The Group Trip Packing List You Will Actually Use
Shorter than most packing lists, because most packing lists are written for people who don't pack.
Jesse Marchetti
Contributing writer
January 30, 2026 · 6 min read
You do not need a list that tells you to bring underwear. What groups actually get wrong is duplication: six people each pack a hairdryer and nobody packs a first aid kit.
Assign the shared items
Pick one person per item. It takes two minutes in the chat and saves everyone weight and money.
- First aid: painkillers, plasters, rehydration sachets, antihistamines, something for an unhappy stomach
- One good speaker, not four mediocre ones
- Universal adapter with multiple USB ports — the single most borrowed object on any trip
- Aftersun, because someone always overdoes day one
- A pack of cards or one small game for the flight delay you don't know about yet
- Stain remover pen, unreasonably useful when there are nice dinners involved
What to pack yourself
Outfits, not clothes. Count the actual occasions: travel day, beach days, two or three dinners, one night out, the flight home. That is the list. Everything else is optimism.
One pair of shoes you can walk five miles in, one pair you can be photographed in, and something for the pool. Three pairs, and the third one barely counts.
The things groups forget every single time
- Cash in small notes for tips and taxis
- The check-in window for the return flight
- A printed or offline copy of the accommodation booking
- Which airline needs the visa or entry form filled before departure
- Something warm for the plane, which is always freezing regardless of destination
The only group chat worth being in.
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