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.
1. Pick a color scheme. Or don't. This one is totally up to you. If you'd rather be a walking and uncoordinated rainbow explosion of mix-matched patterns and such, go for it. I totally approve. If my family didn't often physically prevent me from leaving the house in certain outfits, I'd be right there with you. But if you're more in to looking like a sane human, pick a general color scheme and go with it. Take this with the grain of salt that is my lack of respect for accepted matching schemes, but I truly try to pack only clothes that could all go together. Every shirt with every pair of bottoms is ideal.
2. No matter where you're going or what you're doing, have an outfit that is modest enough to get you into a fancy-schmancy church (shoulders/knees covered) or through an unexpected social event that requires a degree of professionalism.
3. ROLL! Packing by rolling clothing is insanely awesome and incredibly, incredibly space-maximizing. Check out some tutorials on the Interwebs to get an idea of what to do. Essentially, roll all your clothes up as tight as you can and stuff them as close together as possible.
4. Scarves are where it's at. I have this one scarf. It's the scarf of all things awesome, because it is the scarf of all things. During our time in Europe, I used it as a) a scarf, b) a blanket, c) a skirt, d) a shirt, e) a bag, f) shoulder-cover (shrug, I guess?). For real. Look for a big honking scarf made of thin-ish material in a pattern that is neutral or colorful enough to go with anything. It will save your life.
5. Pack the other stuff sensibly too
- Separate out your electronics, your personal hygiene stuff, your entertainment stuff, yadda yadda and put them in their own ziplock baggies. You'll be able to see them, and they'll be easy to get at.
- Shove the bags into the nooks and crannies left over from your clothes.
- Double bag large containers of liquid. Shampoo, condition, hair spray, laundry detergent - they will explode and they will attempt to ruin the first day of your vacation by presenting you with a bag full of sticky goo. Thwart them by putting an additional layer of plastic between them and your stuff.
6. Depending on where you'll be staying - hostel, dorm room, hotel - you might need to bring your own sheets and towels. Don't forget them! And look for thing versions that will take up less room.
7. FOR GOD'S SAKE DON'T FORGET THE POWER CONVERTER. Also, please be aware that an outlet adapter is not the same as a power converter. Be so careful about what you plug in to what, because it is so easy to blow stuff up. It takes three seconds and there goes your [insert favorite electronic device].
8. Leave room. You will want to bring home souvenirs. How many? I don't know. But make sure to leave space accordingly.
9. What to wear on the plane: As much as possible.
- WEAR ALL OF YOUR SCARVES. Well. I guess if you're bringing, like, eight or ten and they're woolen and huge, you can only wear most of them. This is a good tip on many levels. First, space saving yay! Second: Planes are crazy, crazy places. Sometimes, they are like Arizona in the summer. More often, though, they're freezing cold metal tubes of ice and Arctic wind. Sure, you might get a dinky little blanket, but your twenty scarves will help significantly. If you've got an awesome and non-stinky person sitting next to you, you might even get to be a hero and share!
- Wear layers. Again: Double function. You're saving space in your bag and your saving yourself from death by hypothermia.
- Wear you're fancy/really big things. Got a dress that will not appreciate ten hours in a dark bag? A suit? A huge honking wool coat? Wear it. Are you worried about what other plane riders will think about your outfit? Are you afraid that you'll die of heatstroke? Get over it! No one cares, and you have a spine, I'm sure. I will be boarding a plan in 100°+ Arizona in a big ole wool coat and possible suit. I will look like a fool. I will be too busy sleeping to hear the whispers and giggles.
- Wear your big shoes. Because shoes take up a TON of room. Yes, this might make security sucky, but you will survive. And if it does somehow kill you, your family might just make it big off the lawsuit.
10. Pack your personal item (AKA purse, briefcase, backpack, computer bag) right
- Make sure that you have easy-cheesy access to the following: passport, boarding ticket, wallet, small liquid containers, and computer. The last two should be easy to get to because you'll need to pull them out to get through airport security in the US. Once you're through, feel free to pack them back away. Keep the others on hand always.
- Headphones. You really don't want to sit on a plane with free movies and not take advantage! Just like you don't want to dish out for those awful dinky little headphones the airline is all too happy to sell you.
- Entertainment. I guess. If you want to stay awake, which is occasionally the way to go. I generally just bring my iPod/iPhone, with a billion podcasts and CBS Radio Mystery Theaters ready to go. Then I listen to them for five minutes. Then I fall asleep. But some people who are not as readily able to konk out before the plane has even taken off might want to bring books etc. You know what would be awesome? Buy a Rubix cube, print out instructions on solving it, and learn a new awesome party trick!
- Chapstick and lotion. Possibly liquid tears. Long plane rides will make you feel gross and stiff and all dried up - counteract it! Also: Hand sanitizer.
- Toothbrush and mini-toothbrush. This is my best tip, I swear. Because at the end of an international flight, you will have morning breath, and your mouth will feel and taste like a garbage full of airplane food, and you will be incredibly and stupidly happy when you get to your destination and can duck into a bathroom and brush your teeth. This is also an easy way to help avoid making the taxi driver, bus driver, or fellow bus passengers you will encounter think you're a dirty American.
AND, BECAUSE I CARE ABOUT YOU AND ONLY WANT YOU TO BE HAPPY:
If you wear contacts, don't wear them on the plane. Again with the dryness. Do you want to be that weirdo that looses a contact and then spends the rest of the day with one eye squinched shut? No. Wear your glasses on the plane.
Care to share any of your own tips, trick, recommendations or condemnations of my own methods? I've still got about three weeks left for you to tell me what I'm doing wrong and save me from a badly-packed catastrophe.
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