The Ultimate Group Trip Packing List

Group trips have a packing superpower that solo trips don't: you don't all need to bring everything. The chapters that travel well keep a shared list where bulky, shareable items get claimed by one person each instead of packed forty times. Think speakers, first-aid kits, sunscreen by the liter, card games, and a power strip for the room that never has enough outlets.

Individually, the non-negotiables are boring and essential: government ID (passport for international, with six months validity, checked the day you book, not the week before), payment cards plus one backup, chargers, medications in original packaging, and one outfit a notch nicer than you think the trip requires. Every trip has a dinner that calls for it.

Destination changes the details. Beach trips: reef-safe sunscreen, after-sun, and shoes that can get wet. Ski trips: gloves and base layers, because renting a jacket is possible but renting warm socks is not. City formals: comfortable shoes for the day and the formal shoes you'll regret by midnight.

When you travel with OTC, your coordinator sends a destination-specific packing list with the final itinerary, so the group chat question 'wait, do we need towels?' gets answered before it's asked.