Fitting My Entire Life Into Two 50 Lb. Bags

Packing. Arguably the hardest part of studying abroad. I have to fit my entire life into two teeny tiny suitcases that can't weigh more than 50 pounds each. Uh.. what? I'm going to be honest - I do not know how to pack "light". I haven't really told many people this, but coming to school freshman year I drove a Uhaul from New Jersey to Evanston... because I had so much stuff. Needless to say, I like having options when it comes to clothes/shoes/bags. So, when I found out that I could only bring 2 suitcases and shipping was out of the picture, I was faced with my first of many packing challenges: how to eliminate.

I began by eliminating things that I figured I could probably just buy there - blow-dryer, towels, linens, toiletries. But then I was informed by my mom that I could not, in fact, bring only clothes and shoes as I had planned. If I wanted to make any friends, I would need toiletries for the first few days. And, there was one toiletry she didn't think I'd be able to find in Sydney. See, I have a very specific mousse that I use on my hair when I leave it curly. It's the only stuff that works without making it sticky, crunchy, greasy, or frizzy. So Plan B: bring 5 bottles of mousse and travel sizes of everything else. Problem solved.

Oh if only packing were that easy... as soon as that problem was solved, I faced another, greater, challenge: what carry-on bag to bring. Laugh if you will but this is a serious question. As I said in my last post, I plan on doing some major adventure-ing while in Australia and my program recommended that we bring a backpack for weekend trips and bushwalks. I have not owned a backpack since I was 11 years old. But using a backpack is the best way to travel (supposedly rolling duffels aren't great in the outback... who knew?), so I was on a mission to find one. First, I had to figure out where to even go to buy a backpack. After many hours of searching, I discovered that Nordstrom and Bloomingdale's don't sell them. When I went to buy suitcases at a luggage store, however, I found an entire wall dedicated to the glorious travel companions. I picked out what I deemed the perfect trail backpack - and was immediately told "No". Apparently, thin salmon-colored Jansport backpacks are not exactly adventure backpacks. I thought the salmon color could help people find me if I get lost... and it was just really pretty. But, alas, the outback is not a fashion show, so I ended up buying a big, sturdy North Face overnight backpack. It can fit at least a week of clothes, my camera, water, snacks (obviously), a First Aid Kit (which will inevitably be needed), and it has a hook for a sleeping bag. My transformation into Master Explorer has begun.