If you are a hyper-organized, visual person like me who often makes a mess of their room but still knows exactly where everything is, my packing tips may be helpful for you. This grouping of tips is for any kind of packing: 1. Stuff sacks are everything. My shirts are in one, pants in another, and underwear in the other. They are color coded. Can be purchased at a Dicks, Cabelas, etc. Or Amazon. 2. Put your lotions and potions in plastic baggies to prevent disaster if they explode. Place them on the top of everything to reduce the amount of pressure they will undoubtedly experience. 3. You can't see in this picture, but if you are traveling with books, line them up at the base of your suitcase. This distributes their weight and boxy shapes evenly. 4. Utilize your suitcase's built in compartments. In mine, I packed socks, bikinis, feminine products, medicines, and plastic school folders. I also sectioned off my shoes at the base of my bag. They deserve their own pocket, they're going to get nasty. 5. Shift things around until you figure out what fits best. Packing is Tetris. This particular arrangement was my third go. I hope some of these pointers are helpful in your future travels! (I may make another list later detailing what I've learned about packing for a semester in sub-Saharan Africa as a young woman. For example, how to make a quality homemade first aid kit) |
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I've safely arrived at my family's home in southern Holland. Apologies for the mundane writing, I'm a bit delirious after having slept only three hours on my flights. I took a quick nap in the car ride from Amsterdam, but I'm not running on much. My goal is to make it to 21h (9 p.m.) tonight. We'll see how that goes... While waiting for my second flight in the airport in Paris I made a few travel tip notes in my journal. These may seem like no-brainers but here you go: 1. If you ever have anything important in open pockets without zippers i.e. wallet or passport, have them in there for short periods of time and don't take your hands off them. Pickpockets are everywhere. I also feel kinda cool with my hands in my pockets sometimes. 2. Drink water continuously. H2O is the cure to everything. 3. As soon as you land and have figured out where your gate is, get cash in the local currency. You just don't want to be places without cash (says a smart lady named Donna in my head). I exchanged some US dollars right away in Paris so I would land in Amsterdam with the moneys. I didn't want my lovely hosts to have to wait for me to exchange and having a cup of Dutch coffee was a crucial first. 4. General life tip: Never be afraid to ask questions. Charles de Gaulle is an uber confusing airport and I had an hour to switch planes. Thank goodness my French isn't total gibberish. 5. On that note, know how to say "Please" and "Thank you" in the language of whatever airport you're passing through. It takes about 30 seconds to learn and will get you far as an American. 6. These next two come from my Papa: Europeans speak at a lower volume than we do in the US. We are loud people. Like it or not, we are. Just be mindful. I'm from a theater upbringing so I constantly find myself drawing too much attention because I say the simplest things, like asking where the bathroom is, way too loudly. 7. A good language tip: Learn how to say "I don't speak [insert language here]" or "I only speak a little bit of [insert language here]" perfectly, accent and all. It will confuse whoever you're speaking to drastically and it is fun to see their reactions. More importantly, they will appreciate that you have learned to express your lack of ability to understand in a way that is very understandable. This will be my second time spending a semester in sub-Saharan Africa. In high school, I studied abroad in South Africa, Zambia, Mozambique, and Swaziland with The Traveling School. Here are some pictures from the trip! Hover your mouse over the pictures for a quick description. |