Let me start off by saying that I didn’t just start packing today despite what the title may suggest. I have been planning and laying out clothes for over a week. Every couple of days I have weighed my suitcase to see how the weight is progressing and I hadn’t been anywhere near the limit before today. I have known about the 20kg bag limit for around 6 months now and I always had the intention of only needing 15kg so I would have plenty of room on the way home. That plan has now gone out of the window….

20kg seems like a very large amount. It probably is a very large amount in terms of suitcase size. It is not an overly large amount when you are packing for a year, however. For the first time today I was over the weight limit. Before you jump to conclusions let me just say this: I had not packed my entire wardrobe, nowhere near it. I had, in my eyes, packed only the real bare essentials. There is nothing harder than going through a suitcase full of clothes and souvenirs that have already been decided to be the ‘must-haves’ with the intention of removing items. You have to weigh up the pros and cons of each and every item and evaluate just how much you need them (which you have already done multiple times if the item is still in the suitcase). It is a stressful and somewhat emotional experience. I think I’ve done pretty well to get to this point without any tears but it’s not over yet. I haven’t completely packed my toiletries and I’ll probably find something else that I have forgotten whilst clearing my room.

Wish me luck,

Alicia