23 today!

[louisekerry]

Today I turn 23 years old, and its also 23 days til I arrive in Australia and see my SO after six months!

Random question, anyone who's been abroad for a long period of time before, when did you start to pack? The excited and eager part of me wanted to start pretty much when my plane ticket was booked, but the previous experience of living out of suitcases for two months when I over-excitedly packed my stuff for uni as soon as I got my offer has told me to wait. :P

[loneliestgirl]

Happy, Happy, Happy Birthday!

How long will you be in Australia? I haven't really been a very long trips. My longest in my adult life, was about two weeks to London. I believe I started packing 3 days before the trip, including doing laundry. Toilet tries and whatnot were bought and packed much sooner as I brought travel size and disposable items that I would leave behind or throw out.

When I went away to college, I think I always started to pack 2 days or the day before leaving. It was out of state but I just took almost everything with me since it was only 3 hours away and I was driving. Nothing really got packed properly

[Kristin91]

Happy Birthday!

[louisekerry]

Thank you!
I'll be in Australia for a year hopefully, I'm going there on a Working Holiday Visa
I've never left the UK before so I'm a bit scared, but yeah, I'm trying not to plan to take too much with me, I know I'll be there for a year but aside from the things that I can't replace and enough clothes and essentials I don't want to take loads of stuff, I've got a large suitcase, a 60l? backpack and a smaller carry on bag, I've made lists of whats going in each I just need to start putting it all in at some point, though I've got a feeling I'm gonna find that this backpack is bigger than it looks :P

[mllebamako]

Happy Birthday and congrats on moving!
I have packed many times for moving abroad and I usually start with a list. Then maybe a week or 2 before, I start putting things I'm taking into one room of the house, or one area. Then a few days before I start packing the bags, leaving room for the stuff that I can't pack until the last minute.

[milaya]

Congrats!

I often start to think of the things a want to bring (the ones I don't want to forget) one or two weeks in advance, but the actual packing I do 1 or 2 days before departure. I'm a kind of last-minute person. XD

[Justalexi]

Happy birthday

I've recently done the opposite to you, I moved from Australia to UL for two years.
I started packing about a week and a half before leaving, all the things I knew I wouldn't use between then and the date I left.
I ended up packing my whole life into a 23kg suitcase and one carry-on handbag, but it's easy to gather more things once you get to the other side so don't sweat it if you have to leave things behind
Also, make a list of everything you need to pack/do before you go. I found it much easier to go back to the list and see what needed doing, when all I wanted to do was run around with excitement, it kept some order in my life for those last few days.

[Ahava]

Happy birthday!

Sounds really exciting!
Maybe give it another week before you start?

[SeeRat]

Happy birthday.....

[Tooki]

Today I turn 23 years old, and its also 23 days til I arrive in Australia and see my SO after six months!

Random question, anyone who's been abroad for a long period of time before, when did you start to pack? The excited and eager part of me wanted to start pretty much when my plane ticket was booked, but the previous experience of living out of suitcases for two months when I over-excitedly packed my stuff for uni as soon as I got my offer has told me to wait. :P

I packed the night before/the day that I left . You should try and have everything packed at least a couple of days before you fly out.

Also just pack things that you cannot get in Australia.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

[louisekerry]

Thank you everyone!
I've made so many lists, I even have lists of lists hehe I have everything in a drawer at the moment, well most things, I think I'll start packing them all a couple of days before I leave, after making a list of things I can't pack til the night before and leaving room for that stuff :P
Yeah I'm only taking some clothes, enough toiletries to get a shower when I arrive and one the next morning, and other bits and pieces I wanna take. Not too much

[squeeker]

Happy Birthday and yay for upcoming visits!! I am like you and can't wait to start packing!! I think I start thinking about what to bring and making lists a month before and then two weeks to a week before I get the suitcase out and start testing the packing and making sure I'm not bringing too much. And then a day or two before I put everything except last minute stuff in the suitcase and the day of of course I'll put the last things in. The longest trip I've packed for was 3 1/2 months but it wasn't much different to how I packed for my 1 month visit and my 2 week visit. I basically have an average sized suitcase (I think it's always under 20kg) and my purse/bag. I don't like bringing a bag to put in the overhead storage on the plane because it means I have to put it up there before I sit down and get it afterwards, which might mean relying on other people to help me get it out.. with my purse or bag I can have access to all that stuff anyways. Anyways I won't ramble, but I just wanted to say I understand the excitement and I hope you have a wonderful time with your SO. And yeah you can always buy things once you get there if you forget anything. Just as long as you also remember your passport, tickets, and other important documents!!