Traveling Before School

Travel!!!

That’s why you chose to study abroad, to travel around and see new places. However, that doesn’t mean you are limited to just seeing your new city where you’ll be attending school!

I chose to visit London, Dublin and Cashel (A smaller town in Ireland.) If you find that you have spare time between summer work/activities and the beginning of your semester then pick a few places on the map and get an early start!

I think it’s important to put some variety in your trip. I wanted to see the well known cities like London and Dublin. However, due to their size and diversity they definitely have more of a global feel. So if you really want to get a feel for the culture go to a smaller, less populated part of the region. That’s where Cashel came in for me. There were still beautiful sites at Cashel, but the town itself was fairly small and filled with locals. As much as I enjoyed the grand sites of London and Dublin, I found it just as interesting to see what the more traditional culture was like. Listening to the locals talk about politics, local events, and other various things really made it possible for me to understand the culture on a more personal level. I learned more about Irish history and culture by talking to a local for a few hours in Cashel than I did from spending 6 days in Dublin.

I hope to do some travel on the weekends, however, since school has started I want to get to know my new city and also get to know my new friends. Weekend trips will undoubtedly also be much more rushed. So I definitely recommend doing a week or two of travel before hand. Don’t overextend yourself though. You won’t have time to see everything. So instead of trying to hopelessly cram the whole world into 2 weeks, pick a few places, relax and soak it in.

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Packing!

Packing!

This can be one of the most exciting but dreadful things about traveling. I would argue there is no set “standard” for packing. It all depends on the region you are going to and you’re travel plan and style. Not to mention essential items vary between guys and girls.

I’m not going to provide a packing list, instead I’m going to give you a few key pointers to ensure that you have everything you need packed! The first step is simple. Simply google search “Study abroad packing list” or “International travel packing list” find a few solid lists, and cross reference them in case one list is missing something. Then each person will have a few personal items that go with them everywhere, so don’t forget those! Also, don’t forget to bring lots of pictures to decorate with! Sadly I didn’t 😦  Lastly, I recommend paying specific attention to what you use in your day to day life, because odds are most of those will be essential.

Now as I mentioned above it depends on how you travel. If you fly over and go straight to your University then don’t be afraid to pack a little heavier. However, I did some traveling around to other places ahead of time, and if you do that you’ll want to pack a lot lighter. Trust me on this, I packed into a backpack and a small suitcase and that was just about all I would be able to handle walking around on cobblestone sidewalks. Inside my large backpack, I also had a smaller day pack, this is great not only for when you just go on small day excursions, but can also be used as a backpack for school.

I chose the Porter 46 and the Daylite day pack (Not pictured), both of which are Osprey backpacks. They work well together (as they were designed as a set) and they also meet carry on restrictions for most airlines (Including Ryanair.) The Porter 46 was the carry on luggage, the Daylite pack was my personal item, and the suitcase was a checked bag.

Bring major things (laptops, cameras, clothes, etc.) or other things that you can’t buy at your destination. But to help save on space and weight, don’t bring things that you can easily get later, such as most toiletries, laundry detergent, etc. However, do bring a small supply of toiletries to use before you get the chance to get to a store. As I touched on above too, make sure you pack for the climate at your destination. NOT the climate in your hometown.