If you are studying abroad soon and you are not sure what you should purchase in preparation for your trip, I have put together a list of things you will actually be reaching for during your time abroad.
I still don’t have one of these, but trust, if you don’t have one you will wish you did. I have been relying on friends and outlets, but a portable charger is really a necessity when abroad.
You are not going to want to pay for water everywhere you go. It will rack up.
I think a fanny pack is a necessity when traveling because you can keep your necessities close to you. I also wear mine in an airport or any other situation where I need to pull out my passport. I also keep a travel sized contact solution, case, and my glasses, along with my AirPods. Those are my travel essentials.
When I have a checked bag, my Airtag is always in there. If my luggage gets lost, I have some peace of mind that my AirTag is in there and will hopefully ease the stressfulness of the situation. I also put my AirTag in my purse on a night out or my fanny pack when traveling.
You’ll likely have a lot of cards on you at once. An ID, a metro card, a credit card, a debit card, and whatever else you may wish to carry on you. If you’re like me and don’t want to carry a wallet or purse, you will want an adhesive card holder/wallet for the back of your phone case. I actually don’t have one of these and just shove everything in the back of my phone case, but I would not recommend that.
Any form or headphones/ear phones will likely be a necessity for you. When walking to the metro, doing homework in between classes, on the plane, etc., you’ll probably be reaching for these.
Invest in these. You will severely underestimate how much walking comes along with traveling. This past weekend I was in Paris and walked 16 miles in $3 Adidas that I bought at a garage sale two years ago. My feet still hurt and it’s Tuesday. Get some good walking shoes.
Travel/toiletry bags makes traveling on the weekends so much easier because you can just throw it in your bag along with everything else.
I made sure to purchase a bag for class that had a zipper because I knew that pickpocketing is very much a thing in Milan. No matter the location you chose to study abroad, a bag with a zipper will probably benefit you.
I’m not really an umbrella person, usually if it’s raining I just put on my hood on my jacket and walk faster. However, in Milan and while I have traveled to other places, I have reached for my umbrella many times, as they are widely used here even when not necessary. If you do not bring one, you’ll probably find yourself purchasing one while abroad.
These are all essentials that I use often and would recommend other students to purchase and bring with them for their semester abroad.
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Jade Estling
I am a senior at St. Olaf College in Minnesota where I am majoring in Sociology/Anthropology and Political Science. I am the oldest of my sibling, and I am also a Scorpio. I love to read, do puzzle, thrift, go to concerts, and play volleyball.
