The following article has been one of my most requested since I started CF! Since so many of you are traveling abroad or within the country for the summer, tons of you have been writing me and asking what to pack. So here you go – my guide to the essentials you’ll need to bring for fabulous a summer abroad or wherever you happen to be going.

{RELATED POST: Summer Essentials: 15 Items You Absolutely Need for Summer 2021}

Normally I’m all for packing light, but since you’ll likely be traveling for 3 months, this is one time when you’re going to need a variety of things. I’ll try to keep this list minimal for those of you who want to carry your bag on, but it’s more than likely that you’ll just have to suck it up, check your bags, cross your fingers, and hope for the best.

Table of Contents

General Packing Tips

Figure out the weather of the place you’re going. Go to the country or city’s Wikipedia page and find out the average highs and lows of the months that you’ll be there. Since it’s summer here in the USA, if you’re going to be in the northern hemisphere, you’ll probably need summer clothes. If you’re going to be in the southern hemisphere, pack for winter. The extremes of the temperatures will vary, of course, with where you’re going.

Understand the cultural norms of the place you’re going. This has implications for the kind of clothes you can bring. For example, in some South American countries women almost always wear skirts or dresses, while women wearing shorts or pants can often be considered socially unacceptable or even vulgar! Make an effort to know this type of info ahead of time and pack accordingly.

Know your luggage limits! Find out your flight’s weight/size limits for checked and carryon baggage ahead of time and pack accordingly. There’s nothing worse than getting to the airport and finding out that your bags are too heavy to be checked. Don’t let it happen to you!