<p>I need some help from parents whose kids have studied abroad. My D is headed to China in the fall (for a semester--four months) and has decided that she is only talking one suitcase. On one hand, I think only one suitcase makes sense--she will be traveling first to Beijing for a few days and then to Harbin, and managing two suitcases along with a backpack would be a pain. On the other hand, I was already pondering how to fit everything she will need for four months into two suitcases. One suitcase would definitely mean that we would have to ship winter things.</p>
<p>So how did you all handle packing for an entire semester?</p>
<p>My D is in New Zealand. She took two suitcases and a backpack. One of the suitcases was overweight and cost extra to get there. I can’t wait to see what she brings back! If your D can get everything in one case more power to her but I would not want to have to ship things to China. It will be easier and cheaper to take two suitcases.</p>
<p>My son is only spending 7 weeks in Jordan, but I encouraged him to only take one large backpack and an empty nylon duffle for the return trip. He also had his regular school backpack as a carryon. Except for a winter coat he could be taking the same stuff for a longer trip. He’s got a suit jacket, sneakers that can pretend to be dress shoes (plain black), a pair of sandles, and enough regular clothes for about 1.5 weeks.</p>
<p>She can do it with one. My D did, and had to pack for winter into summer in Europe. One of the keys is light luggage, as then more can be packed. A day pack, used as the ‘purse’ was helpful, as her carry on was her violin. Jackets can be carried onto the plane. You just live with fewer changes of clothing. Less to keep track of, regardless. If she is of average to smaller size, I’m sure warm winter things can be bought in Harbin, though taking her own well made US brand shoes would be more comfortable(though they’re probably made in China). Buying shampoo, toothpaste, etc over there is cheaper than shipping from here, and at least in Beijing, she’d be able to find foreign brands.</p>
<p>That’s a good point about toothpaste and shampoo–we’ll only pack the travel-size stuff and let her buy more once she’s there.</p>
<p>She’s spent summers at camp wearing the same outfits over and over so that’s not the problem. The problem is that when she arrives in August. the average temp will be 70 degrees F and by December the average will be 6 degrees F (the average high in December is 15 and the average low is -3). It’s one thing to pick up extra clothing things here and there but I gues I would rather her not be totally lacking in (well-made) cold-weather things. </p>
<p>I am glad to hear that others have made it with one bag–at first it sounded kind of crazy but I do think that will be our plan A.</p>
<p>OP…My D will also be in Harbin. She leaves in a few days and will be gone for a year, so her needs will be a bit different (still trying to figure this out). However, I can tell you that though many products are available in China…certain products…such as deoderant (very expensive) and FH products (very different) should be brought from home. </p>
<p>After last summer in China, D seems to be focusing on the above items, electronics/ethernet cable and sturdy clothes that can withstand the washing machines in China and do well when hung to air dry. Dryers are not always available.</p>
<p>We have been told that winter clothing is available in Harbin and Beijing. Lets hope so! Perhaps our DDs will meet in Harbin!</p>
<p>If you can, buy her the biggest suitcase that still qualifies on carry-on luggage. If she can carry that on, plus a backpack or knapsack, then she mey be able to not have to check luggage at all, so there will be no lost luggage or having to wait for an hour for luggage after a domestic flight. Don’t forget that many internal flights in China are by Boeing 747’s due to the large population. When I travel to Asia on business, I always travel with carry-on luggage only. If she buys clothes there, she can always buy another cheap suitcase for the trip home and check that luggage in the baggage hold.
Londondad</p>
<p>D will be in China August - December. The plan is to pack 1 bag and bring or buy a cheap duffel to bring back all the things she buys there! We heard that inexpensive padded jackets are easy to find, so she is just bringing warm socks, silk underwear, hat, mittens, and a nylon parka shell to go over everything for the cold months. Though happier in a skirt and nice shoes, she is only packing jeans, t-shirts, and sturdy walking shoes. Unless your D is very petite we have heard that you need to bring your own shoes and undergarments - hard to find in larger sizes!</p>
<p>My son’s friend goes back and forth to school with a very large wheeled duffel bag that is in 2 sections. It can be connected together for times when it needs to be moved around and broken into 2 sections an checked so it won’t be over weight.</p>
<p>When D went for 7 months to Australia/Asia, she took:
1 large rolling duffle (check in luggage)
1 backpack (carryon with her computer)
1 additional carryon bag.
Because she was doing a study tour prior to the Australia semester in China & Tibet, she also had to bring along some warmer stuff. Compressible down jacket which weighed next to nothing was perfect.
She also had other lighter weight jackets which could be layered, ie snug fitting fleece, rain jacket, etc.</p>
<p>I must also mention, as have a couple others above, the “larger sizes” in China are very hard to find. I was in a major metro area for a month on business and my colleague desperately needed a new pair of shoes. She could not find anything to fit her size 8.5 feet. I am small (size 2, US) and even I occasionally had difficulty finding clothes to fit me–and I was just shopping for souvenirs, not truly necessary items. It may be easier now (this was over 10 years ago), but do a little more research before assuming all necessary purchases can be made there clothing wise, unless your D is teeny-tiny.</p>
<p>My son spent a semester in China .I have traveled all around China . If you are bigger than a size 10 ,it will be hard to find clothing that will fit .Largest mens shoe size =10 largest ladies shoe 8 .The quality of alot of Chinese clothing is poor but in Beijing they have shops that only sell warm natural colored long underwear and it is extremely well made and CHEAP !! Sorry but I can’t think of name of store .I travelled on 1 trip for 2 weeks with only a CARRY- ON ! 1 suitcase should be enough- I did alot of hand washing with Quick dry clothes ,and I was there in Feb. so it was cold . Harbin is SUPER cold ,but has an AMAZING ICE FESTIVAL !!</p>
<p>My teenagers love to shop in China - sizes 5 and 9 in the US. There is a Zara in Harbin and Carrefour is a Walmart type store with all kinds of items. Beijing has H&M. But the best shopping is at the markets - my girls found great deals on jeans and of course all the knock-off items. My younger one has at least 6 pairs of “Uggs” - though more for look than warmth!</p>
<p>I hadn’t thought too specifically about the size issue. D wears a size 8 in most things but she is tall–almost 5’11". </p>
<p>She wants to take only one carryon bag and one checked bag. We have a rolling duffel that I got at Costco earlier this year that holds more than any of our regular suitcases and is pretty light, so I think she will be using that. I am thinking that I need to find a backpack that is close to the max size for a carryon, that will hold her regular backpack, with computer and purse, along with some underwear and a change of clothes in case the checked bag gets lost.</p>
<p>I am not too worried about her getting back with extra stuff. At the end of the program they go straight from Harbin to the Beijing airport to fly home. So she won;t have to mess with the extra bag (assuming there is one) for too long.</p>
<p>One good thing about Harbin is that even though it gets really cold, it does not seem to rain too much. And she will miss the actual ice festival, but she will get to see a lot of the preparations.</p>