Me, organised? Miracles do happen!

In 18 days, I leave my little house in Glasgow and travel down to London to spend a couple of days with my Mum, and in 20 days I make my way to Heathrow on my own to start an adventure 11,000+ miles away in New Zealand (with a little stop over in Hong Kong).

As someone who has never been particularly organised (to put it lightly), I thought I should probably start packing now, and then unpack and repack 10 more times, as trying to fit a year's worth of belongings in one tiny bag will take a bit of practise!

As if squeezing enough clothes in to last me at least a year isn't hard enough - I have to pack for Summer and a ski season, as I'm planning on spending the winter down in Queenstown working on the slopes. So I'll be packing my bikini and flip flops next to my wooly hats and thermals.. If anyone has any tips for packing, I would much appreciate them!

I haven't even began to think about make up yet... I hostly have no idea how to pack it all, or how to choose what to take with me. I know I'll be taking 5 of my favourite mascara, foundation and concealers though as I've heard it's difficult to get a lot of brands over there, and when you can find them, it's double the price. So I'll have to be keeping enough room for those absolute essentials!

 

The bag I decided to go for is a mixture of a backpack and a wheelie holdall. I'll be wheeling it most of the time, but in cases of bad terrain or flights of stairs, I can unzip the back and pop out the straps that allow me to carry it on my back. This is the Osprey Sojourn and it received impeccable reviews on many websites and blogs, so I'm hoping "You get what you pay for" is accurate and it does me just as well!

As for hand luggage, I decided to go for a big, ugly Vans backpack with oodles of little pockets and compartments for all my gadgets and documents (and of course I needed room for my pillow and fluffy socks for the two 12 hour plane journeys! Comfort is key).
I'll be carrying my teeny tiny handbag as well though for easy access to my phone, purse, passport and lipstick.

I don't think I have ever been so organised. I'm now just counting down the days and wishing time away, as I just want to get out there now! Although, I still have plenty to do, so maybe I shouldn't want time to go too fast...



Have you ever gone backpacking? I'd LOVE to hear about any of your experiences and if you have any handy tips for packing, travelling or living in hostels!



xo Shona
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