Let's bag our luggage.

Packing up all the stuff you are going to need for a whole year... Let's face it, it's IMPOSSIBLE. That is why we need to do two things: choose and minimize.

There will be many things you will need to buy once you get to your host country and others that you will have to manage without. But we need to pack up things that are absolutely necessary and those things that will be either hard to find or too expensive to buy in your host country. Here goes my list of what you should pack up:

• Basic clothing. Be realistic, you won't be able to take with you all the clothes you would like to take with you. Once you get to your "new home" you will end up buying lots of clothes and when you go back home you will probably leave many of those clothes in your host family's home. That's why it's convenient to choose a few clothing items that you really like and specially the clothes you feel that you will use most in your host country. Always check for the weather around the year in the area where you will be staying and choose the clothes to take with you wisely.

• Vanity kit. Don't pack everything that you will be using. Don't take shampooes, hair softeners, body lotions... with you, they will take too much space in your suitcase and they can be easily found in any supermarket. Take only specific or expensive things that you will need, like your favorite make up, or similar things. If you are are going to take hair dryers or straightening remember to make sure that the plugs in your hometown and in your host country are the same. 

• Computer. If you own a laptop take it with you. Being with your loved ones will be something you will miss much more than you ever imagined, specially on the first days. This is why e-mails, skype talks and every online contact will be more than necessary for you.

• Things that remind you of home. As I already mentioned, there will always be people from back home that you will miss. Take little things that remind you of them that you can put in your new room and feel like you are home when you look at them. Take some printed pictures, gifts they made for you, letters they wrote you before you left... Take with you little things that will help you feel like you are with your loved ones. 

• Gifts. Even though it is not a must, take some gifts for your host family, they will give you somethingfor sure when you leave, and a little gift will lead to a good start. For the kids, you can buy a book or a toy you think they might like, and in the case of babies you can buy them a blanket or some clothes you think the parents might like. And for the parents either typical food from your country or any kind of souvenir are great for a first gift.

• Bikini or bathing suit. They always come in handy. Even if you think you might never use it, you never know when a plan to a swimming pool or a trip to the beach might come up. A bikini doesn't take away any space in your suitcase and it is convenient to take one with you just in case.

• Winter accesories. If you are going to be living in a cold place take a pair of gloves and a winter hat with you. They don't take much space and if you take them with you, the morning you wake up and feel the cold weather out announcing that winter has come you will be prepared to face it.

• Medicine. You will not always be able to find all the medicines you need in your host country. So, I highly recommend taking with you all the medicine you will need on the first months.  

• Cell phone. Obviously, you will not be able to use your regular phone for your whole stay, as it would be too expensive. But I highly recommend taking your cell phone specially for the first day, so that you have a mean of communication in case things don't go as expected.

• Money. You don't know when you will have acces to a bank and remember that you will still have expenses before getting your first pay; so, it is very important to bring some money with you for your first stay.