20: Have a plan for packing

Sewing a patch with the Spanish crest onto the Hulk

I took a break from packing to sew this patch onto my backpack. Studying abroad in Spain has been an unforgettable experience. This patch sewn on the bag that will hold everything I own as I travel for the next 2.5 weeks is a symbol of the time I spent here, learning, seeing, experiencing.

With that said, packing is crazy. These two months here have made me forget how crazy it is to try to stuff everything back into a bag!

I have an important decision to make. I've already decided that I don't want to travel for 2.5 weeks with my laptop because I probably won't have much time to use it. Plus, it's heavy and takes up a lot of space. My laptop, I think, wins the award for Largest and Heaviest Laptop in Spain. Seriously.

So here are my options:
1) Mail is back home. Shipping ranges from 50 Euro to 200 Euro and up!
2) Have Alex ship it home for me because he has time to. Will have to pay him back.
3) Pack it in Naomi's checked luggage and get it back from her later.

Another important thing to think about is the mylars! Those three sheets of plastic document the process and evolution of my project. They're 24" x 36", so they won't fit in my backpack. I think a few people are shipping theirs back to Berkeley together, but again, the shipping costs are high. I could also send it back with Naomi.

I've had to throw out or give away things that I know I won't need anymore--my regular-sized sunscreen, lentils, some candy, the bowl and plastic boxes that I bought here. I'm going minimal again so I can pack light! I bought some Febreeze (yup, I found the name brand in Torrevieja) and rebottled it in a 33 mL spray bottle, and poured the laundry detergent into a 33 mL bottle as well. My liquids bag is about to burst.

It also pays to think about how you will travel afterwards. If I was taking the train to travel around Europe, I could have more luggage than just a backpack because the train system doesn't charge for extra bags (and you don't have to have a tiny bag for liquids!). If I was flying RyanAir, I would have to be very, very careful about the size of my bag. I'm flying EasyJet, though, and they're more lenient on bag sizes.

Plan ahead for packing and you will be alright! 

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7: Food While Traveling

Tuna in sunflower oil

When traveling, it's not the best idea for your wallet or your health to eat out for every meal. And when you're walking around all day and constantly freaking out about beautiful architecture, three meals a day isn't enough.

I try to stick by what my former fitness teacher used to preach: eat complex carbohydrates, protein, and healthy fats at every meal or snack. Unfortunately, it's not that easy. You'll be limited by how much space you'll have in your bag or backpack, as well as lack of refrigeration. And you'll want to try the local cuisine too!

So here's my strategy: keep it cheap, easy, filling, and nutrient dense. Make use of all resources.

Because most hostels will have a kitchen with a stove, water, pots, a microwave, and a fridge, I make a stop at the local grocery store at my destination to buy food for breakfast. I stick to my wheat bran (for fiber) and yogurt with muesli, sometimes hard boiled eggs as well. For snacks, I am addicted to peanuts. For lunch or dinner, it's always cheap to get a loaf of bread or a baguette and eat it with tuna, cheese, or ham.

Where are the vegetables? Yeah, I'd like to know too!

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The Hulk

Tonight I tried for the first time to pack all of what I plan to bring into my 40L backpack, REI's Lookout for women. It's green and grey and got all puffed up, so I'm going to name my pack The Hulk.

Now as long as my bag doesn't get weighed at the gate, I'm good...!

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