The Ultimate Packing List for Florida

Planning a trip to Florida? If you’re wondering what to take on vacation to Florida, stop! I’ve put together this packing list for Florida so you can get organised for your trip now. My Florida packing list will cover you for a one week vacation and includes clothes plus all the vacation essentials for Florida that you’ll need for a fun trip.

Packing List for Florida

I’m a big fan of packing light and travelling only with vacation essentials. Florida’s warm climate is pretty easy to pack for but there are a few things to think about in advance like humidity, bugs, theme park attire and beach gear. At the end of this post, you’ll find a complete packing checklist for vacation to Florida to you can download, print or Pin to Pinterest.

I also have another couple of useful posts that you might be interested in preparation for your trip:

• Check out my post on what to pack in your carry on bag for a flight!
• Check out my post on road tripping in Florida itinerary!

Clothes to Pack for a Trip to Florida

The following lists of clothing for a trip to Florida will be enough for a week-long trip. When you’re chosing your clothes for your Florida vacation, make sure all your tops and bottoms mix & match. Remember, on trips longer than a week, you’ll be able to do laundry so if you’re travelling for longer this is still the maximum amount of clothing you’ll need. For weekend trips, just cut the number of shorts, t-shirts and underwear by half.

Packing List for Women

• 1 maxi dress
• 1 sun dress
• 2 pair of shorts – Bermuda’s like these are great!
• 4 tops – 2 sleeveless vest tops, 1 t-shirt and 1 dressier top or tunic for evenings This is my favourite tunic at the moment!
• 1 lightweight cardigan – Just in case of cooler evenings and to wear on the plane.
• 1 pair of leggings or yoga pants – To wear on the plane. Pick ones you can wear with your tunic and dressy sandals for evening. Read my post on travel pants here.
• 8 pairs of underwear – Travel underwear like these by Ex Officio are perfect for hot climates.
• 3 bras – One nude, one black and one white/sports bra
• 2 lightweight nightdresses (if needed)
• 1 pair of flip flops or rubber sandals – I love these specific ones by Crocsbecause they’re lightweight, stylish and are great for the beach,
• 1 pair dressy sandals – I have a full blog post dedicated to choosing the most comfortable sandals for travel here.
• 1 pair walking shoes or sneakers – I love these Sketcher’s Go Walk sneakers. They are the best shoes for travel, period. (You can omit walking shoes or sneakers if you’re not visiting theme parks or participating in any active activities on your vacation to Florida.)
• 2 bathing suits
• 1 bathing suit cover up
• 1 lightweight scarf
• 1 sun hat
• 2 sunglasses – 1 regular pair and 1 cheap pair to wear in the ocean or pool. I buy mine from the Dollar Store because then I don’t need to worry about ruining them in the salt water or chlorine.
• 1 purse – I love this one from Mighty Pursebecause it’s stylish, functional and contains a charging pack for your smart phone.

 

Packing List for Men

• 5 t-shirts – These These bamboo t-shirts are great for keeping you cool and dry!
• 1 dressier shirt for evening – short sleeved are fine
• 2 pair shorts
• 1 pair jeans or lightweight pants – For evening and to wear on the plane. These Columbia ones are great for travel and won’t wrinkle.
• 1 lightweight sweatshirt or hoodie – For cooler evenings and to wear on the plane.
• 8 pairs of underwear
• 2 pair of lightweight pyjamas (if needed)
• 1 pair leather sandals
• 1 pair flip flops or rubber sandals
• 1 pair sneakers – You can omit walking shoes or sneakers if you’re not visiting theme parks or participating in any active activities on your vacation to Florida.
• 2 pair of socks
• 2 pair of swimming shorts
• 1 UV rash vest – These are great for sun protection at beach or when doing activities like kayaking
• 1 cap or hat
• 2 pair sunglasses – 1 Regular pair and 1 cheap pair to wear in the ocean or pool.

 

Packing List for Girls

• 4 t-shirts
• 2 pair of shorts
• 3 sun dresses – This one is so cute! Just like the ladies one above!
• 1 pair of leggings – For cooler evenings and to wear on the plane. Pick ones that can be worn alone or under a sun dress.
• 1 lightweight cardigan – For cooler evenings and to wear on the plane.
• 10 pairs of underwear
• 2 pair of lightweight pyjamas
• 1 pair of Crocs or sandals
• 1 pair of sneakers
• 2 pair of socks
• 2 swim suits with UV rash vest
• 1 cap or hat
• 1 pair of sunglasses

 

Packing List for Boys

• 7 t-shirts
• 4 pair of shorts
• 1 pair of jeans or cargo pants – For cooler evenings and to wear on the plane.
• 1 lightweight sweatshirt or hoodie – For cooler evenings and to wear on the plane.
• 10 pairs of underwear
• 2 pair of lightweight pyjamas
• 1 pair of Crocs or sandals
• 1 pair of sneakers
• 2 pair of socks
• 2 swim suits with UV rash vest
• 1 cap or hat
• 1 pair of sunglasses

 

 

Toiletries to Pack for a Vacation to Florida

If you’re travelling as a couple or family, choose items you can share to help you pack light and get your toiletries into one toilet bag. Your toiletries essentials for your trip to Florida include:

• Shampoo & Conditioner – Decant into travel size plastic bottles. These squeezable ones are best!
• Brush & comb
• Hair ties and headbands – Humidity can do crazy things to your hair!
• Toothbrushes & toothpaste
• Moisturiser
• Shaving gear
• Any medications or contact lenses you require
• Lipbalm with SPF
• Sunscreen – This is my favourite brand because it actually smells good too.
• Bug spray
• Small make-up bag – In humid climates like Florida, go with light make up. BB cream, eyeliner, mascara, lip gloss for day and red lipstick for evenings. This BB cream by Tarte is my absolute favourite for humid climates as it goes on silky smooth, doesn’t run and has SPF 30.

***You can also download a complete travel toiletries checklist here.***

 

Other Things to Take on Vacation to Florida

A couple of other vacation essentials for your trip to Florida include:

• Refillable water bottle – Great for the plane, beach or spending the day at a theme park. In hot climates it’s important to stay hydrated. This collapsible one is great for travel!
• Day pack – Essential for theme park visits! The one folds up into it’s own pocket so it easy to travel with.
• Beach bag – I love the Raqpak Mesh Beach Bag because it’s mesh so won’t fill up with sand and it folds into a small pocket for travel.
• Beach blanket – Again, I love this one by Raqpak because it’s sandproof and folds up easily for travel.
• Kindle or books – Get a Glare-Free or Paperwhite so you can read for Kindle at the beach or by the pool
• Laptop and charger
• iPad
• Waterproof, sandproof iPhone case – This one by LifeProof is awesome. You can submerge it up to 2 metres so it can be used for underwater photos. They’re available for iPad too. This dry bag from JOTO is a very affordable alternative. We use it ALL the time to take our phone to the beach or pool and take photos underwater.
• Neck pillow – If you have a long flight or drive to Florida I highly recommend the J Pillow It’s the #1 selling travel pillow on Amazon… and for good reason!
• Packing cubes– These are amazing if you want to keep your luggage organised and lightweight. I love these Eagle Creek ones. They’re made of ripstop Nylon and come in bright colours. Choose one colour for each family member to make it easy to locate everyone’s clothes. This makes it easy to pack everyone’s clothes in one suitcase. Add everyone’s swimsuits to one packing cube so they’re easy to grab when you’re ready to hit the pool.

>>> If you want to know more about packing cubes and how to pack with them, read my mega guide to packing cubes here. <<<

 

Printable Packing List for a Vacation to Florida

To make your life easier, I’ve created a printable packing list for Florida. Print out this packing checklist for your vacation to Florida a couple of weeks before your trip so you can start checking items you have off the packing list.

 

DOWNLOAD: You can download my printable packing checklist for Florida vacation here.

PIN IT: You can Pin my printable packing list for Florida to Pinterest here.

 

I hope this list of things to pack for a trip to Florida was helpful! Please let me know in the comments if there is anything you would add to my packing checklist template for Florida vacations.