What I Packed for Semester at Sea

Here is my ULTIMATE Semester at Sea packing list!

NOTE: I created an UPDATED packing list with the things I brought on my trip and what I’d bring instead if I went today. You can find that here!https://katelynlilian.com/2023/03/16/updated-semester-at-sea-packing-list/

Alright, let me tell you something. When I was getting ready for SAS I couldn’t find a good packing list ANYWHERE. I spent HOURS searching for a genuinely helpful list and I found pretty much nothing. So hopefully, this helps someone, even though its miles long.

Obviously, I have to do the normal disclaimer that this is what worked for me and what I needed for my voyage. Keep in mind also, I had most of this stuff before the trip, so I didn’t go out and buy all of this!

Most important thing to remember: PACK LIGHT. They will tell you that a million times, but it is true. Trust me, you don’t need 1/2 the stuff you’ll bring. You can buy 90% of things either on the ship or in port and trust me, you will.

Click HERE or the link at the bottom to get the condensed PDF version of this list!

Luggage/Packing

Suitcases I brought: L.L. Bean Rolling Adventure Duffle, in Extra Large (click HERE) for literally everything and the medium (click HERE) for my snacks/souvenirs. I loved them and they fit under my bed.

Travel backpack I brought: Osprey Packs Fairview Women’s 40 (click HERE). They go through EVERYTHING in your backpack/suitcase when you get back on the ship so don’t get the one you have to put everything in from the top (huge pain). I was so happy with this one and a lot of people wish they got one that opened like this one!

Travel purse: I brought a Tommy Hilfiger leather one I’ve had forever. Make sure you get one you can put quite a bit of stuff in and has zippable pockets. People on the trip had this one (click HERE) and this one (click HERE) and raved about it.

Schoolbag I used: Longchamp Large Tote (click HERE). I don’t use backpacks for school and I’ve been using this one forever. You can get away with not having a backpack/bag on the ship, but you’ll want one. I loved this because it folds up and I can pack it. Some people had a normal school backpack that they could use for smaller excursions instead.

Toiletry bag I used: BUY A HANGING TOILETRY BAG, this is the one I packed (click HERE). It saves space, it is easier to get to stuff, and you won’t have to unpack/repack every time you get on or off the ship.

Packing cubes: YOU WILL WANT THESE, trust me. I used them for getting to the ship initially and getting home, but I used them to organize my clothes and I used them in my travel backpack in country. I had these (click HERE).

Luggage I wish I had: a hiking backpack. Two of my friends had this one (click HERE) and we used it SO much. I did a lot of hiking on my trip or smaller trips where a backpack like this (small, had places for clips, and clipped on your chest AND your hips) was really helpful.

Tip: BRING CARABINERS, like these (click HERE). We clipped out water bottles, shoes, travel pillows, other bags, etc. on to our travel backpacks and hiking backpacks. I wish I would have brought more. Just an FYI though, you can’t check backpacks with carabiners on, they will take them off, so just take them off before… we lost a lot because of this.

Clothes

Every person I talked to wish they brought fewer clothes. The ship is SO SO casual and I promise you’ll get to the point where you’ll forget you have other clothes at home. ALSO you WILL buy clothes in almost every country so be prepared and bring less.

The laundry service is really nice, everyone uses it, but it is VERY harsh on your clothes. It wasn’t uncommon to have your clothes show up with mysterious holes or 2 sizes smaller so be smart with what you pack.

Keep in mind this is how big the closets are (there is one more panel the size of the one on the left, three total). This was right before I came home!

The best advice I can give is to know the countries you’re going to. The first two we went to were under 30 degrees, The rest were blisteringly hot and humid but were VERY modest countries, we couldn’t show our knees usually (this is why elephant pants became popular). If I knew this, I would have packed smarter. Some days are too hot and some are too cold…

2 pairs of jeans (only wore in the country, especially in cold places)

2 pairs of what I call travel pants (I brought THESE which were the best things ever and THESE)

2 pairs of leggings (one black, one colored)

2 pairs of sweat pants (1 jogger and 1 normal)

2 pairs of athletic shorts (I like THESE because your booty isn’t hanging out)

3 pairs of other shorts (ie. jeans/comfy)

6 dresses (2 were longer)

5 ‘going out’ outfits (whatever that means for you)

2 dress-up outfits (you’ll want them for fancy dinner or Alumni Ball, you’ll buy more along the way)

5-6 T-shirts (I mixed between athletic and ‘cute‘)

4 tank tops (outside of going out shirts…these were like athletic or comfortable tank tops)

3 long sleeve shirts (for comfort and layering when its cold)

1 cardigan (I brought THIS one and wore it like 4 times a week)

2 sweatshirts (comfy style)

4 jackets (2 full zips like THIS and 2 full zip hoodie like THIS… SUPER great for layering)

2 sets of pj’s

Socks/Bras/Underwear (I hope you can handle this one)

Tip: Bring comfy socks or slippers because the ship is VERY cold

Swimsuits: I brought like 6 and only wore 3… you will get tan quickly so think about tan lines and what is comfortable.

Shoes: I brought too many. The only ones I wore were 2 pairs of birks (THESE and THESE), 2 pairs of tennis shoes that I donated at the end, and slip-on Vans (THESE). Plus I bought 4 pairs…

Scarf: I packed two for lightweight ones, super easy to tuck away if needed to cover knees or shoulders, but they aren’t hot. I also had this scarf (click HERE) for the colder places and it worked great, but then it worked as a travel blanket everywhere else.

Sunglasses: I have annoyingly sensitive eyes so a good pair of sunglasses were necessary (I have THESE). But if you break/lose them, bring 2 because you’ll want them for sure… I had them on 100% of the time.

Winter hat/mittens: I used them in the cold countries a TON, for sure worth the space. I brought THIS hat and THESE mittens.

Baseball hats: I easily could have done with just one (had 2), but they were nice to have for the ship and for hiking.

Jewelry: I brought the stuff I wear every day plus a few necklaces, but I only wore one (you can see it in 90% of my pics) and bought stuff along the way.

Rain Coat: This one (layered correctly) worked as my winter-ish in the colder countries, its awesome (click HERE)! Me and my roommate both ended up with it on accident.

Robe: I LIVE in my robe at home and so does my roommate so we both brought a lightweight one and it was so nice on the ship I had THIS one.

Wish I brought: ONE BUSINESS OUTFIT, you will need it, so literally bring one and wear it for each field class you have to go on. More comfortable clothes for on the ship that were cute, things can be cute and functional (I went 100% functional). A flannel, my roommate had one and I wore it all the time. A pair of cute dressy shoes that worked for Alumni Ball/fancy dinner/business outfits.

Wish I didn’t bring: Literally, everyone will tell you not to bring so many clothes, you’ll buy them and borrow them and you’ll get sucked into the SAS trends (hellooooo elephant pants). LESS SHOES, you won’t wear things that aren’t easy to put on or comfy on the ship and you’ll buy sandals in country. So many swimsuits, 3 is plenty. Rompers, I could only really wear them on the ship because everywhere else they were to immodest. I brought boots like THIS and wore them one time, it’s not worth it for like 8 days of the trip.

Toiletries

**YOU WILL BE ABLE TO GET STUFF YOU RUN OUT OF, DON’T PACK A STORE LIKE WE DID**

Shampoo/Conditioner: My roommate and I shared big jugs of it and we ended up throwing out half, ones like THIS. Plus we brought 8 sets of travel ones, but I wish we would have just brought one travel and filled as needed (they do in fact let you bring shampoo and toiletries that are opened back on the trip, but they will check them periodically–which is why we brought so many).

Curling iron/straightener: I brought a straightener that I could curl my hair with and I used it quite a bit in country, but could have done without it for sure. Tip: make sure it has auto-shutoff or they’ll take it. There are also blowdryers in each room.

Headbands: SO good for countries that are hot and you want your hair out of your face. I also brought a bandana and used that fairly often.

Toothbrush/toothpaste: I brought 3 toothbrushes (one on the ship, one in the toiletry bag, one back-up) and 100% recommend it. I also used 2 travel toothpaste containers and one normal size toothpaste

Sunscreen/aloe: PLEASE bring it, you WILL need it. Everyone will get sunburned and you’ll need aloe too. Make sure to bring ocean-friendly sunscreen like THIS and THIS aloe is the best.

Razors: You live on a boat with a pool, you’ll need a lot. I used the Dollar Shave Club (click HERE) and that was awesome, just had two packs.

GOOD LOTION: You’re in the sun a lot, your skin will need it. This is my favorite one (click HERE).

Deodorant: I brought and used 2, its hot most of the time so do yourself and others a favor and bring some.

Perfume/body spray: Kind of unnecessary, but nice to have, makes you feel a bit more put together and clean.

Hand sanitizer: I had 3 of the travel ones like THIS that clip onto things, you WILL want it and you WILL need it.

Makeup: You won’t use it beyond the first like week and in port, so you won’t need as much as you think! Plus you’ll either sweat it off in the pool or in port.

Bug Spray: I never used it, I used the bug bands and they worked AMAZING these suckers… I only used one or two (click HERE). You can’t bring aerosol on the ship *apparently* so this was a good alternative.

Poo-Pourri: the bathrooms are small and so are your rooms, it’s worth the investment (click HERE).

Band-aids: we used these a lot for random things… shaving on a ship is hard. But a full-on first-aid kit isn’t necessary.

Feminine products: bring how much you think you’ll need (its easier if you put it in a bag, not a box) and if you run out, they have some on the ship.

Random funs toiletries: My roommate and I both brought nailpolish which was so nice to have. We also brought facemasks and did them after we got on the ship after every country, 100% necessary.

Wish I didn’t bring: I brought SO many extra travel-sized things, so did my roommate. We called our closet Target because there was so much. Don’t bring wrinkle release, you won’t use it. You use 10x less than you think you do and/or extra is accessible if necessary.

Electronics

Laptop: I just brought the computer I already had, just a MacBook. Tip: I backed it up before I left and took off any unnecessary stuff (ie. old school stuff) and I was really glad I did.

Headphones: AirPods (click HERE), normal iPhone headphones (new style), and normal iPhone headphones (old style). I absolutely LOVED having AirPods, but I brought a spare pair and a pair that I could use on airplanes. Used them all! Tip: I had a case for the AirPods I could clip onto my keys/ID on the ship and it was SO helpful.

Hard Drive: People trade movies and you’ll need something to put them all on, not to mention photo storage! A TON of people had THIS one.

USB: I used USB’s instead because they were more convenient, specifically THESE. I had one for each country’s pictures and 2 for movies.

Kindle: I had THIS one and cannot recommend it enough! If you don’t like to read, you’ll learn on the ship, trust me. I read 2-3 books a week…

DVD Player: I had a USB one for my roommate and I and we both brought DVDs of movies and TV shows, we used SOOO much. One like THIS.

HDMI Cord: You’re going to want to play movies on the TV from your computer!

Camera: I brought a DSLR, the one I use at home, but it broke on the way there. I wish I had it, but I had my phone. Fun fact every picture from my trip I took with my phone! Tip: Bring extra SD cards.

Adaptor/Converter: You will have to use one, the ship has European outlets. I used this one on the ship (click HERE) and had this one (click HERE) for in country.

Portable Chargers: I brought two, this one (click HERE) and this one (click HERE) and I’m SO GLAD I DID. You will use these more than you think, especially in country.

Charging Cords: bring 2-3 phone chargers and an extra cord/battery for your camera if you have one.

Extra Phone: I brought an old iPhone because it was recommended. The whole reason is that if something happens to yours (ie. it gets stolen…happened SO often), you have a backup. A TON of people utilized this tip.

Wish I brought: Apple watch– I thought it wasn’t smart, but I would have used it and missed it more than I thought I would (obviously I wouldn’t have worn it everywhere, but still). Speaker, other people had them, but I didn’t and I could have used it. Polaroid, these were SO popular and I considered buying one while gone… good souveniers!!!

Glad I didn’t bring: a go-pro, I wouldn’t have used it and so many other people had it. Travel alarm clock, you have a phone, utilize it. A flashlight, again…phone.

Travel Stuff

Local Currency: I brought $20 in local currency (order from your local bank) for most countries and $50 for more expensive countries (ie. Europe, South Africa, China, Japan). It saved a lot of time and stress, recommend highly.

Passport pouch: I hate the travel ones, I use a running one (click HERE) because they are smaller, more comfortable, and not so bulky.

Waterbottles: Most people brought two and you should too. A lot had hydroflasks, I brought these because they were lighter and I could clip them onto things (click HERE and HERE).

Kleenex: ship doesn’t have great kleenex and you’re bound to get sick. Also, MOST of the countries don’t have toilet paper so you’ll have to bring your own, this works best.

Tide Stick/Shout Stain: You’ll use this 100 % and if you don’t your roommate will. The stain sticks are nice for little things, but we had a couple of big spills that the wipes were better for (I got both in the travel section of Target).

Laundry Detergent: Even though there is laundry on the ship, you’ll want to do your own. I used the travel Tidepod pack (I think there were 12 in there) and it was the perfect amount. A good estimate is doing your own laundry/sending it in at least once after each country.

Dryer Sheets: It was nice to have the smell of home with you. I put it in my pillow & in my closet.

Laundry Bag: I got a mesh laundry bag that I could hang from the dollar store, really really helpful. One like this (click HERE)

Travel clothesline: there is a flimsy one in the shower, but it sucks. I brought these and they were perfect (click HERE); most people had these or a variation.

Microfiber towel: I used the beach towel size and you will use it. Honestly, they fold up so small, get two. You pretty much have to use beach towels at the pool and you’ll use it off the ship. These work AWESOME (click HERE).

Sleeping bag liner: I’ve had mine forever, but something like this (click HERE). REALLY good for questionable hostels.

Travel French Press: I actually used this quite a bit, I was surprised. If I didn’t use it as a French Press, I used it as just a travel coffee mug. I used this one (click HERE).

Travel coffee mug: You WILL use this on the ship. Hot chocolate, tea, coffee, etc. Its one of the things a lot of people buy at the first port. I had this one and donated it at the end because I had it for a long time (click HERE).

Bags: Just bring a bag of snack-sized, quart-sized, and gallon-sized bags. I used mine ALL the time.

Wish I didn’t bring: travel toilet paper, sink plug/bathtub plug, TRAVEL PILLOW (I used it like twice and it was more work than anything else). Eyemask/earplugs, I didn’t use either, ever. Passport cover–they keep your passport when you’re on the ship so it doesn’t do much unless you need it for travel after the ship. A lot of that specialized travel stuff you won’t need. You adjust and adapt, don’t make it complicated.

Random Stuff

CARDS, CARDS, CARDS: I cannot tell you how often we played cards, at least once or twice a day. I brought 4 decks and we used them all, often. Some people brought board games (Catan was HUGE), but there are a lot on the ship already.

Over the door hanger: This was a last-minute toss in and I’m SO glad I brought them. My roommate and I used them in our closets for purses, jackets, and towels. I had the cheap target one, but like this (click HERE). Tip: in rooms of three, some people brought over the door shoe organizers and it really helped with storage.

Hangers: I think you get 10 hangers, but that’s hardly any. I brought cheap ones and then just donated them, so did my roommate.

Pillow: You need to. The pillows on the ship are just not going to cut it. People who didn’t bring a pillow regretted it.

Blanket: I brought a small blanket that I kept on my bed and loved it. It was super nice for going out on the deck at night too, just something comfy from home.

Lanyard: You’ll want something to keep track of your keys and ID.

Wish I didn’t Bring: ENO, you can’t use it on the ship and there were not really opportunities I could have used it.

School/Office Supplies

Notebook/paper: I use this flexible binder (click HERE) and just brought loose-leaf paper and some page protectors and put all my classes in it. Ended up only using one package of loose-leaf paper, donated the rest.

Normal pens/pencils: nothing too exciting, but you’ll need them for journaling and school, etc. Tip: if you want to make a smash journal or do a fun journal, bring fun pens/markers.

Sticky notes: Bring like 3-4 sticky note pads, they’re fun to leave notes for your cabin steward or for people on their doors.

Craft stuff: some people brought string and/or beads to make bracelets (fun presents for people) or coloring books. I didn’t but it was fun receiving this stuff!

Journal: You will want to journal, it is SO fun to look back on. Even when we were on the ship we would go back and read stuff from earlier, it was great. I used both of these (click HERE) and ended up buying another one while I was gone.

Books: I didn’t bring any besides a devotional book/my Bible and my Kindle. I loved this decision, but some people traded books… personal preference.

Sharpies: for basic use, but mostly for signing maps at the end! You’ll need at least two because it is a process signing everyone’s map!!

Pictures: Most people bring pictures of home to put up because the cabins get old really quick. I had a ton and it felt more like a permanent place because we ‘decorated.’

Wish I didn’t bring: magnets, a lot of people used them to decorate their door, but we didn’t do that and it was kind of a waste of space. More school supplies than I normally use… I donated most of it.

Medication

Sea bands: These things are great, they genuinely help with seasickness… which you will get used to but you’ll still use them. I swear 1/2 the ship was wearing them (click HERE). This is all I really used for seasickness.

Probiotics: I’m pretty sure that probiotics were the only reason I never got sick from food. There was a group of us and the ones that took probiotics didn’t get sick and the ones that didn’t take them did… (click HERE).

Vitamin C: I took this and Probiotics consistently and it helped me from getting sick, I didn’t even get a cold (click HERE).

Dramamine: In all honesty, you barely need this or I did at least. I took it the first day on the ship and passed out on accident, but didn’t take it the rest of the time. Worst case, the Med Clinic has seasickness meds out like candy, but otherwise, don’t really need it.

TD Medication: You WILL want this from your doctor because you WILL use it. TD (traveler’s diarrhea– which can be literally anything) is contagious and literally, everyone gets it on the ship and TD medication from your doctor will be your best friend.

Malaria: You’ll plan this with your doctor. They will tell you when to take it.

Emergen-C/Electrolyte: Emergen-C (THIS stuff) was good for if you thought you were getting sick, but I only used it like 3-4 times. Electrolyte stuff was great because before we’d go to really hot/humid countries, we’d drink a few to prepare so we didn’t get dehydrated (click HERE). You could probably go without it if you really wanted to.

Normal Medication: Between my roommate and I, we only had one set of Advil, Tylenol, Melatonin, and then a pack of the Day/Night time Flu sets. I honestly think we used all of these a total of like 7 times between the both of us. You think you’ll need all of this stuff, but honestly you forget or just don’t need it.

Snacks

The important thing about snacks: YOU WILL WANT MORE THAN YOU THINK. I knew this and packed a 40lb bag, which I got a lot of grief for, but everyone ended up thanking me for it. The bag I used for snacks became my souvenier/extra bag so it was a win-win.

I was intentional and packed ship snacks/drinks and in country snacks/drinks.

Ship snacks: 2 boxes of Cheeze-Its (wish I packed more), 2 bags of Monster trail mix (wish I packed more), 2 boxes of pop tarts (I wish I packed more), 4 boxes of breakfast bars (good amount), 2 bags of goldfish (wish I packed more). Bottom line: you’ll want a TON of these kids of snacks because ship food gets old, you don’t have anything to do besides snack, and its a reminder of home.

Drink mix: crystal light lemonade (sometimes you just need to get water in, without it tasting like water), tea, hot chocolate, coffee.

In-country snacks: I basically worked it out so I would have two snacks for every day we were in country… I’M SO GLAD I DID THIS. Sometimes I didn’t eat them, but other people did, lifesavers in some instances. I brought fruit snacks, fruit strips, granola bars, and individual packs of nuts.

I’ll update this as necessary, but hopefully, this helped some of you pack for your trip (I’m so stinking jealous you get to go!).

Congratulations! You made it to the end of my very detailed list. Heres a reward, a shorter one.

Click HERE for the PDF Packing List