Packing for 7 Months Abroad: Decisions, Negotiations, and Sacrifices


I am currently in packing hell! Since I have been sick (all week!) and stuck at home, I've slowly been sorting what I want to take to Italy. Honestly, it is turning out to be a lot harder than I anticipated. Three months I can do, but seven months with multiple seasons is breaking me! I thought I would get to bring a lot more, but the further I got into sorting, the smaller my two suitcases became.

I started packing by pulling out everything I wanted to pack and laying it out on my bed. For the next three days my room (actually the entire apartment) looked like a disaster area! I then started sorting everything into three piles: 1) My must-haves, 2) My maybes or things I have multiples of, and 3) Things I would like to take, but could easily live without (or mail).

I then pulled out my packing cubes, which I swear by, and starting packing my must-haves, or non-negotables. This included:

Once my must-haves were packed, negotiations began for the remaining items. Do I really need to pack 27 tops and 15 sweaters? Yes... but sadly I can't.

I decided to toss most of my toiletries to make room for more clothing options, since I can easily buy toothpaste, face wash, body wash, shampoo, and conditioner there. I will take my makeup, but skip packing my blowdryer. In addition to tossing toiletries, I am also chucking extra shoes and accessories, since both are easily purchased in Italy... darn. It's all about compromise, people!

Here are some other things I'll be compromising on:

I was making great progress with all of this until the worst happened... I ran out of packing cubes! So packing has been put on hold until reinforcements arrive (thank goodness for 2-day Prime!). I am hoping to complete my packing dry-run this weekend. That way I have a good idea of suitcase weight and fullness, and what will need to be shipped. I am also hoping to avoid wearing these items and keeping as much as possible packed for the next four weeks. Not sure if that will really happen, but here's hoping. Just in case, I am photographing everything along the way, which will help me repack in January and is a great way to document what you packed should your insurance ever need to reimburse you (#KnockOnWood).


Am I a complete loser because my big weekend plan is to finish a packing dry-run lol?
Happy Friday!

PS - Check back tomorrow for another fab freebie!

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