Abroad Packing Advice for Overpackers

My biggest challenge in preparing to go to Italy was packing. It's hard to find everything you will need for five weeks and then fir it all into one suitcase, one carry on, and one personal item. And if you're an over-packer like me, the packing process can prove extremely difficult. To help with the packing process (and to help over-packers) I have listed some tips below. Hope they help in your packing process!

1. Find the best bags/suitcases to pack in. Keep in mind that whatever you bring with you stays with you for five weeks, so any bags, purses, backpacks, suitcases, duffle bags, ect. you bring are the only ones you can use abroad. You'll want to pack in things that have multiple uses.  For example, this small backpack served as my personal item on the plane, and then in Italy, it was my everyday purse for walking around and my backpack for school. 
2. Pack with room to spare. If you're an over-packer like me, you need to account for the extra purchases you will eventually need to bring back with you that need room in your already cramped suitcase. My advice is to limit yourself on purpose on the way over.  On the trip over, I packed my carry - on inside my suitcase. I still filled up the carry - on inside the suitcase, so I still got to use the entire suitcase space. But what this does allow, is that on the way home, I can take out the carry - on, still get the whole suitcase, and I just added an entire carry - on of extra space for anything extra I need to take home with me. 
3. Pack smart. Be realistic about what you will use and what you will wear while abroad. Although packing 4 pairs of high heels would add variety to your wardrobe, I can promise you you won't use all of them. Walking 6 miles a day on cobblestoned streets is not something you'll be doing in heels. Maybe bring one pair if you plan on like a fancy dinner or concert or opera, but only one. 
4. Pack extension chords and power strips. I cannot stress this one enough. It seems odd, but the rest of the world does not use electricity the way we do. In my apartment bedroom, there was a total of 2 outlets, one of me and one for my roommate. Keep in mind, that is 1 outlet for all my electronics. That includes, phone, laptop, calculator, and battery charger. 1 outlet. Now this is completely doable, just bring an extension chord and power strip and you can charge everything you need to. 

Well, those are my quick tips for packing to go on your Global Seminar trip. I hope they were helpful, and get excited as you pack. You're about to embark on an incredible journey, and you will lwarn so many things. Good luck packing, and enjoy study abroad!