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Among the 365 precious days of the year, most people spend at least 250 of them shuttling between home and office or school. Another 100 days are spent entirely on the couch, watching Netflix with the mind still hovering over the week’s workload. If you are one of the millions of people in the corporate world, you probably have only two weeks available for you to travel far away. Read on to know what should be on your packing list for two weeks.
By the time the booking and planning phases are done, your feet are already off the ground, but there is still a pile of clothes and gear you will need for the next two weeks. We know, your brain is too tired to predict what to pack for two weeks when you can’t even move a finger. Lucky for you, we are here to make your life easier.
We have put down a detailed packing list for two weeks that everybody can interpret and apply to their two-week vacation packing lists. With our comprehensive guide, you won’t even tell the time difference between unzipping the empty bags and zipping them stuffed.
Packing for 2 Weeks: Clothing
How To Pack Light for 2 Weeks
Packing for a two-week vacation sounds intimidating, so we bet you are assuming you need twice as many clothing items as the duration of the travel. On the contrary, we are going to go ahead and tell you strategies that will help you pack the bare minimum. With the following tips, your packing list for two weeks can fit in a carry on bag, which will save you lots of time at the airport.
- With a few tops having neutral colors, and even fewer pairs of pants, you can easily come up with at least 8-10 different combinations.
- Most people over-worry about being seen in the same clothes for two days, but many forget that there are millions of other people living or traveling to the same destination. It is even less of an issue if you are traveling to a cold place, as you will be wearing your jacket on top anyway. The point is, don’t try to pack too many clothes in order to wear a different outfit every single day.
- Two weeks is a long time to carry dirty laundry, so why not wash your clothes halfway through? All you need is a hand-wash liquid and a sink, although you can also opt for dry cleaners near your hotel. That way, you can pack light without worrying about running out of clean laundry.
- If you look at photos from your previous travels, you will notice that most of them are from the waist up. That means what you wear on top is more noticeable than your pants. Following this logic, you can always keep the pairs of bottoms at a minimum compared to the tops. The ideal ratio of tops to bottoms would be 2:1.
- Follow the same strategy for shoes since they can take up a lot of space in your suitcase
Tops
Depending on the bottoms you will bring, you can pack as few as 5-6 tops. Choosing the right kind of tops is not easy if you consider different factors, but the rule of thumb is to have neutral-colored clothes that are neat and comfortable. If you want to add an element of surprise, you could accentuate your outfit with bright and fancy accessories.
Whether your tops should have long or short sleeves depends on the weather conditions. You just need to think about the time ratio between the cold and the warm days. If you are not sure about the weather, bring an equal number of long-sleeve blouses and sleeveless tops (e.g., 3:3), with a new top for specific activities, such as parties, and conferences.
The advantage of bringing both types of tops is that you can layer up by wearing a long-sleeve top on top of a lightweight sleeveless top.
Bottoms
Some might say wearing jeans is too mainstream, but is there another type of pants that you can mix and match with simply any type of top? With just about 2-3 pairs of jeans, you can create ten different combinations. Not only that, but you can wear them several times without having to wash them.
When it comes to color, fashion experts suggest that darker or grey jeans are easier to match. Whether you need long pants, jean shorts or skirts will depend on the weather and the customs of the destination.
Outer Layer
When it comes to your outwear packing list for 2 weeks vacation, you need even fewer items than the bottoms. For one thing, they won’t touch your skin and get sweaty so quickly, so you won’t have to wash them regularly unless you are unfortunate enough to spill a drink on it. 2-3 merino-wool cardigans or hoodies will enhance the variety of your outfits, and they are instrumental in layering up.
As for jackets, you will most likely prefer one of the three. For coastal destinations, waterproof jackets are your life-saver, while you can wear a packable down jacket to keep warm in winter. For autumn and spring, a leather jacket should suffice.
In your choice of jackets, make sure they have a sufficient number of pockets for your personal items. You can also consider a handbag or a fanny pack to put cash and credit cards.
Socks and Underwear
Now that you have saved up enough space in your suitcase, you can be more flexible while packing your underwear and socks. Although small in size, they are essential parts of the 2 weeks parking list and ones that we might have to change frequently if we are moving around all the time.
Keeping in mind that you can do your laundry halfway through, you can pack 8-10 underwear and socks to cover you for two weeks.
Shoes
It can be baffling to figure out the types of shoes you need for a wide range of occasions, from hiking on dusty trails to an elegant opera night. Believe it or not, you can still keep your packing list of 2 weeks at a minimum.
Remember that you will spend the majority of your time strolling around, and we imagine you don’t like to get blisters on your feet or slip on the cobbled streets under the rain. Closed shoes with a rubber sole will get you anywhere painlessly.
Depending on the weather, a maximum of three pairs of shoes will be sufficient. It can range from a waterproof boot to tennis shoes. Slip-on shoes and sandals are more suitable for summer vacations.
Packing For Two Weeks: Toiletries
Below is a list of toiletries that you should have access to throughout the two weeks.
- Shampoo
- Bodywash
- Soap
- Toothbrush and toothpaste
- Sunscreen
- Toilet paper
- Hand sanitizer
- Towels
- Makeup kit (specifically for women’s packing list for 2 weeks)
- Medical kit
That doesn’t mean you have to pack all of the above. All you have to do is to check what toiletries are supplied at the facilities of your accommodation. For instance, if you are staying at a guest house, you probably won’t need to bring toilet paper and soap.
Packing for Two Weeks: Gears
Packing light is not all about the number of items you snuggled in your suitcase but also about how you pack them. You need to be as organized as possible, otherwise going through your stuff can take away a pleasant hour you could have spent at a museum. With packing cubes, you can divide your packing list into categories and use them as travel drawers whenever you need a specific item.
One of the most annoying situations during travel is the leakage of toiletries all over your bag, which is hard to prevent, even with a plastic bag wrapped around. Instead, you could use waterproof toiletry bags that are foldable and have pockets for your toiletries to fit right in.
For your electronics, such as your cellphone, laptop, kindle, camera, or GoPro, it is crucial to bring the correct adapter fitting the plug type of your destination. You can check online, and also pack a universal travel adapter that fits in any plug around the world. Besides convenient charging, extra memory is necessary for the storage of the hundreds of photos you will want to take.
Packing for 2 Weeks: Documents
Below is a list of documents you might need.
- Your National ID
- Your passport if going abroad (valid for at least three more months)
- The visa of the country of visit
- Copies of your passport
- International Driver’s License for renting a car
- Car insurance and other documents when border-crossing in your car.
Packing for Two Weeks: Location-Specific
We cannot go to details for every single country, but we can assure you that the location is a significant factor, especially when deciding what to wear. The three most important factors are weather, planned activities, and customs.
To be more precise, you have to put away your mini shorts if you are going to a religious site and a conservative area. Not only the customs but also the strictness differs from one country to another. It also wouldn’t make sense to bring smart outfits for a safari trip.
FAQs: Packing for 2 Weeks
You can pack two bottoms and four tops per week as well as 1-2 jackets and 2-3 shoes according to the weather.
Follow these three strategies.
Bring less than what you initially thought you would need.
Use packing tools to organize and utilize the space in your suitcase.
Try to do laundry at the end of the first week.
Packing for 2 Weeks: Conclusion
Two weeks might sound like a long time, giving you the tendency to pack as heavy as a cow. With some simple tricks, you can save up a lot of space in your bag, which becomes available for lots of souvenirs to bring back. We hope that our two-week travel packing list has given you a solid foundation about how to prepare for your journey.
For country-specific packing lists, refer to our posts on Egypt, South Africa, Morocco, Botswana, and Kilimanjaro – Tanzania.
