The Packing Dilemma

One suitcase, one carry on and one purse sounds like it would be no problem, especially when the biggest purse I owe is more like a sac half the size of my body, but its extremely hard.  Lucky for me my older brother is a seasoned traveler so my Mom has been forced into becoming an expert packer.  It wasn't until my first full week in Florence passed that I fully appreciated my Moms help.  Pre departure I was annoyed that my cute pink heals didn't make her cut and stayed home, by the 5th day I realized even packing one pair of heals might have been too much.  My feet were swollen from exploring the city everyday, fashion came second to finding comfort while walking on the uneven brick sidewalks.  I don't know if it is because I was enrolled in fashion design courses or if magazines and movies created an inflated image of Italy's fashion but I envisioned wearing heals everyday.  I thought I would be more of a tourist if I wasn't dressed to impress everyday.  I was very wrong.
The trick to packing and the trick to fashion in general, I think, is simplicity and versatility.  Bring clothes that can be worn multiple ways and can be dressed up, dressed down and changed around with accessories or other items of clothing.  I wore this one loose black tank at least 10 times; it went with everything and was my go to.  I paired it with shorts, skinny jeans, tucked into a skirt, under a jacket and with a high waited belt, it was awesome.  If I could do it all over I probably would only pack neutral, loose, versatile clothes and I would not pack any accessories because that is what I bough the most of.   
Packing outfits was only part of the process. I cool thing my mom and I did was pack A LOT of things I would just toss at the end of the trip.  We went to TJ Max and bought cheap towels, sheets, and toiletries.  When I threw them out I regained half my luggage space.  I was pretty please with my packing overall, the one thing I wish I would have brought was my straighteners.  This item was so much harder to find than I anticipated, I didn't buy one until after the first week and it was super expensive.  Also, there was no reason to pack electrical adaptors because the girls before us left a bunch in the apartment. 

Lastly, my lap top was my life line.  Skype was an awesome way to keep in touch with family; it is so much cheaper than using a international phone.  It was heavy and kind of a burden BUT totally worth it for me.  Some of my roommates shared with each other and it worked out for them but I liked having mine. As a side note, because luggage space was limited I had to fight the deep urge to buy my family all the cool trinkets I saw.  The cool Idea I had was to take a picture for each member of my family (a picture of a Venice for mom, my favorite restaurant in Rome for Dad, etc).  I framed them all when I got home and wrote them a note as to why I was reminded of them there.  These gifts were a hit and very personal. 

Happy Packing
Brittany