Suzanna’s Ultimate Semester at Sea Packing List

Where to start? Our globetrotter shares her do’s & don’ts

It’s been just over 133 days since I disembarked Voyage 133 with Semester at Sea.

Let’s go over the packing needs, must haves, and tips that helped me on my 107 day voyage across the world!

👖 Clothes 🧣

Preparing to travel for 10+ countries can be overwhelming. The first thing I did was look up the weather in all the countries.

Finding weather logs during the time of year I would be visiting and taking notes was extremely helpful! I noted the variety of weather from high humidity in Thailand to the chilly weather in Germany.

Here’s some of the best things packed:

• Neutral colored, breathable, and layering items — Keeping a simple color palette of clothes allowed me to not stand out (as much) as a tourist. Linen and cotton items were extremely helpful for hot days when exploring but also allowed for a quick dry time if I needed to re-wear something. Items like button ups (long or short sleeved), flannels, tights and sweatpants, etc. were so handy for some chilly weather.
• Dresses and skirts — One of my favorite things to throw on and look cute! It’s a simple way to “dress up” an outfit. But be weary of the style! ⚠️ Things like shoulders showing and knees not being covered, or others might not be acceptable for temples and other attractions!

The blue floral skirt (left) elevated the outfit for a cute dinner out with friends! The black patterned dress (right) covered almost everything! I just added a jacket for modesty to cover my shoulders in Morocco.

• a lightweight and water-resistant/proof jacket —easily a life saver! You never know when you’ll run into a storm!
• A jump suit and long-sleeved athletic top — Let me be the one to tell you how handy these two were! I wore this jumpsuit in every country because of how versatile it was! It covered 90% of me (thank you legs for being covered at the Batu Caves) and throw a shirt on that covers your shoulders and you meet 95% of dress codes. They were simply cute, stretchy, and versatile for any activity that was thrown my way.

I wore this white long sleeved top and orange jumpsuit in Malaysia (left) for exploring and Kenya (right) for a safari.

• a good pair of walking shoes — I’ve had crazy long days in-country doing so much walking and being on my feet to tell you that they are worth the investment. You’ll thank me later.
• consider the variety of outfit combinations — I brought very few clothing items that could only be worn “one way” or would be worn once or twice. For example: tank tops can be casual but also an undershirt and you can lounge in black shorts but can also be worn under a skirt/dress. Find a way to mix and match your tops and bottoms!
• ❌ Don’t bring clothes that have specific washing or laundry care — The MV World Odessey crew did the laundry on the ship so we had no control over how our clothes were washed (some people did laundry in-country but even laundromats had someone else washing your clothes). Unless you want to be doing sink laundry 24/7 in your tiny (but lovely) cabin, it’s not worth the hassle (spend that time with friends or looking at the ocean and sky).
• laundry bag — Obviously not a clothing item but you should have a place to keep your stinky laundry. It was defiantly handy for students who did laundry in-country. Otherwise many times I saw people using their suitcases to take their laundry to laundromats.
• 🫧 detergent sheets — Another non-clothing item but something that comes in hand. Using it for sink laundry to wash anything you need soon is so much better than hoping that your laundry comes back in 2 days instead of 3.

Health, Medicine, and Toiletries:

• hand sanitizer or hand wipes — Easily a no brainer. You never know how accessible a bathroom or sink is when you are out and about having fun.
• solid toiletries — Everyone has their own needs to take care of. But I think it was one of my best practical decisions when traveling. It took up much less room in my suitcase and bathroom but. And it was a small item and weighed so little for when I stayed in-country in hotels, hostels, etc.
• sea bands (or any other nausea medicine) — I’m not usually one to get seasick but it was a very handy when I didn’t want to use the seasick meds.

I was taken out a few times by the ocean and the sea band defiantly made a difference.

• various medicines of all sorts — I practically had a mini medicine cabinet on me 24/7. I had Pepto, Imodium, Dramamine, ibuprofen, laxatives, allergy meds, Tylenol, etc. even bandages. I had it all considering we would be stuck on a ship for days at a time and we would be eating food that we have never encountered before.
• any beauty or cosmetic products that you normally need

Must Have:

• travel adapter — On the ship we had European outlets so there was no way we could’ve charged any devices without one. Plus, you will (likely) always need it when staying overnight in-country.
• a good battery bank
• chip clips — You’re allowed to have snacks in your cabin but food items need to be sealed to the best of your abilities. The crew and staff are very adamant on not allowing bugs on so you’re doing everyone a favor by bringing these.
• a pouch to wear under clothes — A necessity for most people to keep their valuables from getting stolen
• a fanny pack or a small bag — I used my fanny pack so much, especially when I went out at night! It was so nice to carry a few items without having to wear a large backpack or tote.

This fanny pack was taken with me on local expeditions and late-night runs!

Handy Miscellaneous Items:

• Turkish towel/any extra towel — The ship only provided bathroom towels. So I’d highly recommend this for the pool or water activities in-country.
• a few clothing hangers — The ship doesn’t provide many hangers so I frequently had multiple items hanging off of one hanger. A great decision for me was bringing some pants hangers for bottoms.
• hanging shoe organizer — Storage! I kept so many items in the organizer in my closet. From shoes to bandanas to even school supplies, it kept everything off the floor and counters (and even from items flying off when we hit rough waters) (P.S. hanging one in the bathroom was great for all the random makeup and self-care items)
• compression bags — Quite a helpful thing towards the end of the voyage as you can shrink down your clothes to make room for all the souvenirs you bought.
• water bottle with a filter
• Liquid IV/electrolyte supplements — Extremely handy for those long days or trips! Whether it’s yourself that's dehydrated or a friend of a friend, you can never be too prepared (consider extreme weather!!)
• hot & cold drink cup — The cups in the dining hall had to stay in the dining hall. I was very glad to have my coffee or juice outside of the dining area.

Here’s mine and a friend’s cup during a cross current (like a tedtalk on the ship!)

• reusable shopping bags
• a deck of cards or games — The memories I have from playing Uno, Palace, Golf, and Poetry for Neanderthals will always make me smile and giggle. It’s a great way to kill time and get to know people too! (People were also playing some games like Mafia, Secret Hitler, and even Assassin 24/7)

Games were a great way to just have a little fun with friends anywhere! To the right is a group of students playing and watching Secret Hitler.

Tips/advice:

• try to not be flashy and stand out — Whether that’s wearing neutral colors, no big name brands or tags showing, or even keep the jewelry minimal or none at all (some locals gave students forewarning about jewelry snatching!)
• getting currency beforehand — This can defiantly vary!! I took a big risk getting 7 out of 9 different currencies beforehand since the itinerary can always change due to last minute issues (which did happen for my voyage!). But it was helpful to not have to deal with the many small fees of withdrawing bills in-country (which they add up!). And access to ATM’s and banks can be limited.
• mementos from home — Extremely helpful to not be as homesick! My favorite memento was a pair of shoes that I had my close friends and family sign with marker. And I adore that pair of shoes so much! I know other people on the ship had things like pictures, their parents' alumni sweater, and comfort blankets.
• Watch my Tiktok

Decorated Vans with writing and drawings all over

• document or save the little things from your travels — I had a binder with zipper pouches for each country to put things like napkins, business cards, tickets, pamphlets, and stickers in. Other people on the ship kept things like money and post cards too!

These were absolutely my best and favorite items and tips that helped me out on my voyage! With lifesaving electrolytes to thankfully covering up my legs with a jumpsuit, you never know what the most useful thing in the moment will be.

Though these were for my specific travels on a ship and land (miss you MV World Odessey🚢), I hope this brought a few new ideas or items to add to your packing list!

XOXO from land now,

Suzanna