WHAT TO PACK WHEN STUDYING ABROAD: TIPS AND TRICKS

One semester (or year!), a check-in luggage, and a carry-on...how?!? This was definitely one of my struggles when gathering my belongings for my upcoming adventure.

Trafalgar Square 

I struggled with this when I went abroad and so for any of you planning to embark on this adventure of lifetime, here's a little guide I've made to make life a tad bit easier!

There aren't any hard set rules for packing for long term but I definitely suggest researching the climate and weather of the location that you will be going too. Look at the range of temperatures of when you will be there and pack accordingly. I studied in London during the autumn so I knew that the temperatures would be lowering coming towards winter and that it would rain a lot. Since knowing that, I packed lots of sweaters (or jumpers as they say), boots, jeans, and an umbrella.

I researched beforehand Googling and YouTubing extensively on tips and tricks on what to do. Here are some tips I would give:

Freshers Ball at KCL

1. Pack more tops than bottoms but pack enough bottoms that would last a week. I packed 4 pairs of jeans, 5 sweaters, and plenty of T-shirts and tank tops to layer underneath my sweaters and jackets. 
2. Pack lots of camis, tank tops, socks, and regular T-shirts. These will be the clothes that you sweat the most in and want to change most often so bring enough to hold you over until your next laundry day. 
3. Bring enough undergarments to last you at least 2 weeks! In the beginning of the term, you won't know much of anything about the campus or surroundings so laundry is the last thing on your mind. Also, this is a helpful tip especially if you plan on traveling. 
4. In my case, I brought 3 jackets. These will be your outerwear and most likely what you will be seen in the most if you are going to study in a colder climate. Bring multiple jackets so that in pictures it looks like you actually changed! (This was totally me so I, my true shopaholic self, decided to buy more jackets while in London)
5. Dresses are super super helpful! They're one piece of clothing that make an outfit. It takes less space than separates and they can be dressed up or down. Bring a casual dress and a fancier dress that you can wear for dinners and/or presentations when paired with a blazer.
6. Bring a fancy dress; think PROM. At the university where I went, they legitimately had balls for welcoming week (Freshers week in the UK), Christmas, and the end of the year.  
7. What you're going to pack to bring abroad will probably be rendered unusable once you return back home. The jeans and leggings I packed were worn so frequently that they started to get holes in them...yikes! 
8. That being said, bring quality clothes too. I brought a mix and I found that my higher quality clothes lasted better than my cheap clothes. Though, most likely you will buy some stuff while you are abroad so bringing clothes that you don't really care about will help at the end since you will want to toss them out anyway. 
9. Bring good walking shoes! Most likely you will be walking a lot more than you have ever walked before and those shoes will wear down by the end of your exchange. Bring a pair of good walking/running shoes, casual shoes, and a pair of formal shoes for presentations or nights out. 
10. Bring a suit (blazer, button-up, pencil skirt or slacks) for those unexpected special occasions, presentations, and/or interviews (see 6). I took a business module and this came in handy.  
11. Bring a small going out purse and a throw-everything-in (larger) purse that has a ZIPPER closure. I only brought a big tote bag but I found that while it fits almost everything, it hurt my shoulders and back so much that I went to Primark to buy a cheap small purse to use instead. 
12. This is geared more towards those traveling in Europe (this is pulled from my experience); a duffle bag will be your best bet when traveling those cheap budget airlines. American carry-on luggages are bigger than the standard European sized carry-ons. Budget airlines are budget because they only allow a standard European size carry-on on board. If you bring an American size carry-on luggage you will have to check it in and it is often times more expensive than your ticket itself. I personally was okay with my American size carry-on until my last flight but do this with your own risk. 
13. Bring a camera - a little point and shoot, a phone or your DSLR. Anything works to capture your memories. Just keep an eye on those expensive electronics! (Most of pictures taken during my time abroad were on my iPhone 5 and little Nikon point and shoot. Wished I had been more of an avid photographer during this time with a DSLR!)
14. Bring a towel! Hostels and the residence hall don't have this on hand so this is helpful for your first night and while traveling. 
15. Bring travel size shampoos and toiletries to hold you over for the first few days you run around the city gathering your necessities but you DON'T need to bring a full size shampoo (unless you can't live with out it). It just takes up more room and more weight in your luggage. You can buy the full sizes in the country.
16. Don't bring hair appliances! Most likely the voltages in your home country and exchange country will be different. My friend bought a $200 hair appliance that has dual voltage and it still didn't work. Buy one in your host country instead.
17. BRING CHARGE ADAPTERS AND PLUG ADAPTERS FOR YOUR COUNTRY AND COUNTRIES THAT YOU WANT TO TRAVEL TO. This is the most important thing especially in this day and age so that you can charge your electronics! Also, check the voltage demands for your electronic to see if you need a voltage adapter as well. 
18. For cell phone use, it is cheaper to buy a SIM card in your host country than buy an international plan. I had T-Mobile which has an international plan already at no extra cost so I did not have any problem unlike many of my friends who scrambled to get mobile service.
19. Bring a towel! TMI, but for the first few days I had to dry myself with my blanket that I brought because I didn't have time to go out to buy a towel yet. That being said when you are out bathroom shopping, buy two towels. Also, I didn't know this but towels are not given when staying in hostels so I had to buy one.
20.  Bring some photos so you can decorate your dorm a bit! Most likely there will be a time during your stay that you'll feel homesick so these photos will come in handy. Just remember that you will soon be reunited with your loved ones!
21. Lastly, bring anything that will make your stay more bearable like a favorite sweater or stuffed animal; whatever it may be. Even though you are in a foreign country and are in a mindset to explore, it is sometimes nice to be reminded of home. 

Check out my travel posts from Europe in the tab above to see some of my experiences and tips and tricks of traveling during this time!