[The Traveling Teacher] Packing

Boy, oh, boy was packing difficult. I packed and repacked four times, and I still wound up paying a $60 fee for one of my bags being overweight. As someone who is a total clothes horse (I'm working on it!), I found it incredibly difficult to part with my wardrobe for a year. Also, if my plans of weight loss go accordingly, I may be saying goodbye to these clothes forever or be faced with a hefty tailoring bill. It was a bit cathartic, I will say, and if I had had to bring anymore suitcases or add anymore weight, I don't know that I would have survived the whole travel process. However, that post is for next time, so for now I'll leave you with some quick tips for packing up your life for a year!

1. Don't buy that big suitcase. Seriously that thing is heavy. If you go to the store and see the bigger size, get the one that would be considered medium. It's almost impossible to get the bigger suitcase under 50 lb. 
2. Check what you're allowed. I said this before on my old travel blog, but seriously check everything out. My flight to Spain? One checked, one carry-on, one personal bag. The carry-on didn't have weight restrictions. My flight to Korea? Two checked, one carry-on that had to be a certain size, and one personal item. Honestly, you don't need anymore than that. It might be nice to pack a lot and pay $150 for the third suitcase, but think about how difficult that's going to be to navigate in the airport and beyond!
3. Really, really shed away the clothes. Keep your wardrobe neutral, and prepare to mix and match. My wardrobe is honestly a lot of black, gray, navy, and white with a few items in colors like hunter green or pink. I brought a lot of different jewelry to "spice" up the outfits, but otherwise it's the definition of minimalist. Only bring what you find comfortable and what fits!
4. Don't overdue the shoes either! Oh man, did I shed my shoes. Over all, I bought two pairs of boots (brown and black), a pair of cognac heels, a pair of black flats, two pairs of sandals (cognac and black), a pair of leopard loafers that I love, a pair of brown booties, and a pair of Chucks. I shed some heels and extra flats in the name of keeping it simple and sticking to the shoes I know I'll wear a ton. I also know that buying shoes here isn't as difficult for me since I'm a 6-6.5!
5. Bring a lot of... Anything you're picky about and don't think you'll find easily here. For me that's deodorant (I only like Secret Gel), shampoo (I get dandruff easily, so I packed 2 things of Head & Shoulders), and toothpaste (I heard it's not that good here). 

More to come as I get into the groove of things here!