Packing for an overseas trip changes as you get older—or at least it has for us.
We still want to travel actively. We hike, walk miles through cities, climb stairs, take trains and ferries, and sometimes change hotels every night or two. But we’ve reassessed what we bring on a trip to simplify our travel experiences.
If you want to be ready for those active travel days, see our How to Get Fit for Travel guide for practical ways to prepare before your trip.
That means packing lighter, choosing comfort over fashion when it matters, and bringing a few things that can prevent a minor problem from interfering with a day—or several days—of a trip.
This isn’t a complete packing list. You already know you need underwear and a toothbrush. These are the things we consider especially important for international travel after 50, and why they’ve earned space in our luggage.
1. Prescription Medications—and More Than You Think You’ll Need
This is the one thing you really can’t afford to get wrong.
We bring enough prescription medication for the entire trip, plus a few extra days in case of flight cancellations, weather disruptions, illness or other delays. Pack prescription medications into your carry-on, not in checked luggage.
For international trips, it’s also smart to keep medications in their original labeled containers and check the rules for your destination if you take anything that could be restricted.
Years of travel have taught us that no matter how carefully you plan a trip, something can still go wrong. A few extra days of medication gives you one less thing to worry about if it does.
2. A Small, Personalized Medicine Kit
You can find pharmacies almost anywhere, but figuring out what to buy when you’re sick in a foreign country, possibly with a language barrier, isn’t how you want to spend your vacation.
We carry a small supply of the over-the-counter medications we know work for us: pain reliever, antihistamine, digestive remedies, motion-sickness medication and anything else we’re likely to need. We also bring the supplements we take regularly at home. Travel already disrupts your normal routines enough; there’s no reason to stop doing the things that help you feel your best just because you’re away.
This became particularly relevant on our recent Norway trip, when Fred got motion sickness while we were on a multi-day cruise. I had one dose of motion-sickness medication with me, but when he needed more—and I still needed some for our flight home—I had to find more locally. Lesson learned: for the medications you’re most likely to need, bring enough for more than one dose.
Travel can also be hard on your digestive system. Different foods, richer meals, disrupted schedules, dehydration and long travel days can all cause trouble. If there’s an over-the-counter remedy you know works for you, bring a small amount.
Don’t pack an entire drugstore. Think about the minor ailments that have disrupted trips for you before and prepare for those. I find that labeled snack-sized zip-top bags work well for storing emergency meds and take up very little space in your bag.
3. Really Good Walking Shoes
If your feet hurt, your trip suffers.
This is true at any age, but after 50, we’re much less inclined to sacrifice our feet for a particular look. International trips can involve an enormous amount of walking—often over cobblestones, uneven pavement, hills and stairs.
Bring shoes you’ve already broken in and know you can walk in for hours. An overseas vacation is not the time to discover that the cute new shoes you bought for the trip give you blisters after three miles.
Always bring two pair. Alternating shoes can give your feet a break from the same pressure points day after day, and you’ll have a backup if your primary pair gets soaked, develops a problem or simply starts bothering your feet.
If we’re taking an active trip, our shoes need to handle the actual itinerary—not just look good at dinner.
4. Sun Protection You’ll Actually Use
Sun protection becomes increasingly important as we age, especially when we’re spending long days outdoors.
We pack sunscreen, sunglasses and a hat. Hiking, sightseeing, boat trips and even an outdoor lunch can add up to hours of sun exposure.
For your face, look for a sunscreen that stays put and doesn’t sting your eyes if you sweat. That’s particularly important on active trips, when sunscreen running into your eyes halfway through a hike can become surprisingly miserable.
Most importantly, pack sunscreen you like enough to use consistently. If you’re traveling carry-on only, sunscreen sticks can also be a handy way to cut down on liquids.
5. A Lightweight Rain Layer
We’ve learned not to let a little rain dictate our itinerary.
A lightweight waterproof jacket with a hood earns its space because it can serve as both a rain layer and an extra layer for cool or windy weather. For destinations where significant rain is likely, rain pants can also be worth packing—especially if you’ll be hiking or spending extended time outside.
Norway reinforced this one for us. Weather can change quickly, and waiting for perfect conditions isn’t always an option when you only have a few days somewhere. In fact, in Scandinavia, they say: “There’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing.” So pack for bad weather!
The key is lightweight. Bulky outerwear takes up too much valuable luggage space unless the destination truly requires it.
6. Layers Instead of Lots of Clothes
One of the best ways to pack lighter is to stop preparing for every possible weather condition as if each requires a completely different outfit.
We rely on layers.
A few lightweight pieces that work together can handle surprisingly large temperature swings. This is especially useful when you’re moving between cities, mountains, coastlines or different elevations.
Choose clothing that can be reworn and combined in different ways. Nobody you meet in Bergen cares that you wore the same sweater two days ago in Oslo.
7. Lightweight Luggage
The suitcase itself matters.
A heavy suitcase can eat up several pounds of your baggage allowance before you’ve packed a single thing. More importantly, you’re going to have to manage it.
On many international trips, that means lifting it onto trains, maneuvering it through stations, pulling it over uneven sidewalks and getting it up stairs in hotels or apartments without elevators.
This is one place where traveling after 50 has changed our thinking considerably. We don’t just ask, “Can we fit everything in this suitcase?” We ask, “Do we really want to carry this suitcase through the trip we’ve planned?”
Every pound you don’t pack is a pound you don’t have to move.
If packing light is your goal, our Europe Packing List for Carry-On Only Travel shows exactly how we fit what we need into carry-on luggage.
8. A Small Day Bag
Once the suitcase is at the hotel, you need something comfortable for the day.
A lightweight backpack, crossbody bag or other small day bag can hold water, an extra layer, sunscreen, glasses, medications and whatever else you need while sightseeing.
Comfort matters here, too. A bag that feels fine for 20 minutes may feel very different after six hours. We prefer something that weighs very little before we’ve put anything into it.
9. A Refillable Water Bottle
Dehydration can sneak up on you when you’re traveling. You’re walking more, flying, spending time outdoors and maybe deliberately drinking less because you’re not sure where the next restroom will be.
We carry refillable water bottles and make a point of drinking throughout the day.
Keep it simple and lightweight. This isn’t an item that needs to take up half your daypack.
10. Backup Glasses and Vision Essentials
If you depend on glasses or contacts, losing or breaking them overseas is more than an inconvenience.
Bring a backup pair of prescription glasses if you have one. Contact lens wearers should also bring glasses, extra lenses and enough solution for the trip.
And don’t forget reading glasses if you need them. Tiny menus, museum descriptions and transit information don’t magically get easier to read because you’re on vacation.
11. A Few Comfort Items That Help You Sleep
Sleep matters more to us than it did when we were younger because a bad night can affect the next day’s activities.
But that doesn’t mean packing your bedroom.
Think small: a sleep mask, earplugs or another lightweight item such as a sound spa (or consider a sound spa app) that reliably helps you sleep in an unfamiliar environment. Hotels can have bright hallway lights, street noise, thin curtains and sounds you’re not accustomed to.
A couple of ounces devoted to better sleep can be well worth carrying.
12. A Portable Charger and the Right Plug Adapter
Phones have become indispensable travel tools. They’re our maps, cameras, boarding passes, train tickets, reservation confirmations and connection to home.
That makes a dead phone considerably more problematic than it used to be.
We bring a portable power bank for long sightseeing and transit days, along with the correct plug adapter for the countries we’re visiting. If several devices need charging, a compact multi-port charger can reduce the number of individual chargers you need.
This isn’t specifically an over-50 item—but reducing little logistical headaches is very much part of how we prefer to travel now.
13. Copies of Important Information
Most travel information lives on our phones now, but we don’t rely exclusively on them.
Keep accessible copies of essential information such as your passport details, insurance information, important reservations and emergency contacts. These can be secure digital copies, paper copies or a combination.
The goal isn’t to create a giant travel binder. (In fact, I like to fold mine into a large zip-top bag and hide them in a less obvious compartment of my suitcase.) It’s to make sure a lost phone, dead battery or lack of internet access doesn’t leave you stranded.
What We Don’t Pack “Just in Case”
Packing well after 50 isn’t only about what you bring. It’s also about what you leave home.
We try hard to avoid packing clothes for imaginary occasions, multiple pairs of shoes that serve essentially the same purpose, full-size toiletries we won’t finish, and bulky items we can easily buy at our destination if we unexpectedly need them.
“Just in case” can add a surprising amount of weight.
There are exceptions, of course. Prescription medications aren’t a “buy it if we need it” item. Neither are the small health and comfort items that we already know make a difference for us.
The trick is distinguishing between prepared and overpacked.
Pack for the Trip You’re Actually Taking
There isn’t one perfect packing list for travelers over 50.
A two-week city trip through Europe requires different gear from a beach vacation in the Caribbean. Head farther afield and the considerations can change again. A trip to Egypt or another hot, dry destination makes sun protection, breathable clothing and hydration particularly important. New Zealand might require you to prepare for changing weather and outdoor activities on the same trip. Depending on where you’re headed in Asia, heat, humidity, rain and local customs may all influence what belongs in your suitcase.
The point isn’t to pack for every possibility. It’s to look closely at your itinerary—climate, activities, transportation, accommodations and local customs—and pack for what you’re actually going to do.
Your health, activity level and personal comfort needs matter, too.
But our basic philosophy stays the same: pack light enough that you can comfortably manage your own luggage, bring the things that protect your health and keep you active, and don’t waste valuable space preparing for situations that probably won’t happen.
For us, packing after 50 isn’t about traveling more cautiously.
It’s about removing the little obstacles that can keep us from doing what we came all that way to do.
Related Guides
Europe Packing List for Carry-On Only Travel — Our complete packing list, with tips for fitting everything you need into a carry-on.
How to Get Fit for Travel: Walk Farther, Spend Less, and See More — Prepare for the walking, stairs, hiking and long sightseeing days that can make travel so rewarding.
Long-Haul Travel: The Quiet Realities (and Small Adjustments) That Make a Big Difference — Practical advice for managing sleep, hydration, digestion and energy on long-distance trips.
How to Plan a Trip: A Practical Overview — A start-to-finish overview of our approach to planning a trip.
Building an Amazing Travel Itinerary — A deeper look at creating an itinerary that fits your time, interests and travel style.