For Peace Corps, you’re allowed four bags: two suitcases weighing up to 50 lbs each, a carry on, and a personal item. Packing was one of the most difficult parts of preparation for me, as I’m a terrible packer to begin with, and packing to live in a mystery location for 27 months seemed daunting. Hopefully this list can help future Peace Corps volunteers, or give insight to anyone who’s curious about cramming 2 years of life into two bags.
Suitcase #1: This suitcase is the one you leave behind for the first three months, during Pre-Service Training. Knowing I wasn’t going to have access to it, and would be arriving in September, I used this bag to pack a lot of my winter clothes.
Clothing:
1 pair of gloves
1 thick scarf
1 beanie
1 waterproof winter jacket
1 fleece
1 pair of Blundstones boots
1 pair of tennis shoes
2 long leggings
1 set of thermal underwear
4 pairs of wool socks
2 pairs of tights
1 long sleeve dress
1 down puffer jacket
1 down vest
4 long sleeves
Fancier sandals for going out/nice events
Snoozies slippers
1 thick sweater
1 sarong
1 maxi skirt
1 denim jacket
Random:
Spot it game
Chess
Deck of cards
Dominoes
Travel Yahtzee
Mini umbrella
Mounting tape
Duct tape
Pour over coffee filter
Travel hammock
1 travel size hair straightener
Tripod
Photos of family and friends
1 empty travel purse
Important documents
Electronics:
Solar charger
Crank radio
Power strip
Battery powered light bulbs
Extra batteries
Suitcase #2: This is the suitcase I’ll have access to during Pre-Service Training, and the one that has all the stuff in it I wanted immediate access to.
Clothing:
Rubber sandals for showering or beach
Nice flats
Chaco hiking sandals
Thin slip on sandals
2 pairs of leggings
1 pair of biking shorts
1 pair of exercise shorts
4 tank tops
2 camisoles
1 pair of palazzo pants
10 underwear
5 pairs of Thinx
3 sports bras
2 bralettes
1 long modest dress
2 light weight cardigans
1 button down
1 pair of slacks
1 pair of black jeans
2 maxi skirts
1 pair of linen shorts
2 lightweight scarves
1 sunhat
1 hoodie
Toiletry bag
Menstrual cup
First aid kit
Sunscreen
Hand sanitizer
Razors
Makeup
Deodorant
Tweezers
Lip balm
Shampoo / conditioner
Hair brush
Hair ties
Lotion
Hand and face wipes
2 fast dry towels (full sized and washcloth sized)
Ped egg
Bug spray
Random:
Art and office supplies (sketchbook, colored pencils, black drawing pens, illustration markers, water color paint and paint brushes, highlighters, note cards, tape, and scissors).
Instax camera and film
Gifts for host family (Mexican candy for the kids and California souvenirs for the adults).
Sunglasses
Empty laundry bag
Elastic clothesline
Rubber sink stopper
1 Moroccan guidebook
3 empty, reusable shopping totes
Electronics:
3 universal wall adapters
Charging cords
Earbuds
USB wall adapters
1 terabyte external hard drive
1 DSLR camera and lenses
Carry on: I lived out of my carry on for five weeks before leaving for Morocco, visiting family and friends, so it’s pretty much filled with my summer California clothes that I can’t wear in-country. Hopefully I’ll get to wear them again visiting Europe.
Clothing:
1 pair of linen culottes
1 pair of denim shorts
7 tank tops
3 short dresses
1 long sleeve
1 sweater
5 pairs of underwear
1 sports bra
2 bralettes
1 one piece swimsuit
1 bikini
1 pair of blue jeans
Baseball hat
Electronics:
1 laptop and charger
Random:
Sunscreen
Makeup and toiletries
Jewelry bag
Personal item: Maybe technically too big since I stuffed all my personal electronics in here, but hopefully they let me take it anyways HA
1 lightweight scarf
1 airplane blanket
1 Kindle with a ton of books
1 MP3 player with a ton of music
1 over ear headphones
1 in-ear headphones
Travel journal
Hand sanitizer
Travel-size lotion
Wipes
Pens
Mini-hairbrush
Stain remover pen
Post-its
Hair ties
Mini-sewing kit
Portable battery pack
Eye mask
Ear plugs
Passport
Wallet
Phone
Chargers
Universal wall adapter
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