Packing for my study abroad trip was a lot harder than I expected, especially since it was only one week. I needed to cover everything from business settings to excursions to hostel necessities. Given that I decided to travel to Panama to stay two days before and one day after my group, I had to be intentional about every item I brought to save suitcase space and avoid having too much stuff to manage comfortably on solo travel days few. A tips from my last trip abroad made a huge difference.
First, I stuck to neutral colors when picking outfits. This made it easy to mix and match outfits without overpacking. A few tops and bottoms that can work with a variety of combinations is easier and saves space and stress when getting ready.
I also focused on light, versatile clothing. I avoided anything bulky and chose pieces I could layer if needed. This helped keep my suitcase manageable and left room for any souvenirs I picked up during the trip.
Shoes! This was the hardest part of packing for me. I went back and forth between several pairs of shoes before deciding. Shoes that you bring with you should serve multiple purposes and (again) be neutral in color if you are looking to trim down on space. Wearing your bulkiest shoes through the airport can be helpful, but no one needs 15 pairs of shoes for time abroad. I looked into the itinerary of our program to make sure that I would have an appropriate pair of shoes for each activity and limited to three pairs: walking, water, dressy.
For toiletries, I skipped buying travel-sized products and brought reusable travel bottles instead. It was cheaper, less wasteful, and I could bring exactly what I needed, especially for the toiletries that hostels don’t provide.
Another thing that I did was ensure that I wouldn’t miss any time on the trip by feeling sick. I packed a LifeStraw water bottle that filters water in case my stomach couldn’t handle the difference in water content as well as a couple medications/proactive health supplements that I didn’t want to waste any precious trip time searching for. I brought a handful each of Emergen-C and Liquid I.V., some extra allergy medicine, probiotics, aloe vera, vitamins, and some pain medication. I found it more convenient to have these before getting there for myself and for the others on the trip.
One of the most helpful things I packed was a set of plastic bags. I used them to consolidate toiletries, separate clean and dirty clothes, organize outfits, separate wet towels and swimsuits, and keep everything in my suitcase from turning into chaos by the end of the week.
Not to say that you should skip out on bringing a few statement outfits to take pictures in, but to help be smart about the rest of your suitcase space. You don’t want to end up overpacking or needing an emergency store trip mid-excursion.
Overall, packing smart made the trip so much smoother. It’s less about bringing more and more about bringing what works together efficiently.