The international magazine Cultured has collected the experience of well-known chefs, actors, artists and publicists to compile a selection of 78 travel tips. The participants in the survey shared how to avoid overstuffed suitcases, what you should always take with you on a plane or ship, and which items can save the day in the most unexpected situations.
Among those surveyed are chefs Daniel Humm and Pierce Abernathy, actors Owen Thiele and Coco Baudelle, artists Brianna Lance and Ariella Starkman, writer Coco Mellors, publicist Kaitlin Phillips and others. They offered both practical advice and amusing or purely personal “must-have” items.
Some contributors recommend planning your wardrobe for each day and evening in advance, even trying outfits on at home and photographing the finished looks so you don't get lost in your clothes later. Others emphasise the importance of organisation: using packing cubes, vacuum bags, small make-up bags and weekly pill boxes for vitamins and medicines so you don't have to lug large bottles around.
Many tips concern comfort on the road: having a separate rucksack or bag in which all the small essentials – passport, headphones, chargers, painkillers – always stay in their place. Portable chargers are mentioned separately, as well as spare toothbrushes in every bag and small games or a deck of cards to reduce phone time during long journeys.
Quite a few contributors advise taking a minimum of clothing but focusing on accessories, comfortable fabrics (silk, cotton, cashmere) and good-quality skincare with sun protection. Some admit they always leave space in their suitcase specifically for the shopping and souvenirs they'll bring back from the trip.
A separate section of the piece asks what the participants would take with them to a desert island. The answers range from practical things – a compass, books, paints, a knife or personal care items – to entirely tongue-in-cheek ones: a piña colada machine, board games, pets or even their nearest and dearest.
The collected tips show that successful packing is a balance between preparation and spontaneity: it's worth thinking through the essentials in advance, but you shouldn't be afraid to leave room for improvisation and avoid taking things you never use at home.