What should I pack?

Pack for the season and climate you'll be travelling to. Some essentials for all locations are hand sanitiser, deodorant, familiar western medicine, bug spray and the appropriate electric plug/socket converters, which can sometimes be hard to find in country. Prescription medication, if needed, should be arranged to be picked up before the trip and it's advisable that you bring these in original packaging and a copy of the original prescription.

A very important tool on your trip will be a laptop computer. This will be hugely beneficial for your TEFL/TESOL training, lesson planning and creation of classroom materials. 

Bank cards - We recommend bringing multiple bank cards if possible because replacements can take a while to get shipped out in cases of loss or damage. It's a good idea to make sure that you don't keep all your cards in one place so if you do lose your bag/wallet/purse, you still have a back up waiting for you at your accommodation. We at Gotoco recommend bringing cards such as Monzo or Revolut to avoid bad exchange rates. 

Before departure, your programme coordinator will send out a Pre-Departure Pack will further details on a packing list relevant to your location. This will be put together with guidance from local partners who know the do's and don'ts of dress code in their countries. 

We at Gotoco highly recommend taking backpacks rather than suitcases if possible, especially if you plan to extend your trip and go travelling after finishing your programme. Backpacks tend to be more practical in the long run and are less likely to break while running for that 10pm night train across uneven ground!

One of the Gotoco founders has had his check-in bag mislaid twice over 20 long-haul flights (10% of flights lost it…) so be mindful when packing. When it is lost, it can take a few days for it to be returned so if there is anything you need to survive or thrive then its best to have it in hand luggage!