If you’re staying in a rental home or apartment on your holiday, it’s important to pack more than you would for the typical hotel. From towels to soap, shampoo and other personal items, rental homes aren’t always equipped with the items you’d expect to get in a hotel room.
Holiday Home © weidnerapartmenthomes
Below, we’ve prepared a complete packing list for holiday rental homes and apartments. Use it to pack with confidence for your next holiday, whether you’re staying in a family rental home or an apartment.
Things You Need On Every Trip
Below we’ve listed items specific for a beach trip. For items that you need on every trip regardless of the weather, see our main holiday packing list.
Don’t Forget!
- Check What’s Included – Before you buy or pack anything for your holiday, contact the accommodation rental provider and ask what’s included with the home or apartment. Ask about cookware and utensils, appliances, cleaning supplies and linens so that you know exactly what you need to bring from home.
- Travelling with young children? If you’re travelling with babies, toddlers or young kids, read our Holiday Checklist for Families before you start preparing for your holiday.
- Face mask – COVID is still very active in many countries and you may be required to wear an SFP2 facemask on the plane and in some indoor spaces. It’s also a good idea to carry a small bottle of hand sanitiser when you travel.
Travel Insurance:
- Considering travel insurance for your trip? World Nomads offers coverage for more than 150 adventure activities as well as emergency medical, lost luggage, trip cancellation and more.
Kitchen Items:
- Cookware – If your holiday rental doesn’t include cookware, make sure you bring the right pots and pans for your trip from home. If it only includes minimal cookware, bring any essentials with you if you plan on cooking at the rental home frequently.
- Aluminium Foil and Parchment Paper – These two cooking items are easy to forget, and very few rental homes will include them. If you plan on grilling or BBQing, aluminium foil is a must-have. Likewise, parchment paper is extremely helpful if you’d like to bake.
- Ziplock Bags – Ziplock bags are useful inside and outside the kitchen, making them an absolute essential for holiday rental homes. Pack a variety of sizes so you’ve got a bag available for leftover food, cooking ingredients, small items and anything else.
- Utensils – Check that your holiday rental includes utensils, and make sure to ask how many sets are included. If you’re worried about running out of knives, forks and spoons, bring your own from home or buy plastic utensils from the supermarket.
- Knives – If you like to cook, bring your own knives from home. Most rental homes that come “fully equipped” with kitchen equipment usually have cheap, blunt knives that are far from ideal for preparing meals.
- Other Small Kitchen Essentials – Potato peelers, cutting boards, salad spinners and other essentials are often absent in holiday home kitchens. If you’re travelling to your destination in the car, pack as many kitchen items as you can comfortably bring.
- Corkscrew/Bottle Opener – It’s amazing how many rental homes with “fully equipped” kitchens don’t have a corkscrew. Pack a combination corkscrew and bottle opener so that you don’t run into any problems trying to open a bottle of wine.
- Paper Towels – Pack as many paper towels as you anticipate you’ll need, then an extra pack or two for good measure. Paper towels save you from having to rely on the kitchen towels that came with the home, which may have been used hundreds of times before.
- Napkins – Likewise, don’t forget to bring several packs of napkins with you. While most holiday rentals come with paper towels and some kitchen linens, few will include paper napkins.
- Dish Sponges – Unless you want to eat off paper plates for your holiday, you’ll need to keep your holiday rental home’s dishes clean. Bring a pack of dish sponges with you so that cleaning up after breakfast, lunch or dinner is a quick and simple process.
If you have sensitive skin that dries easily when it touches soapy water, make sure you also pack a pair of rubber gloves. - Dishwashing Liquid – Pack a bottle of dishwashing liquid from home, since you’ll need to clean dishes and utensils after use. Before you pack, ask if your holiday home has a dishwasher — if so, bring a small pack of dishwasher tablets instead.
Food:
- Coffee Machine, Beans and Filters – Many holiday rental homes include a drip coffee maker, although many won’t have any filters. Bring a pack of coffee filters from home to make preparing your morning cup of coffee quick and simple.
Again, it’s best to call ahead of time to check if your rental home comes with a coffee machine or not. If it doesn’t, bring an AeroPress, Moka Pot or other portable brewing device from home so you don’t have to go without caffeine during your holiday. - Snacks – Pack enough snacks to help you avoid hunger during the day, as well as for the trip to and from your destination.
- Cooking Oil – Even rental homes that come fully equipped with cookware will usually skip cooking oil, making it worth bringing your own from home.
- Condiments – Just like cooking oil, salt and pepper usually aren’t included in the typical rental home kitchen. Bring salt, pepper and other condiments from home so you have all the essentials you need to prepare dinner without having to visit the local supermarket.
Linens:
- Sheets – It’s always best to call ahead to find out many sets of sheets are included with your rental home. If it’s just one, bring a second set from home so you don’t need to rush to do all the laundry in one day.
- Bath Towels – Not all rental homes come with bath towels. If yours has a BYO policy for bathroom linens, make sure you pack hand towels, bath towels and washcloths to avoid having to go shopping after you check in.
- Blankets – If you’re travelling to a cold destination during winter, bring a set of blankets from home in case the ones provided in your holiday rental home aren’t enough.
Hygiene and Personal Care:
- Soap or Body Wash – Most rental homes don’t come with soap or body wash. Pack a bottle of body wash or several bars of soap so that you’re fully equipped as soon as you check in.
- Shampoo and Conditioner – Likewise, shampoo and conditioner usually aren’t included with a holiday rental. Bring a large enough bottle of each so that you don’t need to shop for either during your stay.
- Toilet Paper – Another essential, toilet paper often isn’t always included with your rental home. Bring a few rolls from home to keep you covered for the first few days until you’ve got time for a local shopping trip.
- Hair Dryer – Check ahead of time to see if your rental home comes with a hair dryer. If not, make sure to bring your own from home or buy a compact travel hair dryer like the Babylisspro TT Tourmaline Titanium Travel Dryer.
- First Aid Kit – Since you aren’t staying at a hotel, you won’t have staff on call to help you with injuries. Pack a first aid kit (the SadoMedcare All-In-One First Aid Kit is a good option) so that you can deal with cuts and bruises easily.
Cleaning Products:
- Rubbish/Garbage Bags – Not all holiday rentals come with rubbish bags, so it’s worth bringing a small supply with you. Pack enough to last for your entire holiday, plus a few extra in case you need them for packing.
- Multi-purpose Cleaner – Even if your rental home provider offers a cleaning service, it’s worth packing a spray bottle of multi-purpose cleaner for spilled drinks, food stains, dirty bathrooms and other minor cleaning tasks.
- Insect Repellent – If you’re travelling to a tropical destination, pack some natural insect repellent to protect you from mosquitos and other pests. Mosquito coils are an effective, cheap way to keep insects away from outdoor chairs and dining tables.
Remember The Essentials:
- Make sure you’ve got your passport, flight tickets, travel vaccinations and all the other items essential to every trip abroad – see our essential holiday packing list to doublecheck you’ve got everything!
