Purchase any items of clothing you might need

A great example would be for a Californian to go to Sweden in the middle of winter. You will need a lot of unusual gear to survive the winter or even the summer. Make it part of your research to determine what is something you will absolutely need. Maybe snow gloves, maybe even a new bikini. Try not to buy a whole new wardrobe since you could use the money to travel abroad or the luggage space but buy the essentials.