Packing

Okay so here's the big issue...packing.

I was accepted for the Fall Advantage 2014 program, and I chose my check-in date for Monday, May 19, 2014 through January 5, 2015...that's almost eight months! I purposely chose that date because I knew school ended on May 2 so then I would have plenty of time to pack and leave room for travel. I'm driving down to Florida from Rhode Island, so that would take several days.

I started packing over a week before I had to leave, but I began thinking about packing as soon as I got my acceptance. Just to give an idea of what to think about packing would be things such as clothes (remember the weather is different), electronics, personal items, sentimental items from home (hand-made pillow, stuffed animal, aromatherapy heat packs for me), bedding (sheets, pillows, comforters and stuff are not provided), and so on..

Now, I am just a person who thinks through everything and doesn't leave anything to chance. I made lists of things I wanted to pack, thought about what I wanted to bring versus what I needed to bring, and soon found space saver bags were the best invention.

Here is some idea of what my packing looks like...keep in mind I packed, unpacked, rearranged what was packed, repacked, and redid many things, but it generally looked like this.

Bedding & Towels:

Towel Set (purple); comforter; sheets; pillows; blanket; mattress cover

Space Saver bag with Full size comforter, 2 sets of twin sheets, mattress cover

Set of towels (4 bath, 2 hand, 3 facial) on top of sheets

2 standard pillows in space saver bags

Add the blanket with extra pillowcases

Oh look! It all fits!

Clothes:

A pile of clothes from my closet - yes I have a lot

Only the right shoes can make the perfect outfit! :)

Not so overwhelming when its divided up into piles

Space Saver bags used in plenty! - top of bag

Pants, shirts, tanks - bottom of bag

Here's everything that fits in the bottoms of this suitcase!

Shoes for every occasion - flats, sandals, flip-flops, heels

Travel:

Because I planned on driving to Florida, and it would take several days, I packed a travel bag of clothes and personal items I would need while on the road.

Vera Bradley Grand Traveler with a week's worth of clothes and personal items

Thank you to my mommy for helping organize - each gallon bag had clothes for that day

Travel items 

Put into sandwich bags and it fits in a bag

A travel bag, six days worth of clothes - IT FITS!

Jewelry:

These are just a few of my favorite things :)

Everything Else:

Personal items to get started with - less to worry about upon arrival

My pillow, herbal packs, stuffed animals, and such from home

Everything else I would like to fit in my car - somehow

Keep in mind, this much packing was the result of a lot of thought beforehand, lists, and four to five days of packing, repacking, and rearranging everything. 

Good Luck!