7 Must-Have Study Abroad Essentials You Can’t Forget
Are you getting ready to study abroad, but don’t know what study abroad essentials you’ll need? Here is the ultimate guide on what to pack that every student shouldn’t forget.
Getting the chance to study abroad is extremely exciting and if you’re anything like me, you want to make sure that you packed everything you needed to make the most out of your expereince. As someone who studied abroad in London, England for 3+ months, I am giving you the best study abroad essentials that made it all the more easier when it came to packing.
You are going to learn about all the study abroad essentials you need when it comes to packing, from what clothes to bring to how you should pay for items
After learning about what you should pack, you are going to be well prepared and ready to have the best study abroad experience.
This post is all about study abroad essentials that every student should pack.
Best Study Abroad Essentials:
1) General Clothing
This is your day-to-day clothing that you would typically wear. If you are living in a smaller space with other roommates (like I was), you will have limited space to put your clothes. This also means that you don’t want to overpack clothing.
Remember: you can always do laundry and rewear clothes on different days and mix/match other clothes to create new outfits.
Here is a list of what I would pack and how many:
- Athletic shoes (1)
- Belt (1)
- Casual tops (2-3)
- Dress shoes (1)
- Dress shirt (1-2)
- Dresses/skirts (1-2)
- Activewear (2-3 *depending on how active you are*)
- Jeans (1-2)
- Pants (1-2)
- Shorts/Capris (2-3)
- Sleepwear (2-3)
- Socks (7 *one for each day of the week*)
- Sweater/Sweatshirt (1)
- Undershirt/Bras (depends on how often of use)
It’s also important to note that this will change depending on where you are going to study abroad and during what season of the year!
Keep these things simple, you may also find clothes over there that you would also want to buy and wear too and bringing it back adds more weight to your suitcase than anticipated.
2) Seasonal Clothing
This all depends on during what time of the year you will be studying abroad. It is always a good thing to search the weather habitis of your location during the time you will be there to know what you should bring.
Here is a simple list of seasonal clothing to consider and how many:
- Boots (1)
- Fall/Winter hat (1)
- Gloves (1)
- Jacket/Coat
- Rain jacket/travel umbrella (1)
- Sandals (1)
- Scarves (1-2)
- Swimsuit (1-2)
3) Toiletries
This is something many easily overpack on but sometimes is unecessary. Here is something that you should think about when packing your toiletries: you can buy toiletries in the country you are studying abroad at so you do not have to bring full size bottels of items in your suitcase.
In this case, this mean you do not need to bring 3 months worth of shampoo/conditioner, or three months worth of toothpaste or soap. There are stores in other countries that will have these things, however they may not be the exact brand that you may carry.
Here is a list of what toiletries you can pack:
- Body lotion
- Body soap
- Cleanser
- Contact lens care
- Contacts/Glasses
- Deodorant
- Feminine hygien products
- Hair ties/clips
- Hairbrush/Comb
- Makeup
- Moisturizer
- Razor
- Shampoo/Conditioner
- Sunscreen
- Toothbrush
- Toothpaste
- Tweezers
I would recommend bringing enough travel size toiletries to last a few days, because you have the option to purchase more when you get there.
4) Electronics
Before doing anything, take a look at what classes you are taking while abroad and if you may need just an iPad or a computer, instead of bringing both to save yourself the space and weight in your suitcase. I would also consider thinking about if you plan to go to other neighboring countries while studying abroad becasue wall outlets are different too depending on where you go (i.e. England does not have the same wall adapter as the Netherlands)
Here is a list of what electronics you can bring:
- Universal adapter
- Camera
- Cell phone
- Converter
- Headphones
- Labtop/Tablet
- Device charges
- Backup battery pack
I would not recommend bringing hair tools such as a blow dryer and hair straightners becasue other countries may have higher electrical current than your current place of living.
5) Documents
This section is where you should first consult your school’s necessary documents that you may need to bring with you. It is important that you at least bring a copy of these documents with you and leave a spare copy with your family members back at home.
Here is a list of documents you should bring:
- Credit/Debit cards
- Driver’s license
- List of medications
- Passport
Tip: For credit/debit cards I would set up tap-to-pay on your phone because that way you are able to just use your credit/debit card on your phone when purchasing items and not needing to worry about loosing your wallet.
6) Miscellaneous
These are things that are things to consider bringing with you on your trip but make sure that you are not overpacking these things either.
Here is a list of miscellaneous things to consider:
- Spare cash (*your current currency and the currency of the country you are traveling too*)
- Travel size first aid kit
- TSA Luggage Locks for checked bags
- Luggage Tags for checked bags
- Medication to last the full duration of your program (*must be in original bottle; must carry a copy of the prescription as well*)
- Small bag such as a backpack or duffle bag
- Sunglasses
- Required textbooks and other school supplies
- Reusable Water Bottle
Tip: For medication, this is something to consider bringing a little bit more of because they may not have the exact medication that you take. For example, England does not carry the brand Advil, but they do have an equivalent ibuprofen medication.
7) Imporant To-Do’s:
Lastly, this is some important to-do’s before going on the plane to have the best study abroad experience.
This is including but not limited too:
- Calling your phone provider to make sure international calling is part of your plan
- Informing your bank(s) that you will be traveling abroad so your accounts do not get frozen
- Adding cards to your phone (or AppleWallet) to ensure ease of paying
- Ensure that you are signed up for your classes
- Confirm that the date/time of your departure/arrival has not changed
- Ensure you have directions on where to go upon arrival in the country you are studying abrod in