How to Pack for a Year Abroad

Packing for a week can be challenging. Packing for a year overseas can be downright intimidating. But, it doesn’t have to be! Through trial and error, we’ve settled on a reliable packing list, and we’ll use this article to explain how to pack for a year abroad. 

 

• General Thoughts on Packing for a Year Abroad

• Packing Category 1: Pre-Travel Logistics

• Packing Category 2: Clothes and Baggage

• Packing Category 3: Personal Electronics 

• Packing Category 4: Health and Sleep

General Thoughts on Packing for a Year Abroad

 

First thing’s first: you’re going abroad - not to Mars! In other words, you don’t need to pack every single item you may or may not use over the next year. You need the essentials, things that fall into one of the following two categories: 1) you’ll use them every week; and 2) you can’t (due to availability or cost) buy them overseas. 

 

For example, do you need shampoo? If you have hair, yeah, you probably do, and you’ll use it every week (or day). But, do you need a year’s worth of shampoo? No! Bring an initial supply, then just buy some more at a local store. Will it be the exact brand from home? Probably not, but who cares? If you’re traveling for a year, flexibility is critical. Plus, a huge part of the joy of travel is experiencing what local economies have to offer. 

 

This leads into the other category - things you can’t get abroad. For instance, your laptop. Can you buy one overseas? Yeah, in most places you can. But, if you’re anything like us, it’s probably cost-prohibitive to just go and buy laptops all over the world. Instead, high-cost (or unavailable) items like this should definitely be part of your packing list. 

In the next sections, we break our packing list down into four separate categories to help you stay organized. If this is your first time abroad, we also highly recommend checking out our full, downloadable international travel checklist here.

Packing Category 2: Clothes and Baggage 

 

When it comes to packing for long trips overseas, we try to embrace a rule Chipp learned in the Marines: ounces add pounds. As you gradually add more and more small items, your total weight builds. Traveling abroad, it’s best to stay as mobile as possible, packing what you absolutely need and buying what you can locally (e.g. picking up a few $1 tank tops and a $5 bathing suit in Thailand instead of bringing 30 t-shirts from home…). 

 

Additionally, how you plan on traveling will play a huge role in what you pack. For example, if you’re going to the opera and eating at Michelin-starred restaurants, you’ll probably need some nicer clothes. On the other hand, if you’re hitch-hiking through Europe, you can get away with a far, well, less formal look…

 

• Comfortable walking / casual shoes: Instead of bringing walking shoes and “going out” shoes, see if you can get a decent-looking pair that check both boxes - saves space. 

• Flip flops / shower shoes: These are great for hanging around a pool and, if in a hostel, avoiding a nasty case of athlete’s foot! 

• Rain shell / travel jacket: A light, waterproof jacket is a must wherever you’re going. And, the added benefit of these types of jackets is that they fold up nice and small for ease of packing. 

• Warm layers, as required: If you’re traveling to a colder place, have layers (e.g. long-underwear, sweaters, hoodies, etc) to wear under the above travel jacket if it gets particularly cold. 

• Hat: While baseball hats may scream “I’m an American,” it’s good to have some sun protection, whatever style of hat you decide to bring. 

• Sunglasses: Always good to have sunglasses, especially if you’re heading somewhere 1) tropical, or 2) during the summer. 

• Week’s worth of t-shirts: We’ve settled on a week as a good attire rule-of-thumb - gives you enough breathing room between needing to find places to do laundry. 

• Two or three “nice” shirts: In addition to t-shirts for walking around, having two or three nicer shirts for dinners out and shows gives you some flexibility.

• Jeans: One pair of jeans goes a long way - can use them strolling around a city or with a nicer shirt if you’re heading out to dinner. 

• Comfortable shorts/pants for hiking and long city walks: If you plan on hiking or really exploring a city, some hiking-style travel pants or shorts are a great option. 

• Nice slacks or skirt: One pair of nice slacks or a skirt doesn’t take up too much room in your bag, and it’s nice to have if you go out to a fancier type of meal/event. 

• Week’s worth of socks/underwear: See above rationale on having a week’s worth. 

• Bathing suit, as required: Depending on where you’re going, don’t forget a suit. But, you can also probably buy a cheap one overseas if you want to save some room. 

• Money/document pouch: They may seem goofy, but these low-profile, under-the-shirt pouches are reliable, safe places to store passports, cash, cards, and other key documents when you’re moving from one lodging to another. 

• Travel backpack (men’s pack / women’s pack): For traveling overseas, throwing a bag on your shoulders instead of rolling it makes life significantly easier, especially if you’re using public transportation. 

• Daypack for plane travel and local excursions: We also highly recommend a daypack - great for loading gear for flights or local excursions. 

• Packing cubes to organize your stuff: While not necessary, packing cubes can significantly organize your pack. 

• Mesh laundry bag: These bags barely weigh anything, and they’re great for 1) keeping your dirty clothes separated, and 2) carrying those clothes back and forth from a local laundromat (NOTE: bringing some detergent pods isn’t a bad idea, but you can definitely buy them overseas in most places). 

 

Packing Category 3: Personal Electronics 

 

Most of these items fall into the unavailable / cost-prohibitive category, which makes packing them make more sense than buying them abroad. Yes, we’ve certainly forgotten a power adapter in a South African Airbnb and had to buy a new one, but minimizing those situations is the goal here: 

 

• Phone/charger: We’ve had to buy replacement chargers overseas, but it’s certainly better to have one when you leave home. 

• Headphones: Great for watching movies and listening to music on international flights, and your own ones are usually far more comfortable than the free ones the airlines provide. 

• Laptop/charger, as required: If you plan on working remotely while traveling, don’t forget your charger!

• Portable laptop monitor and cable, as required: For “digital nomads,” an extra screen is a must!

• International power adapter: If you’re leaving the US, you’ll need to use a power adapter to plug your electronics into different styles of international outlets. 

• Camera/charger/lenses, if into professional-style photography: Just be careful traveling with a super expensive camera - one of the most commonly stolen items when overseas. 

 

Packing Category 4: Health, Hygiene, and Sleep Travel Items

 

Lastly, there are certain health, hygiene, and sleep items that 1) you’ll need right away so want to have on hand, and/or 2) you won’t be able to find abroad: 

 

• Toiletries: Don’t go overboard here - just what do you absolutely need. You’ll be able to buy more toothpaste and deodorant wherever you are…

• Travel-sized hand sanitizer: Getting sick on the road is the worst, and sanitizing your hands before eating goes a long way to avoiding nasty bugs. 

• Prescription medicine w/ copy of prescription, as required: If you have to take prescription medicine, make sure you have enough of it for the duration of your travels and a copy of the actual prescription - don’t want a foreign airport security guard accusing you of drug trafficking! 

• Multivitamins: Like hand sanitizer, a daily multivitamin can help keep you healthy on the road. 

• Emergency medicine (e.g. “Z-Pak”) for food poisoning: If/when you get hit hard by food poisoning, it’s good to have a few Z-Paks on-hand to quickly get back to 100%. 

• Sleep mask and earplugs: These are great for getting some rest on planes and if you’re staying in a particularly loud place (or if the call to prayer blares from a mosque right outside your window!). 

• Sleeping pills: Always good to have for 1) passing out on a long international flight, and 2) helping with the first few days of time-change adjustments. 

• Condoms?: If you’re a single traveler looking to party overseas, better safe than sorry! 

 

The above list certainly isn’t all-inclusive. Depending on your unique situation, you may need more or less. But, if, at a minimum, you use the above as a foundation for packing for a year abroad, you’ll be fine overseas!