Europe Next Week

Once again, I'm staring at a scary packing list. You'd think that after having been so many places this wouldn't be an issue. 

HAHAHA.

Here's the deal: next week, I'll be heading to Europe with three of my best friends from college.

For an entire month.

JUST FOR FUN.

Christina, Amy, Emma, and I were all education majors together at Covenant and now teach in different parts of the country. Conveniently enough, that means that we all get summers off (even if we lose our minds for ten months to earn it). We've been planning this trip since last August and got some pretty sweet deals because of our preparedness. We'll be hopping to five different countries (I'm not announcing where because some of my rabid fans in Europe may try to stalk me) with differing climates, which presents a unique problem.

I've never had to pack for this situation before.

I have a tendency to over-worry and over-pack, so I thought to myself, I'll look up packing lists online for this one.

Mistake. Everyone says "pack light!" and lists different things to pack. Most of these lists suggest that two t-shirts will be all the t-shirts you'll need, which is true if you want to look like a tent and smell like a camel by the last week of your trip (because, let's be honest, handwashing only gets you so far). Some fashionista bloggers say that you should wear lots of leggings, which works if you are a toothpick and don't need leg freedom. Then again, you may pack what you think are VERY comfortable pairs of shorts, only to discover that chafing is a sneaky monster who doesn't want to walk in those shorts for seven hours.

And how can we forget the last time I went to Europe (well, camp in Spain) and experienced constipation beyond my wildest dreams? My current packing list includes no less than seven different stomach remedies (is there a rule against taking ground flaxseed?), accompanied by prayers for smooth travels (you can interpret that however you want).

Then, of course, we have a list of places to stay that includes Airbnb, hotels, and a campground.

There's also the question of carry-around bag.

Rick Steves says, "Money wallet!"

Fashionista blogger says, "Crossbody leather purse!"

Hardcore people say, "Backpack!"

I say, "Hire a caddy!"

Furthermore, I have to figure out which app will be best for communication with my non-Apple-product-using boyfriend, because it's unfair to completely abandon him for a month.

All that aside--I'm still really pumped. This will be very new in that I'm going with friends for no other purpose than to travel and see things. We're hopping around without a central location, there is no training involved, and we planned the entire escapade on our own. Like adults.