Studying abroad naturally involves a lot of traveling. I've been to Oslo, Norway... Malmö and Lund, Sweden... Munich, Germany... Prague, Czech Republic... Vienna, Austria... and of course Copenhagen in the time I've been here so far and am going back to Munich to Basel, Switzerland and to Spain and Morocco soon too! I used to be {maybe slightly still am} an over packer. I always pack extra options; anyone who knows me knows that I like to change multiple times a day from school clothes to comfy clothes and then if I go out again back to school clothes. Traveling certainly forces me to narrow down my options and ever since I got the worlds tiniest suitcase for weekend traveling I have forced myself to narrow down.
In terms of the carry on, however, I've learned early that less is more. I can't stand carrying around a huge bag filled with stuff through the airport. When I came to Copenhagen I had an enormous backpack filled with clothes {just in case the airline left my bags} and my computer, iPad and blanket and other odds and ends and just couldn't wait to unload it! I have narrowed the list of essentials down considerably and they all fit into my Longchamp or my Louis Vuitton Neverfull {I didn't bring it to CPH because I didn't want the rain to ruin it} when I went to Vienna, Prague and Munich I brought a fairly empty backpack and that gave me extra space for souvenirs too.
I keep small goodies in one of my many cosmetic cases {gum, earbuds, eye mask, cards, Chapstick, chargers, socks} and then I have the rest of my essentials {passport, wallet, iPhone, iPad} and I always tuck a scarf into my bag somewhere to layer over my sweater. I started wearing a big black cashmere sweater that is almost like a shawl to keep me warm on the flights and my mom and sister got me the best blanket ever so I always make space for that as well! I keep my iPad loaded with books and online magazines and then I journal on there as well. Pretty simple!
What are some of your go-to packing essentials? xox
