Top 5 Things I have Learned on Long Term Travel

Now that I am in the air on my first of two flights today I have time to sit and think. I got to say good bye to my mom, there were tears and hugs and randomly bumped into some friends. Now that being all said this is my first big move. I have gone to New York for a couple of days and what not but never had to go any where longer than a week. I learned 5 important things. I am sure there are more than just these but these were the ones that stuck out to me the most.

1. Packing is awful – Well we all know packing is awful, but packing for a year? I think I packed my stuff at least eight or nine times before weighing. Then I weighed it and realized I was ten  pounds over which is plus $90. Apparently if I brought 2 bags then I saved a lot more money, so that bring up the packing till about 10 times. Once you feel its packed, stop looking! This is very important, and I mean this fully. Don’t look in your closet, don’t go to the mall, and don’t go through your bag again! Just walk away. Oh and make sure anything of value is in your personal item, mine being my Mavel Universe bag. I also made sure each bag had at least three pairs of underwear and three shirts and jeans cause you never know what might get lost.

2. Getting rid of your car in Florida isn’t easy if you lose your title– So I was an irresponsible mover and lost my title when I left my odl apartment to live with my mom. Not only that but I waited till the last wee to junk my car that died two months ago. I now I am a bit of a slacker. However I found really quickly that in order to get rid of the car you NEED a title in FL. Other states they can check through the registration, but oh no I don’t live in one of those states. Also realize you are not going to get anything close to what you thought you would get. I thought since it was the computer and everything else was fine I would get $1o00, but sadly the highest I got offered was $400. At that point though I just needed it gone so my mom did not have to deal with it.

3. People will surprise you and let you down– This last week has been saying good bye, or at least trying to. Some people out of the blue surprised the hell out of me. I didn’t know I meant as much as I did to some and was taken to dinners and coffees and it was wonderful. On the flip side, there were people who meant a lot that didn’t even say boo. I know that life happens and people get busy, but I would have liked something since I will be gone for so long. Alas, I just have to let it roll off my shoulders because I want only good vibes on this journey.

4. Don’t be adventurous with food– If you are like me, you are horrified of flying. I have some anxiety issues so mix that with my fear of flying and well… my stomach does not do well. My suggestion is don’t decide a couple days before to eat food you are not use to. I made the mistake and this was what I consumed two days before:

*A crab Sandwich

*3 Giant things of coffee, very sweet

*greasy pub chips with cheese, bbq, and bacon

*An angry Orchid

Now this apparently does not mix well and made my stomach very unhappy, and  by stomach I mean the actual stomach right under your ribs, not indigestion. Just eat plain food and buy a pack of Imodium just in case.

5.You will never have everything– No matter how much you plan and pack you will always be buying things last minute. The important things are passport, I.D., any meds, chargers, electronics, and underwear. Now What could I possibly forgotten to buy last minute? I needed tags for my bags incase they got lost. My mom and I went to Target to get that and wound up with the tags, a box of Benadryl, sunglasses, sunglass holder, and a new green dress. Yeah you will always find more things. Remember I said don’t go into the mall earlier? Super stores count in this too!