5 Must-Haves for Your GAP Year in Israel (That Aren’t on Your Packing List!)
Your school may have sent you a packing list for your GAP year in Israel or you might have found a useful list that your friend shared with you. Either way, there are some products that are super useful to have on your GAP year but don't always make it onto your typical packing lists. Here are Pack for Israel's top 5 picks of awesome items for your GAP year that you may not have thought about...
#1 Shabbat Clip-On Lamp
A clip-on Shabbat lamp is a game-changer for dorm life in Israel. Whether you’re winding down on Shabbat or any night of the week, it gives you just the right amount of light to read or study in bed without disturbing your roommates. What makes this lamp extra convenient is its clever clip-on design—it attaches directly to your bed frame, saving precious desk space and keeping your light exactly where you need it.
#2 Sleep Sack
As a GAP year student you are going to have lots of opportunities to go away for Shabbat. Bringing linens is often a challenge for students because on the one hand, you don't want to burden your hosts to provide you with linens and on the other hand you don't want to have to take off all your linens and schlep them with you every time you travel. Enter the sleep sack. It's lightweight and compact and basically acts as all your linens in one. Bring this with whenever you travel and just place it on your bed, slip inside and sleep well...
#3 Bedside Caddy Storage Organizer
Using storage accessories is a great way to maximize your limited dorm room space and also stay organized. Lots of people are aware of solutions like drawers and under bed storage boxes, but the bedside caddy is a lesser known solution but no less useful. The bedside caddy attaches to the side of your bed and allows you to keep things you need to access often such as tissues, glasses, magazines, fuzzy socks and anything else you can think of!
#4 Quick Drying Towel
If you're spending a year in Israel, you'll need a few towels for everyday use. Make sure that at least one of those towels is a quick drying towel. Perfect for tiyulim and and other outdoor excursions, these towels will dry really quickly so that you can pack it away on the move and not smell up your bag (and the bus) with a damp towel.
#5 Power Strip
Imagine a small dorm room shared by 4 students with 2 power outlets... If you want to be able to charge your phone and plug in your fan and lamp at the same time, a simple power strip is essential. It's best to buy this in Israel because it's going to be suitable for Israeli electricity and it will also fit your Israeli appliances.
About Pack for Israel
We hope you enjoyed this article. At Pack for Israel you can order everything you need for your program in Israel: Bedding, towels, toiletries, small appliances (220V), storage accessories & more. Have questions about packing for Israel? Contact us anytime and we'll be happy to answer your questions.