My daughter has just started her semester abroad in Australia. She took one large bag, under the weight limit, a carry-on bag, and a backpack. The carry-on was vital, as her large bag got lost for 24 hours in transit from Sydney to Brisbane. We’ve communicated very well using WhatsApp. She was even able to give me a video tour of the house she’s staying in with it.
Thanks for starting this thread. D is doing all of junior year in Russia and I have the same type of questions.
She has planned a “capsule wardrobe” where all the clothes can easily mix and match. She lost a lot of weight this year so she needed to do some shopping anyway. She has been carrying a small suitcase and backpack on flights to school so we got the matching large suitcase so she can line up the handles and roll them together.
@Buster21, make sure she packs cold-weather clothing and is aware that consumer goods (desirable ones, at least) might be harder to purchase in Russia than in many other countries.
My kid went to Jordan with one backpack. He lived in a student apartment and bought basic cooking supplies there. We ended up visiting in December and brought an extra suitcase for stuff he’d bought while he was there. The study abroad program told them what to do about cell phones. (Which was to buy one locally.) We talked once a week via Skype and he generally sent us an email telling us when was going to be a good time - some weekends they had field trips. He had an ATM card and a credit card.
My daughter was an embarrassment of too much luggage when she left for study abroad.
In addition I had to send over with a visiting friend 2 formal gowns required for her internship. Most important is a small backpack or tote for weekend trips and a good plan on how all the stuff is going to make it home.
Closets and storage in the dorms was minimal. We had to go out and buy a hanging rack for her room and bins for under the bed for shoes, etc
Like other kids, my daughter took too much when she studied in Spain. Living space is so cramped there! Encourage your daughter to take as little as possible.
WhatsApp is wonderful. We have discovered that people all over the world use it. We get better reception on it, talking to our son in Lebanon, than we do using our cell phone locally! We used our cell phone overseas only once - WhatsApp was fine 99% of the time.
My D is in the middle of 8 months of study abroad programs. She took the middle piece in her 3 piece spinner set and a hiking pack. She has everything she needs and hasn’t complained, though it was painful for her packing so light, as she usually overpacked for trips.
Madrid has some excellent places to shop for clothing and other things (FOOD). So leave room in the suitcases/bags for new items. I assume she will travel with some sort of computer and may need it for her class work. Plan to deal with the European power supplies/outlets.
@Buster21 Actually, my daughter spent semesters in Russia twice, and no difficulty at all finding warm clothing to buy locally. The first time she went she had taken over a bulky winter coat, and when she couldn’t fit everything into her suitcase I told her to leave it behind, and give it someone in Russia who could use it (and there were no takers… but the coat was left behind nonetheless). So still makes sense to go with the pack light & layer approach … and just budget with the expectation of buying clothing as needed locally.
For anyone traveling to a colder climate-- I highly recommend a jacket like this:
https://www.landsend.com/products/womens-lightweight-primaloft-jacket/id_302555
I bought a similar one several years ago and absolutely swear by it. It is surprisingly warm – it easily kept me warm outdoors in a snowstorm during my first trip – and can be compacted down very small, so very easy on the luggage.
Thanks for the correction, @calmom. My last time in that part of the world was a few decades ago; I’m glad things have improved since the Soviet era!
@mathmom – “My kid went to Jordan with one backpack.” I LOVE that about guys. So minimalistic! A friend of my son’s traveled for 4-months in Asia with one small (22 inch) suitcase/backpack and a daypack. Most girls I know take more than than for a weekend!
Agree with one suitcase and one backpack. Converter plugs and bring some meds like Allegra/Claritin, Excedrin, etc. Can wear the coat on the plane. She has to be able to maneuver her luggage in public places and transportation by herself. D’s did a lot of semesters abroad all over the world in different seasons.
" We will see how the packing of clothes goes. She is really into her clothes and shoes!"
Seriously, have her wrangle her own bags and carryons up and down some long stairs, and across a gravel or uneven parking lot or two. Have her ride a bus with them. Try give her a realistic experience in transporting her own bags through what she might reasonably expect to have to deal with.
Less is better. She can buy what she needs there, and might very well want to throw out a few things before she comes home.
My kids and their friends have had multiple long term experiences overseas: semester abroad, travel, and summer internship/jobs. . I haven’t yet seen a photo of any girls wearing dressy shoes. One pair of neutral heels is reasonable, but she isnt going on a cruise. Everyone does a lot more walking overseas than they expect to do.
Make sure any shoes are worn in before leaving. My D had major blisters first week at study abroad because she was walking a lot more than she ever would in So Cal
@calmom - She has already scoped out that her new city has an H&M 
@Buser21 Yes, my daughter has traveled all over the world, and never once has run into any difficulty with finding plenty of places to shop for clothes and shoes. Comfort foods can be a problem though – at least when DD she was living in Russia, no peanut butter to be found anywhere. Will your daughter be in a major city (St. Petersburg or Moscow) --or more off the beaten track?
@rosered55 - these days Russia has huge shopping malls with plenty of familiar brand-name stores. Even knowing that Buster21’s daughter has scoped out the local H&M doesn’t do much to narrow down where she might be going: http://www2.hm.com/ru_ru/customer-service/shopping-at-hm/store-locator.html
Wait, does this mean that Russians won’t be trying to buy the blue jeans @Buster21’s daughter is wearing?! (Yes, that happened to me. I declined the offers.)
@calmom She’ll be in Yaroslavl. Looks to be a good sized city but not huge. Food might be an issue. She is a vegetarian but not picky other than that.
A benefit to backpacks over suitcases is easy of toting around. Note: wheelie suitcases and cobblestone streets do not mix well.
There are also ingeniously designed, very light suitcase/backpacks; Osprey and Eagle Creek come to mind. They so make me want to hit the road…