Hola! I am getting very excited for my year abroad and I'll be leaving Aug. 27th. I can bring two suitcases.....for a year's worth of stuff! I have an ungodly amount of clothes and just stuff in general. I'd love advice on what to bring.
Thanks
Lauren

Don't bring too much clothing!!! Bring only your favorite things and neccessities. The shopping in Spain is wonderful and much cheaper (at least in comparison to where I have lived in the US). Expect rain and cold nights during the winter. In May and the rest of the summer it is incredibly hot.I made the mistake of bringing two huge (you could fit like 2 people inside each of them) bags filled with clothing and extra things i thought i wouldn't be able to find there...like shampoo and things like that...DON'T weigh your bag down. The pharmacies have everything. In Madrid for clothing check out Zara, H&M, and Blanco...they are awesome and reasonably priced...The first two are on Calle Preciados near Puerta del Sol...shopping there is nice...the last is also by puerta del sol but on Calle Mayor. Metro stop Goya is also good for shopping. But if you're not a shop a holik like myself...just bring one heavy jacket, one light weight jacket, casual pants and stuff...and then nice clothing to go out. People dress up a lot more there. Jeans and sneakers aren't as common. Have a wonderful time!!! I wish I was going back...but i won't go back til January...I was already there for a 1 and a half...been home for a year...going back now for another year and a half, maybe forever...who knows.

Hey Lauren, hmmm.... I may not be the person to give advice here since when I was planning my year abroad here I packed the night before my flight

As you have probably read on this board, MANY visitors (long and short term) have spent many a day in the clothing stores here and loved it.

I think you will probably end up buying a lot of clothes here, especially if you want to belnd in with the Spanish gals and their stylin "ropa" (clothing) so I would not go nuts on the clothes.

Also, if you need to bring books (lots), ship them over via the loooong boat (3-6 weeks to arrive) about 3 weeks before you leave so they will be here soon after you. You will get a cheap book rate at the U.S. Postal Service. See the SHIPPING STUFF THREAD for more by CLICKING HERE. It is on shipping from Spain to the U.S. but it works the same way for U.S. to Spain.

Also, leave bulky stuff at home, especially that which you can get here pretty cheap. A perfect example would be a hair dryer (unless it is a small travel one that can handle world voltage, it will fry here unless you use a voltage adapter), which will take up a chunk of one of your suitcases.

Saludos & hope I helped,
jer...

Thanks for the tips! I can't believe you waited to pack till the night before Jer! Although, who knows,I might too. Do you know the limits on my bag size and weight if I am flying an on an American Airline? I think it is 70 pounds but I am not sure...
Thanks
Lauren

Hey Lauren...and any other soon to be study abroaders....

I know I mentioned this before, but worth mentioning again. If possible, avoid bringing large suitcases, but rather pack in soft sided collapsible luggage. I packed for a year in a body bag sized duffle (sorry for the macabre description) and another soft sided bag that easily converted into a backpack for hiking. Chances are the house (or hostal) where you will be staying will have limited storage and a small room for you. It�s easier to store the softsided luggage rather than cumbersome suitcases.

Don�t load up with cosmetic supplies like shampoos, etc. Thanks to globalization and multinational companies like Procter & Gamble, Johnson & Johnson, etc. you will proabably be able to get your favorite brand of haircare, skin care, you-name-it here. Ditto for contact lens solution (although it does run a bit more expensive here).

Enjoy your time here!