Having been on (count em) one weekend trip and it was a learning experience let me tell ya. As you may or may not know I went on a weekend trip to Wales last weekend (that's how little I wrote this weekend, sorry guys) and had a blast. The other girls and I were fairly prepared, we sat down and figured out what we needed, made meals, and made sure we had all of our documentation (we are foreigners after all). We were on top of things, but we didn't get it 100% right (took way too much food, and forgot a couple things that would have been handy). So, having learned a couple things from my Welsh experience, here is what I recommend a student to pack for a weekend (or 3-day trip):
DOCUMENTATION!!
Very important if you are leaving the UK (this does not include Scotland or Wales, but one can never be too careful). I created a folder to just take with me:
- Passport
- Visa Letter Thing
- Insurance Card
- Insurance Details
- Trip Confirmation/Itinerary (i.e. flight itinerary, tour receipt, etc.)
Clothing:
- If it's only a weekend you can get by with the pair of jeans you are wearing
- 1-3 shirts (I recommend layers, you never know what the weather will do)
- Sweatpants for sleeping in
- Sufficient socks and and other undergarments
- Perhaps a nice outfit if you're going somewhere fancy like Paris
- GOOD WALKING SHOES!!!!! If your feet give out or blister you will be hard-pressed to enjoy yourself so please be sensible
- Scarf
- Coat (wear it)
Food:
I packed a sandwich for every day and some easy snacks (dried fruit, popcorn, wee packets of crisps). This portion is up to you as you may just want to buy food at your destination as part of the experience. I bought 1 dinner and had a traditional breakfast included in my travel package - this was sufficient culture experiencing for me (but it was only Wales). Also, if you have food allergies/intolerances it is always a good idea to have safe food on hand in case you can't find anything you can safely eat. This being said, my backpack consisted of 85% food.
Money:
I gave myself a budget of £40 which I stuck in my pocket. I then locked my wallet in the deepest, darkest pit of my backpack and am pleased to say that I stuck to my budget. I did not take a purse, but I wish I would have for when we went out at night because I forgot my id was also locked in the deepest, darkest pit of my backpack and apparently look younger than 18 whilst being 21.6 years old :( oh well, it saved me a couple quid I suppose.
Packing:
- Comfortable, decent quality backpack
- Lock
Pretty self-explanatory, lock your valuables in one part and make sure other things you need (i.e. snacks, entertainment, phone, etc) are readily available. Ladies, it never hurts to hid your camera under feminine hygiene products in the unlocked part of your bag if you want easy access to it but don't want others to find it ;)
Other notes:
- Make sure you have room for souvenirs if you are planning on buying some.
- It never hurts to have a reusable shopping bag with you as well.
- Make sure you are prepared for any sort of weather.
- Have entertainment (i.e. a book or music) for long rides (plane, train, or coach)
- Dramamine is a wonderful thing, we all know what European traffic is like
- Take band-aids ("plasters") in case of blisters
- Make sure you have copies of your documentation as our government is currently shut down
- Double and triple check the above
- Put your key somewhere safe for the duration of the journey so you don't lose it in a foreign country
- Have fun! Take lots of pictures! Journal if that's something you do :)
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