In only a a few more months, a lot of teenagers and young adults will be packing and eventually boarding a plane to their destination. They will be going to study abroad. {Does that include you?! If so, where are you going?} The experience will be one of a lifetime. Emotions will be skyrocketing in every, which way: happiness, sadness, fear, nervousness. But the ultimate emotion is different for everybody, but it is almost always worth it.
But before all of those emotions start skyrocketing and going in a million different places at once, it is crucial to figure out what to pack, and better yet, how many suitcases you should take. That is the number one question exchange students ask each other, past exchange students, and their organizations. Depending on who is asked, you will get different answers, but these answers generally will not exceed 2 bags (not including carry-ons). If you ask same-year exchange students, they will be confused (just like you probably will be!) and bring up what they have heard, read, and been told. They aren't the most reliable when trying to figure out what to do because the normal response is, "I don't know...maybe\possibly." The second type of person, ex-exchange students (like me!), will tell you what we did and our regrets. And lastly, the organization will tell you that you should only take as much as you can carry because when you travel, you have to handle all of your luggage yourself. (That's them telling you to take one, subliminally, unless you're super strong.)
My experience was that I took two suitcases, a 25" and 29", a large purse, and a book-bag. It was pretty practical with how many clothes and shoes I took, but then again, it was not practical because I over-packed. {I only had 1 lb to go before I hand to pay a overweight fee.}When I first touched down in Germany, I did not have to handle my bags because I had a connecting flight to Munich. Once in Munich, my YFU Representative helped me with my bags, so I only had to carry my purse, book-bag, and one suitcase. After I left my temporary host-family, I shipped one bag to my permanent host-family. If you notice a trend, I never really had to handle my bags until the very end. Which was a freaking headache. I had anxiety the whole week before and day-of because I had to travel on the train with two huge suitcases, a book-bag, and a freaking purse. The train ride was a nightmare {a story for another time}, so by the time it was time for us to check-in our bags for the flight, I was overjoyed. But that was just me.
If you are like me, let me tell you what I wish I would have done. I would have halved everything that I packed. No, seriously. Pack normally, and then take half of it all out. Do not pack things that you think you "might" wear; pack things that you know you will wear. It is important to pack for situations that will most likely occur, but for other things such as a formal event or wedding, that's not important. You can buy new clothes or shoes wherever you are then. Save room. Once you half your suitcase(s), hopefully you will be able to fit everything into one suitcase. Still take a book-bag and a purse, if you want; those were easy to tote around. Just be very careful how you pack your suitcase.
If you are not like me, are the complete opposite, and know how to not over-pack, stick with the one bag rule + carry-ons. It'll be easier for you to do because you're so organized and have everything together.
Summed Up:
- Future/Current Exchange Students will not know how to answer you when you ask how many suitcases should you take. They don't know either.
- Past Exchange Students will tell you their stories and regrets (like I did) and let you base your decision off of that.
- Exchange Organizations will tell you to take only the bags that you will be able to handle alone.
- Do not over-pack. Cut everything you pack in half. {No, do not literally half the items, just take them out of your suitcase.}
- Regardless to if you are an over-packer or a perfect-packer, ONLY TAKE ONE BAG + carry-on's. You will thank me.
This is the time of year that I learned about my acceptance to my Germany study abroad program. I remember the day vividly: I came home from school and was talking to my mom on the phone. Out of the blue, she said, "You're going to Germany," and I was so confused. She was confused, too, in a way. I think we both forgot about my whole application and interview process with YFU earlier in the year, so this news was a genuine surprise. It took me a moment of asking her a thousand questions before I checked my e-mail and saw "Congratulations!"
The time after that was a blur. I had to quickly inform my school and go through an entire process of filling forms out and sending them to their respective places. It was a busy and exciting time. Not too long after school was out, I was flying to Washington D.C. for the Pre-Departure Orientation. And not too long after that, July 31st arrived: I was on my way to Germany.
But pause...
...rewind...
I needed stuff for Germany. I was going to be gone for a freaking semester! I couldn't go without any preparation. So...what did I do to prepare, and what the heck did I pack?
Preparation
1. Look stuff up on Google like clockwork. When I say this, I mean scour Google, Pinterest, Tumblr, everything that you can for packing lists. These will seriously give you good ideas on what to pack. Without looking at these first, you are seriously going in with a blank slate, and you might regret it.
2. Know the typical weather for your location. Pack accordingly. However, give yourself some wiggle room. When I went to Germany, the weather was really hot in the summer, and the winter was mild (thank you, global warming).
3. Talk to old and future exchange students. Compare and contrast what others took/are bringing. This will give you an idea. Plus, exchange students will be the first to tell you how you do not want to overpack! Listen to them (no matter how much you may need that one extra shirt or two gym shoes or four shorts).
What to pack
1. Shorts (3): You want a blue jean pair, a loose, casual pair, and a workout pair. Honestly, if you are like me, you will mix-and-mingle; no pair was left unworn. I took a few more than this, and I did wear all of them throughout my entire semester (outside, around the house, as pajamas), but tailor this to how you are. I'm the shorts with sweater type of girl.
2. Sweaters/Cardigans (4): Bring a black cardigan, a white/grey pullover, a sweatshirt, and a hoodie. The black cardigan is perfect for throwing on over anything; black is the ultimate neutral. I promise you. The white or grey pullover is nice for casual wear. A sweatshirt and hoodie are self-explanatory. (If you have any questions, put them in the comments).
3. Jeans (3): Bring a light wash, dark or medium wash, a black pair of jeans. These are the easiest to match with anything, and you can get away with wearing the same pair a couple of times during the week. If you want, bring a colorful pair, but you probably will not get as much wear out of them.
4. Shoes (4): Bring a pair of sandals (neutral color), flats (neutral color), gym shoes, and boots (black or brown, depending on which tone you wear more). Do not bring more than this! Make sure that your flats can pair both casual and formal wear. If you want more shoes, purchase them while there, like I did (I bought two pairs of boots). Just note that I left a couple of pairs in return in Germany.
5. Undergarments and Pajamas: This is self-explanatory unless you like going in the buff.
6. Blouses (3)/T-shirts (4): This is so that you have enough to last an entire week without washing, if you must. These are pretty lightweight, so you have a bit more leeway in packing these. Plus, you can wear t-shirts as pajamas, so you hit two birds with one stone. And I chose more blouses because most people in Europe dress really well, and you want to integrate, don't you? (Mix and match like you please!)
7. Sweatpants (2): Because lounging and working out. Duh. (Note: you will most likely have a fitness class in school [boo!], but make it work, bro.)
8. Camera/Phone and Batteries/Charger: You want to document your time there. If you don't have a camera, just make sure you have enough storage on your phone.
9. Laptop and Charger: You will need to do work for your school and exchange program, most likely. Plus, you can totally blog your exchange away, like I did.
10. Scarves and Gloves: Bring what you feel like you will seriously wear. I recommend neutrals because they will go with more. Plus, scarves are a huge thing in Europe right now, specifically blanket scarves. (Funny story: I came back to the U.S. and everybody ask why I was wearing a blanket around my neck.)
As for winter stuff, don't worry about that until you get there. You can easily buy a coat or whatnot in a large city. Get this once as soon as it starts to get chiller, so that you won't wake up one day and freeze your butt off because you were not prepared. Or, you can just do like me and layer.
*Note: it's a bit hard to find coats for larger girls, like myself (size XL or 14 typically), so if this is the case, start looking in advance, try larger cities, or simply, if you must, have one shipped from home).
