Marie's Guide to Packing Like a Pro (?)

This post comes to you compliments of my abiding beliefs that a) I am a packing pro and b) one should share knowledge with the ignorant masses whenever possible.

Seriously, though, I am good at packing. For real. I was the lightest traveler in our group during this summer's Euro-adventure, and successfully dressed myself in semi-socially acceptable clothing for seven weeks using only a single, regulation-sized rolling carry-on suitcase. I also had my not-big-enough-for-my-MacBook purse. I even had reasonably good personal hygiene for the majority (majority = at least 50% of the time. Or just about 50% of the time.) of our trip. This is impressive.

(Also, sometimes, foolish. For instance, I spent three weeks in New Zealand wearing almost exclusively four pieces of UnderArmor gear. When the study abroad website said pack four shirts and two pairs of pants, I took that nonsense to heart. As a result, I still occasionally hear about how I looked like I was sponsored by UnderArmor and a ridiculously dressed human. Be careful about the decisions you make.)

Packing for the move to Dublin is not quite the same as this. While I bet I could pack for the semester using only a carry-on bag, I would be reduced to being one of Those People - you know, the people in class or at work who either have a cartoon-style closet or who legitimately only wear two shirts in their whole life - and I would likely freeze to death and/or melt from the infamous Dublin rain. So. I'm not even trying. In fact, I am packing as many bags as I can, and I am going to the max on weight and size requirements. Again: I really, really don't want to freeze to death.

But I still have a method for maximizing packing efficiency, and I still have tips and tricks to help you, dear reader you, make it to your foreign destination with as little hassle and stress as possible.

best of the best

Now that the trip to end all trips is done and we are all home safe, sound, and in one piece, it is time to reflect on some of the very best moments of the whole shebang. Behind the cut (look! Even my lingo is technologically savvy.), you will find photographic evidence of fantabulous, fairly foolish, fantastically... fantastic? fun. (Alliteration is for the cool kids.)

There is no particular order or segregation by geographical location, because Blogger added them willy-nilly and I am too lazy to attempt to exert order, but the collection was carefully curated for representation of maximum awesome. If you really, desperately need to know where a picture was taken, or under what circumstances, ask me and I guarantee I will know the answer, something I can only do rarely. However, I very much doubt that you will have questions, seeing as NO ONE EVER COMMENTS EVER, BUT WHATEVER, I'M NOT BITTER. (Just kidding about the capslock.)

Enjoy.

(And try not to be too jealous.)

(I was just kidding. Again. Be jealous. It's a reasonable reaction.)

COLLOSEUM

what in rome

It’s been too long, friends.

You see, we have had an unfortunate lack of reliable Internet connection since arriving in Italy (and yes, it’s been painful and horrible and child of the 21^st century am, because I think I would rather not eat than not have internet – and I really like food.)(OK – I exaggerated. I would rather eat. But I would go down to two meals per day for Internet.), and so you have suffered. I did try, to be fair, but posting to Blogger on your phone doesn’t quite work and the post didn’t go where it is supposed to. So is life.

ANYWAY

Rome.

 FOOD

 VATICAN CITY

 TREVI FOUNTAIN

 PANTHEON

 

 BEACH

Yeah, Rome’s pretty. Incredibly, wildly, gorgeous. The streets are all very distinctly Roman (or Italian – I wouldn’t know), and that’s not a bad thing at all. Also, if I was impressed by the old castles and such in Ireland, I am awestruck by the ancient buildings/ruins/streets/walls that are all over the place here. In Arizona, the 50 year-old houses are old – here, the 100 AD churches are, sure, pretty and big but whatevs. More where that came from.

Meanwhile, my brain is going: !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Know what else is fabulous about Rome?

€1 McDonald’s milkshakes!

More on Roman adventures to come.