Be Prepared

I'm sitting here on my couch, watching old reruns of one of my favorite sitcoms on cable.  I'm working on my second of three loads of laundry, my suitcase is sitting open in the living room floor, still empty.  My dogs have already started their "following:" anytime the suitcases come down from storage they follow me around our apartment to make sure I'm not leaving them.  It's a little annoying, but endearing.  I'll only be gone for 17 days but it's nice to know they'll miss me.

Packing is always my least favorite part of traveling, and this time is particularly stressful.  It's my first time traveling overseas alone and I'm paranoid I'll leave necessities behind.  It's good to know that, if I do forget something, it's likely that I can just buy what I need in London.  I guess I've just always been an obsessive planner.  But I've got some packing resources, including a great article about how to pack 10-days-worth of clothing into a carry-on.  That's my goal for the London trip: one carry-on and one oversized tote.  Getting through customs will likely be stressful enough, so I'm going to try to save myself in whatever way I can.

I'm incredibly excited about this trip: I've heard great things about it from classmates who have made the trip before, but I'm still trying to wrap my head around all the logistics of traveling there.  I'm a list-maker, and I have my diligent checklist to prepare for the trip.  But the excitement is starting to overtake the paranoia and the stress.  I fly out Friday morning and fly all night, arriving in London Saturday morning.

I'd better get packing!

Final Countdown

I'm trying to wrap my head around the fact that, in a little over a week, I'll be IN LONDON.

My goals for this travel blog (which will remain separate from the other travel blog I'm keeping for the university) is to keep all three of you loyal readers entertained and share with you all my awesome experiences.

Countdown begins now: 8 days!!