Minimalist Study Abroad Packing: Only the True Essentials for a Lighter and Enlightening Experience

I’m a veteran of three study abroad trips (Chile, Spain, and Catalonia) and have been a constant international wandering nomad ever since. So I’ve got quite a few opinions on what’s worth packing and not packing.

I’ve interviewed former students and a woman who has long led Americans and others on study abroad trips in Europe about what is best to pack — and, just as importantly, not pack — for study abroad trips.

Whether you’re headed to a new country for a few months or a year, you can save yourself some trouble by ensuring you take a few essentials without going overboard.

Kamila, the study trip leader I interviewed, in particular emphasizes that students should not overpack. This is by far the most frequent mistake and the bane of those who work with students travelling abroad. You need to bring much less than you think; and often it’s better to just buy local products later on the spot if needed.

The most frequent mistake: PACKING TOO MUCH! An honest post-trip assessment usually shows that students take about twice as much stuff as actually needed.

But we also came up with recommendations for what to bring. Most students who study abroad will build a temporary life in their chosen city, but also travel a bit. So it’s all about striking the balance of having the necessities to be comfortable while not carrying so much that it will be hard to move about. Here’s a look at how students can find that balance.

What You Pack Your Stuff In

The keys to a study abroad pack or suitcase are that it be versatile, lightweight, and sturdy enough to hold up for the entire trip.

A Favorite Wheeled Pack for Study Abroad

There is a reflex among young people to opt for the travel backpacker pack, and it’s true that there are some benefits in the flexibility of being able to pop the bag up on your shoulders — whether for a flight of stairs in the Paris metro system or walking up to your beachside bungalow in Brazil. You can check out the major Osprey backpacks as recommended by an outdoors trekking expert if that’s your cup of tea, or if you’re planning on lots of hikes/camping while abroad.

But we think that for studying abroad, backpacks are actually vastly overrated. Most students are much happier rolling luggage on wheels. While you’re at the airport, on city streets, searching for your host family’s address, taking weekend trips by train around Europe … you’ll mostly want to just roll your pack along and save your energy for better things.

Fortunately there’s a perfect combo option: the rolling travel backpack. The backpacks’ straps can be tucked into a slot when not needed, and you can simply roll the pack behind you.

We’ve reviewed tons of options on this site. Currently, our favorite full-sized rolling travel backpack is a bit expensive but very well worth it: the Osprey Farpoint Wheels 65L (Men) or Osprey Farpoint Wheels 65L (Women).

These rolling backpacks are light but full-featured, and extremely durable. They come from Osprey, a company offering a solid warranty on its pack builds, and a history of great follow-up should anything go wrong, anywhere in the world.

We have full coverage in our review of the top rolling travel backpacks (and we also cover other options).

As people gain travel experience, they inevitably learn how to pack less and less in order to give themselves more freedom for improvising on the road. I myself now travel and work internationally for six months at a time with only a rolling backpack carry-on. While this might be too little space for most study abroad students, if you’re ready to give ultra-light travel a try, you can check our recommendations for the best rolling backpack carry-on, which is the same model essentially but in a smaller size. Most study abroad students are not ready to travel carry-on only, but if you are, that’s a great option.

A Daypack/Backpack

Don’t make the mistake of only having your large luggage; you’ll want at least a small backpack for carrying an umbrella, notebooks, a laptop, water, and other essentials to class and on long days out walking around and sightseeing.

If you go with the Osprey rolling backpack above, there is a compatible clip-on daypack that is perfect for a laptop, a water bottle, and some textbooks: the Osprey Farpoint Fairview Daypack (which I reviewed here). It’s sleek and durable and available in quite a few colors. If you want something bigger (not recommended unless you really need it), check out the Osprey daypacks and the differences among them at this review.

A Sturdy, Leak-Proof Hanging Toiletry Bag for Dorms, Hotels, Hostels…

The best toiletry bags / dopp kits for study abroad must hold up well over time and be flexible and useful enough to function as a home base for grooming supplies and makeup through any extracurricular road trips before, during, and after the study period.

As mentioned in our in-depth article on the best toiletry bags, we think these should have a few key features: a hook, so that they can be hung anywhere while in use; a small mirror for when you’re in transit or otherwise lacking access to one; and rugged design that is water resistant enough to protect your stuff should something start leaking.

My favorite option, which is reviewed at that previous link, is the LL Bean Personal Organizer Toiletry Bag (available at LL Bean USA and at the LL Bean Global site) shown at right. It folds up quite small but rolls out quite large, with a smart set of pockets to keep things organized. It’s so convenient that I’m tempted to never unpack even when I’m not on the road anymore, as it keeps everything accessible. I’ve used it for years and it has held up great. It comes in a couple of different sizes.

There are two other reputable companies that offer great build quality and warranties for their toiletry bags and slightly different options:

• A very small toiletry bag for minimalists is the Osprey UltraLight Zip Organizer. It has all of the features mentioned above and is great for the light travel, overnighters, and as a hanging supplement to a larger toiletry bag that you plan to check (for example paired with the Osprey Ultralight Padded Organizer).

• A great ultra-large hanging toiletry bag is the Eagle Creek Pack-It Wallaby Toiletry Organizer. It also has the key features we mentioned, but is large enough to be your only home for soaps and cosmetics during a semester or year of study.

That said, our heroic study abroad trip leader Kamila simply carries her liquids in a sturdy sealable plastic bag (these Ziploc bags stand upright, are BPA-free, and quite strong); there are also Silicone versions of the same thing that are even tougher. Such bags mean no fuss, it’s easy to see everything, and they are disposable if they get too messy.

I highly recommend this Nalgene Bottle Kit, whose small liquids bottles have handled years of road abuse from me and never leaked. (Every other brand I’ve tried has ended up leaking a bit, especially with the pressure changes in airplanes.) The kit which comes with various size bottles (note that there is a 100 mL limit for carry-on liquids so used the ones marked as less than that in a carry-on).

Also remember that while you can certainly pack all your favorite toiletries, globalization means that you can now generally get whatever major brands you might like in whatever country you happen to be studying in. So you don’t need to pack toiletries for your entire semester abroad. (There are some small differences, for example, Americans often find that deodorants and antiperspirants are not as “powerful” as what they are used to, but nothing to worry about.)

Hang Your Pack / Daypack / Backpack / Purse Anywhere with a Heroclip

An easy way to keep your stuff off the floor and visible is to hang it. And since you won’t find hooks everywhere you go, you can bring your own.

A lovely traveler’s tool for this is the Gear Aid Heroclip Small, which is a carabiner you can attach to the top loop of any bag. When needed, you fold out a rubber-tipped hook and use it to hang your bag from a desk, table, bar, or anywhere else. If you’re staying with a host family, this can be a good way to keep luggage off the floor and out of the way. The same goes for staying in hostels and this is especially useful when you wind up in places that are crowded or not the cleanest.

I would recommend the small version for most study abroad students as it holds up to 50 lbs. / 23 kg., which is the same as your luggage limits for checked bags on most airlines. But it comes in Mini (up to 40 lbs. / 18 kg.), Medium (up to 60 lbs. / 27 kg.), and Large (up to 100 lbs. / 45 kg.) versions as well. You can check out our full review of the Gear Aid Heroclip for more.

What You Should Wear for Foreign Study

Functional, Multipurpose, Comfortable Clothing — and You Need Much Less than You Think

Specific recommendations vary according to your style, gender, body type, etc. But there are a few constants to keep in mind for study abroad trips.

First, try to pack clothing items that serve many purposes (such as a sarong as a dress at the beach, a hair scarf, or a shawl).

And to be prepared for chilly or colder weather, think layers of clothing rather one coat for every eventual shift in temperatures. With layers you can fine tune the number over the course of your semester or year for any temperature.

And finally assume that you will also buy a few clothing items at your study destination, once you realize what you actually need. Buying local can also help you blend in better, and give you souvenirs to remember your stay at the end of the trip.

Specific recommendations vary according to your style, gender, body type, etc. But there are a few constants to keep in mind for study abroad trips.

First, try to pack clothing items that serve many purposes (such as a sarong as a dress at the beach, a hair scarf, or a shawl).

And to be prepared for chilly or colder weather, think layers of clothing rather than a bulky, heavy coat. This way you can fine tune the number of layers over the course of your stay for any temperature.

And finally assume that you will also buy a few clothing items at your study destination, once you realize what you actually need. Buying local can also help you blend in better, and give you souvenirs to remember your stay at the end of the trip.

Comfortable Shoes — Prepare for Lots of Walking on Cobblestones/Rough Roads

Many students who come to Europe in particular are surprised by just how much they end up walking — and on uneven roads. Have comfortable shoes, and make sure they are well broken in before you travel.

While some Europeans (hello, Paris!) have mastered walking long distances on cobblestones in heels, it’s not for everyone. Don’t get overambitious. Almost everyone wears their heels much less than they think they will while travelling.

For Lingerie: A Washing Bag

A washing bag is an easy thing to pack that protects both lingerie and, if your bras have underwires, will protect the washing machines of your host family, dorm, or wherever you are staying. Washing machines in new places can do unexpected, powerful, deranged things to delicates like bras and panties.

Travel Water Bottle

We think that the best water bottles are collapsible, so that they take up little space when not in use. Water bottles can be emptied before hitting airport security, and then refilled. And any water bottle for studying abroad should be sturdy enough for daily use in university classes as well as while roaming.

Ideally a good water bottle shouldn’t use BPA plastics, which can leach into your water and cause hormonal issues; even the alternative plastics that replace BPA could possibly be problematic.

So our take: The collapsible silicone water bottles like those we reviewed here are the best choice for their safety and convenience.

If you have a water bottle, you also need a good water bottle cleaning brush for scrubbing the insides every so often, as dangerous bacteria can build up.

The more traditional and very Spanish choice is the bota, a sheepskin vessel that squirts. Pick it up online or get a souvenir in Spain, if your studies take you there. Definitely learn to drink wine from it too.

Microfiber Quick-Drying Travel Towel

Most places that you stay will provide towels, but it’s nevertheless nice to be prepared for hostels or long road trips with a small microfiber travel towel. They pack up very small, dry quickly, and can be incredibly handy to have in your bag when on the move.

Also consider Eagle Creek’s XL Microfiber Travel Towel if you like something bigger or to take to the beach, or if you like to have a huge towel to wrap around you.

Passport Holder and/or Money Belt

A good passport holder will hold not just your passport but also other basic documents, extra currency, and spare credit cards and other cards. Many are marketed as “RFID-blocking” but there is almost no real-world stealing of information in this manner, so that’s unnecessary. Simply go for something in the size and style that fits your needs.

A money belt can also serve this purpose, and has the advantage of being able to be worn under clothing when you are in crowded places (public transport, nightclubs) to prevent pickpocketing.

Travel Socks

Quality merino wool travel socks don’t stink, because the merino wool quite successfully inhibits bacteria growth. Further, they can be washed by hand when necessary and dry quickly. We use and quite like the Darn Tough socks for women and men.

Tampons for Some Countries, or Menstrual Cups

In parts of Latin America in particular it can be hard to find much of a selection of tampons, as local women generally prefer pads.

If this is your preferred way to handle your menstrual cycle, and especially if you prefer a very specific size/brand, you may want to plan ahead. The variety of options may be limited.

Several female student travellers spoke very highly of menstrual cups such as the Intima Lily Cup, as they can save luggage space, are comfortable in hot climates, and work for both light and heavy periods. (They complained of the “collapsible” models as not being very durable, but loved this Intima we’re linking to for its very soft and comfortable silicone.)

The trick with menstrual cups is that you need to have access to an adequately private place wash your hands, take them out, and rinse them. The water bottle mentioned above may help, but at times when you’re out and about for long full days of sightseeing or studying you might prefer another method.

If you’re new to menstrual cups, make sure you have a cup that you like and are quite used to using it before leaving for your trip (it can take some time to feel comfortable and find the right size and shape for you).

Condoms and Lube

Some plan to be total celibates on their trip abroad, while others fantasize wildly about the things they’d like to do with foreign tongues. (On my first study abroad trip, three out of the forty students in our group ended up going well beyond dating and eventually married their local Chilean sweathearts met on the study trip.)

Whatever your plans, it’s wise be prepared. While you can always head to a local pharmacy on arrival, and yes, that’s a fun way to practice your language skills, also consider preparing ahead by ordering a stash of your favorite brand of condoms.

Lubricant is also an underrated key to both sexual pleasure and health—it can prevent condoms from breaking and tissues from getting irritated. Most condoms are lubricated but for most folks that’s not enough.

Students studying abroad can certainly buy lube and condoms in any destination country. But we have some great travel-specific recommendations that are under airport liquid limits, don’t leak, and are easy to carry.

If you want a lube that’s so small it can be carried in a wallet or pocket, our top packet choice is the Sliquid 5mL sampler packs of water-based lubes. Other brands have sample packs of lube as well.

See also our reviews of travel lubes and how to communicate about lube across cultures.

Needle and Thread or Sewing Kit

Even if you don’t know how to sew, at some point in a foreign country you’re likely to learn, in a pinch, to at the very least sew on a button. I’ve always been happy when I remembered to carry a tiny sewing kit.

Ideally it should have a few differently sized needles, some thread in various colors, safety pins, a tiny pair of scissors for cutting the thread, and not much else. The Fiskars Sewing Kit is perfect for helping you take care of clothing repair emergencies but taking up a very tiny amount of luggage real estate. It’s cheap and from a brand whose gardening tools we’ve also used and admired.

Sunscreen and Sunglasses

UV-A and UV-B protective sunglasses are comfortable, protect your long-term eye health, and will, yes, make you look super sexy to foreign peers.

Your sunscreen should be, according to the experts, broad spectrum (UV-A and UV-B), water resistant, and at least 30 SPF. A great one that surpasses these requirements and is carry-on-sized packable is Neutrogena Sport Face.

A great pair of packable sunglasses that I’ve been using is the Nooz Cruz. They filter 100% of UV rays. For travel, they fold up essentially flat and are stored in a flat protective case—I’ve never seen a slimmer case for a pair of sunglasses. This also means they’ll better protect your eyes, because you’re more likely to carry your pair and have them on you when you need them. To my taste, at least, they’re stylish.

You may also want a hat for long days out walking—though this can make you stand out as a foreigner in many places. Consider buying a local hat at your destination if this concerns you.

Tech Gear for Studying Abroad

Portable Laptop Setup: A Lightweight Chromebook/Macbook Air/Ultrabook and Maybe a Second Screen

Light laptops are easy to throw in your bag for a day of classes. We recommend at least ten hours of battery life; most good new ones offer more.

I personally love travelling in particular with a Chromebook, because everything is always online. They’re not expensive, and if the laptop gets stolen I can easily pick up right where I left off on any other machine.

A particularly underrated element of this is the second screen. Laptop screen space is limited and if you like to have two or more windows open side-by-side, studying/writing/working with multiple monitors is much more efficient. Any will do; the Azropa model I use is bright, large, and can be bought with a carrying case, which is important for keeping the screen from getting scratched up. It’s by far the best second screen we’ve seen in this under-$100 price range.

For Reading and Language Progress While Studying Abroad: A Kindle

Don’t carry heavy books! If you haven’t yet made the switch over to e-readers, an extended trip abroad is the perfect time to do so. An e-reader like the Kindle allows you to take with an almost infinite supply of both books from back home and books about and from your target country. It’s light, a pleasure to use, and the battery can last for up to a month before needing a recharge. Kindles also have built-in dictionaries that can aid with reading and quickly looking up foreign language words on the fly. And you can even highlight a passage and have it machine-translated for you.

For serious readers, a Kindle Unlimited subscription provides access to a million books, plus audiobooks and magazines. It’s perfect for long train rides through Europe. As a student, though, it’s better to sign up for the free six-month trial of Amazon Prime Student, which gives you:

• Free reading access to books, magazines, and audiobooks on a Kindle or any other device
• Prime video, Amazon’s streaming video service
• Free unlimited photo storage for cataloging the adventures on your trip
• Free two-day shipping and other standard Prime benefits

Interesting that the trial period is six months, no? So you can cancel at the end of your semester abroad and pay nothing.

A Quality Universal Travel Plug Power Adapter (with USB-C)

Go into any electronics brick-and-mortar store and you’ll likely be sold a large and very overpriced kit with separate adapters for each country.

Fortunately there are universal travel plug adapters that give you the flexibility of going anywhere in the world with just one adapter. And should you buy an electronic product in the country where you are doing your study abroad, you’ll also be able to use the universal adapter to convert that plug for use in your home country.

The best all-in-one USB-C universal travel plug adapter that we’ve reviewed is the Epicka Travel Adapter.

Three of those ports are a USB-C, so you’re all set for fast-charging (it works) on the latest phones and devices. It also has standard USB-A out ports and a universal plug outlet for plugging in electronic devices from the USA or from anywhere in the world. That, plus it’s one of the smallest and lightest options out there.

This is not a voltage converter and so should not be used to plug old, high-power high dryers into sockets with a different voltage. But laptops, phone chargers and other electronics are fine; they show the voltages they accept on the plug (generally 100-240) and so they generally work anywhere in the world with the help of just this plug adapter.

Portable Extra USB Battery

A small extra battery can make an enormous difference on the road in a foreign country, since we rely on our phones to do so much: navigate, translate, call a ride via app, take photos, and more. We’ve analyzed all of the batteries for USB-C phones and our favorite large capacity battery for travel was the Anker 25K 165W USB-C Power Bank. On a full charge it can recharge a smartphone many times over and can even charge USB-C laptops decently.

In Brazil, I have even used an Anker battery to quickly recharge my phone around the house sometimes, as there were limited and very hard-to-reach outlets. So a battery like this can be useful if outlets are limited, hard to reach or sometimes not working (because of frequent power outages for example).

Foldable Hair Dryer

While you can also buy or be provided with a hair dryer wherever you’re going, it can be useful to take along a foldable travel hair dryer that can run on different voltages.

An Unlocked Phone, or a Great Phone Plan for Americans on Foreign Trips

Cell phone plans have hefty roaming fees when used abroad, and so to avoid them one can buy an unlocked international phone before leaving and then purchase a new prepaid SIM at the airport or a phone shop upon arrival in the new country (this means swapping out the phone’s SIM card).

This is invariably cheaper than using an international version of one’s home mobile phone plan. It’s true that in some countries getting a local prepaid SIM can be complicated (because of required documentation or technical flaws), but in most cases it’s just a trip to a cell phone shop, and usually your passport is enough.

However, for those from the USA there’s now another great option, and it’s what I personally use everywhere on the globe. Google’s Project Fi (use my referral link, save $20) has completely changed how I connect internationally.

Now I land in a foreign airport and am immediately on the same very affordable internet connection just about anywhere in the world. This means that the moment I arrive in any country it’s easy to immediately can get an Uber, search public transport options, look up currency rates online, communicate with my hosts, and the rest. Project Fi works without expense and hassle, and the system is lovely to use throughout the length of my stays, whether for days, weeks, months, or more. It’s the safer and more convenient way to always stay connected when switching countries, because I never have to think about it.

There’s a bit of a combo-upside-downside in that you always keep your same USA phone number. This means no hassle of changing anything, but also that you don’t have a local phone number in your host country. However, since people in most countries now rely on Whatsapp, Facebook, Viber, or other messaging apps rather than SMS, the need for a local number is almost entirely obsolete in daily life.

Also, the newer Pixel phones that work with Google fi have dual SIMs, so you can have both your home USA number and your local SIM for the country you’re in, simultaneously. These are sold in unlocked versions.

And for the USA (the only place I know of where SMS use is still quite rampant) note that in any case Project Fi does provide free SMS-ing to anywhere in the world, from anywhere in the world. It’s nice for staying in touch with your SMS-happy friends (and especially parents) in the USA.

Have Your Documentation and Cards Ready

Everything’s online, and yet somehow we still use paper passports, money, and more. And it can be worthwhile even having paper copies of a few things that you’re now used to seeing exclusively on screens…

Both Paper and Cloud-Stored Copies of Your Important Documents

It’s wise to carry a photocopy of your passport, any necessary visas, health insurance, travel insurance, emergency contact, bank phone number (in case your cards are stolen), and itenary (print your travel receipts for safety, even if you’re travelling on planes or booking trains that accept E-tickets). These can be very useful should your original documents get lost or stolen.

You should also upload a good scan or useable photo of your passport and other documents to DropBox, Google Drive, Amazon Drive, or any other secure cloud service (they all have basic free versions); this ensures that you can download them at the drop of a hat (I’ve even shown documents to an authority on my phone’s screen when I was in a pinch — not as good as the real thing, but useful).

These services also offer a better way to store and share a large archive of photos and videos from your trip, rather than storing them on a local device that can get stolen or lost.

Travel Medical Insurance for Study Abroad

Run a careful check: Will your home country insurance pay out if you get ill, injured, or otherwise need to see a doctor during your study abroad experience? Most often, the answer is no.

Some study abroad programs include travel medical insurance and those that don’t generally require or strongly encourage you to get one. They may recommend one, but if you’re paying for it separately, it can also be useful to shop around. Your student visa in the country where you are studying may also require you to have a letter showing insurance.

A quick and very cost-effective way that I’ve found to be insured while abroad for multiple months is SafetyWing (full review here). They weren’t around during my own study abroad trips but I have used them for long-term travel and stays in multiple countries worldwide since then.

SafetyWing provides a letter detailing coverage that is suitable for student visa purposes (though check the specific requirements for the country you are going to). Also, vitally, there is 24/7 customer support, medical coverage for issues that arise during your study abroad trip, and evacuation coverage—all of this is included in their “Essential” plan, which is very affordable, particularly for those of university ages. The “Complete” plan adds routine care and mental health support, among other features.

Credit Cards: Prep for Travel

Advise your bank and PayPal that you will be travelling and accessing your accounts from abroad. As a security measure, banks frequently block cards if there are attempts to access them from a new country.

Also ensure that you have a pin number for your card (Americans) as this is necessary for use with credit card readers in other parts of the world.

And finally, check what fees you will be paying for foreign withdrawals, and the exchange rates as well. Schwab Bank offers a free checking account with no ATM fees (my referral link — may offer both you and I a bonus), and even refunds the fees charged by any foreign ATMs. This is by far the best plan I’ve seen for Americans travelling abroad, as foreign ATM fees can really add up, and the checking account otherwise has no monthly or annual fees. You will need to also sign up for a brokerage account in order to use the checking account, but don’t have to actually use the brokerage account or invest in stocks.

Check this listing for recommendations for debit cards for students coming from other home countries.

Your Prescriptions and Medications

Since the country you are staying in may not have the same brands or their pharmacies could question a foreign prescription, it’s easiest to just pack any medications that will be necessary for your entire trip. Pack them along with your prescription in case you face any questions, or need to try to replace them.

If you will need to fill a prescription while abroad, check that the same brands/versions will be available in the destination country, or which to get if not.

Printed Picture of You with Your Family

Not only is this a nice, old-school, tangible way to remember your loved ones back home, it’s a great way to break ice in conversations where you don’t necessarily have the language skills to get much else across. People can be curious to see where you came from and who is important to you. It can even help to promote trust in far off lands where you seem a bit alien.

If you don’t have a good printer, there are some cheap postcard apps — and these can also be useful for sending photos back home in a semi-old-fashioned way, especially to those (older?) relatives who aren’t following your every move on Instagram.

Other Stuff

Language Prep for Study Abroad

To really hit the ground running, you need not just any language skills, but those targeted to the dialect of your host university. For instance, if you’re going to Spain, the Latin American phrases that you’ve learned won’t be of much use. And if you’re studying in Montreal you’d be much better off preparing for that (dreadful, but cute) Quebecois accent rather than European French.

University language classes and private schools are rarely equipped to help you with these and other particular challenges of living in a specific locale. Your learning would be much more efficient and motivated with language teachers who are actually native to the country and region where you will be studying.

Fortunately, this is imminently possible via online lessons. In addition, one-on-one personalized classes are likely to be both far cheaper and way more useful than anything you’d have at your home university or private language school.

Our favorite forum for finding talented online language teachers from anywhere is Italki; I’ve personally used it for years to work on my Russian, Italian, and Serbian, as well as for short-term brush-up on local accents in other languages (such as Brazilian Portuguese).

The site has all kinds of teachers — from highly polished professionals to amateurs — who can also be wonderful for just helping you practice your target language and accent. Some of the teachers are fellow university students and you may even be able to find a language coach who is in the exact same university as where you plan to attend.

Prices vary by teacher but are generally extremely reasonable, especially compared to offline options. I recommend working with several different teachers rather than just one, in order to get exposed to a variety of perspectives and language patterns.

For more, I have a lot of other language-learning hacks — born of my battles to better communicate while studying and living everywhere.

One Typical Food, Sauce, Brandy, Sweet, or Other Goodie from Your Home Region

This can be a great way to remember your home, connect with others, and share across cultures.

Don’t bring or send some huge box of goodies from home, however. Part of the reason you’re going abroad is to (learn to) enjoy the local fare!

Things NOT to Pack for a Study Abroad Trip

A lot of the other packing advice for study abroad out there can be dated (even to pre-mobile phone times: seriously, bring a map???!!! a watch???!!!) or suggest packing unnecessary stuff that will ultimately just weigh you down.

Generally you should also keep in mind that with globalization, you can buy pretty much the same products anywhere in the world, so there’s no need to stress too much, and definitely no need to bring anything that you’re not sure you’ll actually use. Avoid the “just in case” items.

Here are our recommendations for what NOT to bring:

• Paper maps and travel guides (these weigh you down and digital versions of guides like Lonely Planet can be purchased instead and are just as useful if not more so, because they’re searchable)
• Foreign currency purchased through your bank (you can withdraw local currency from an ATM on arrival at a much better rate; it is wise however to bring $200 or so of hard American dollars or Euros as a backup)
• Travellers’ checks (fortunately these are completely obsolete)
• Dictionaries and other books (use your Kindle as mentioned above, plus WordReference, Reverso, Google Translate, and other online tools)
• Blankets and pillows (our study abroad trip leader says that some of her students always bring these for some reason, and have a terrible time carrying them around); you will always be provided with these at your lodging

That’s it for our recommendations of what to bring, and what not to bring. Your additions and advice are welcome in the comments.

Photo credits

Top photo by Stephen Lewis. All other photos © minimalist.travel.