Fall 2019 I chose to study abroad in London and that came with lots of questions about what to pack. Previous study abroad experiences I had experienced were quite short and involved changing location every few days which led me to opt to backpack. But, this new structure of actually moving into a location for an extended amount of time had me worried. While I think I did a good job of packing initially there are obviously things that I learned throughout the semester. I took one 28 inch suitcase along with a carry-on backpack (the suitcase was overweight and I knew that going into it). While in London I only purchased four items of clothing which I think is a testament to how well I originally packed. Those items were a sweater, a Christmas jumper, a midi dress, and a midi skirt. When I was packing at home I chose to take almost all neutrals. I stuck with a lot of black and items I knew I could layer. I stayed away from logos and only took one hoodie which I exclusively wore around the house. Instead of packing big bulky knits I stuck with more fitted sweaters that I knew I could layer. I brought a handful of turtlenecks and t-shirts in multiple weights and colors. Beyond that I brought two printed dresses both that could be dressed up or down and two short plaid skirts. As far as trousers go I brought one pair of “mom jeans”, a pair of black jeans, a printed pair of cigarette pants, and a pair of wide legged black trousers; I wore them all very frequently. The things that took up the most room in my suitcase were shoes. I brought three pairs of sneakers, black chelsea boots, black loafers, nude ballet flats, and a pair of black rain-boots. Out of these I would have left the flats and the rain boots at home. For the most part I wore my white Adidas and black chelsea boots. The loafers were nice to have for dressing up but were not necessary. When it comes to sneakers I probably could have done with one less pair since I wasn’t working out a lot and mesh sneakers are not the best choice for London because of how wet it is. Overall less is more with shoes, go with things that you can walk long distances in and are water resistant ( rain-boots are unnecessary; they are not common in the city). The next biggest items in my suitcase were jackets. I took a jean jacket, a packable puffer jacket, a vest, a wool coat, and two rain-jackets(one short, one long). I think this was the perfect amount, I had enough pieces to layer and was warm even in January. The only piece I would have added if I could was a leather jacket but it definitely wasn’t necessary. On the topic of staying warm I took: four scarves- 2 heavy and 2 light, two beanies, a headband, a pair of gloves, and a pair of mittens. That was definitely plenty and it was nice to be able to change up aspects of my outerwear when I was in the same jacket for most of my time abroad. I also brought a set of plain black thermal underwear and a pair of thermal shorts which I found very useful for really cold days especially when I traveled to Prague and Budapest. Also if you are a girl who likes wearing skirts and dresses don’t forget to pack tights bare legs are not cool if you are cold. There were a number of items that I never ended up using which were mostly relegated to athletic clothing. I brought a few pairs of leggings, some tops, and shorts and I literally never used them. They basically sat at the bottom of a drawer and just took up space because I was just too busy to workout. My tip for packing is to choose items that you love and wear often and then pair them with basic solid staples. Think in layers and how pieces will transfer across seasons. Focus on accessories to change up the look: they take up less space and are more unique; I love to use neck scarves or bandanas to change up the look. Remember you can always buy items over there, best of luck!
Packing List: C:\Users\Valerie\Downloads\London Study Abroad packing list.htm
Val's Travels 