Moving Abroad as an Exchange Student: Packing, Visas, and Settling In
Going abroad as an exchange student is a move with a passport and a deadline: sort the visa and passport early, pack lighter than feels comfortable, plan how you'll handle money, power, and your phone in another country, and keep one thread back to home without missing the year in front of you. The paperwork is the part that can sink a start date, so it goes first. The packing is genuinely small — you're moving into someone's home for a year, not furnishing your own.
This guide covers the move itself: what to settle before you go, what to bring for a year away, how to handle the practical things that work differently in another country, and what coming home is actually like. If a household shuffle happens alongside your year away, you can start a Dovetail plan for that side. And if you're moving the other direction — coming to the US on an exchange — we wrote a companion guide for arriving in the US as an exchange student.
A note from Bradford — and a real ask
My wife, Megan, spent two years in Germany as an exchange student, and a lot of this guide is built from her best memories of what actually mattered — and what she wishes she'd known before she went. We love that exchange of ideas and cultures so much that we hope to host exchange students in our own home one day. This guide comes from that lived experience and a good deal of research.
If you've done an exchange year, or you're in one now, and something here is wrong, missing, or could be sharper, I'd be grateful if you'd email me at hello@movedovetail.com. I read every reply, and the guide gets better every time someone takes the time to write.
What makes an exchange-student move different?
You're moving into someone else's home in another country for a fixed stretch, so the move optimizes for paperwork and lightness, not volume. Two things gate the whole trip — a valid passport and the right visa — and everything else is a suitcase you'll half-empty and refill with a year's worth of new things anyway. The mistake is treating it like a permanent move and overpacking; the year provides most of what you'll need.
The emotional shape is different too. Unlike a normal move, you're a guest in a household and a culture, and the goal is to be present in it rather than to recreate home. Pack and plan with that in mind, and the year opens up.
What should you sort before you go?
Settle the passport, the visa, insurance, and your health checks first, because those have the longest lead times and the firmest deadlines. A passport renewal alone can take weeks, and many countries require it to be valid for at least six months beyond your stay. The destination country's student or exchange visa is issued by its embassy or consulate, on its timeline, not yours.
A workable pre-departure sequence:
| When | Do this |
|---|---|
| 3–6 months out | Confirm passport is valid 6+ months past your return; renew now if not. Start the visa application with the destination's consulate. |
| 2–3 months out | Arrange international health insurance (your program may require a specific policy). Book the doctor and dentist visit. |
| 1 month out | Make two sets of copies of every document, gather any host-family gifts, tell your bank and phone carrier you're going abroad. |
| 1–2 weeks out | Pack, set up mail handling at home, confirm arrival details and who's meeting you. |
Enroll in your home country's traveler program if it has one — for US citizens, the State Department's Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) (external — US government) registers your trip so the nearest embassy can reach you in an emergency.
What should you pack for a year abroad?
Pack one large checked bag and a carry-on, weighted toward clothes for the climate and a few things you can't easily replace. You will acquire a year's worth of belongings while you're there, so leave room — literally, in the suitcase, and figuratively. The packing method is the same one in our packing guide, pared down to what one person needs for a year as a guest.
| Category | Bring | Leave |
|---|---|---|
| Clothing | Layers for the full range of seasons you'll see, one nice outfit, comfortable shoes you can walk in all day | A full wardrobe — you'll shop there, and styles differ |
| Documents | Passport, visa, insurance card, program papers, copies of all of it | Originals of anything you can't replace, in checked luggage |
| Tech | Phone (unlocked), laptop if needed, chargers, the right plug adapters | Bulky electronics you can live without |
| Host gifts | A few small, meaningful items from your home region | Anything heavy or fragile |
| Comfort | A couple of photos, one familiar item, a journal | Most of home — the point is to be there, not here |
| Health | Any prescription meds in original packaging with a doctor's note, a small first-aid kit | A full medicine cabinet |
Keep your documents and one change of clothes in your carry-on. If a checked bag goes missing on the way, you want your passport, visa, and program papers on you, not in it.
How do you handle phones, power, and money abroad?
Sort three things before you land: a plug adapter for the country's outlets and voltage, a phone plan that works there, and a way to spend money without losing a cut to fees. These are small problems at home and large ones at 11pm in a foreign airport, so solve them in advance. Most of the world runs on different plug shapes and often 230 volts versus the US 120, so check whether your devices are dual-voltage before you rely on a simple adapter.
For your phone, the usual choice is a local SIM or eSIM bought on arrival (cheapest for a long stay) or an international plan from your home carrier (simplest for the first few days). For money, bring a debit or credit card with no foreign transaction fees, tell the bank your travel dates so it doesn't freeze the card, and carry a small amount of local cash for the first day before you can find an ATM. Ask your program whether you'll open a local bank account — for a full year, many students do.
Bringing a gift for your host family
Bring a few small gifts from your home region — it's one of the warmest things you can pack. A host family is opening their home to you for a year, and something local and personal, given on arrival, sets the tone better than anything expensive. Think regional food that travels well, a book of photos from your hometown, or a small craft from where you're from. Keep it light and meaningful rather than large or breakable.
How do you stay in touch with home without missing the year?
Stay connected on a rhythm, not a constant drip — a scheduled weekly call beats all-day messaging. The hardest part is the time-zone gap, which turns "call whenever" into missed connections, so pick a standing time that works on both ends and protect it. The deeper trap is being so plugged into home that you miss the country you traveled so far to be in.
Send a postcard or two, the same as you would from camp — there's something about a physical note from across the world that a text doesn't match. And tell the people at home, gently, that quiet stretches mean the year is working, not that anything's wrong.
What about coming home?
Coming home is its own adjustment, and it catches people off guard. Reverse culture shock is real: you return changed, home stayed roughly the same, and the gap between the two takes a few weeks to settle. The year rewires how you see your own country, which is most of the point. Keep the friendships you made — they're the part of the exchange that lasts longest — and give yourself room to feel a little out of step at first.
How much does going abroad cost?
Beyond the program fee, the move itself runs a few hundred to a couple thousand dollars depending on the destination and visa. Program fees vary enormously and sit outside this list; what follows is the move-and-setup cost around them:
| Item | Typical cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Passport (new or renewal, US) | $130–$190 | Plus expedite fees if you're late |
| Destination student/exchange visa | $0–$500+ | Varies widely by country; some are free, some are not |
| International health insurance | $300–$900 | For the year; your program may require a specific policy |
| Flights | $500–$2,000 | Round-trip, depending on distance and timing |
| Plug adapters, local SIM, first cash | $50–$150 | The practical landing kit |
Always confirm visa costs and requirements with the destination country's consulate — they set the rules and the fees, and both change.
Frequently asked questions
Can you work or earn money as an exchange student abroad?
Usually not, or only in narrow ways — most student and exchange visas restrict or prohibit employment, and working without authorization can jeopardize your visa. If you want to earn a little, ask your program and check the specific visa rules first. Babysitting or tutoring within the host family or program is sometimes allowed; a regular job rarely is.
Will your school credits transfer back home?
Sometimes, but arrange it before you leave rather than hoping afterward. Talk to your home school's counselor about which courses will count and what documentation they'll need from the host school, and get it in writing. Exchange years are often taken as a gap or repeated year precisely because credit transfer is uneven across systems.
Can your family visit during your exchange year?
Often discouraged early on, and sometimes restricted by the program. Many programs ask families to wait until the student has settled — a visit in the first weeks can deepen homesickness rather than ease it. Check your program's policy, and if a visit happens, time it for late in the year when it's a celebration rather than a lifeline.
What happens if you get homesick during a long stay?
Homesickness is normal on a long exchange, usually hits hardest in the first month, and eases as the place starts to feel like yours. The things that help are routine, friendships, and staying engaged rather than retreating to a screen and home. Your program will have a local coordinator whose job is exactly this — use them early rather than waiting until it's heavy. This is a normal, well-trodden part of the experience, not a sign it isn't working.
What's the most common document mistake to avoid?
Letting your passport's validity run too short. Many countries require it to be valid for at least six months beyond your stay, and a passport that expires mid-year is a serious problem to fix from abroad. Check the expiration date the day you start planning, and carry copies of every document separately from the originals.
How do you settle in and make friends quickly somewhere new?
Say yes early and often — join the club, the team, the trip, the family dinner. Friendships abroad form around shared activity faster than around language, so the fastest route in is showing up to things before you feel ready. Learning even a little of the local language, and using it badly and cheerfully, opens more doors than waiting until you're fluent.
Planning a household move alongside the year?
If your exchange year overlaps with a family move — a relocation timed to the school calendar, or a room being repurposed while you're away — Dovetail's planner handles the household logistics around your dates. Most plans are generic; we dovetail yours to fit your situation. Start your plan — it's free, and there's no account to create. Coming to the US instead of leaving it? See our companion guide on moving to the US as an exchange student.