Packing For Tulum and The Riviera Maya

Packing for Tulum is sort of a breeze. I always pack everything in a small carry-on suitcase and I’m good to go! If you’re wondering what to pack for Tulum, here’s a packing list with the essentials as well as a few useful things that will make your trip easier.

Clothes + accessories

Pack light, breathable fabrics. Tulum is hot and humid year-round (yay!), so you’ll want to make sure you don’t wind up hating your clothes. You’ll likely live in dresses, skirts, or shorts.

A few dresses. I like a mix of short flowery dresses and maxi dresses for evenings.

Three bathing suits + one cover-up.

Denim shorts. I wore dresses 99% of the time except when I visited ruins or rented a bike.

A few tank tops.

Light sweater.

Underwear. Honestly, you’ll be wearing a bathing suit 90% of the time while in Tulum.

Flip flops. You’ll be living in these, so make sure they’re durable and not slippery (a good brand is Havianas).

Sneakers + socks. Not 100% necessary but useful when visiting Coba or for a day trip to Chichen Itza. Still, though, I’ve visited both numerous times wearing just flip flops and it was fine.

Light sweater. Tulum is warm year-round, but it can get chilly during the evenings and early mornings. I always pack a light sweater just in case (also useful when taking buses with aircon or in the car).

Sunglasses.

Small backpack + purse. A small backpack for day trips and a cross-body bag for every-day use. I’m currently using my round rattan bag religiously as a day purse. I love it because it’s stylish, really sturdy, and also really hard to pickpocket.

Wallet. Extra points if it’s a travel wallet! I’m currently loving this one from Zoppen. It can hold your passport, money, tickets, and more. It comes in a bunch of different colors, too!

Toiletries

Humidity and makeup don’t get along very well and Tulum is all about going back to the basics. Ditch the makeup and pack only essential toiletries like face wash, lotion, shampoo, chapstick, and toothpaste + toothbrush. Oh, and mosquito spray – so important!

Obviously, you’ll want to bring sunblock, too. I recommend Stream2Sea’s sunblock as it’s reef-safe and doesn’t contaminate the water. You might know this already, but Tulum’s beaches are suffering from over-tourism recently and you can avoid contributing to the pollution by making sure your sunblock is reef-safe. You can get Stream2Sea’s products on Amazon, they have other really cool stuff, too!

Technology

Camera + a few SD Cards

Phone.

Kindle (optional).

Portable charger. Not 100% necessary, but definitely useful so your phone never runs out of battery. I use this one from Anker. I’m also currently a bit obsessed with this phone-charging passport cover by Lovie Style.

Really useful extras

A purifying water bottle like the GRAYL Ultralight Water Purifier. Drinking tap water in Tulum is a no-no, but having to buy bottled water all the time can get annoying, expensive, and is also not sustainable. The GRAYL is a water bottle that purifies tap water by getting rid of viruses and chemicals in just a few seconds. I’ve used mine all over the world and it has never failed me.

Travel towel. Travel towels are incredibly light, they dry up quickly, and take very little space in my luggage. It took me a few days to get used to the texture of the towels, but now I never travel without one (they can also double as blankets when it gets cold in the plane or in a bus). I recommend this one from Youphoria.

Packing cubes. They’ll save you tons of space because they compress air and they’re also a great way to stay organized. I recommend this set of packing cubes from Ebags.

Travel Insurance for Tulum & Mexico

Medical care in Mexico is great, but it can get expensive.

Mexico has so many adventurous activities to offer and so, you’ll want to make sure your current insurance will cover you in the case of any accidents. Honestly, you’ll probably be fine, but the chance of something happening does exist, and there’s nothing like having peace of mind during your trip, right?