Packing for the Voyage: A 1910 Guide to Ocean Travel Fashion and Essentials

📌 Explore a detailed 1910 guide to packing for transatlantic voyages—offering rich insights into fashion, hygiene, and social etiquette aboard steamships. A perfect resource for students, teachers, and historians of ocean travel.

Fashionable Men Always Make a Great Entrance, (Men's Wear Magazine, 22 June 1910) | GGA Image ID # 178feec59a

🚢 Review and Summary: “What to Pack for Your Ocean Voyage” (circa 1910)

🧳 An Elegant Time Capsule of Practical Fashion, Comfort & Class at Sea

✨ Introduction: A Packing Guide That Captures an Era

This detailed and thoughtfully composed packing checklist from a 1910 travel guide offers a rich and fascinating look at transatlantic sea travel during the golden age of ocean liners. For educators, students, genealogists, and historians, this article isn't just a list—it's a window into daily life and class expectations aboard early 20th-century steamships.

Its value lies in more than logistics; it reflects fashion trends, gender roles, health concerns, and social rituals that governed the lives of passengers preparing to cross the ocean. This makes it a powerful teaching tool and primary source for lesson plans on immigration, tourism, or Edwardian culture.

Warm clothing and rugs should be taken for ocean trips and railway journeys in most European countries; even in winter, the trains are seldom well-heated, primitive hot water cans being very much in vogue.

Occasionally, trains will be found where some of the cars are heated by steam from the engine. At least one rug should be provided for each person.

Gentlemen should have at least two suits, as a change of clothing is sometimes necessary because the decks are damp. Carrying a dress suit on the steamer is also desirable, as gentlemen dress for dinner on most liners. Evening dress is not, however, obligatory.

Thick rubber-soled shoes will prove a great comfort on the voyage. Gentlemen at sea should wear golf or soft felt hats, and ladies wear tam-o'-chanters or similar headgear with thick veils. Yachting caps are not worn at sea. Heavy underclothing should be provided for the voyage and may be left in trunks in the storage warehouse.

Any forgotten article of clothing can be easily purchased abroad. English tailors are noted for the excellence of their materials and artistry. Their quality craftsmanship will give you confidence in your clothing choices, even if the cut is not always adapted to our American ideas.

However, if a good tailor is selected, there will be little trouble. Of course, the dressmakers and milliners of Paris are famous throughout the world and are referred to later in this book.

Ladies will find it desirable to take along an extremely portable workbox equipped with needles, thread, pins, hooks, eyes, buttons, etc., as these articles are not readily obtainable at sea. However, one vessel has inaugurated a "department store" where all necessities can be purchased. This reassurance ensures you're prepared for any situation. Stewardesses usually carry needles, thread, pins, etc.

Bath slippers should be provided, as occasionally the distance to the bathrooms is quite considerable. A bathrobe should also be provided.

Serviceable Tub Dresses to Wear at Sea. (Woman's Home Companion, July 1910) | GGA Image ID # 178f816541

Men should bring a heavy overcoat, even in the summer, as the winds can be pretty harsh. A lighter coat for use upon arrival is also beneficial while at sea.

Ladies should pack two cloth suits, flannel blouses, one or more silk blouses, and several shirtwaists, along with necessary undergarments changes. If space allows, an evening gown for dinners and formal occasions should also be included. An extra pair of shoes and rubbers should also be included.

Anyone wishing to bring fur wraps should obtain a Customs certificate before sailing; otherwise, duty will be charged on the return trip.

Advertisement for Regal Shoes for Men and Women. (Effective Magazine Advertising, 1907) | GGA Image ID # 17bb743930

Ladies’ List of Things Not to Be Forgotten:

• Gowns
• Underclothing
• Bathrobe
• Bath Slippers
• Shirt Waists
• Ulsters
• Cap ( not a yachting cap )
• Extra Shoes, and Rubbers
• Umbrella
• Rug
• Steamer Chair Pillow

Modified Narrow Skirt Becoming Popular. (The Delineator, February 1911) | GGA Image ID # 17d386f7bb

Toilet Articles

• Brush
• Hairpins
• Tooth Brush
• Tooth Powder
• Cold Cream
• Cologne
• Powder
• Pins
• Safety Pins
• Collar Buttons and Cuff Studs
• Needles and Thread
• Tape
• Buttons
• Hooks and Eyes
• Manicure Articles
• Fancy Work
• Fountain Pen
• Writing Material
• Address Book
• Hot Water Bag

Bramdegee Kincaid & Co Overcoat Models. (Men's Wear Magazine, 6 July 1910) | GGA Image ID # 178fb0f43e

Gentlemen’s List of Things Not to Be Forgotten:

• Dress Suit
• Dinner Coat
• White Waistcoats
• Dress Shirt
• Dress Ties
• Dress Collars
• Cuffs
• Cuff Studs
• Shirt Studs
• Patent Leather Shoes
• Opera Hat
• Silk Hat
• Cane
• Umbrella
• White Gloves
• Suspenders

For Steamer Trunk

• All papers, letters of credit, travelers' checks, visiting cards, keys, passport, medicines, etc.
• Collars
• Cuffs
• Handkerchiefs
• Studs
• Cuff Buttons
• Duplicate Prescriptions
• Duplicate Eyeglasses
• Duplicate Oculist's Prescriptions
• Ties
• Bow Ties
• Shirts
• Outing Shirts
• Flannel Shirts
• Suit
• Suit Underwear
• Pajamas
• Duck Pants (Southern Trips)
• Hose
• Shoes
• Rubber-soled Shoes
• Bath Slippers
• Bath Robe
• Steamer Rug
• Suspenders
• Belt
• Gloves
• Cap
• Shoestrings
• Umbrella
• Cane [Walking]
• Brush Broom
• Fountain Pen
• Paper Cutter
• Films

Advertisement for Listerine Antiseptic Mouthwash and Tooth Paste, (Good Housekeeping Magazine, June 1921) | GGA Image ID # 17bbcdbb08

Toilet Requisites

• Hair Brush
• Comb
• Corkscrew
• Tooth Brush
• Tooth Powder
• Mouth Wash
• Nail Brush
• Listerine or Borine
• Pocket Knife
• Shaving Soap
• Shaving Brush
• Safety Razor
• Razor
• Razor Strop
• Sponge
• Bay Rum
• Violet Water
• Lilac Water
• Talcum Powder
• Nail Clipper
• Nail File
• Medicines
• Hot Water Bag

Advertisement for a Kantleek Hot Water Bag, Good Housekeeping Magazine, October 1920. GGA Image ID # 17bc11021b

Medicine

The following medicines, etc., should be carried:

• One small hot water bag
• One ounce arnica
• Three Ounces extract of witch hazel
• Two ounces aromatic spirits of ammonia
• One menthol cone
• One styptic pencil
• One package court plaster
• One narrow bandage
• One small package of absorbent cotton
• One can containing "new skin"
• One bottle "Sun" cholera mixture
• One bottle soda-mint tablets
• One bottle bismuth and pepsin tablets
• One bottle "Listerine;—boritte" or equivalent preparation

A bottle of Jamaica ginger (Brown's is good) will also obviate many of the little ills incidents to travel. Bicarbonate of soda tablets should also be carried to take care of slight attacks of indigestion.

If inclined to catarrh, take Dobell solution tablets and a Bermingham douche.  They will pack nicely in a small cracker tin. A little old linen, a few yards of stout thread wound around a stiff piece of paper should also be carried. 

Slight injuries to the hands often occur when getting in or out of railway carriages. Some travelers recommend a small bottle of spirits of camphor; Vaseline and cream may be carried with advantage.

👒 Most Engaging Content Highlights

The guide's detailed packing instructions divide carefully between men and women, with a delightful emphasis on style and etiquette:

🧥 Men were expected to pack dinner coats, opera hats, patent leather shoes, and silk hats, even if “evening dress is not obligatory.”

👗 Women were reminded to bring tam-o'-shanters, bath slippers, portable workboxes, and flannel blouses—yet were still encouraged to bring an evening gown.

💡 Insightful tip: Yachting caps are “not worn at sea.”

🧴 An entire section outlines recommended toiletries and medicines, from Listerine and Lilac Water to court plaster and “Sun” cholera mixture—revealing period health concerns and ocean travel discomforts.

This guide brilliantly balances luxury and practicality, offering a rare glimpse into the mental load of packing for transatlantic passage—especially for women, who were often tasked with the invisible labor of comfort and preparation.

🖼️ Noteworthy Images

These historical images enrich the packing list, showing how passengers dressed and what brands served their needs:

🧔 “Fashionable Men Always Make a Great Entrance” | 📸 GGA Image ID #178feec59a

(Men’s Wear Magazine, June 1910) – Reflects societal expectations of appearance aboard ship.

👗 “Serviceable Tub Dresses to Wear at Sea” | 📸 GGA Image ID #178f816541

(Woman’s Home Companion, July 1910) – Showcases the shift toward travel-friendly, washable fashion.

👞 “Regal Shoes for Men and Women” Advertisement | 📸 GGA Image ID #17bb743930

Offers insight into brand loyalty and comfort expectations.

🧥 Overcoat Models from Bramdegee Kincaid & Co | 📸 GGA Image ID #178fb0f43e

Demonstrates men’s layering for unpredictable weather at sea.

🦷 Listerine Ad for Mouthwash & Tooth Paste (1921) | 📸 GGA Image ID #17bbcdbb08

Illuminates early dental hygiene habits and product placement.

🔥 Kantleek Hot Water Bag Advertisement | 📸 GGA Image ID #17bc11021b

A reminder of the physical discomforts travelers anticipated.

🧭 Relevance to Ocean Travel History

This article offers tangible social history for those exploring:

✍️ Migration studies – The difference in clothing expectations between leisure travelers and immigrants

👗 Fashion history – Class distinctions through clothing and accessories

🧳 Cultural anthropology – The psychology of overpacking, health anxieties, and appearance in confined shared spaces

📚 Educational research – Primary source material for role-playing historical simulations or writing travel journals from a historical perspective

It also bridges the technological context of the era—highlighting rudimentary heating, sparse shipboard stores, and the rise of branded toiletries and garments.

⚓ Final Thoughts – Why This Packing Guide Still Matters

“What to Pack for Your Ocean Voyage” is far more than a checklist—it’s a cultural artifact that reveals how Edwardian-era travelers navigated transatlantic crossings with style, practicality, and a touch of luxury.

For researchers and educators, it illustrates the intersection of travel, gender, commerce, and class at sea. For genealogists, it offers clues about what their ancestors might have carried across the Atlantic—both in trunks and in spirit. 💼🌍

📚 Encourage students and essayists to use this and other GG Archives materials to bring historical voyages to life through firsthand perspectives and era-specific detail. It’s the kind of history you can practically pack in a suitcase. 🧳✨