A model's season luggage for 90 days away fits in one large 23 kg suitcase and one carry-on. Anything beyond that you can buy when you land, and it almost always costs less than excess baggage at the check-in desk.
The list below is the one that works in practice: what goes, where it goes and what stays home.
How much fits in your luggage for a 90-day season
Before you open the suitcase, open your ticket. Baggage allowance changes from fare to fare: many international economy fares out of Brazil include one 23 kg bag, and some include none. Finding that out at the airport is expensive.
Three months seem to call for three suitcases. They don't. On a season you do laundry every week, repeat casting outfits without anyone caring, and spend most of the day between go-sees (visits to clients or agencies so they can see you in person), the subway and the apartment. Too much luggage becomes dead weight at the airport, on the stairs of the building and in a room you share with other models.
A handheld luggage scale costs very little and saves you from opening your suitcase on the airport floor to pull out two kilos.
Your carry-on: what never gets checked
The rule is simple: whatever you can't lose on day one travels with you. If the big suitcase gets lost, you still make tomorrow's casting.
- Documents: passport, visa when the market requires one, and printed copies of your contract and the apartment address. A dead phone at immigration is a real problem.
- Casting kit: one complete casting outfit (fitted black tank or T-shirt, dark jeans), your heels and your sneakers.
- Daily medication for the whole season, with the prescription.
- Electronics: phone, charger, adapter and your power bank.
Power banks have new rules. Since April 2026, Brazil's civil aviation agency (ANAC) limits them to two per passenger, carry-on only, up to 100 Wh each, and bans recharging them during the flight. Agência Brasil summarised the rule (in Portuguese). If your season is in China, check the label too: on domestic flights there, a power bank without the Chinese 3C mark is stopped at security.
Casting clothes: the basics a booker wants to see
A casting doesn't ask for variety. It asks to see your body clearly. The basics that cover almost every go-see day:
- Two or three fitted tanks and T-shirts, in black and white.
- One pair of dark straight-leg jeans that fits well and doesn't leave marks.
- Simple black heels you already know how to walk in, and clean white sneakers.
- Plain underwear, nude and black, for fittings and polaroids.
- A plain bikini, if the market has swimwear or lingerie work.
It's the same outfit as your digitals and polaroids: plain, fitted, no prints. Clothes that grab attention pull the eye of the booker (the person who books a model's jobs at an agency) away from you.
Weather and routine: what to pack to live for three months
Check the destination's weather across the full 90 days, not just the week you arrive. A season that starts in September in Asia can end in the cold.
- One coat that handles the worst day of the season. One, not three.
- Workout clothes and running shoes. The gym or the street becomes part of your routine, and your body is your working material.
- Loungewear and pyjamas for a shared apartment.
- One slightly dressier outfit for a client dinner or an event.
In a model apartment, a bed and a basic kitchen are usually there, but every agency works differently. Ask before you fly whether you need to bring towels and bedding.
Electronics, medication and money
The wrong plug adapter is the silliest problem of your first night. China uses type A and I sockets at 220 V, Japan uses type A at 100 V, and Korea and most of Europe use C and F at 220 V. A universal adapter solves it, but a hair dryer or straightener built for 127 V can burn out abroad: check the voltage on the device itself.
Prescription medication travels in its original packaging, with the prescription. Bring a copy translated into English: at immigration and at a pharmacy abroad, that's what explains what it is.
Money: carry a little cash and rely on cards. To get paid and cover your routine in another currency without losing on the exchange, many models use a multi-currency account like Wise. The full exchange math is in the guide how to get paid in CNY, EUR and USD.
What to leave at home
Everything that weighs and doesn't work:
- A full makeup kit. Castings ask for a clean face, so moisturiser, sunscreen, concealer and mascara are enough.
- The third and fourth pair of heels.
- A party outfit for every possible occasion.
- Physical books and room decorations.
- Any piece you'd only wear "in case something happens".
Forgetting something won't ruin your season. Shampoo, socks and an extra jumper can be bought in any city that has an agency. What you can't buy there is your passport and your casting kit, and that's why they fly with you in the cabin.
If you're still choosing your first market, the guide how to become an international model shows how a season works and where the local agency fits in. And if you're heading to China, it's worth reading what to expect from a first season there.
Inside Cosmos
Cosmos is a Brazilian mother agency based in Florianópolis (SC), which has worked with more than 50 agencies across Asia, Europe and around the world.
Before a season, our process usually includes going through with the model what the local agency already provides (apartment, transport, what the contract covers) and what they need to bring. It's a short conversation that tends to prevent the most expensive problem of the first month: arriving without something a casting requires, or arriving with too much luggage for a shared room.
Visa requirements change. Always check with the embassy or consulate of the destination country for up-to-date information.
Don't have a mother agency yet? If you want to do a season abroad and need someone in your corner before you pack, introduce yourself through our Be Discovered page.
Frequently asked questions
One large suitcase of up to 23 kg and one carry-on are usually enough. You do laundry every week and buy whatever is missing at your destination. Check your ticket's allowance first, because not every fare includes a checked bag.
Passport, printed contract and address, one complete casting outfit with heels and sneakers, medication with its prescription, charger, adapter and power bank. If the big suitcase gets lost, you can still work the next day.
Yes, in your carry-on. Under ANAC's 2026 rule in Brazil you can take at most two, up to 100 Wh each, and recharging them during the flight is banned. On domestic flights in China, the power bank needs the Chinese 3C mark.
Plain, fitted pieces in black and white, dark straight-leg jeans, simple heels, white sneakers and plain underwear. The booker wants to see your body, not the clothes.
It depends on the agency. Many model apartments already have a bed and a basic kitchen, but ask before you fly so you don't waste suitcase space.
