What to Pack for a Semester Abroad - Intentional Travelers

So you just got accepted into a study abroad program? First of all, congratulations! Studying abroad can be one of the most life-changing opportunities.

From seeing new places, to meeting international students from all over the world, to being immersed in a different culture, students gain so many amazing experiences that they wouldn’t otherwise get in their home country.

One of the first things you should think about is what to bring to your new home. Packing can be overwhelming, especially if you’ll be overseas for an extended period of time.

It helps to think long-term and prepare for all scenarios you’ll encounter, but to also be mindful of overpacking. Ultimately, it’s crucial you’re fully prepared for wherever your study abroad adventures take you.

Here’s a helpful study abroad packing list when planning for your upcoming semester overseas.

Access our free Study Abroad Packing Checklist PDF here >

Table of Contents

What to Pack: Study Abroad Semester Essentials

Let’s start with highly recommended essential items that are particular to packing for study abroad trips.

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Important Documents

Your important documents should be at the top of your packing list. These include your plane ticket, passport, student visa, and healthcare or insurance cards.

Be sure to make photocopies of everything. Having copies will make things so much easier in case they get lost or stolen.

Power adapters and converters

There’s nothing worse than running out of battery. Since you’re moving to a different country, it’s likely your chargers won’t be compatible with the country’s outlets or even electric voltage.

Power adapters help your plugs fit into the shape of foreign outlets, while converters change the outlet’s voltage to match your device. Be sure to double check what’s used in your country!

We recommend:
Bestek all-in-one converter and adapter
Belkin SurgePlus charger

Good walking shoes

Whether it be commuting to your school or simply exploring your new city, you’ll be doing a lot of walking.

Depending on your destination, you probably won’t need to pack more than a couple of pairs of shoes, but good walking shoes are a must. Invest in a durable, high quality pair and your feet will thank you.

Toiletries

Toiletries are one of the most important things you’ll pack since these are items you’ll be using everyday. From natural deodorant to toothbrush and toothpaste, we’ve included all of the must have items in our free study abroad packing list download below.

For the ladies, see our minimalist toiletries list for women to help you pack for a hassle-free trip!

Cash, Credit Cards, Foreign Currency

When it comes to money, we recommend researching variables like the country’s common mode of payments and the foreign exchange rate to find what will work best for you.

Usually one of the easiest ways to make transactions is through a no-fee debit card or credit card. But it’s always a good idea to travel with some cash in the local currency in case of any emergencies.

See more of our recommendations for cash, credit cards, and ATMs.

Basic School Supplies

In the hectic process of packing your home essentials, you might forget to pack things you’ll need for your classes. You should be good to go with the basics: notebooks, pens, highlighters, and Post-its.

Having all of these in a small pouch is a great way to not lose anything.

Host Family Gifts

If you have the opportunity for cultural exchange in a homestay, or even if you have a local program leader, it’s always a nice gesture to bring a gift from your home country.

See our recommendations for host family gifts here >

Study Abroad Packing: Nice-to-Have Items

Here are some highly recommended items that you might like to have on your semester abroad.

Packing Cubes

The goal of any study abroad traveler is to pack light and efficiently. Packing cubes are rectangular fabric cubes of joy which will make packing your clothes much easier. Not only does it compress your clothes to make more space in your luggage, it makes everything so neat and organized too!

Pack smart! Checking out tips we’ve shared on packing hacks of frequent travelers.
We Recommend: Eagle Creek packing cubes

Reusable Water Bottles

Our Sahara water bottle is excellent for staying cold, regardless of the outside temperature. Put an ice cube in there in the morning, there’s a good chance it will still be intact at the end of the day! They’re a bit hefty but we’ve managed to cart them around on all of our trips.
We Recommend: Tiger Water Bottle 1.5L

Lightweight Raincoat

You never know what kind of weather you’ll find yourself in when you’re running to class or exploring and sightseeing in your new country.

A pro-tip for these unforeseen situations is to carry a lightweight rain jacket with you. This is a practical choice as it’s less bulky and takes up less space compared to a compact umbrella. A good light raincoat makes all the difference in the world especially when you’re traveling.

We’ve shared some ideas on finding the right light-weight travel jackets for you if you’re looking for the right rain gear or other light weight layers.

Medicine

In addition to prescriptions, it’s a good idea to stock up on your essential over-the-counter medicine. This can include medicine for pain and fever relief, antihistamines, cough drops, and antidiarrheals.

Having these readily available saves you from inconvenient trips to the pharmacy.

Books or E-Reader

Whether they’re for class or for leisure, books take up a lot of space. We recommend bringing one or two at most.

But if you have a hard time choosing, invest in an e-reader! E-readers allow you to have hundreds of books in one slim, portable gadget. They’re a lifesaver for long flights or when you don’t want to carry heavy textbooks.

Undecided on what book to bring for your next trip? Consider these books for travelers.

Journal

Studying abroad is a life-changing experience but it can also be a lot to take in and remember! While there’s always social media and taking photos, sometimes you just want to live in the moment. Keeping a journal helps you document all of these memories.

Years down the line, you’ll look back and be grateful you were able to capture everything in your journal.

Order The Study Abroad Journal here >

Sturdy Compact Umbrella

A good windproof umbrella for travel is light-weight, compact, and sturdy. This is why we have used the Totes brand for years.
We Recommend: Totes Compact Umbrella

Canvas Shopping Bags

In addition to grocery shopping, there’s a good chance you’ll find multi-purpose uses for canvas bags on your study abroad trip.
We Recommend: Cute Grocery Tote

Camera

We were gifted an excellent digital point-and-shoot which we carry with us on most trips. If you’re not a travel blogger or photographer, your smartphone will probably do the trick just fine. Don’t forget to bring extra memory cards as well.
We Recommend: Sony RX100 VII

Quick-Dry Towel

This is a great packing item when staying in hostels that may not provide towels. It is multi-purpose and can even be folded up as a pillow in a pinch. We both have thin, quick dry towels from REI that take up very little space.
We Recommend: REI Co-op Multi Towel

Luggage to Pack for Study Abroad

So now that you’ve decided what to bring, what’s the best way to pack everything?

To make traveling as easy as possible, we don’t recommend bringing much luggage. These essentials are a good start: a large suitcase to check in, a smaller carry-on bag or suitcase, and a backpack.

Choose a big suitcase that will fit most of your things, like clothes and shoes. For your carry-on, you can fit in other clothes, toiletries, and miscellaneous items, like your school supplies. In your backpack, you can place all your gadgets and any other important items like your travel documents.

Bringing a backpack will be useful as it can double for your day bag for class. Depending on where you’re studying, you’ll find that students don’t use backpacks prefer tote bags or handbags. In this case, you can still use your backpack for any short trips you take out of the city.

We recommend:
Osprey 55 men’s backpack
Osprey 55 women’s backpack
REI Co-Op Big Haul Rolling Duffel

Day bag or small laptop backpack

As mentioned, a day bag is one of those multi-purpose items that will definitely get a lot of use. We recommend looking into a laptop bag that’s not only functional but versatile. This way you can use it not only for school but for going out and even traveling.

See all our travel bag recommendations here

Clothing: What to Wear During Your Study Abroad

When thinking of what clothes to pack for your semester abroad, you should have a few things in mind.

First, do research on the country’s climate. If you’ll be experiencing a few seasons in your host country, then pack a variety of layers.

Having an assortment of short and long sleeved shirts, light jackets, cardigans, and sweaters will give you tons of possibilities for layering depending on the weather.

Second, consider the country’s culture and religion. Most countries have different standards of what’s considered casual wear. For example, athleisure may not always be appropriate like it might be in the United States. Other countries might also be more conservative, which you might see reflected in the campus dress codes.

Third, you can never go wrong with basics. Avoid bringing statement clothing that you won’t get a lot of use out of. Instead pack staples like your classic white shirt or good pair of denim jeans that can go with a variety of outfits.

Lastly for shoes, don’t bring more pairs than you’ll be needing. Aside from the essentials like comfortable walking shoes and flip-flops for the dorm bathroom, pack another versatile pair that you can wear to multiple occasions, such as going out and class lectures.

Download our handy study abroad packing checklist for a more detailed clothing list.

Technology Essentials for Study Abroad

In this day and age, many people can’t imagine traveling anywhere without their tech essentials, especially students.

For classes alone, you’ll be needing your laptop for just about everything. This includes all other accessories like your earphones, laptop charger and a bag/case to carry it around.

If you’ll be studying in public spaces like coffeeshops and using their Wi-Fi, make sure that your laptop has a VPN to protect your privacy.

Aside from your phone, don’t forget to bring your charger and power bank, which will be extremely useful when you’re running out of battery while you’re out and about.

Lastly, while not essentials for everyone, we recommend packing an external hard drive or a thumb drive to back up and store your files in case anything happens to your electronics.

Check out our full list of tech essentials for nomads here.

Packing for Summer Study Abroad

Summer study abroad programs probably mean warmer weather. There’s a good chance you can leave bulky sweaters and coats at home.

That said, it’s still smart to layer. You never know when you might encounter freezing cold air conditioning or chilly evenings.

Consider packing a good sunscreen, sun hat, and quick-dry or moisture-wicking clothing for summer. Don’t forget to read up on culturally appropriate clothing, as warm weather outfits tend to be more revealing and may not be acceptable in some places.

Packing for Fall Semester Study Abroad

Especially when studying in Europe, Autumn weather can mean packing for a wide range of temperatures. Again, clothing layers will be your friend.

If rain is common in Fall where you’ll be studying abroad, decide if a rain jacket or a compact umbrella would be more convenient. In places like London where rainy days are also quite cold, a jacket can serve both purposes, whereas wearing a raincoat could get really uncomfortable in humid areas like the Caribbean.

Don’t forget a pair of comfortable, water resistant walking shoes.

Packing for Winter Study Abroad

Packing for study abroad in winter of course depends on the climate. In much of Spain and Southern Italy, for example, winters are mild and don’t get too cold. Other locations might have snow and freezing temps.

For cold climates, it’s probably worth investing in a warm coat, even if it takes a lot of space in your luggage. A scarf, gloves, hat, and long underwear are good winter essentials.

Winter outdoor activities often require bulky gear, so if you think you might want to do something like skiing, try to think realistically about how often you’ll actually go. If it’s just once or twice, it might be worth renting gear rather than taking up precious luggage space.

Packing for Spring Semester Study Abroad

Like Fall, study abroad in Spring is likely to bring a range of weather. Check the average temperatures and rainfall to help you choose clothing layers and water-resistant options for your packing list.

What Not to Pack for a Semester Abroad

Neck wallet – It’s smart to protect your money and IDs, but traditional travel wallets are uncomfortable. Try these alternatives instead.

Uncomfortable shoes – The best way to explore any city is to go on foot so it’s best to wear your comfiest pair of shoes. Quick tip! Pack some flip-flops which you can use both for sunny weather and dorm showers!

Unessential valuables – Pack light and bring only your essentials. Minimizing valuables for travel is always wise to lower your risk of loss, damage, or theft.

Non-compatible electronics – Check the voltage in your host country. Blow dryers and other electronic items from home can get fried if using a different voltage. Best to buy those in country or bring adapters.

Culturally inappropriate clothing – Read up on the country’s culture and religion, since these affect how people dress! The last thing you want is to feel out of place or bring negative attention to yourself while traveling.

Once you have everything planned and packed, you are all set to conquer your semester abroad. Don’t forget to review our packing list of essentials and remember to dress according to the weather!