Both of my children have been incredibly fortunate to have the opportunity to study abroad during their college years. My oldest selected a shorter study abroad program that brought him to Ecuador for four weeks in the summer on a science themed trip. Here he studied and participated in research that helped him obtain his science and philosophy graduation requirements. It was an outstanding way for a non-science student to be immersed in science and appreciate it outside of the classroom. Because he went in the summer, there were some challenges in helping him pack due to the very high temps, humidity and rain he would endure in the rain forest.
My youngest child, my daughter, set off this past January for a semester abroad in Europe, specifically Florence, Italy. When she first told me that she was packing for 4 1/2 months in one suitcase I laughed. And laughed. And thought, there is no way. But, we did it. In the end she had 1 checked bag, 1 carry on (large backpack) and 1 personal item (small backpack). We did lots of research together on what she really needed and started making lists. Thankfully where she was staying provided bedding and towels, so that helped immensely. While in Europe she planned to travel quite bit across the region, including Israel over spring break. This meant we had the additional challenge of packing for pretty much all weather conditions from winter to summer type weather.
After we made list after list and started crossing things off and began making piles we had to consider what type of luggage to use. And then we had to get it all in there. Thankfully I have a very good friend that is an expert packer and was of great assistance in helping us learn how to use packing cubes very efficiently. In the 11th hour she actually came to our home and helped us get organized and get it all together. She is my hero and saved us.
Here are some of the items that made this challenging feat possible!
The bags:
We went with a large wheeled duffle. At first I was warned wheels can be difficult on the cobblestone streets that are throughout much of Europe, especially Italy. But in the end we decided that was still better than carrying a bag without wheels. We went with a bag very similar to this Eagle Creek wheeled duffle. She decided the drop bottom bags were not going to work for her so we went with a style that was all one main compartment. The features we looked for were rip-proof fabric, durable zippers and sturdy enough to stand when packed if needed. One thing I will note, check your airlines for their maximin dimensions and weight restrictions. And in the case of my daughter, check the all of the airlines they will fly throughout their travels while away as many will have different maximum dimensions and weights. You need a durable bag but as light as possible. We found her main airline to get abroad very strict on the limits.
Our second bag was a large Osprey Porter luggage style backpack that we already owned. This was to be her main carry-on and was on the maximum side of her size dimensions. Once stuffed full one could say it was a tad over-sized as it bulked out in areas. Jumping ahead to travel day, she did have trouble with the airlines and they made her measure the bag, stick it in the measuring cube and weigh it. They gave her a hard time and wanted her to check and pay for this bag as an extra checked item. We removed a bulky sweater last minute and made it work. Be really careful with this, airlines, especially to and within Europe have gotten very strict and I don’t see that changing anytime soon. There was no way she was checking that bag as it was stuffed with the items she needed to have the first few days in case her checked item was lost. (Note: Since her leaving, the airline she took has reduced carry on size even further and this bag is now considered over by 1 inch in width and depth, but under by 1 inch in length. This Osprey Farpoint bag may still work better for size restrictions of a carry-on item) One thing we have always liked about this backpack is the way it opens like luggage as opposed to a standard top only backpack opening. We will have to find one that is a little smaller in the future.
Her daypack was a smaller standard backpack that has a padded area to protect her laptop and would fit under the seat in front of her. This contained her electronics, medication, contacts for 2 weeks, and anything she needed on the long flight. It was similar to this North Face backpack.
Once she had our bag selected we had to supplement the packing cubes we already owned. I already had some from the oldest child’s study abroad trip but we bought a few more. I settled on Amazon Basics in Medium and Large. I have since bought additional compression packing cubes from Compass Rose that I love and they are well suited for a carry-on.
Once we settled on her packing essentials we really focused on what she already had as far as clothes and necessities and purchased very little new. The things that we did have to buy were:
Comfortable walking shoes for many miles – she brought two.
Packable warm jacket for winter months
Light rain jacket – this isn’t the exact jacket we found but very similar. We needed it to keep her dry but also not be too warm for the warmer months.
Antitheft purse – she chose this Travelon crossbody that had locking zippers and slash resistant material.
Battery phone charger – we have loved this brand for some time so it was an easy decision to buy an extra for her to bring,
Power adapter for Europe – she chose one like this that had usb ports as well.
Tech accessory organizer – this helped her keep all of her electronic plus and ear buds together on her travel days.
Hidden Undercover pouch – I highly doubt she ever used this and she resisted wanting to pack it but I insisted, just in case.
One thing that she already had but was one of her favorite items to have were wireless headphones. She already owned the Bose Quiet Comfort Wireless headphones and said they were so worth it to have quiet on the flights and in her Pensione when she just needed a bit of quiet time.
She got all packed up just after the holidays and here we are, her semester is over and she is doing some final traveling before she arrives home in a few weeks. We were fortunate to visit her last month but I still can’t wait to have her home and see her again!
