What to pack for a train journey at Christmas
Before you head out to catch your train, you’ll want to make sure you have exactly what you need with you. It can be helpful to create a packing checklist for holiday travel that you can tick off as you pack. When considering your essential train packing list at Christmas, remember to pack:
- Your tickets
- A phone charger (somewhere you can easily get to)
- Christmas presents (making sure they are properly protected)
- Warm layers (including space to put any layers you’re wearing whilst travelling
- Toiletries
- Food, drinks, and snacks
Something to keep you entertained during the journey
Essential holiday packing checklist: Presents, warm clothes, and toiletries
Packing is an important part of any journey, but it’s even more important during Christmas time. Having a good idea of what you need to gather in advance can make the whole process a lot easier. If you’re not sure where to start, here are some key categories to cover.
Smart gift packing: Carrying Christmas presents safely on the train
If you’re going to be taking presents on the train with you, there are a few things you need to keep in mind before you travel:
- Security may ask what they are, so you might want to keep your presents unwrapped while you travel.
- You’ll need to stow your gifts and luggage safely out of the way of aisles and seats, which other passengers will be using. Larger suitcases can be stored in the racks near the doors on our train carriages, while small-to-medium sized ones go in the racks above your seat. Make sure you can lift items comfortably onto the train and, if necessary, above your head.
- Lots of passengers will be travelling around Christmastime as it’s easy for you and your bags to become jostled while passengers board and disembark. Protect breakable items by wrapping them carefully with bubblewrap. If they are in your suitcase, surround them with soft clothes.
- Like you, many passengers will be carrying additional baggage to transport presents and belongings for the extended Christmas break. To ensure there’s room for everyone, make sure your luggage is not too big. Each passenger is allowed three items, with the largest being 30 x 70 x 90cm in size.
If you know you are going to be travelling with a lot of luggage, booking an Off-Peak train may mean you experience a quieter journey and have more room to store your presents.
Holiday toiletries list, winter clothing layers, and travel comfort items
As well as gifts, you’ll also need to think about what else you might need for your Christmas trip to keep you comfortable. You can’t bring your entire bathroom with you, so keep it simple. Make space for your toothbrush and toothpaste, deodorant, and any must-have haircare or make-up products you use. If you have Christmas party plans, you might want to bring a fragrance with you to finish off your look. Whether you’re going South to London or up to Glasgow or beyond, prepare for typical UK winter weather. Cold and rain are pretty much inevitable, so pack gloves, a hat, warm socks, a scarf, and long-sleeve layers to wrap up in. There’s also the train journey itself to think about. If your journey is going to be long, a travel pillow can add extra comfort to your trip. Additionally, think about what you might want to bring to keep you and those you are travelling with occupied.
Tailored festive packing checklists for families, couples, and solo rail travellers
No matter how many are in your group, we’ve got a few suggestions of what else you might need to bring.
If it’s just you travelling, consider packing:
- Headphones
- Snacks and drinks
- Easily-contained crafting project, such as knitting or crochet
- A puzzle book and pen
- Tablet If you’re coming with a partner, you could also include:
- A set of cards or game for 2
- Headphone splitter
- Shareable snacks and drinks
- A multi-port charger
If you’re bringing the whole family, consider packing:
- Travel games
- Colouring/activity books
- A range of sandwiches, crisps, and other snacks
- Hand wipes or sanitiser
Station amenities: Where to pick up last-minute travel essentials
Most of us have left the house before, ahead of a big journey, and realised we’ve left something at home. Fortunately, many train stations have shops and kiosks with commonly forgotten items. From books and magazines to cosmetics, snacks and entertainment tech, you can usually find what you need before you get on the train or after you step off.
Boots
Boots’ train station branches stock toiletries, skincare, and cosmetics. You’ll also find healthcare essentials like pain relief and plasters, travel electronics, and snacks and drinks
Find at: Birmingham New Street, Manchester Piccadilly, Glasgow Central, Liverpool Lime Street
WHSmith
A spot to pick up books, newspapers and magazines, as well as puzzle and activity books for all ages. Depending on the shop, you may also find beauty essentials, travel accessories, and some small snack and drink options. Certain locations also house more specialist bookshops, pharmacies, and technology ranges
Find at: London Euston, Manchester Piccadilly, Glasgow Central, Liverpool Lime Street, Birmingham New Street
M&S Simply Food
M&S is a popular choice for those who need to keep hunger at bay on their journey. Here, you’ll find salads, sandwiches, snacks, drinks, bakery treats and deli food options — enough for the ultimate train spread. You can even pick up something to make for yourself when you get to your destination later on.
Find at: Manchester Piccadilly, London Euston, Birmingham New Street, Glasgow Central, Liverpool Lime Street
Accessorize
Need a last-minute gift? Or forgotten the earrings that will complete your outfit? Accessorize can help, with handbags, purses and scarves, plus jewellery essentials. You might even find some festive items for stocking fillers or themed parties.
Find at: Glasgow Central, Birmingham New Street, Manchester Piccadilly
Delay-proofing your bag: Essential items for unexpected travel hiccups
Delays happen, and you can’t often predict when they’re going to happen. However, there are some things you can do to prepare for the unexpected and minimise the impact
1. Luggage tags
Firstly, if you’re taking a large suitcase, attach clearly visible luggage tags with your details on them. It’s unlikely it will fall into the wrong hands, but in the rush to leave a busy train someone may pick up your bag by mistake.
A noticeable luggage tag makes this less likely, and more easily returnable if it does go missing. Make sure you include details that allow someone to contact you, no matter where you’re travelling to.
2. An advance ticket
Booking your journey in advance has several benefits. You’ll have more choice of trains and be able to take advantage of Advance or Off-Peak fares. If you get an Advance ticket, you’ll get a seat reservation, which you can change in order to be closer to a luggage rack if you want.
In addition, if your original train is disrupted or cancelled, you can take any Avanti train 2 hours before or after your original booked train. You may even get a notification and new seat reservation if your original train is cancelled a couple of days in advance.
3. A portable phone charger
Bringing a charger for a plug is always a good idea for the train. However, if you are delayed, you are more likely to be in the station. A portable charger means you can keep your phone charged to check for updates, find an alternative journey, and keep in touch with those at your destination.
4. Essential medication
If you take medication at a specific time of the day, it might be worth packing it somewhere easily accessible. Even if your journey is delayed, having medication easily reachable means your schedule does not need to be disrupted as a result.
It might feel like you are overpacking but, at this time of year, it pays to be prepared. Changes to timetables are to be expected, and delays and cancellations can happen as a result of this. A little bit of preparation means that you are able to navigate any changes to your journey as calmly as possible.
All there’s really left to do now is write yourself a Christmas checklist, buy and wrap your presents, and get your train booked. With all these in place, travel over the festive season with Avanti is sure to be merry and bright!