Checklist For UK Travel from India

My husband and I will be going the UK for the first time for seven days, and it will be our first trip abroad. We would like some help with what all things are essential to take along with us, which we may not find there.
The main reason for our travel is to see what the UK looks like and visit some of the famous tourist places. We don't know anyone in the UK so our stay will be in a small hotel.

Please provide a checklist for UK travel from India.

 

Hello, @Pri! Welcome to the forum.

The United Kingdom has varying climates, depending on the region that you're visiting. But generally, the whole state receives low temperatures almost all-year round and it's not uncommon as well for light to moderate rainfalls to occur. Thus, when packing, you need to take this into consideration especially if you come from a region in India with particularly tropical climates. Usually, July is the warmest month but even then, it's rare for the temperatures to exceed 19°C during this month. If you're visiting the state during the winter months, November to February, temperatures can go as low as 5°C and sometimes, even below zero degree. The remaining months have temperatures in between so still mildly cold.

So now that we have discussed about the climate in the UK, there's the issue of the luggage. For a one-week trip, just how many suitcases would be necessary? You can bring a maximum of two luggages, one for the check-in and one for the cabin. Then, you can also bring another handbag or even a laptop bag, whichever you might need. Since it's just for a one-week trip, you won't need to buy a huge luggage. Just choose one that is lightweight and of course, check the luggage policy of your airline for the dimension limits and weight limits. As for the carry-on luggage, again, make sure that it fits the requirements of your airline.

Now that we have these things covered, we can then pack appropriately for the trip. Let us begin with the clothes, which is a very important part of any trip. Since you'd be taking lots of pictures, you'd want to at least look good or well-put together. When it comes to selecting clothes for a UK trip, it's best to take into consideration which season you're visiting. Keep in mind one thing, layering is the key for being comfortable when in vacation in the UK. Since the climate is cold almost all-year round, you need to bring clothes that can easily be put over each other, so think tights, leggings and cardigans. In addition to your normal clothes for the hotel, pyjamas and shirts, you also have to bring these clothes for sightseeing or formal events:

Checklist for Packing Clothes in the UK (Female)

Category	Summer	Spring	Winter
Bottoms	1 pair of jeans, 1 pair of trousers and 1 skirt	1 pair of jeans, 1 pair of leggings/tights, 1 pair of trousers and 1 skirt	2 pairs of jeans, 2 pairs of leggings/tights and 1 pair of trousers
Tops/Dresses	Tank tops, assorted shirts, formal blouse and summer dress (floral and lightweight)	Assorted shirts, long-sleeved shirts, cardigan, formal blouse, waterproof hooded jacket and a maxi dress or sleeved dress	Long-sleeved shirts, turtlenecks, fleece jacket, hooded jackets/coats and a formal dress/polo
Undergarments	7 pairs of underwear and at least 3 bras	7 pairs of underwear and at least 3 bras	7 pairs of underwear and at least 3 bras
Shoes	Sneakers or ankle boots, ballet flats or sandals and 1 formal shoes	Ankle boots, ballet flats or sandals and 1 formal shoes	High boots, ballet flats or sandals and 1 formal shoes
Others	Scarves, socks, sunglasses and cap (optional: swimsuit)	Socks, bonnet and scarves	Scarves, mittens, bonnet and socks

For the clothes, it's best to pick neutral colours for the bottoms. With the tops, you can choose more bold colours but it's still safer to go with neutrals as well. With dresses, you can pick a lightweight and floral dress for summer. During the spring season, a maxi dress would fit well or even a sleeved dress. For the winter, you can opt for a little black dress or anything that can be transformed into a formal wear during events or dinner dates. Since layering is the key, it's a must to bring clothes that can easily be layered over another. Thus, you have to bring cardigans, jackets and coats. For shoes, you can bring one comfortable shoes for sightseeing and another dressy one for formal nights. Ankle boots or high boots are good too, pick ones that are comfortable for walking around. Scarves are great because they can spice up any outfit easily and can also protect against the cold.

Checklist for Packing Clothes in the UK (Male)

Category	Summer	Spring	Winter
Bottoms	2 pairs of jeans and 2 pairs of trousers	2 pairs of jeans and 2 pairs of trousers	2 pairs of jeans and 2 pairs of trousers
Tops	Assorted plain shirts, polo shirts, formal or semi-dressy polo and light jacket	Assorted plain shirts, long sleeve shirts, formal or semi-dressy polo, lightweight jacket and hooded jacket (formal)	Assorted plain shirts, long sleeve shirts, formal or semi-dressy polo, turtleneck, cardigans/pullovers and hooded jacket
Undergarments	7 pairs of underwear	7 pairs of underwear	7 pairs of underwear
Shoes	Sneakers and one formal shoes	Sneakers and one formal shoes	Sneakers and one formal shoes
Others	Belt, sunglasses, socks and cap (optional: swim trunks)	Socks, belt and bonnet	Socks, belt and bonnet

So with men, the same goes, you can bring neutral coloured bottoms and be more colourful with your tops. For dressy night outs, you have to be prepared, so bring a formal polo or a button-down shirt that you can easily pair with trousers. During winter time, it gets colder so make sure that you have a turtleneck and some pullovers that can be easily worn over shirts. If you get cold easily, you can even bring inner thermals so you can be more comfortable. During summer, you would be able to pull through with just a shirt and jeans, plus a light jacket or even a denim jacket. Socks are a must in all seasons especially since you're going to be wearing sneakers.

Checklist for Other Essentials for a UK Trip

Electronics	Personal	Documents	Others
Camera with extra memory card	Toiletries	Itinerary	Collapsible bag for souvenirs
Music player	Sunscreen	Airline tickets	Extra bag for dirty clothes
Tablet	Travel pillow	Hotel booking confirmation	Map or travel book for UK
Smartphone	Medications	Insurance for travel	Small ziplock bags for toiletries
Laptop (optional)	First aid kit	Passport and visa, with photocopies	Small umbrella
UK three-prongs plug adapter	Makeup (for women)	ATM cards, credit cards and some money	Tissue (for air travel)
Chargers for all these gadgets	Nail kit	International driver's permit (optional)	Book or magazine (for air travel)

When it comes to electronics, you can be as precise as this list or bring as few as you'd like. You can even bring portable chargers or extra batteries. The laptop is optional, but some travellers are also bloggers and they do need to bring their laptop on vacations. Also a must to bring is the UK adapter plug or else, you won't be able to charge these gadgets in the country itself. Most electronics stores have different adapters from different countries, make sure to ask for the UK adapter plug as it is quite distinct from the European adapter plug.

Personal items include your toiletries, but make sure you bring only travel sized ones or just transfer them into smaller containers. This can save much space in your luggage. Usually, hotels have small toiletries as well in their bathrooms so if you're not picky, you can opt for those. Sunscreen is a must to protect your skin from the harsh rays of the sun. Other essentials are medications and first aid kit as well. If you do wear makeup, then you have to put them in a separate pouch to protect them from breaking while in flight. A travel pillow is optional but it's a great item for sleeping in the airplane.

Of course, you cannot forget about the documents. First, prepare your visa and passport, do take photocopies of them so in case they get lost, you have some information about them. Other essentials are your airline tickets, hotel confirmation booking (printed or screenshot) and itinerary. Medical insurance for travel is also necessary since you don't known when accidents can happen. Since you need money for the trip, you have to bring your ATM card, credit card or even some money to exchange at the airport. An optional item is the international driving license, bring this only if you need to drive around the UK. But you can bring other identification proofs though like your driving license.

Lastly, the last column discusses other miscellaneous items like extra bags and souvenir bags. This way, you won't have to buy a bag from the UK just to bring home your souvenirs. A map or travel book for the UK is important to bring too, especially since it's your first time to travel there. A small umbrella is also handy as the UK does receive rainfall all throughout the year.

When it comes to packing these items, all personal items and electronics must go in the carry-on luggage. Also pack at least two change of clothes in your carry-on. Your handbag can have all your documents and other important items that you cannot part with. Then, the suitcase itself should house all the other remaining items, those that you can bear to part with, in case your luggage gets lost, which happens at times.

I hope this helps you.