sun hat

• Swimming shorts 

• Beach towel

• Swimming goggles (if you have them)

• Snorkel (if you have one)

• Plenty of t-shirts & shorts

 

Gay City Breaks Packing List

 

Holiday packing for a gay city break is quite straighforward - and you can generally pick-up anything you forget while you’re there. But why not save some time and money by making sure the following items are on your list? 

 

• Comfortable, durable shoes for long days of walking

• Suncream (because even cities can be swelteringly hot!)

• Raincoat (in case the hot weather doesn’t materialise after all…)

• City Map or Guide Book

• A secure bag protect your valuables (e.g. a small rucksack, bag or bumbag)

 

Gay Mountains & Ski Packing List

 

Whether you’re searching for thrills and spills on the ski slopes, or relaxing nature-filled walks, it’s important to pack carefully for the challenging terrain and changeable weather found on the mountain. 

 

Mountains Packing List

• Durable hiking shoes or boots

• Thick walking socks

• Woolly hat

• Gloves

• Waterproof jacket

• Waterproof trousers

• Waterproof rucksack (you can also buy a waterproof cover for your existing backpack)

• Large water bottle or water backpack

• High-energy snacks  

 

Gay Ski Packing List 

• Ski jacket 

• Ski trousers

• Goggles (unless you plan to hire these)

• Sunglasses

• Base layer tops

• Base layer bottoms

• Gloves or mittens

• Warm winter hat 

• Snood / Neck warmer 

• Plenty of t-shirts and jumpers to use as layers 

 

Gay Parents / Gay Family Holiday Packing List 

 

Packing for the whole family can be stressful! However, there are simple steps you can take to make sure you don’t forget anything. 

 

To get started, why not check our ‘Gay Holidays Essentials Packing List’ again? You can add one ‘tick’ against each item for each member of your family. Once you’ve done that, here are some other items it is recommended that you pack for a gay family holiday. 

 

• Plastic bags (for the inevitable muddy, dirty or soiled clothes!) 

• Games, books and toys 

• Child-friendly snacks

• Baby wipes / Sanitising wipes 

• Child-friendly medicines & creams

• Nappies (for very young children)

 

Gay Cruises Packing List

 

Gay cruises are all about sitting back, relaxing, and letting the cabin crew take care of your every need. However, there are still some items you can take to ensure that you enjoy your cruise in total comfort. 

 

• Seasickness tablets 

• Eye mask

• Earplugs (in case you are disturbed by the operational sounds of the ship)

• Cabin night light

• Simple wristwatch (to make sure you return to the ship on time!)

 

From the intense Caribbean heat to the chilly, windy fjords of Norway - gay cruises can transport you to a wide variety of destinations. Make sure that you’ve packed suitable clothes for the weather you are likely to encounter - and remember that it can be colder than you think on the ship’s deck! 

 

Gay Safari Packing List

 

Many Safari packages deliver on luxury as well as natural wonders - so you can expect some creature comforts even out in the Safari park! Nevertheless you should make sure you’re ready for the changeable African environments by packing the following items:

 

• Mosquito repellant  

• Tiger balm (to soothe bites)

• Torch

• Anti-diarrhea tablets & rehydration tablets 

• Large water bottle 

• Long sleeve t-shirts and jumpers (helpful to prevent sun-burn and mosquito bites)

• Sun hat (ideally one that shades your whole head and neck)

• Warm fleece

• Practical and lightweight trousers (you could consider trousers with a zip-off leg)

• Snood / Neck warmer 

• Durable boots or shoes 

• Sun cream 

• Swimming shorts / trunks

• Binoculars  

• Camera 

 

Gay Campervan & Tent Packing List

 

Packing for the great outdoors can be difficult as you never know what to expect - especially in the UK where the weather is unpredictable! Nevertheless you’ll be well-prepared for a memorably gay campervan or camping trip by packing the following items:

 

Camping Equipment

• Tent

• Tent Pegs & Mallet 

• Sleeping Bag

• Sleeping mat or Air mattress

• Torch 

• Portable charger 

• Cooking stove, Camping stove or BBQ

• Matches / Lighter

• Cooking utensils and cutlery

• Camping plates and camping bowls

• Bottle opener

• Cool box

• Washing up liquid & scrubbing brush

• Large water container 

• Camping chair 

• Mosquito repellent 

• Eye mask 

• Earplugs

• Plastic bags / Bin liners (for rubbish & wet clothes)

 

Camping Clothing

• Waterproof jacket

• Waterproof trousers

• Warm jumper

• Practical, lightweight trousers or shorts 

• Comfortable shoes or hiking boots + spare shoes 

• Plenty of layers 

• Snood / Neck warmer 

• Sun cream & sunglasses (in summer)

• Hat & gloves (in winter)

• Pyjamas / Sleepwear 

 

Gay Events & Gay Festivals Packing List

 

Whether you’re heading for a wild weekend in a festival field or a vibrant pride festival in one of the world’s most forward-thinking cities, here are the essential items to add to your gay festival packing list or gay event packing list. 

 

Gay Events / Gay Pride

• A secure bag protect your valuables (e.g. a small rucksack, bag or bumbag)

• Suncream 

• Waterproof jacket

• Comfortable shoes

• Gay pride flag (optional of course - but why not add to the sea of rainbow colours?)

 

Gay Festival

• Festival ticket

• Tent & camping equipment (if required - see our Gay Campervan & Tent Packing list above)

• Baby wipes

• Hand sanitiser

• Earplugs

• Portable phone charger 

• Snacks & drinks 

• Suncream 

• Sunglasses 

• Waterproof

• Wellies

• Clothing for all kinds of weather (make sure you’re prepared come rain or come shine)

• Plastic bag or bin liner (for dirty clothes)

 

Gay Holidays - 9 Handy Travel Tips

 

We hope that our packing checklist takes some of the stress out of getting ready for your gay holiday. To help make sure your entire trip goes without a hitch, we’ve also rounded up 9 handy travel tips below! 

 

1. Check your travel itinerary - It pays to carefully double check your travel itinerary and accommodation bookings in the week before you leave. Take the time to make sure that you have booked the right dates and that your travel includes all of your baggage requirements. 

 

1. Don’t wait until the airport to get foreign currency - Save time and money by getting your foreign currency in advance. You can expect to get significantly better rates by ordering your foreign currency online as opposed to purchasing it from airport kiosks. Plus, you don’t have to worry about sorting it when you get to the airport.  

 

1. Make Copies of your passport & other key documents - Scan and print copies of your passport, driving licence, any visas and insurance information to take with you. If you are unfortunate enough to lose any of the original documents, this will make your life much easier! 

 

1. Research your destination - The thrill of discovering new places is one of the best parts about travelling - but nevertheless doing a little research into your destination can help make your trip go more smoothly. Try to find out a little about your destination’s currency, local customs and basic geography (e.g. where is the city centre? Or where are the best sights located?). 

 

1. Download Offline Maps - Google Maps and other mapping apps allow you to download large areas of maps to use offline. For trips abroad, this can save you a fortune in data-roaming charges. Even in the UK, you can save significant amounts of data by navigating offline. Consider downloading an offline map of your destination before you leave. 

 

1. Travel Comfortable - Of course, we all want to be looking our best on our holidays - especially if we’re on the lookout for a whirlwind holiday romance! However you should make sure to prioritise comfort when travelling. A 7 hour flight is a long time to wear a pair of skinny jeans!

 

1. Ditch the Plastic - Due to restrictions on carrying liquids on-board, you cannot take a bottle of water past airport security. However, did you know that many UK airports now have drinking fountains throughout the terminal? This means you can pack your reusable water bottle and fill it up after security - reducing plastic and saving you money on buying bottled water. 

 

1. Travelling in ‘The New Normal’ - COVID19 restrictions are now non-existent in some destinations, while others maintain strict rules and regulations. Be prepared for an ever-changing landscape by researching COVID19 restrictions before you leave and packing spare masks and evidence of your vaccination status just in case. 

 

1. Embrace the unexpected! - No matter how much careful preparation and meticulous planning you do, things don’t always go as planned on holiday! If this happens, try to take it in your stride - and remember that it’s all part of the travelling. Even setbacks can create memorable experiences to look back on in years to come. 

 

Looking for more gay holiday advice?

 

Do you have more questions about your holiday packing list? Or perhaps you’re still looking for the best gay-friendly holiday destinations to help you decide where to go next?

 

You can now get friendly advice from like-minded travellers on the Holidays4Men Forum! We’d also love to hear about your own experiences travelling to gay-friendly destinations - whether solo, with a friend or partner, or with your family. 

 

Click here to join the conversation.