Packingx2

First off, I leave for Europe tomorrow!!!

This of course means that I finished my packing today, especially since I have to get up early tomorrow.  My flight leaves at 10:20 meaning I should be at the airport around 8:15 meaning I have to leave my house in Frankenmuth around 6 AM.  That is early for a college kid but I'll be able to sleep on the drive to the airport and on the planes.

So back to the whole packing thing.  I consider my self and expert over-packer.  I have traveled enough I know what I need and then normally throw in a few extra of everything just in case.  This mentality obviously wouldn't work for a 40 day trip in one suitcase.  I normally make lists for packing; I even have a notebook of packing lists for trips since the summer of 2006.  This list was on my computer and one of the larger lists I've made.  Not only is it a long trip but I can't rely on my parents to have items such as nail-clippers and other small items I never pack because someone else does.  I also had to figure out what I needed to buy before the trip.  (The answer: A LOT!)

After the lists were made it came time to start getting stuff together.  This was made slightly more complicated because I was packing at my parents' house where some of my stuff was but also had lots at my apartment at school that needed to be packed.  I came home every weekend over the summer to work though so it wasn't a big problem, just required some planning.  As stuff came home, I started laying everything out on my bedroom floor to see what I had to fit into a suitcase.

These were the results:

Not too bad; Right?

Wrong.  Here is the other side of the bed.

This suitcase looked smaller than I remembered.

 Throughout this process I was contemplating how long it would take me to pack.  Joe assured me that packing only takes about 2 hours; I told him it took me 45 minutes to decide which shoes to bring, packing was not going to take 2 hours.

In the end I got everything I wanted to in the suitcase.  There is an option to expand it which I will plan on doing on the way home to get souvenirs back.  I also can throw out the towels if needed.  Now I just need to see if I can get everything I want in my carry-on to fit...

It closes and everything!

The part that makes this post about packingx2 is packing up at my apartment at school.  My lease expires a week after I get back so in the process of bringing stuff home every weekend I also brought home items that were no longer needed at my apartment.  The result is a bedroom at home full of stuff and a very bare bedroom at my apartment.  

My now boring bedroom wall.

Now that packing for Europe is done (or at least just about done) I get to spend the rest of the night with my parents and boyfriend before I leave.  Hopefully I'll be able to sleep tonight.  Tomorrow starts an adventure.