Packing List

• Valid passport with a minimum of six months beyond your planned date of return remaining before expiration
• Visas or working papers, if you’ve managed to obtain them prior to departure
• Photocopy of your passport, birth certificate, and other important documents
• Traveler’s checks
• Resumes and letters of recommendation from past employers, teachers, and even students
• Copies of your diplomas and certificates
• Guidebooks, dictionaries, phrase books
• Teaching materials (including an English grammar guide)
• Postcards or photos of your home city and travel brochures from your local chamber of commerce
• Passport photos (at least ten, black-and-white or color)
• Nice work clothes and shoes
• Light, casual clothing
• A coat and several articles of warm clothing, depending on your destination and the season
• Thermal underwear to wear under lighter clothes during the winter
• Comfortable walking shoes with thick soles
• Backpack, if you intend to travel
• Rain gear
• Toiletries and personal items (e.g., anti-perspirant, skin moisturizer, make-up)

Optional

• Contact lens solution; definitely bring a pair of glasses if you normally wear contacts
• Small gifts
• Camera
• Music (an instrument, radio, cassette player)
• Athletic equipment (running shoes, soccer ball, tennis racket)
• Women’s tights; pantyhose are plentiful, but real tights can be more difficult to come by
• Birth control (condoms, in particular, are of poor quality and difficult to find)
• A few good books (on audio cassette tape?)
• Some special treats (your favorite sweets, supplies for your hobby)
• Adaptors for any electrical devices that require 110 watts (Europe is 220 watts)

What to Leave at Home

• Drugs. Do not jeopardize your travel plans and your future. Jail is no place to find gainful employment.
• Weapons. We strongly discourage carrying weapons into Eastern Europe. If you feel strongly about doing so, we advise that you check the laws of the countries you will be visiting.
• Attitudes and abrasive modes of expression. Remember that you are a guest in another country. Tread lightly until you know what you’re walking on.