Sarah's Suitcase

They’re not kidding when they say time flies.  In two days, I’ll be a whole MONTH away from my first trip to the UK!  I think I’ve been dreaming about going to Ireland since before I was 10…and in less than six weeks, it’ll come true!!

The scary part is…I’ve barely thought about packing.  Sure they talk about it in the travel study class, but when it comes to leaving class and going home to start on it?  Nope.  The most I have accomplished is having a bunch of suggested packing lists pinned to my travel board on Pinterest and a few organizers that I’ve bought laid out in my room.

This contraption is what I call a “shower organizer”.  Purchased at TJ Maxx for $20, this organizer has four zipper compartments, 2 of which are removable.  At the top is a hook which allows travelers to hang the organizer on their bathroom door or, if permitted, the back of a shower door.  Buying this little contraption instigated a “practice pack” and list writing session in order to determine what I could and should eliminate from my luggage.  The first compartment is rather flat, so I plan to make that my “first aid compartment”.  Things like tweezers, band aids and such aren’t too bulky or large and won’t make it difficult to zip or close the organizer.

The second compartment (but the first that is removable) was great for storing my basic hygiene supplies: toothbrush, toothpaste, flossers, Q-tips, and makeup remover wipes.  The third compartment (and second removable compartment) had just enough space to store any medicines I may pack: prescriptions, Excedrin (for my nasty migraines- that’s the LAST thing I need over there), Aleve and a sleep aid like Melatonin.  Finally, the fourth and largest compartment is going to be where I store my face wash and lotion, shampoo/conditioner, and contact solution.

This little bag was also purchased at TJ Maxx and cost around $8.  It’s small enough for easy packing, but has a generous divider which can make this bag great for storing my makeup supplies.  Things like my brushes and primer can be stored on one side with the actual makeup (eye shadow, mascara, etc.) on the other.  With a twelve hour flight to the UK, I’ll definitely be tossing this organizer into my carry on bag for whenever I need to freshen up my zombie look!

Hopefully this weekend I can manage to do a more thorough practice pack and provide a more in depth packing list for any travelers that will find it useful 🙂

“Pack your suitcase and go”.

Throughout the semester my travel study class has assigned group projects.  I know, group projects are like the Grinch when you’re in college: they can sometimes suck the fun out of everything, right?  I have to say (as a common complainer of these) that the travel study group projects have been very useful and actually fun!  It’s been great to meet new people as well as study the places and culture of the places we’ll be visiting now within a matter of weeks!

For the latest group project, each group researched a city/area/attraction we will be attending.  All presentations provided a historical background on the attraction as well as information on our tour.  My group studied Loch Ness near Inverness, Scotland.  This area is home to the famous legend, the Loch Ness monster.

Although the monster has never been scientifically proven to exist, a couple of sightings have been recorded in the past century.  Those who claim to spot the monster say it looks like a strange whale body with a dinosaur shaped neck and head.  Odd shaped photos like the one above have been shared a few times since the first recorded sighting in 1933.

Our tour for this attraction takes us on a cruise of the loch which stretches over 20 miles and 700 feet deep!  The cruise offers Wifi, food and drinks and shelter in case of nasty weather.  A tour guide provides history on the loch and monster while a live sonar searching for the monster runs in the background during the tour.

Following the cruise, we will be able to explore the nearby Urquhart Castle.  The castle itself was the center of political uprising between England and Scotland in the 1300s before being abandoned.  This tour will give us the opportunity to explore the castle ruins and get a front row look at the Medieval tour including a former prison cell.

The tour will end at the Loch Ness Visitor Center before the travel study group moves onto a different Scotland location.  This travel study is turning out to be a great experience for history lessons while staying relevant and exciting.

Til next time….

~Wanderlust~

 

 

While the idea of being the UK is exciting enough, I have to say the events I’m looking forward to the most is the days we have to ourselves.  The travel study is a group of about 30 students and 2 instructors who have done a great job so far setting everything up, but I think we all will be ready for a day (or a few) whenever the opportunity arises.  The itinerary is set up so we have at least one night or day to do as we please in each country.  We have the opportunity to explore both Edinburgh and Oban, Scotland; we have an evening free in Belfast (I’ll be spending that listening to Irish music! :), and we also have quite a few free evenings in Bath, Cardiff and London, England.

For our free day in Oban, we had two options to choose from: We could choose from the Three Isles Exursion which is a full day tour of the three islands surronding Oban, Scotland in a “near perfect horseshoe”, or we could spend the day exploring more of Oban and visiting the Sea Life Center.  At first I thought the idea of exploring islands all day would be boring compared to the chance of feeding seals at the Sea Life Center, however after more research I changed my mind.

The first island in this group is Staffa, famous for its Fingals Cave, which are built into the island and surrounded by naturally curved stumps.  The website promises tourists the chance to explore the Cave further if the weather permits.  Meanwhile, the islands of Mull and Iona both house historical structures.  Iona is home to an ancient cathedral and accompanying cemetary as well as a bird sanctuary while Mull (pictured below) houses an old castle

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For anyone else interested in checking out this gorgeous land mark, the website that I found most of the information from can be found here.  The cost for an all day tour of the three islands is $70.  I think this will be one of the many highlights of the trip…. time to start packing 🙂

When I was 10, I asked my grandma to buy me the first four books of the Harry Potter series because I thought “they looked cool”.  They sat on my bookshelf for three years at least, until my mom finally made me read them.  I was hooked after the first chapter of the first book, and I have been hooked ever since.  One of the very last days of my UK travel study will be spent at the Warner Brothers Studio- the Making of Harry Potter in London.  Everything I’ve read online about has said it may be “pricey, but it’s perfect for any Harry Potter fan”.

Part of me wants to explore every inch of the website in order to prep, but the other part wants me to save some surprises for when I get there.  Some of the attraction’s highlights include studio tours where fans can go behind the scenes of the “Boy Who Lived”.  Replicas of sets seen in the books and on screens such as Hogwarts’s Great Hall, Diagon Alley (pictured above), Dursley Home, and the most recent added attraction: the Forbidden Forest can make a visitor feel the stepped right back into one of the movies.  After the tours, many fans enjoy getting their picture taken on Platform 9 3/4 before purchasing the famous Chocolate Frogs or Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans in the gift shop.

The entire itinerary for the travel study is seemingly set up to “save the best for last”.  Our last four days of our trip will be set in London, including this tour.  The upside?  I have something to focus on throughout the trip when I get homesick.  The downside?  I have to be sure to budget my money so I can get everything I want in the gift shop!  Luckily the Warner Brother Studio has a Gift Shop website with all of their merchandise and pricing listed.  Since I am not familiar with the different currencies in the UK, this has been a great tool to have for budgets.

The trip count down has turned into months and now weeks.  I’m afraid to say “I can’t wait to be in the UK already!” so many times because one day I’ll wake up and I’ll be back home.  Until next time….

“Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times…if one only remembers to turn on the light”-Albus Dumbledore