Every exchange student’s nightmare: it’s the night before your flight across the world, and you realize that your bag is overweight. While this may be just your nightmare, this was my reality the night before I flew to Hungary at 15 years old. Packing is arguably one of the most stressful pre-departure tasks of an exchange, at the college or highschool level! Here are some considerations to keep in mind while packing and preparing for your time abroad. Also attached below are some other packing resources you may find helpful.
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Clothes:
While packing lists can be a helpful guideline as to what to pack, they are best taken with a grain of salt. Many of the clothing packing checklists offered by organizations like AFS, GoOverseas, CIEE, and others, are incredibly cookie-cutter, one size fits all. I find the best way to pack is to consider a few key questions and always remember that there will be somewhere to do laundry.
- Where are you going? And for how long?
- Are you going somewhere with four distinct seasons? Will you be there for one season, one or two types of weather, or will you be there for four different seasons, four weather/temperature patterns?
- Where are you coming from?
- Are you from a cold climate that has four seasons going somewhere with a moderate climate that still has four seasons? Maybe don’t bring all your favorite winter sweaters; you will swelter. Or are you coming from somewhere like Brazil and going to Central New York where the winter seems unrelenting and eternal from October to mid-march? Maybe you will need to do some cold-gear shopping on arrival.
- What do you actually wear?
- Prevent overpacking. That sweater you wear just twice a year, you don’t need to bring it. To find out what you wear most frequently in your wardrobe, consider creating a pinterest-style “lookbook” photo album on your phone of your actual wardrobe and outfits prior to your departure. This can be silly selfies of you rocking your favorite looks and/or pictures of your clothes laid out. You can reference this when you pack. I did this before my departure to Austria, and now I am much happier with the wardrobe I brought with me. I bought the clothes I felt myself in, the clothes I was wearing on the regular. And to prove I did this, here are some excerpts from my lookbook!
My Lookbook
Warning, I’m an awkward selfie taker, but the point is also that these selfies can be taken anywhere, peep the garbage can in the one. It’s about realizing you like what you’re wearing, that it would be practical for where you are going and that you will want to pack it when the time comes around. When you realize any of these things, snap that selfie!
I know that even with these questions and this lookbook example, some of you on the other side of this screen are biting at the nail for a checklist. Don’t worry, I have linked one below. But keep reading before you jump to it, because there are other things you need to pack besides clothes.
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Things That Are More Important Than Clothes:
Documents! Get a plastic folder (plastic for waterproofing) and put all those important documents in a backpack that goes wherever you go. That backpack is your baby, leaving it unattended would be child negligence. DON’T FORGET OR YOU’LL REGRET!
Adapters! Buy them and bring them with you. And while you can buy in-country wall chargers for when you arrive for your computer or your phone, you will also want adapters for anything else that can’t be replaced (i.e., a straightener, an electric shaver, an electric toothbrush, etc.). Additionally, you’ll want to charge your device the first night on arrival. DON’T FORGET OR YOU’LL REGRET!
Medication! Especially prescription medication. You’ll need to research the allowance for your prescription medication in the country you’ll be studying in, as some countries may have different regulations than your home country. What is a typical prescription where you are from may be considered a more highly controlled prescription in your host country. If you are all clear you will likely be able to ask your doctor to stock up for the time that you will be away. However, medication also applies to over-the-counter medicine in your home country. These medicines can be more highly regulated in the EU and harder to find. Do you have allergies which may require Benadryl? Stock up before you leave. Are you lactose intolerant and take LactAid (or an off-brand, more cost-effective alternative)? You’ll definitely want to stock up before going to another country where the diet may not be as accommodating to such dietary restrictions. Do you have period cramps and take tylenol/ibuprofen? Stock up before you leave. DON’T FORGET OR YOU’LL REGRET!
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Other Considerations That Are Not Clothes
This consideration will not apply to everyone, only to us curly haired folk. Are you going to a country where it may be difficult to find textured hair products? BRING THEM WITH YOU. It’s very much worth it; your curls will thank you. Plus it may be expensive to ship them at a later date. Bring them in your checked luggage now to avoid the headache and the hairache.
Rotary recommends bringing a gift from your home country for your host families. However, I think even if you are not a Rotary Youth Exchange Student, bringing some candy or little things from your home country might be an exciting way to make new friends and share your culture with the people around you.
Additionally, you don’t need to pack your whole life. You may want to bring all your hobbies, however, you will likely be trying new things and finding a new routine. However, if you know for a fact that you will play soccer or you will take dance class even while abroad, because it’s very important to you, then bring just your pair of cleats/shin guards, and just your ballet/jazz shoes and leotard. Bring the bare minimum you would need to participate in your hobby, chances are you don’t need every specialized piece of gear and there’s a chance you may not need what you think in another country either.
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Things You Can/Should Buy On Arrival:
Things like toiletries can often be bought, unless you use special ones, upon arrival in your host country. The same goes for school supplies like notebooks. Sure, maybe you bring a journal with you, but you don’t need to bring a notebook for every course you will take. They add unnecessary weight in your luggage and can be bought somewhere on arrival. If you’re unsure where to go to find these items on arrival, ask your host family, neighbors, or classmates. They will understand you’re a foreigner getting your footing.
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Luggage Thoughts:
It’s likely you’ve heard this line before, but you are going to shop at some point while you’re abroad. This goes for forgotten items as well, if you forget socks on the way (like I did on my way to Hungary), you can buy them in your host country. Maybe it’ll be school gear, current fashion pieces, or a traditional outfit from the country you’re living in. My sister came home from her exchange in Japan with a stunning kimono gifted to her from her host family and I just recently invested in a second hand dirndl here in Austria. While these pieces of culture are beautiful, they tend to take up ample space in your suitcase. Try not to overpack because you will buy things and you will likely want to bring them home with you.
While I’m not saying you must pack half a suitcase or donate half your wardrobe before you depart your home country, you should be realistic about how you plan to bring things home as well. Consider will you buy another suitcase while you are there and check an extra back on the way home? Or perhaps your family will visit you towards the later half, would they take a suitcase home with them? When my family visited me in Hungary, it was April and I sent a checked suitcase home with them that contained most of my winter clothes and such. Then I flew home in June with a checked back (bought in Hungary), a carry on, and an under the seat backpack.
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The Aforementioned Good Resources To Check Out:
BND ABROAD 