Good Morning Travel Bugs!
As I was preparing for Semester at Sea I searched almost every blog and youtube channel out there trying to make sure I bring all the things I need! I had high hopes of not bringing the max luggage SAS allows (2 suitcases, a carry-on, and a backpack) but I failed. I have compiled a list of all the things that I brought and what I wish I didn’t bring in hopes that you prepare for your voyage as best as you can. I thought when I set sail I was a packing god but I ended up not being as good as I thought so I added in notes about things I brought and wish I brought to further help you!
Suitcase:
This is the first step in pack is what to pack it all in. The best suicases to have are collapsable duffle bags because they will easily fit under your bed and condense in your closet if you have to put it there. The under the bed space is not very large so having a hard case was difficult in many rooms. Especially if you are brining two suitcases dont bring hard ones. I brought two large rolling duffles and then a large backpack (45L) for in country and a small one for around the ship and this worked good! If I were to go again I would bring two rolling duffles again but bring one empty or almost empty and the other with everything in it and a bit larger of a backpacking backpack and a small one for around the ship. This way when coming home you have tons of space for things you bought along the way. It also forces you to pack light because you don’t have two full suitcases. Trust me you will not need four months of clothes. If you pack for a week you will be more than fine.
Clothing:
I am such an over-packer and this section was the hardest for me to pack. My best advice is first to decide how much you think you will spend on clothes while in-country. For me, I’m slightly addicted and I bought a ton! This is a huge factor for packing clothes as you can’t fill your suitcase on the way up on the way there and come home with double what you brought (Sitting on your suitcase doesn’t work that well).
My second word of advice is BE REALISTIC. Only bring things that you know for a fact you wear all the time and can go with lots of different outfits. I made the mistake of bringing clothes, that while cute, were not practical.
Third, ship life is insanely relaxed. The majority of girls wore a semester at sea t-shirt or sweatshirt and athletic shorts or leggings all day every day on the ship! Not going to lie, I oftentimes wore the same outfit multiple days in a row.
Last, think about the practicality in-country. In some countries, we visit a crop top and booty shorts aren’t acceptable so bring clothes that you can wear all over.
With that being said this is what I wish I would have brought… as I brought much more than listed below.
10 Tops – 5 tank tops/ workout tops (this could just be comfy tops – assess how much you will be going to the gym, I didn’t bring enough workout clothes and really enjoyed working out on the ship and it was a pain to wash thing – ill touch on laundry later), 3 t-shirts (plain colors to go with all the elephant pants you get 😉 or just very versitile shirts – one white black and beige), and 2 long sleeve shirts (ones that are good for layering and could also be used in warm countries where you need to cover my shoulders or colder nights)
5 Pants – 2 Jeans, 3 pairs of leggings (I live in leggings so this is what I wore most days on the ship – also I am a really cold person so shorts were a bit chilly for me most days)
6 Shorts – 1 flowy shorts, 2 jean shorts, 3 athletic shorts
2 Skirts – 1 going out-skirt, 1 maxi skirt (I loved wearing skirts and dresses but I bought some so like I said don’t being too many you will buy stuff)
3 Dresses – 1 dress for fancy dinner and going out with your friends, and 2 flowy t-shirt dresses (or romper – makes in-country packing easy – like state aboved I loved having an easy outfit)
1 Sweatshirt/ Jacket – I brought 2 sweatshirts and a jean jacket which was okay but once I got on the ship I bought 3 more Semester at Sea sweatshirts and one sweatshirt in-country. Not practical for flying home haveing 6 sweatshirts and a jean jacket. The end countries will be cold but I recommend bringing a light jacket and layering or buying a cheap heavy one in-country (a knock off). I liked having a jean jacket as it was a good piece to throw on at night as well in warmer countries. Don’t overpack on the sweatshirts I promise you will want at least one from the bookstore. If I could repack I would have just brought the jean jacket and then used my SAS sweatshirts.
12-15 underwear, socks: This may seem like a lot but laundry is a pain and it is nice to have lots because unlike clothes I wouldn’t wear these multiple days.
3 Swimsuits – No more than 3! I know it is tempting as the pool is quite nice but I brought 5 and I ended up wearing the same one the whole time. Also, think about the tan lines if you care!
3 Pairs of shoes – I brought 6 pairs of shoes and ended up wearing the same 2 pairs everyday. I would recomend bringing 1 pair of tennis that you are able to get dirty and workout in. One pair of comfy shoes that are able to be a bit dressed up. And one pair of water shoes (such as chacos or sandals to wear to the beach or on the deck).
This is what I brought – 1 pair of nice tennis, 1 pair of tennis to work out in and beat up, 1 pair of shoes I can throw out (something I don’t care if they get really dirty and gross), slip on vans, chacos, birks, and a pair of old navy flip flops for showers in hostels and at the pool/beach. I barely used any other than my workout shoes and my nice tennis. I would have defiantly saved the space.
Also, I know there is this huge thing where you can’t wear open-toed shoes on the ship which is true and they will tell you all about it in the beginning but it was never really enforced on my voyage unless we were doing a lifeboat drill.
1 Scarf/ cover-ups – I brought a floral shall that’s very thin and goes to mid-forearm for countries I need to be more covered in this way I can wear a t-shirt with this over and it is not too hot.
Hat and Mittens – I got a cheap pair for $5 at Walmart that I can use in China and Japan and then throw out if I don’t have space to take it home. I recommend this for sure as it was freezing in Japan but they are very bulky and Im glad I wasn’t attached and needed to bring it home.
Jewelry – I brought 2 necklaces that I always wear, the rings I always wear, and 2 pairs of earrings. Don’t go crazy. Like I said before ship life is very relaxed and when you are traveling you are not thinking about putting tons of jewelry on.
Sunglasses – 2 pairs in case one gets lost or broke. Which did happen so 2 was a good plan!
Baseball Hat – I never ended up wearing mine but if you think you will bring one.
Toiletries
2 Toiletry bags: Now I know this sounds weird but I brought a big one that I traveled there with and hung in my closet with extra toiletries and then I had a small one that was easier to put in a backpack for in-country. The smaller one I left packed at all times with travel-sized stuff and it was so nice to just throw it in my bag when it was time to travel rather than having a massive bag that I had to pack and unpack each country.
Shampoo/conditioner – A full-size bottle as well as some travel bottles for taking off the ship. Many people say don’t bring travel bottles because if there is stuff left in the bottle you have to throw it out but I brought reusable travel bottles and I never had to throw anything out. A good tip to is next time you start a bottle of shampoo and conditioner write the date on it. This way you will be able to see how long it takes you to finish a bottle.
Face and Body Wash
Straightener – I decided not to bring mine but if you are planning on it make sure it is the auto shut off and can handle the voltage on the ship. They will confiscate it if you don’t have the proof it is auto shut off. I am glad I didn’t bring mine because I know I wouldn’t have really used it.
Brush/ Hair ties/ Headbands
Toothbrush/ Toothpaste – 2 extra toothbrushes, 4 mini travel size toothpaste a full-size one
Sunscreen and Aloe – reef-friendly (the sun is harsh – I was burnt a few too many times)
Razors
Lotion – One normal size and a few travel size
Deodorant – a travel size and a full size
Perfume
Makeup – just what you need don’t bring too much because you most likely won’t wear it that often
Makeup eraser – These are awesome because you just add water and can throw it in the wash once it gets too full of makeup. It is much easier and cheaper than having makeup wipes. 12/10 recomend.
Nail Polish – I brought just one white nail polish and one clear and then I picked up some of the sticker nails that I can use while I’m at sea this way it takes less time and they don’t have to dry and my room won’t smell like nail polish. I highly recommend the sticker nails they were easy and way better than nail polish. They also stayed on for two or more weeks
Face Masks – About 6 peel-off ones that you can do along the way with my roommates and friends. I never ended up using all them but it was a fun idea.
Hand Sanitizer – 4 travel size ones. I put one in every bag
Bug spray wipes/ bracelet – One pack of bracelets and spray not in an aerosol can as well as a pack of wipes. I never went to any countries that I needed bug spray as they all got cancelled so I don’t know if this is a good recomendation but this is what I brought.
Band-aid – one pack
Poo-Pourri – stuff you spray in the toilet in case of travelers diarrhea to keep the smell away. It came in handy I promise. The rooms are quite small.
School Supplies:
One Notebook – You don’t need more than this unless you can’t handle using your laptop. I usually prefer taking notes on paper so I brought a binder to organize like I do every semester yet I ended up barely using my notebook and the binder sat in the back of my drawer the whole semester. I took notes all on my laptop since it was much more convenient. Most of the classrooms are not actual classrooms so they don’t have desks and using paper was harder than expected.
Pens/ Pencils
Sharpies – for signing maps at the end
Post-it Notes – for leaving notes on peoples doors
Journal/ Scrapbook – I brought a small journal to write in more detail and then a scrapbook that I will put together along the way. I did this when I studied abroad in France and it was nice to come home and have a scrapbook already done to show friends and family. Highly recommend at least a journal
Pictures From home – to decorate my room. If you are in a saver cabin or adventure bunk the walls are most likely magnetic. All other rooms just the door is magnetic.
Magnets – this was good to hang things on your door but not super necessary
Medication:
Seaband – a bracelet that you put on your wrist to help with seasickness. I felt that this was super helpful. A lot of people brought sea patches but I never once used them and lots of people didnt like them. They had out sea sickness pills like crazy so no need to bring a ton escpecially if you are not sure if you will be sea sick or not.
Multivitamin/ Probiotics – to help prevent getting sick
Emergen-C
Malaria Prescription/TD Prescription (traveler diarrhea)/ any other prescription medication you have
Electrolytes –For countries that are hot but require you to cover up to help stay hydrated as well as hydration at sea
Advil/ Ibuprofen
Cold/ Flu Medicine
No need to go crazy on medicine unless you are very prone to getting sick. It is great if you know your roomates ahead of time to coordinate. One bring Ibpropehn one bring Advil so you share and save on space in your luggage.
Electronics:
Laptop
GoPro
USB – I’m bringing 3 – 64GB one for movies and the others to exchange movies and pictures. I didn’t really use these and watched about 1 movie the whole voyage but I know some people who watched a movie almost every day and got use of excanging USBs to get new movies. Just assess how much time you think you will spend in your room watching movies.
Hard Drive – 1 TB to back up documents and pictures/ videos! This one is super important people had phone stolen and lost everything.
Headphones – Just my airpods. I didn’t bring them in country because I was too scared of losing them. I wish I would have brought one pair that I didn’t care about losing to bring in country but wasn’t anything I needed.
Speaker – small portable one for Airbnb’s and out at the pool
Chargers – for all devices and two iPhone charges. haveing two is great because if you are like me you always forget it. I left one in my travel backpack and one in my room so this way when it came time to travel there was no forgeting it.
Adapters – one for every country we are going to. It is good to have more of a universal one that is smaller. The ship does not have US outlits they have the European one so you will need an adaptor for the ship too
Portable Chargers – I have a huge one that charges my phone 5 times otherwise bring two if you have one that is a bit smaller to fit in a smaller bag. They come in such handy!
Travel:
Local Currency ($50 -$100 for each country) – this was very useful as there were often problems at ATMs. Along with this make sure you check with your credit card to see if there are any fees when taking cash out. Mine charges $10 every time I take out money so I evaluated each country and got more or less so that I would not have to take any money out while I was in country.
Water Bottle – Must have you can fill it up all over the ship. You cant take the cups out of the dinning halls. It is also nice so you can fill it before going in country and have a least one day of water
Laundry Detergent – if you plan on doing your own laundry this is a must. The detergent they sell on the ship is expensive.
Tide Stick – For Stains
Scrubba (for doing laundry) – Now lets talk about Laundry. It is $7 a load. I am also very particular about my laundry I hang most things up to dry so it doesn’t shrink and I heard this is a common problem with the ship laundry. For the most part I know it is okay but I didn’t have enough money to pay for a zillion loads. This was for sure a pain in the butt but overall I am glad I did it.
Travel Clothesline – You can find them all over amazon. Clothes take forever to dry so if you hang then on the line in the bathroom (which is very small) they will take even longer to dry if you don’t leave the door open. The best bet is to hang them on your own lines so they have more room to breath! I wouldn’t have been able to do my own laundry if it wern’t for these.
Laundry Bag – to hang in closet. Bring something semi small as regardless if you are going to do the ship laundry or on your own you don’t want to have a huge pile to wash.
Beach Towel (2 XL Microfiber) – it was nice to have two so when one got gross you can use the other while you wash it. Also, the towels that they give you are not to be taken out of your room so you need at least one towel for out at the pool. Having microfiber is the best option as well since they fold up super small and dry way faster than normal towels
Sleeping bag liner (For sketchy hostels) – I never used mine because all of the countries I thought I would use it in got canceled but this wouldn’t be a necessity.
Sandwich Bags (some all sizes – snack, sandwich, gallon) – they come in handy for both snacks and when doing in-country travel to put your toiletries in. I used a lot of my bags for various things and am super glad I brough them.
Carabiners – these are good to hook things to your backpack and what not I ended up usining one to hang my laundry bag. You don’t need a ton but 1-3 is good!
2 Copies of Passport – While on the ship you do not have access to your passport but airline and other things will require you to enter your passport numer to book so having a copy was amazing! It came in handy so many times.
Misc.:
1 decks of cards – Its nice to have them both in-country and at sea.
Over the Door hangers – This was super nice because I was able to hang it over my closet door to hang my backpack and purses on the outside and save space in my closet
Over the Door shoe organizer – depending on which room you have the bathroom storage is quite minimal so it was great to have that for in the bathroom to stay organized.
Hangers (SAS only provides 8ish)
Hanging Shoe Rack – I am talking about the kind that you hang on the rack in a closet and it has different sections that you put your shoes. I didn’t bring one but it is something I seriously wish I had. My roomate brought one and she used it to organize her pants shorts socks underwear ect and it kept it much more organized than my closet. The closets are small and I was in a saver which left even less space. This is something I highly recommend. Also they are not super expensive so if you ened up not using it you can just leave it on the ship or give it to someone else
Bracelet with ring – I was really happy that I brought a ring on one of those spiral hairties to hook my keys and ID on so I wouldn’t ever lose them. The rooms have physical keys so you have to bring that around with you and when I didnt have a backpack or anything it was nice to be able to just have it on a hairtie around my wrist.
Travel Mug – This is a must. I didn’t bring one because I dont drink coffee but I would have used it all the time for hot chocolate. They only let you use the mugs during meal times but you have access to coffee, hot water, and tea all day.
Small gifts for locals and friends (postcards, magnets, keychains) – I brought postcards and wrote one for each of my friends at the end. One of my friends brought stickers from her home states which I thought was really cool. Little gifts like this were super fun to hand out.
SNACKS – Lots and lots! Granola bars are great for in-country and well any snacks are good at sea. I feel like I was 10x hungrier while at Sea. Also snacks that are sold on the ship are expensive so having your own is a great way to save money. It was also nice to have granola bars while in country for when you are out and about and need a quick snack.
I hope that this is helpful as you prepare for Semester at Sea!
See You Soon!
xoxo Gina
Join the Travel Bug Tribe
Insta: @thedestinationdiary_
Tiktok: @thedestinationdiary
Youtube: Gina Kerscher