Your one stop study abroad packing checklist

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Travelling abroad for studies? Not sure what to pack in your luggage? Don’t worry, now that you have approached this page, all your questions will be answered to the point. This page is especially written for you to guide you along in this journey.  

One must remember to arrange everything in advance for making pleasant memories, right?  

 

Now that you have got your dreamy study visa and have completed all the application process and flight bookings, the only thing that is left is your packing. Once it’s done you are ready to fly, Hooray!  

But it’s not seemingly easy, because this might be your first time travelling abroad if I’m not wrong. As I remember, most of the Indian students get into overseas flight for the first time in their life only for their study abroad plan. Even if it’s not your first time, still this guide is useful to you for not making some unpleasant memories or to recover from those embarrassing situations you might have confronted earlier in the airports.  

So, in this guide let’s look into the things you must pack in your luggage bags keeping in mind all the rules and regulations.  

To make you understand easily, let’s divide the things to pack into four categories. They are:  

1. Most-essentials,  
2. Essentials, 
3. possibly essentials,  
4. Not essentials or to avoid packing.  

Most Essentials: 

 In life, some things are there just to know, some are there for you to remember and some are there to feed them into your subconscious memory and not to forget them for a lifetime. The things that I mention now are such that you should not forget for a lifetime whenever you are travelling abroad to study. Because caution is a good risk to take!  

 So, they are:  

1. Passport, Visa, Flight ticket and ID’s 

 

 

For travelling to any corner of this world, the most pre-required things are these four items: Passport, Visa, Flight Ticket and ID’s. Forgetting them is more than making a sin. So, the first thing to put in your hand baggage should be these things.  

 If you have placed them already, I could say that you are already an organized person. Don’t forget to tap your back for that!  

2. Educational certificates  

Are you a person who carries hall tickets to exams and forgets the most essential math’s stationary to the exam hall? I can say that most Indian students have faced this situation once in their childhood.  

So, let’s not walk in the same way in our adulthood. Because carrying your Visa, passport, Flight Tickets and ID’s may be your prerequisites but they don’t fulfil your purpose of travelling.  

So, don’t forget to carry your:   

• 10th, 12th and graduation original marksheets   
• Acceptance letters from college  
• And other required admission documents  

3. Photocopies  

 

We should realize in lifetime that, no matter how careful and practical we are, Life can be reckless toward us. No matter how particular and careful you are with your original documents, make sure to always carry a photocopy of each essential document mentioned under Visa, passport, ID’s and educational certificates. They become most handy to show in the overseas consulates in the airports.  

If you are still not ready with the photocopies, now is the time to take two extra copies and place them in your hand baggage!  

4. Local currency  

 

Knowing that one must use foreign credit cards and debit cards to avail foreign funds, it’s not bad to carry some local currency along with you. Because we never know the urgency to buy something.  

 So, just in case, exchange your Rupee currency at the foreign exchange and carry some local currency notes with you. Because nothing beats the confidence and feeling of security of having currency in your hand!  

5. Cell Phone and Charger 

 

Let’s appreciate your courage and adventure if you’re travelling abroad alone, it takes a lot of willfulness from you and your loved ones. Informing them that you have reached safely via mail or social media is more than you could do to suppress their worries.  

 Also, today cell phone is not just used for calls and text, it stores lot of useful data in it.  

 So, it is advised to carry a mobile phone even if you don’t have a foreign sim card, where you could just use a public Wi-Fi to write a mail. And don’t forget to keep your charger in your hand baggage NOW!   

 Essentials:  

 The items under this are such which will actually make you shift at a relaxed pace in a new country. They will avoid that stress and anxiety which comes along with homesickness. I can say that managing these items and having control on them in day-to-day life are what makes us live independently abroad. This list basically reduces your extra expenditures abroad. 

 So, make sure to go to the list carefully and pack them parallelly.   

1. Power Adapters and Converters  

While travelling abroad we must know that not all countries use the same electricity voltage and just changing the shape of the plug will not be enough to charge your phone or laptop. Trying to do so could be dangerous and can lead to short circuits. 

 And verifying which voltage and plug that particular country uses is also important. As prior information on these things is useful to avoid extra effort.  

 So, make sure to pack an Adapter and convertor into your hand baggage!  

2. Medications 

 

We are often exposed to some kind of daily illnesses which can be cured with simple medication like cold, headache etc. which we can get rid of with simple medication from our pharmacies in India without prescriptions like Paracetamol, cough syrup etc. But getting them from foreign pharmacists may not be that easy as they may either not be available or not be given without a prescription. So, it is advised to carry your simple medications along with your prescribed medications, with a prescription.  

Again, here the doctor prescription is very important which can be used to show in airports and consulates. So, approach your family doctor and get your prescription before you start packing and place them in your hand baggage.  

Remember, sometimes things which you think are simple in native country might be complex in the foreign land!  

3. Laptop/Tablet 

Now, after Post-COVID era it is said that a laptop is a prerequisite for any university academics, it is a basic for completing your projects, assignments, and online classes. If you don’t have one, it is advised to get one at a feasible price. In the same way if you have a Tablet, you can carry that along as well, it can just be an option but not compulsory.   

Because, today in the 21st century, technology has an important role to play in our life!  

4. Clothes and Toiletries  

It is advised to know the temperature and climate pattern of the country in which you are going to travel. Accordingly choose your clothes, if it has a tropical climate it is advised to take thin clothes and if it is a tundra type of climate then it is advised to carry thick clothes like coats, sweaters, caps, gloves, socks and a pair of warm boots or shoes. Other than that, you can always pack your clothes at your comfort.  

And not to forget your Travel Toiletries like shampoo, deodorant and moisturizer etc. for your immediate use, there is of course need to refill them frequently later on. If you think that they are occupying large space in your luggage, you can buy them in foreign land in the nearby para-pharmacy or supermarket. So, it’s your choice to make!  

5. Face Mask and Hand Sanitizers  

We must understand that it’s not just about post-COVID era which demands cleanliness, but it’s our health. Did you know this realization that humans came up with a global pandemic but in Japan people have followed it even before COVID? And now Japan is one of the countries with the highest life expectancy!   

So, it is better to watch out for our steps when in public and cautiously use a face mask and hand sanitizers whenever demanded.   

Possibly Essentials:  

There are things which one wants to carry with them to feel like home, these come into a possibly essential category. Packing them is not most important but packing them gives us that little satisfaction that indicates that we are actually loving this journey. They can also help you to kill time in your flight journey as well.  

Let’s look at the list:  

1.Basic school supplies 

They include your drawing books, pens, your painting brushes or anything which relates to your hobby. You can also carry a little book which can help you to note down any important things. Of Course, you can do that on your phone as well, But we are humans, we like these little notebooks right?  

2. Kindle or books  

If you love reading books or a kindle, you can pack them in your hand luggage and enjoy reading them on your journey, which can make you feel like you are living in a fairy tale, dreamy right? Don’t you think life is just living these little things?  

 And don’t be surprised if I tell you to carry your important academic books in your check in luggage. They can be handy.  

 3. Travel journals  

It is prescribed to those who have researched and are searching for some important travel destinations to explore, to carry a travel journal because sometimes internet surfing is a tiresome job while finding an authentic source.  

 Because classics can guide you to classic places!  

 4. Home cooked pickles  

And now this is everyone’s favorite thing we want to carry, some tasty home cooked pickles. This will help you to get into the process of accommodating the foreign food culture. Don’t be surprised by yourself applying some amla or mango pickle on your pasta or pizza! 

 Remember wherever you go, your heart still belongs to your home country. So, you can satisfy your taste buds by packing some yummy home pickles in your check in baggage.   

5. Home Remedies  

If you’re someone who uses some traditional home methods for your skin and body health, it is better to carry them with you like turmeric powder, jeera, Besan etc.  

 But remember not to stuff them more, because no matter how much you carry them you still have to refill them. So, try to carry the amount which can get you along for the first few months, later you can shop for them in your nearby Indian store.  

 Also, under this you can always carry some local skin care or health care products which are not available outside India.  

 

Not Essential or To Avoid Packing:  

 

1. Large liquid bottles 

 

This is a tricky part to understand but let me simplify it. Basically, you must remember a few rules when you are packing any liquid stuff. They are  

•  Pack them in your check in luggage 
•  Special attention to the quantity of each bottle not exceeding more than 100ml  
• The total amount carrying must not exceed more than 1000ml  
• Size of the bottle should be not more than 100ml  

 So, yeah anything which is not more than 100 ml bottles are allowed to carry but they should not exceed a total net of 1000ml. Hope you understood this. Then remember that even if you are carrying only 100ml in a 1000ml bottle, you will have to leave that liquid back. Hence don’t carry a bottle more than 100ml.   

 Yeah, you can carry a mini water bottle in your handbag and place your nail polish in your check in bag.   

2. Metallic tools 

 Do not place any type of metal item in your handbag like a nail cutter, mirror or anything which can turn into an injury weapon. Terrifying right!  

 It’s a safety issue civil aviation follows, and we must authorize them!  

3. Expensive items 

These are pretty and precious things which we don’t want to lose. These include your expensive watch, chains, bracelets etc. Be cautious if you want to take them with you.   

4. Bedding requirements  

Bedsheets, Blankets and other bedding things normally take a lot of space, and they say usually the fabric used in one particular country is different from other and mostly depends on the country’s temperature. So, it is better to avoid carrying them.   

Yeah, but you can always carry a cozy shawl for your flight journey and place it in your handbag.  

Hence, it is required to carry according to the category and items mentioned in this guide. Hope it has been your one stop package checklist for your study abroad plan.  

 

Happy Packing! 🙂