what to pack for study abroad? 🧳 realistic packing guide for exchange in seoul, south korea

Hi everyone!
If you're watching this video, I assume that means that you're studying abroad soon (or just curious) and if that's the case, I'm SO incredibly excited for your journey to begin!
My name is Lynne and I recently returned home (the US) after spending a semester abroad in Seoul, South Korea. I was a student at Yonsei University for four months between September and December, and I wanted to give a realistic and accurate guide to what I actually took with me on my way over.
I really only bought clothes during the chillier months and relied on the basic pieces I packed with me for the entirety of my time there. Obviously, you might want to buy more clothes than I did (I can't blame you), in which case I recommend cutting down your packing list to approximately half of what I took.
I imagine that if you're going for the Spring semester, you'd want to think the opposite (make sure to have plenty of warm clothes and then plan to buy the lighter, summerly clothes when you're there). And if you're spending the whole year there (how exciting!) you might want to pack mainly for the first semester you'll be therefore with just a little more balance.
All in all, this is just a record of what I did, and it worked out perfectly for me and what I wanted. Please take everything with a grain of salt, but I hope this is informative and helpful in some way to those of you who are studying abroad soon!
Thank you again for watching and I hope you'll have a wonderful time abroad (I know you will)!
timestamps
00:00 intro + my background
00:40 what I packed
07:49 more in-depth commentary
19:14 full list + outro
💗 Hi! My name is Lynne and I'm a 21 year old Japanese-American girl who loves travel, baking, and pretty things :) which is why I'm trying to keep a collection of my memories on here for myself and to share with all of my loved ones and anyone who could benefit from it! I'm a university student and spent the last semester studying abroad at Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea 🇰🇷
follow me on instagram! @lynneguine_
Please check out my other videos if you're interested in my travels and how I spent my time as a student in Seoul!
• finals at yonsei unive...
• study abroad in seoul ...
• three days of solo tra...
#studyabroad #packingguide #seoul #yonsei

[@mbb4298]

you're a life saver, thank you sm for this ! i'm leaving in around 3 weeks and i'm struggling with packing rn, this was such a big help !

[@lynneguine]

I’m so glad you found it helpful! I know I was looking at so many packing lists and videos too. I’m so excited for you! Have fun!!

[@catherinebabbington8868]

I’m leaving for yonsei spring semester in about 3 weeks too and this video was very helpful!

[@lynneguine]

@@catherinebabbington8868 aaah I’m so excited for the both of you 💕

[@arisu5217]

i'm going to study abroad in the fall and i was struggling with what to pack so this was a great help! thank you!

[@lynneguine]

How exciting! I'm glad I could help :))

[@xoxogracieb]

ahh tysm for posting this! it made me feel so much better about what I'm taking/packing for Yonsei!

[@lynneguine]

I’m so glad! I hope you have a great time :))

[@liliananicole]

Might be going in 3 months, this video just saved me 😭❣️

[@lynneguine]

I'm so happy to hear that! I hope you have a great time

[@emma472]

This is so good! If only i had this before i went on my study abroad!

[@lynneguine]

Thank you! Me too lol :)

[@Jaeinluv]

ah! I also just came back from seoul. I ended up needing a whole other suitcase. I just was there for a month at Yonsei for the winter program!

[@lynneguine]

Welcome back! I hope you had a great time at Yonsei!

[@ashhlsy]

ty for this! im gonna study abroad for a semester, but not in korea but its super hard as an over packer to pack less than i need

[@lynneguine]

I totally get it! I hope you have a great time abroad!

[@jadagiddens7046]

what was your process for visiting japan on your way back home? I really wanna do that too but i dont know how I should book my flight for it

[@lynneguine]

If I remember correctly, I think I sorta got lucky that at the time, a flight to my home airport from Tokyo + the flight from Seoul to Tokyo was cheaper than a direct flight from Seoul. So I just planned around the dates/times and the airlines that had the cheapest flights possible (ofc while being reliable). I think you have more options to consider for your flight from Seoul to Tokyo, since that's a common path and shorter flight so definitely check out Korean, Japanese, and maybe other Asian airlines to see if you can find a pretty good deal on a reputable one. Depending on how far in advance you're looking at this, I would also suggest seeing if there's a weekend you could travel to Japan while in Korea, as that might be easier with your luggage and flight expenses if a direct flight home from Seoul is more efficient/cheaper than doing what I did.

[@Briellezzz]

I'm going for the full degree in Spring, I'm kinda scared about the flights, did you buy a one-way ticket? or a regular ticket? how did you pass inmigration office, Im so curious bc I'm 16 and I'm going alone 😭

[@lynneguine]

Wow that sounds incredible! I bought a one way ticket at first, since I wasn't exactly sure when would be the best time for me to come back. I think this differs for each person's situation, but I find the for most long-term exchange students, they didn't always buy a round-trip ticket in anticipation of plans changing. As for immigration, if you've already been accepted into a program, they should have provided you with documents to apply for a visa. Essentially, all I needed for immigration when I arrived was my visa and my contact information in Korea, which was my address and phone number (I didn't have my number yet, so my school told me to list their exchange student center number). I hope this helps and I hope you have a great time!

[@Aji_park]

Can I stay in Korea after finishing a semester??😅

[@lynneguine]

I wish!