Packing for an 11-week Trip

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So, I leave for Europe in 16 days, and I'll be there for 77 days. I would add one of those nifty countdown things here, but they all seem to be a couple days off. Alas...

Today was the dry-run for packing for this trip. My parents have let me borrow a very nice wheelie suitcase with a handle. I hope it's better than my last 2, both of which I got in the middle of a trip. The same trip, actually. The first one was from Real in Jena, Germany. If you know anything about Real, you probably know how that turned out. It had wheels and a handle, but it was a lot like a gym bag in quality of the fabric. It lasted until I got to Toulouse, the next week. Then I got a hard-shell suitcase from a street vendor in Montpellier, France. It had wheels and seemed very durable. I still have it - and it stores things very nicely in my closet. Unfortunately, the wheels only lasted a week. Actually, they lasted until I got to Wales, 3 days after I left Montpelier, and the cobblestone streets quickly did them in. My parents say that this one has done them well, but I'll let the cobblestones be the judge of that.

It weighs 9 lbs, which is a bit heavy, but I hope it makes up for it in durability. I made a list of everything that I'll need (that I can think of, so far!), and I packed it in there. It all fit, so that was a miracle. And it weighed in at 40 lbs, which is still under the maximum for any of my flights (44 lbs, or 20 kg). But then I realized that I hadn't packed any long-sleeve shirts, so now I have to figure out what I can get rid of and what all I'll be wearing on my body as I fly to and within Europe.

I had tried to pack enough clothes so that I only needed to wash them every 2 weeks. But I think I'm just going to have to knock that down to a week, maybe 10 days, so that I can fit it all in. I also have to acquire some honey mustard and ranch sauces for Eno, my friend who is gracious enough to let me stay with her while I'm in London. Those will add weight, too. And then there are the things that I know I'm forgetting. You'd think that this was my first international trip. I guess it is the first one of this length. Until now, my longest trip has been 7 weeks.

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