What to Pack When Staying in an Airbnb
After much thought, survey, and real-world revision, announcing the release of the ultimate Packing List for anyone going to stay in a vacation rental, whether an Airbnb, VRBO, or private rental. After spending a lot of time in rental homes and condos, we believe that for most people staying more than a day or two, you won’t regret having these things with you.
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The list (linked at the bottom of this article) is editable with Excel or Google Sheets. We kept it simple so you can easily change and add items for yourself, family members, or specific trips. Or, just print the PDF as it is and line through the things that don’t apply. Beyond the obvious—like checking the box that you didn’t forget to pack underwear—listed below are some specific recommendations.
Essentials for Health and Wellness When Traveling
This Alaska Bear silk sleep mask. Just a little padding around the eyes makes a difference. If you wear makeup and need to nap, you won’t wake up with smears. It’s gender-neutral, naturally breathable, and a great value.
American Red Cross Family First Aid Kit. When someone in your group is bleeding, it is not the time to try to find a Walgreens. This kit includes the Red Cross First Aid guide, and it comes in a relatively small, soft-sided case that travels well.
Brazyn Collapsible Travel Foam Roller. For those of us who need to crack our back before going to bed, or get the knots out from sitting or working at a laptop, this thing is a godsend. It goes with me every single time I travel and still works perfectly years later.
If foam rollers are a little too intense for you, or for smaller areas like the neck or feet, look at the Alpha Ball Massage Ball. It’s approximately the size of a softball. Watch the videos on the product page to see how it’s done. This one’s gotten recommendations from some big names recently, so don’t be surprised if it sells out.
MUSICOZY Bluetooth headband earphones. We’ve tried the rest and find this one to be the best. If your sleep partner or roommate doesn’t want to hear your white noise cranked up on a speaker, try this. The stretchy material is surprisingly comfortable. Connect it to your phone and start a 12-hour brown noise or white noise track on the music service of your choice.
Electronics to Take to Your Airbnb
… or really, any kind of travel. We’re not going to recommend earbuds or Bluetooth speakers—you probably already have your favorites. But this one is a game-changer:
Anker Prime 8-in-1 Charging Station. This ingenious device replaces multiple laptop power supply “bricks,” an extension cord, a surge strip, and all those single-port plug-in USB blocks that came with your phones over the years, with one slim charging station capable of high-speed charging multiple devices. Whether you’re staying in a hotel room or long-term rental, it’s incredibly useful. No more hunting for more outlets behind the bed or across the room. While the manufacturer says it is not their travel model, we disagree. It’s 1.1 lbs. We like that it comes from a trusted brand. If you’re lucky enough to find it on sale, it’s worth considering.
You’ll need high wattage-capable USB-C cables if you don’t have them already. We have had good experiences with Anker for those, too (and for what it’s worth, that’s coming from a longtime IT business owner). Do you want to put more electrical current through a no-name cable and then connect it to a $1,000 phone or $1,500 laptop? Cheap cables can use thinner copper, which runs hotter and increases the risk of damage to device ports or the device battery itself, sending you to the store for repairs.
Outdoor Gear to Pack When Staying in a Rental
Balios Travel Folding Umbrella with Wood Handle. Our favorite umbrella, for home and travel. The handle makes it look high-end, but the price is a great value. It withstands wind and comes in many colors and patterns.
The Petzl Tikka 350 lumen headlamp. Maybe you already have a headlamp and enjoy being hands-free on walks and hikes. If not, this one is solid from a proven brand. If you don’t want to wear it on your head, the band can go around your neck with the lamp pointed forward so you can see and be seen. It uses regular AAA batteries, or get the optional rechargeable Petzl battery pack.
PackTowl Ultralight Quick-drying Towel. “But the Airbnb already has towels.” Yes, but sometimes not enough, and would they go very light and small into a daypack or handbag for impromptu picnics or stops at the beach, like these do? We use ours a lot. Choose from many colors and fun prints. Also makes a great hair towel.
Laundry Items to Pack for your Airbnb
This continuous water mister bottle was a surprisingly useful find. If the rental place has an iron, using its steam or sprayer risks getting rust or mineral deposits on your clothes. Use this bottle to mist items of clothing and throw them in the dryer for a few minutes to remove wrinkles. It’s also useful for styling hair. It’s slim and packs light when empty.
XL Laundry sacks with carry strap. Don’t lose things in dark corners of a closet. These big laundry bags travel completely flat and weigh practically nothing, so there’s no reason not to bring a couple. They work as temporary hampers in Airbnb bedrooms or hotel rooms, for sorting laundry, and for keeping any dirties separate from your clean clothes on the way home.
Jiffy eSteam personal handheld steamer. This brand is known for lasting decades, and the design of this model is perfect in its simplicity. Other, cheaper steamers we’ve tried have pumps that fail. This one just boils water and produces steam. You do have to be careful to keep it upright or risk dripping very hot water on yourself, and we would not use it with little kids around. As long as you remember that, it’s easy and effective for sweaters, jackets, blouses, even jeans. We use ours at least once a week in our current temporary condo home.
Kitchen Items to Pack
Of course, a big benefit of renting an Airbnb is being able to do some cooking. But even superhosts don’t show up between every guest and sharpen the knives, and they don’t usually provide good ones, because guests ruin them. This set of two knives from Joseph Joseph are lightweight (which takes some getting used to), but pretty great for the price. They include a sheath for travel with a built-in ceramic sharpening blade.
Epicurean large cutting board with liquid groove and non-slip feet. Airbnbs get flipped by crews focused on changing bed linens and getting out of there before the next guests arrive. They are not sanitizing wooden cutting boards. Plastic boards can shed microplastics into your food, and the ones in a rental kitchen can be frustratingly small for actual cooking. This brand has won awards for their products made in Wisconsin from paper and food-safe resin. You can throw them in the dishwasher. This one weighs 1.5 pounds and is a quarter inch thick. That’s why it’s on Life From Anywhere’s packing list.
Stasher premium silicone half gallon bags. Travel is an excellent reason to own these, and this size is the most flexible. Use them to organize items when packing, such as toiletries (since they won’t leak). Then at your destination to store food, transport wet items, snacks in a daypack, even as an ice pack or heating pad. They wash easily in a dishwasher.
Fletchers’ mini stainless pepper mill. Fresh ground pepper makes everything better. Most Airbnbs provide salt and pepper, but not a grinder—or if they do, has it ever been cleaned, and how long has that stuff been in there? This little guy looks nice on a table and is a pleasure to use. Note: negative reviews seem to be from people who used it as a salt grinder. The reviews on another, high-end kitchen items site (Box & Drum, wink) are glowing. Pack it in a Stasher bag.
A quality corkscrew. It’s a rule that the corkscrew in your Airbnb is going to suck. Before ruining a bottle of wine, pack one of these hinged waiter‘s corkscrews. Over 24,000 reviews agree they are the best! We own several (kept in different places) and have kept them on hand for gifting, too.
ThermoPro digital meat thermometer. Another essential for cooking—especially grilling—that Airbnbs rarely have. We used to own a $100 meat thermometer that didn’t work as well as this model that you can get on sale for $10.
Last but not Least:
AllerEase breathable zippered pillow protectors. You can’t be assured that the pillows on which you’ll be sleeping are clean—but these sure help, especially for anyone with allergies. Take them out of the box and they pack flat like they’re nothing. Last for years.
Did you try the packing list or any of these items? Let us know in the comments!
Time-saver Packing List
BUY ONCE, USE FOREVER
The entire template is customizable, so you can use this for any travel. No more last-minute runs for things you need. Modern, pleasing design. Provide kids their own packing list to start learning independence by doing it themselves.