Guys, I am not exaggerating when I tell you I’m the queen of overpacking. I’m always convinced that I need random items “just in case,” knowing good and well that all they’ll do is take up space in my suitcase. I’ve had instances where I’ve packed about 10 different outfits for a three-day weekend. Dramatic, I know.
Sydney was no exception. I chose to see my new adventure as an opportunity to pull out all the stops for my wardrobe. I packed shirts that I’d generally never worn and cute bottoms with questionable functionality. My shoe selection was probably the only well-thought-out part of my packing.
Given the humid weather that I was entering, I believed that crop tops and thin shirts would be perfect for keeping me cool and stylish for my time abroad. Like I said before, I did not wear some of these tops on a regular basis. As of now, I wear about 70 percent of the tops that I brought over, which isn’t bad, but that room in my suitcase definitely could’ve been used for something else that I would’ve used. I do recommend going with materials and styles that will best suit the climate of your host country. However, you also want to have items that you know you’re going to wear during the week.
Try aiming for tops that are geared towards the style that you want to achieve but also pass the comfortability and practicality test. If you can’t wear the top longer than a couple of hours because it rises up uncomfortably, shows embarrassing sweat stains, or makes you feel too self-conscious or uncomfortable, leave it at home. You’re better off using that space for things like recreational shirts. I can’t tell you how sad I am that I didn’t pack many comfortable lounge shirts to simply wear around my place. Three nice tops for events like going out or professional settings should be enough to get you by. You can always buy whatever you need more of in your host country.
For bottoms, I only packed one pair of jeans… I don’t even want to talk about that. To this day, I regret that choice tremendously. That being said, I highly suggest bringing at least two pairs of jeans and/or shorts, depending on your climate. One pair can be a clean jean without any embellishments or tears, while the second can be whatever your vibes are.
I also brought a pair of jean shorts and two athletic shorts to last my five months abroad. I packed seven skirts, thinking their lighter material would be better for the heat than long pants, but only wear about three of my skirts on a weekly basis.
Central Sydney is an area of high walkability, and I quickly realized what materials were and weren’t compatible with this. If you do plan on bringing skirts, it’s a great idea to have shorts to go underneath shorter-length ones to feel comfortable walking over different terrains. It’s also a good idea to just not bring as many, I would say, unless they’re more maxi skirts. Two or three pairs of skirts are good to complete several different looks.
As far as other pieces of clothing go, I brought three dresses and a couple of jackets to layer over my clothes to spice up some looks. Because the climate is warmer, I only brought two sweatshirts with me and one pair of sweatpants. While I wish I had another pair of sweatpants, I think having two or three dresses and jackets is also a good number to have to create various outfits.
Finally, having at least two pairs of tennis shoes and sandals just about completes your look from head to toe. You can also throw in one pair of dress shoes to have for any special occasions. Being the over-packer I am, I brought five pairs of tennis shoes and three pairs of sandals, but I wear them all frequently.
It seems obvious now that I shouldn’t have packed so many—or any—of a few types of clothes, but we’ve all been caught up in the moment before. Studying abroad is an opportunity to become someone you’ve always wanted to be but never had the courage or opportunity to do so. I saw Sydney as my way of embodying a bolder sense of myself—but I went about it in an excessive way. Now that I’ve learned from my mistakes and have become a better traveler because of it, I hope that you can also glean something from my journey to Sydney and take it with you on your next adventure.
Grace Lawrence, Berry College, is studying abroad in Australia with TEAN.
