Going to study abroad and wondering what to include on your pack list? Here, we have tried to summarize some tips about the important things international students should not forget to enlist in their pack list so your suitcase fills with necessary items first. This is important for you to know because whatever you are packing in a suitcase will help you sustain your life for about couple of semesters or more. Missing some basic items could cost a dear in the fairly new environment you would be moving to. So, go through the list below and see if those are the things that you will be requiring to take with you. If you’ve some more in your mind or pack list that could help others, please mention on the comment below the post.

Now let’s move right into the packing list to prepare while going to Abroad for Study.

Documents

Documents are the first thing you should consider checking among your pack lists. Never forget to pack necessary documents while packing your luggage. We highly recommend you pack your important files and documents in the safest place as possible, it’s better to keep it on your handy bag. The necessary documents may include:

• Passport with your visa and some copies of it
• Plane tickets
• Student ID, Driving License/Photo id or any other identification
• Letter of acceptance from the university
• Educational Certificates (Original or Certified copy)
• Birth Certificate (Copy)
• Documentary evidence of your finances
• Insurance papers
• Few passport size photos of yours  
• Medical documents (mandatory if you are taking any medicine)

Clothing

Before packing your clothing, we highly recommend you have knowledge on the climate condition of the country that you are moving to during the time of your visit and all the year round. You will need to take with you the clothes according to the country’s climate. For example, if it’s winter season in the host country then pack winter clothes and buy summer clothes in a host country itself and vice versa. Doing this, you can reduce the weight of the luggage too.

• Underwear enough for at least a month
• Pair of socks (woolen / cotton or both)
• Hoodie and Jacket (depending on the climate)
• Sneakers / formal shoes / boots / rain boots
• Cold weather gear (i.e. gloves/ mittens, hat, scarf)
• Flip flops / sandals (depending on the climate)
• Some sets of casual clothing
• Formal outfits (for formal occasions)
• Swimwear
• Intimate wear
• Active wear
• Scarf
• Sweaters
• Jeans/ Khakis (2-3 pair)
• Shorts
• Skirts (female students)
• Gym attire
• Pajamas

Toiletries (Personal Health Care Products)

Pack fewer amounts of essential toiletries for a month. After a month, it’s better to purchase products from a nearby shop /store when you get familiar with the environment. Just as reminder pack all this stuff inside a sealed plastic to avoid any kind of leakage.

• Soap and hand sanitizer
• Shampoo and conditioner
• Toothpaste and toothbrush
• Pocket deodorants
• Face wash and body wash
• Face cream and body lotion
• Hairbrush / comb
• Preferred skincare / makeup essentials
• Shaving supplies
• Sanitary Pads (female students)

Electronics / Technological Devices

On today’s world life without technological devices is pretty much unimaginable. These devices have become an integral part of our daily life. Make sure you have a smartphone with you and necessary apps too, through which you could browse the internet for communicating, finding out locations and details about many other things like nearby shops, embassy and much more. Mobile devices have not only become a way of communication but is being used to carry on various daily rituals and it is being used by organizations as a medium to learn and earn too. So, smart phone being on the top of the list there are other various devices you could take with you to make your stay in abroad much easier and save you from spending your money when you will require them if not today, some day for sure.

• Smart phone
• Flash drive (with at least 32GB storage capacity)
• Adapters and USB Cable
• Laptop
• E-book reader / Mp3 player
• Headphones
• Chargers and portable Power banks
• Camera (optional)
• Cases for your electronic items (for eliminating unwanted damages)

Medical

We would like to suggest our viewers to follow preventive measures not only while being at abroad for study but wherever they are or will be. As it is said, “Prevention is better than cure”, it is always better to prevent ourselves when we are healthy and set healthy habits. Regardless, students might sometime go through some health problems because of long-distance air travel and because of new environment to the body. So, it is a good idea to have yourself some medicines with you in case you may face some minor medical issues. However, it is strongly recommended to consult a physician in case you have a serious / unknown health symptom. Keeping these things in mind now let’s look at the things that could take with you while going to abroad for study:

• Sanitary Pads (female students)
• Cold and flu medicine
• Allergy medicine
• Motion sickness medicine
• Vitamins and supplements
• Eye and ear drops
• Pain killer
• Band aids
• Balms

Note:
1.    Carry only those medicines which are legal in the host country.
2.    Check for the expiry dates before packing the medicines and try to get the medicines that have longer expiry dates.
3.    We only recommend taking medicines only after properly consulting with a doctor/health personnel

Miscellaneous

Above were some basic needs that would come on the top of the packing list. Apart from those there are things that you need to have with you while you are going to abroad for study. They could be:

• Course materials
• Purse/wallet (with cash that will help you survive at least for a week or as per the countries’ regulation to carry minimum/maximum amount of cash for international students)
• Debit/credit cards
• Water bottles
• Snacks
• Pens, pencils and notebooks
• Backpack and handbag
• Journals and magazines
• Gift for your host family from your nation (if you are opting for off-campus accommodation)
• Sunglasses/contact lenses
• Compact towels
• Dictionary or apps in the cell phone could help
• Pillowcase
• Folding umbrella (to avoid rain and sun)
• Books (to utilize your travel/leisure time)
• Small locks
• Watch
• Map (soft or hard copy)

These are the basic things that students going to abroad for study require while there could be more or less items according to the need of students, host countries’ regulations, time of stay, nature of stay and other factors. Pack your items according to your needs and requirements. We suggest you to double check whatever you have packed so that you won’t forget anything as it would cost you dear after reaching to your destination and not finding the things you need.
Lastly, do not carry anything that might get you into trouble. Go through the country’s rules and regulations properly as some items legal in a country might me restricted to carry along in another country. This could cause you problem during security checking and may restrict you from boarding the plane in some cases. Better be safe than sorry.

Hope these tips will help students with their packing before moving to study abroad. Have a safe journey and we wish you all the very best for your future. Best wishes from “Abroad for Study”.