I have packed almost all of my sweaters and warm clothes away into one of the suitcases I'm hoisting onto the plane with me. Well, strictly speaking, airport staff will hoist it. I'll simply roll it around the airport and give it away to them (trusting I will get it back!). Weighed, this particular suitcase is at 40 lbs. I'm allowed two 50 lb. pieces of luggage! With one already at 40, will that be enough?
It's mind-boggling to me to think about how I'm going to fit my life into two suitcases. Clothes, books, shoes, make-up, things to remind me of home... I don't know how to make it happen! I feel like my life weighs more than 100 lbs. It weighs in people and places and the things you can't exactly pack into a lightweight, yet durable, suitcase (even if the zippers are shaped like little seahorses). How do I pack enough of my best friend to remember to talk with her every day? How do I pack enough of my parents to not forget their quirks? You can't fold your cat into a garment bag and just forget taking the hot Tucson sun or Southwestern flavor.
To help out and get myself a little more prepared travel-wise (as opposed to legal-wise with the visa and school-wise with accommodation application), I've been obsessed with travel books! I bought the Eyewitness Guide Europe and my parents gave me the greatest gift of Once Upon a Time in GREAT BRITAIN by Melanie Wentz. It's a travel guide which takes you around England according to famous children's stories! It also offers so much amazing history on the places from these stories AND the authors who wrote them.
But it took me until today to realize that the local library has travel books! And I don't have to buy them, I just have to read them! So I went today and came out with eight travel books and one photography book. I love eliciting the excited "Are you traveling? Where?!" reaction from people and the librarian certainly had one when my stacks of books tumbled onto his counter.
The library swag:
Fundamentals of Photography by Tom Ang - I've read some photo books, but I think I understand more about my camera now and would be better able to put some of the instructions to good use.
A Time of Gifts by Patrick Leigh Fermor - this is the travel book of Leigh Fermor, who tramped around Europe. I don't expect to do much tramping but it looked like a great read.
Safety and Security for Women Who Travel by Sheila Swan and Peter Laufer - I picked this one up just as reiteration for everything I've been told. I don't expect to do much lonesome traveling, but that's not to say I'm not going to do any at all. Best, I think, to know some tips.
Rick Steves' England 2009 and London 2009 - Who doesn't love Rick Steves?! That's all I have to say about that!
How to Travel Practically Anywhere by Susan Stellin - This book claims to be the "Ultimate Planning Guide". I plan to use it to help me pack!
The Best American Travel Writing - No writer is worth anything if they aren't reading what others have written.
Unpacked by Lonely Planet - Lonely Planet writes some of the best travel books out there. They are witty and fun and helpful. This particular book is about travel disasters that have befallen LP writers. It was the first thing I read when I got home - luckily, I won't be in some of those situations!
The Lonely Planet Guide to Experimental Travel - This book is AMAZING. It offers ways to travel when you're tired of seeing a city as a tourist by a guidebook. My favorite one is Ero Tourism - you go to a city with a lover (or a best friend), split up, and see if fates will bring you together. I think it's a gorgeous idea! And everything in the book is whimsical and fun like that. I actually want to buy this one, but I think I'll wait until I get to the UK.
So there you are! We'll see if packing goes any easier with some literary help.
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