Travel Hacks: Packing Tips for a Semester Abroad

When beginning to pack for your semester abroad, you may start to wonder how on earth you're going to fit all your stuff into a suitcase. It's so easy to over or under pack when you're not sure what you should bring.

As someone who had an extremely bad habit of over packing, I have outlined some important packing tips for a semester abroad! 

1) Check the baggage requirements

First things first, check the baggage requirements at your home airport and your destination. This will give you some guidelines on how much you can bring with you.

Always leave with your luggage weight well below the limit, since you'll likely make some purchases on your trip!

2) What kind of climate conditions?

Always consider what climate conditions you're going into. Dry season, rainy reason, summer, or winter- be prepared to accommodate your belongings to the weather conditions.

It's handy to bring a few extras as temperatures can change throughout the day! You'll be glad you brought your favourite warm sweater to toss over your t-shirt as a sizzling day suddenly turns into a crisp evening. 

3) How long?

Consider how long you will be there for. Keep it simple, you do not need to pack a different outfit for every day of the week. 

Tip: Making sure you do your laundry on a regular basis will let a small amount of clothes go a long way!

Need some more tips? Read this article for more on what to do before a study abroad!

4) Fold effectively

Roll roll roll! Rolling your clothes is the most space efficient strategy for packing. For the garments you're worried about wrinkling, fold them as you would regularly and place them on top of the rolled clothes.

If you are bringing bulky items like a blanket and/or some sweaters, compression packs are an effective way of limiting item space in your suitcase!

5) Leave the valuables at home

Expensive jewelry? Leave it at home. It is easy to misplace a few things when traveling. Only bring what you know you will use on a daily basis- like your laptop or camera.

For protection of your valuables while travelling, always use a good quality luggage lock!

6) You won't need 50 pairs of shoes

Believe it or not, you won’t be needing 50 pairs of shoes. Take only the essentials. Shoes are heavy and can take up a lot of room in your suitcase.

Handy tip: wear your largest pair while travelling, and pack the lighter ones in the suitcase.

Learn more about study and intern abroad opportunities in Uganda, Fiji, or Ecuador!