When the logistics part of my Study Abroad plans had been sorted(application, courses selection, finances…), it was time to leave, and while I thought packing would be a walk in the park, throw a couple of pants, some cute tops, one or two pairs of sneakers… or should I go with one pair of sneakers and one pair of going out shoes, were my tops supposed to be daytime cute tops or nighttime cute tops cause there’s a difference, what did the TikTok girlies going on Study Abroad take with them, what of the YouTubers? What did a Google search have to say about it? Based on my research, this is a brief list of the most important things I’ve found to be super helpful during my super abroad, and if you have any suggestions for potential readers, do comment it below!
TAKE
The US is the only place that uses its plug type, you will need an adapter wherever you go, and better than getting a single adapter for each region is getting an all-in-one adapter like the one I’ll link below(p.s that’s the one I got and it’s still serving me great). I use it everywhere, and it is kind of bulky, but it’s light enough and has saved me bucks that I’d use to buy new charging blocs for each country.
Travel adapter link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0B4F38WYL/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
- Foreign-fee-free debit card
I travel a bit, prior to my study abroad, and I tried paying for stuff with my regular debit card. The fees, while not much, will add up, and if you can afford that, you go girl, but if not get a foreign-fee-free credit or debit card. Credit cards are more common and will help you build your score if used the right way while traveling, but my debit card from Charles Schwab remains undefeated if you don’t want to dabble in the credit game.
I’m not sure I saw this on many travel packing lists, but this is an underrated item everyone should pack. If you share a bathroom or you’re gonna be stepping in wet stalls, both your personal one or if you stay in temporary accommodation like a hostel, you’re gonna need something to wear to avoid foot diseases. They can typically double as beachwear shoes, cause we know that hot sandy beaches call for good footwear.
LEAVE
I’m not even sorry, do you know how much weight shoes add to luggage? If you just need to have an obscene amount of shoes, there’re two choices: cut down on clothes taken or pay for some extra luggage! If you can plan your outfits around 2-4 pairs of versatile shoes, and I bet you this is gonna save you a bunch of space and money if you decide to shop some more while abroad.
- Metal bottle/ Hydroflask
This one is more of a personal preference because some people are attached to theirs, but these things are kinda heavy and a pain to carry around, but in their defense, they could double as weapons. I took mine while traveling, a 32oz simple modern bottle, and I’ve taken it out less than 10 times because when it’s full, it’s heavy and a nuisance. What I do now is I refill a bottle, literally a €1 bottle of water, that I previously bought and take that on the road with me, very thrifty living if you ask me. I’m not wasting plastic, it’s much lighter and I wouldn’t feel as bad if something happened to it! [spot my current plastic bottle in the picture above:)]
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