Categories: College Life

What to Pack for your Semester Abroad

If you’re in college or have the opportunity to study abroad, I highly recommend you take this opportunity! Studying abroad is often an experience and is extremely rewarding. They want to experience a lifetime with friends and amercing themselves in all new cultures. You will probably never find another time in your life where you can take one at a time to travel to all different countries and have minimal responsibility. When packing for abroad, there are five items that are critical and excellent experience. When packing for your semester abroad, you want to ensure that you have everything that can help keep you safe in a pinch, take up minimal space, and add to your experience. Packing can be overwhelming and daunting, and you want to ensure you don’t forget critical items. So if you’re looking to have the best semester abroad and come the most prepared, you need to ensure that you have these five items!

1. Crossbody bag

When traveling abroad, I think you need to be focused and concerned about where you’re keeping your personal belongings, such as your wallet, phone, and any forms of identification. These are necessities that you need to have when traveling and are items that are more challenging places and stressful to replace once they go missing. If you frequently travel or even walk around a city and go to a nightclub, you must have a safe place to put all these items. And a place that it’s hard for people to pickpocket from. So I recommend a crossbody bag or even a fanny pack. I find that if you keep these personal belongings in a crossbody bag or a fanny pack, they’re harder for someone to steal from you. Whereas if you’re carrying around a purse, an open tote bag, or even a backpack, someone can try and pickpocket you or take something from me. Having all these items in a bag that hosts your body is the best way to avoid being stolen. You’re not from the country you’re studying in. You’ll speak differently, look differently, and act differently than you would in any situation. So you’ve made it clear that you’re a tourist and sticking out. However, it does make you an easy target to be pickpocketed from. So to avoid this stressful situation, I highly recommend packing a crossbody bag or fanny pack or some bag with a zipper that can be kept on your body when traveling.


2. Comfortable shoes

Well, we might always be trying to go for fashion. It’s essential to remember comfort. When traveling abroad, you’re also probably trying to save money. So if you don’t have to take that ten-minute taxi ride and you can walk instead, this is something that you might want to do. Or even if you’re walking around a lot because you’re sightseeing and exploring a new country or city, you will want to be comfortable. Make sure you pack comfortable, supportive shoes that are good for walking around. I’m not saying you have to be wearing athletic running shoes. But if there’s a relaxed brand of fashion sneaker that you enjoy wearing and can walk a couple of miles in, come on, then make sure to pack them! Nike makes a lot of comfortable, fashionable sneakers, as well as Reebok, New Balance, and Veja’s. These are just some of my favorite brands for streetwear and casual sneakers. These are a great addition to what you should pack for your semester to study abroad. We’ll be doing lots of walking even if you don’t think so. Walking through museums and other tourist attractions, you were exploring the city. A comfortable pair of shoes will offer you the flexibility to walk more, experience more, and have a better time. Because you won’t be struggling with these blisters and uncomfortable shoes and your feet hurting because of your walking. Make sure to pack maybe even a couple of pairs of comfortable shoes.


3. Cash

I think it’s essential to pack cash in both American currencies and in the money where you will be living. You don’t think you should be traveling with thousands of dollars, but I think a couple hundred is good. Cash is good in case of a pinch; you lose a credit card, or sometimes banks well shut down accord because they suspect fraud. So you can always use cash! So I think it’s essential to pack echoed amount of money that can help you if you’re in a pinch. And could get you through a day or two of living until you can get in touch with the bank, get to an ATM or come up with your plan. You never want to be in a foreign country without any way of paying. I also think it’s best to bring both currencies just in case. You never know what you’re going to need or where you’re going to need it. So it doesn’t hurt to travel with some extra cash and keep this in a wallet. If you don’t want to have this money on you all the time, you can put it in a safe space in your bag or apartment and keep it safe to spot. But I think it’s essential to travel with cash just in case something happens with one of your cards and you’re in a pinch for money.


4. Medications

If you take any medications regularly or like to have a particular medicine when you’re sick, then I think filling these prescriptions and bringing them abroad is essential. Talk to your doctor before you leave an appointment and figure out a way to get these medications. If you’re someone who takes a medicine every single day need to make sure that you have the correct prescriptions to get you through broad and maybe even a little extra. If you’re someone who gets sick a lot, it can always be nice to travel with a Z pack, or if you get any other specific illness frequently, get that prescription filled as well. Finding a doctor or a way to fill a cure will be difficult once you’re abroad. So if you can pack some of these medications and get them filled, you can take your medicines when and how they are prescribed. Medications can make it super less stressful when you get sick and take care of yourself.


5. Outlet adapter

I think it’s always good to pack an outlet adapter. Yes, you can buy them abroad, but after long days of travel, it’s going to be vital that you can charge your phone most quickly as you can. So when you’re off that first initial flight arriving in that country, you can go back to your living place and charge your phone. I think it’s essential to have an outlet adapter and you can bring it when you go to other countries ’cause you don’t know the hotel or hostel you’re staying at. Hence, I think it’s essential always to have an outlet adapter so you can always charge your phone. It’s better to have one than not and walk around with a dead phone in a foreign country. So I think you should pack an outlet adapter if you’re going to study abroad or during the semester.

See Also

if you’re going abroad, I think these five items are crucial to any experience. They’ll help you have an enjoyable, fun, safe experience abroad. That will all add to your overall experience. In addition, I think these items can help you out in a pension and help keep you safe as well! Have so much fun studying abroad for the next few months!

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Camilla Berckemeyer

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