Tip number 1: Expect the unexpected and try not to stress over what you cannot control.
Due to not knowing when my passport/visa was coming back to me, I had to pay more to change my flight to a week and a half later. Although it was sad missing a lot of orientation activities, I tried to look on the bright side – an extra week at home with my family, and since I did my visa with my friend she was also travelling later/still going to arrive with me so I wouldn’t be alone in a foreign airport. Luckily, our visas did arrive, only like 2 days late, but it would have been 3k USD to change my flight to sooner, so we still arrived a little more than a week late. I was fine though because we told our program and emailed our professors, and they assured us that attendance isn’t taken the first week of classes.
Back to packing and travelling in itself, Tip number 2: pack what you think you need and what you’ll wear, but keep in mind you’ll probably go shopping throughout the semester. The more you pack is either the less you can buy abroad, or the more you’ll have to choose and leave behind what doesn’t fit or pay for a second bag or having it shipped. I don’t recommend bringing a hairdryer, because my friend brought hers and it doesn’t work with any of our converters. Also, look into phone plans ahead of time. My carrier has international passes I can buy and just have to keep repurchasing, but my friend’s carrier does not. We’ve had to go to different phone stores, and although she should be able to use an esim based on her phone model, her individual phone keeps saying it’s incompatible with esim. The couple stores we’ve stopped in do not sell physical sim cards, so she’s looking into getting a hotspot so she’ll just have wifi wherever she takes it. Either way, if you can plan ahead and figure out phone plans, it’s one stress to avoid later. My plan wasn’t working the first half hour, but after googling using the airport’s wifi, I had to turn on international roaming and then my data worked fine.
Specifically for travelling, Tip number 3: do NOT eat a lot before your 6+ hour flight. Most of the time they provide dinner right as you take off, and you’re supposed to eat and then sleep overnight to then arrive midday in Europe. However, I had a layover in the Boston airport for 4 hours before my friend’s flight got there, and then together we waited another 4 hours until our international flight, so of course we got hungry and ate. Our mistake was having a whole Shake Shack meal, milkshake included. So, during the flight, having to sit there for 6 hours and barely sleeping because it was uncomfortable, along with the pressure from the altitude, and the Shake Shack we ate, we were not feeling great for most of the flight.
Last point and I’m attaching a photo of the luggage I brought. Tip number 4: airtags are friends. I had never used airtags before this trip, but all the online packing tips and lists said to get one for your checked luggage. I bought one for my checked bag, but then a week later I bought another airtag for my carry on, because I’ve had to check my carry on at the gate before due to boarding after the overhead compartments are full. I’m glad I did, because they did make me check my carry on at the gate for free, but it gave me peace of mind knowing I could track them while I sat in the Boston airport. Because when you check a bag, even at the gate, you pick it up at your final destination, not at the layovers. Also pack essentials in your backpack/bag that goes under the seat, because worst case scenario you have to get your bags shipped to you, and you’d rather have a change of clothes at least in that case. Also remember to check your airline’s bag requirements. Although my backpack was a couple inches taller than specified, and I was stressed they were going to make me check it after they already made me check my carry on luggage, it was fine and it fit under the seat. If they had made me check it, I would have been able to pull my belt bag out of it with my passport and wallet and still been fine, but wishing I had put an airtag in it too.
