Hey, everyone! 

It’s Char here (also known as @chardangerfield.art on Instagram) and I am stoked to be sharing my first blogpost as a member of the Archer & Olive Design Team!

Anyone who knows me knows that the holidays are my favourite time of year, so naturally the Bullet Journal spreads around this time of year are some of my favourites too. 

With travel restrictions starting to lift across the world, we can finally start safely getting back to visiting family and friends just in time for the holidays - so what better way to celebrate and get into the spirit than with a Holiday Packing List?

I can’t be the only one who has almost as much fun planning and packing for a trip as I do actually going on it, so let’s get started!

Supplies For Holiday Packing List

Below is a rundown of some of the products I used to create this spread. If you would like to purchase any of these products, remember to use the code CHAR10 at checkout to save yourself some money!

• A5 Neapolitan Time for Tea Dot Grid Notebook - I loved the look of the Kraft Paper to up the ‘cozy factor’ with this spread. This will also work with any of the other Kraft Paper Dot Grid Notebooks or even a Kraft Paper or Neopolitan Dot Grid Notepad!
• 0.7mm Acrylograph Pens - I used browns, greens, yellows and reds from various collections, but the shining star here is the white.
• Grey Calliograph Pen from the Tropical Collection - I used this pen for all of the drop shadows on the doodles and lettering, and I love that it adds more depth to the page.
• Fineliners - I used the Sakura Pigma Micron (in size 01) to sharpen up the doodles, and the Pentel Energel (in size 0.5) for the writing in the actual lists.
• X-ACTO knife, ruler and Cutting Mat - to create the Dutch Door

Video

Creating the Dutch Door

The first step to kick this spread off is to create the Dutch Door. To do this, split the right side page in half vertically (for the A5 size, this is 14 grid spaces in from either the binding or the outer edge). I used a ruler, X-ACTO knife and cutting mat to make a clean cut down the middle. 

The use of the Dutch Door in this spread will give you more space for all of the different packing categories, but feel free to omit it if you don’t have as many categories as I do.

Don’t forget to add a drop shadow to the right of the cut to add that little bit of extra depth.

Never done a Dutch Door spread before? Don’t stress - I swear they’re not as intimidating as they look. However, if you want a little bit of extra coaching, check out this blog post by Design Team Lead, Hayley. 

Stay on track

Next, I created three titles on the right side to fill out information on your trip that you may want to reference while packing: Destination, Dates and Weather.

Reminding yourself how long you’ll be away, and what the weather will be like at your destination will help ensure that you pack enough, and that you pack the right items for the local climate. Feel free to add more of these titles if there’s other information you want to include!

Break it down into categories

Breaking up your packing into different categories is a great way to make sure you remember to pack everything you’re going to need. 

I have suggested a wide range of categories for all things you may want to pack, but feel free to adjust these depending on your trip. For example, if you’re going away for a mountain holiday, you may want to add a ‘Ski’ section, or conversely, if you’re escaping the cold to somewhere tropical, you may want to add a ‘Beach’ section. 

If you want to use this exact template, each of these categories and corresponding items will be available in the Printout at the end of this post.

Essentials:

• Passport
• ID
• Credit/debit cards
• Local currency
• Boarding pass
• House/car keys
• Itinerary/hotel/flight confirmations

Health/Safety:

• Face masks
• Hand sanitizer
• Proof of vaccination & entry documents (depending on what the destination country requires)

Tech:

• Phone & charger
• Laptop & charger
• Tablet & charger
• Portable speaker & charger
• Headphones 
• Adapter
• Portable charger
• Camera & charger (or batteries if using film)
• SD card (or film)

Carry-On

• Sleep mask
• Ear plugs
• Neck pillow
• Extra socks (maybe this one is just a me thing, but I love having an extra cozy pair of socks for the plane!)
• Lip balm
• Hand cream
• Vitamins/medication
• Journal
• Tissues
• Eye drops
• Snacks
• Water bottle
• Pen/pencil
• Book/e-reader

Holiday: 

• Gifts
• Stocking stuffers
• Holiday cards, envelopes and stamps
• Extra gift wrap and gift tags
• Stockings
• Holiday recipes and/or cookbook
• Hat
• Mittens/gloves
• Scarves
• Winter boots
• Winter coat

Clothes: 

• Underwear/bras
• Socks
• Shirts
• Sweaters
• Pants/trousers
• Dresses
• Sleepwear
• Jackets/coats
• Shoes
• Accessories
• Jewelry
• Sunglasses
• Bags/purses
• Exercise clothes

Toiletries

• Toothpaste
• Toothbrush
• Floss
• Skincare
• First Aid
• Makeup
• Makeup remover
• Menstrual hygiene products
• Nail file
• Hair brush & hair ties
• Hair tools
• deodorant 

Miscellaneous

• Yoga mat
• Journal
• Umbrella

Doodles

Feel free to embellish this spread with whatever doodles suit you and your style. Or, if you’re not much of a doodler, take them out all together! 

Don’t be afraid to make this spread your own! You can swap out the holiday theme for a different one if you’re travelling at another time of year. For example, here’s a packing spread I did in my Archer & Olive Journal for a trip I did in September: 

Printable:

To get you started on your own packing list, I’ve created a printable with all of the categories that I’ve included in this spread. Feel free to use this as a starting point, or to follow it exactly if it works for you!

Click to download now. 

I hope this helped you get a little bit of inspiration, or got you excited for a future trip! If you’d like to see more of my spreads, you can find me on Instagram at @chardangerfield.art. 

Don’t forget to tag @archerandolive, @archerandolive.community, #AOShare and #archerandolive if you recreate this spread on your own. See you next time!