Everything is set up – you found a great host family, got your visa and your flight details?! Well, then you need to get ready and start packing your suitcase for living abroad!

In the first moment you might have the impression that this is an impossible obstacle. Packing for one year… how should this even work?
No worries, we will help you to figure out which are the most important things you need to pack and which things you can leave at home.

You shouldn’t forget:

5 things you can leave at home

• Passport + Visa
• Flight tickets
• Contact details and important phone numbers + phone number of your embassy
• Some cash ($200) + credit/debit card
• Insurance card
• International driver’s license
• Clothes – comfortable clothes!
• Toiletries + medical kit
• Other personal belongings such as electronical devices, glasses, …

• Towels
• Bed sheets, blankets or pillows
• A ton of thick (and heavy) novels, movies or CDs
• Too many dressy clothes and high heel shoes
• A hair dryer, curling iron or straightener (your host family usually lets you use theirs)

Clothes

Don’t worry too much about the clothes you pack. You will be very likely to buy lots of new clothes during your stay in the U.S. there will be always some kind of sale in the stores.
Make sure to pack espacially old clothes, you don’t mind getting dirty or stretched out. No matter how old your host children are and whether it’s feeding an infant, doing crafts with a five year old or playing outside with an older host child, your clothes need to be comfortable and practical.

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• Practical (!), old and comfortable clothes (keep in mind that you will spend most of your time with children)
• Comfortable and closed-toed shoes (sneakers etc.)
• Weather-proof jacket
• Some nicer outfits for when you go out with friends in the evening or for family birthdays
• Appropriate clothes (no revealing clothes); f.i. full-piece bathing suit in addition to your bikini
• If you are leaving in summer, you don’t need to bring a warm winter coat and vice versa; you will have enough time to buy it during your time abroad

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Host family presents

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