The Best Packing List for Your Long-Term Vacation in Spain august 21, 2024 – Posted in: Spain, Travel – Tags: Andalusia, Ayamonte, Digital Nomad, Holiday, Long-Term Vacation, Packing Lists, Remote Working, Spain, Vacation, Work, Workation

Great Tips for Your Packing List for a Long Vacation

Dreaming of a long-term vacation in Spain? Unsure of what to pack for such a trip? Here are our top tips for your packing list!

In the spring of 2024, we stayed in the small town of Ayamonte, located in southern Spain right by the border with Portugal. We were there from January to April, covering the winter and spring seasons. Our packing list for this long-term trip caused quite a headache, as it was challenging to figure out what to bring for Spanish winter and the mild spring weather.

We packed and packed… and packed some more. On January 1st, we departed from Denmark with each of us carrying a suitcase, a travel backpack, and a smaller daypack. It quickly became clear that we had packed way too much, so we’ve thoroughly revised our packing list for the next time. This list is the result of the revised and re-revised packing list.

Weather in Spain in January, February, and March

Over the years, we’ve traveled to Spain quite a bit in both spring and autumn. However, we were still surprised by how cold the evenings and nights can get during the Spanish winter. We left home in our winter jackets on January 1st, and we often wore them in the evenings during the first few months.

Otherwise, the weather was sunny – and that lovely light is actually reason enough to winter here! As the months went by, it gradually got warmer, and by the time we left in March, it felt like a nice Danish summer.

What the Packing List Reflects

Our packing tips reflect the fact that the weather was perfect for drying clothes. Because we had a washing machine and an enclosed courtyard at our little blue house, Flor de Sal, we needed even less luggage.

Our packing list also reflects that one of our biggest hobbies is hiking. You can read more about this here: Hiking in Ayamonte. We also enjoy dining out, so we needed some nicer clothes for restaurant visits. Primarily, however, the packing list is designed for an active vacation.

Since our long-term vacation also involved working, we included items for the office on our packing list. You can get more tips for your workation here: Tips for a Long-Term Workation: How to Work Remotely from Spain

Essential Packing List for a Long-Term Vacation

Many items on this packing list can, of course, be purchased in Spain, but it’s hard to find quality hiking shoes in smaller towns. We also don’t fit in well with Spanish clothing; Rune is as tall as a Viking, and Trine isn’t keen on the sequins and glitter, although both are quite popular among Spanish women.

This packing list was written by Trine, so if you don’t usually wear dresses and skirts, just replace them with a few extra nice pairs of pants. The locals generally dress neatly when going out to dinner, so this will be appreciated. Now let’s get packing!

The Comprehensive Packing List for a Long-Term Vacation

Clothing

• Two pairs of (hiking) pants
• Winter jacket or transitional jacket
• Fleece jacket or warm sweater
• 2-3 long-sleeve shirts
• A nice dress
• Skirt
• 2 pairs of (hiking) shorts
• One pair of underwear for under the dress
• 7 t-shirts
• Socks
• Underwear
• Tights

Shoes

• Hiking shoes
• Nice, closed shoes for the evening
• Sandals
• Flip-flops for the courtyard

Toiletries

• Toothbrush
• Essential medicine – but you can buy most over-the-counter at the pharmacy
• Nail clippers
• Hay fever tablets – pollen season starts as early as February
• Bug repellent – both for before and after bug exposure
• Scissors
• Tweezers
• Brush

Office Equipment

• Computer
• Extension cord
• GoPro camera
• Ruler, glue stick, paper cutter, and cutting mat – and why these are necessary can be seen here: Lou Noire on Instagram
• Power bank
• Headphones – for work peace and long bus rides
• Trine also brought her ring light. For next time, the popular Instagram light can be bought for a few euros at the Spanish chain store Ale-Hop

We also considered bringing or buying a printer once we got here. It turned out to be a wasted concern, as you can print documents at several places in town. Instead, remember to bring a USB stick so you can take files to the print shop.

Next year, we’ll only pack the small travel backpack, and the work items we need will be sent back and forth by mail. There’s no reason to use suitcase space for that.

There are also two GLS offices right here in our small town where you can send packages from, for example, Amazon. It’s good to know if you need some additional home office equipment.

Extras

• Nicotine gum – it’s very expensive in Spain and hard to find
• Sunglasses
• Extra glasses
• Hiking backpack – we each had a good backpack with space for a sandwich and water bottle for hiking. We also used it when shopping and carrying all the vegetables up the steep hill
• Laundry bag for underwear

And What We Didn’t Need at All!

• Games – yes, we played a round of Bezzerwizzer at the airport, but otherwise, the games just collected dust in the corner
• Books – we just read ebooks online
• Streaming service subscription – we rarely watched TV, and on the few occasions we wanted to during our long-term vacation in Spain, we just logged into our Netflix account
• Much of our clothing! We had packed about twice as much as needed according to the list. It was sent home with the visitors who came to see us
• Hat and scarf – even though the locals might disagree, the cold evenings were still too warm for Scandinavian winter clothing. Leave them at home
• Swimwear – although the sun shone beautifully, it was still too cold to swim in the spring. However, we have been to Spain in the fall, and the sea is still warm then

More Tips for Your Long-Term Vacation in Spain

That was the packing list, and it wasn’t long! Everything can actually fit in our travel backpack, so next year we’ll skip the extra suitcase. We’ve already decided to go again. Whether it will be three months in Spain next time, we don’t know yet, as it also depends on where we can rent a cheap house in the right area.

How to find such a place + many other great tips for your long-term vacation can be found in this article: Tips for a Long-Term Workation: How to Work Remotely from Spain. You’re welcome to read along even if you’re just taking a break and enjoying life in the beautiful Spanish winter!

But maybe you’re actually curious about Ayamonte?

In Ayamonte, we found the perfect town house that was the setting for our three-month workation. The small blue and white town house, Flor de Sal, is located at the top of Ayamonte, with a view over the salt marsh. From the top terrace, you can also see the large Guadiana River and across to Portugal, and to the south all the way to the Atlantic Ocean.

Inside, the charming decor was kept in the same blue and white colors, and there was everything we needed, including a workspace with a desk. The house was everything we had been looking for: authentic, cozy, and with an enclosed courtyard where we spent many hours grilling and lounging in the afternoon sun. Read more about renting Flor de Sal by clicking on the pictures and links.

On Booking.com, you can also conduct your own search for houses in Spain for long-term rentals right here:

Booking.com