~ Tips ~ To Bring List ~

Packing Tips

I found that packing is a supreme art that I have yet to master. When packing for Europe I was constantly pulled between wanting to bring everything and dreading lugging it all with me. In the end, I did end up bringing too much, but the following things I was glad to have and would recommend bringing:

  • Stuff to make yourroom cozy: posters, pictures, tapestries, etc. These items took up little room in my suitcase and were definitely appreciated when I arrived and was a little homesick

  • Special personal/hygienic stuff you usually use and may not be able to find in a foreign country. Spain is developed and has everything you probably need, but if you are particular about using your brand, you might want to bring spares with you

  • Your own pillow

  • Any aids you might need to use for your Spanish: dictionaries, old textbooks, thesauruses, translators, etc.
  

at the Alhambra, Granada Spain

Ski town in Andorra, between Spain and France
  
  • A book about Europe/Spain to be a guide for you if you plan on traveling. I recommend Fromner's, Let's Go Europe, and Lonely Planet. Also, buying a Valencia guide once you arrive is a great idea to give you practical information about the city and also listings and maps of all the streets

  • Copies of all your documentation and other important information. Pack and keep these records (for example, copies of your passport, plane tickets, insurance, credit cards, registration information, travelers checks, etc.) in many different places in case anything ever happens to your stuff

  • Things that will make you feel at home: for me, this was pictures of home, family and friends, markers and stationary to decorate and write to friends, my CD's, tapes, etc.

  • Information about Ithaca (pictures, brochures, etc.) will be appreciated by people getting to know you...they will be interested about your school and where you come from

  • A travel alarm clock
  • Flashlight

  • Nice clothes: I found that Spanish people dressed up a lot, and I felt pretty out of place on the street in my jeans and sneakers!

  • Journal to record adventures and memories
  • Address book for the addresses of the new people you'll meet
  • Other books (in English) you might enjoy during the semester. You can purchase some English books in Valencia (try FNAC, the Corte Ingles, and Marks Spencer), but the selection is not huge.
  • Any prescriptions you are currently using, or any you might need (contact lens prescription, etc.)

  • A few small gifts from your own country, state, etc. that you might want to give to people in Spain. These types of small, meaningful presents are definitely appreciated.
  

Wooden shoes in Holland

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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University of Valencia for Ithaca College Students, developed by Brin Tucker, Spring 2000

Last updated 6/15/04