A Creative Mind Abroad

So, you ask me what this is, eh? What am I doing with a loosely packed, medium-sized suitcase if I’m going to be gone for a large suitcase’s worth of time? Well, I give you three good reasons why my medium-sized suitcase is going to serve me well in my six-week journey to Europe:

1. I only packed two and a half weeks of clothing. Now, I know that seems like a ludicrous amount for six weeks, but access to laundry machines makes 18 plus days worth of clothes more than adequate for my trip. Two sessions of laundry and my minimal clothing becomes an extended-use wardrobe.
2. Space saver bags. Yes, when I say space saver bags, I mean those “As Seen On TV” oversized Zip-loc baggies with the specialized air valves. They have a travel version which I decided to try and believe it or not, they actually work. Instead of vacuuming, you roll out the air from the bag through self-sealing holes in the bottom. I pulled back some of my stuff in the suitcase to show it off in the above picture. While it’s true that my clothes are probably going to be extremely wrinkled, I brought a spray bottle to fix that and will be enjoying the extra souvenir space on the way home. I also get to use them in my over-sized backpack for my weekend travels, since I really don’t want to roll around the suitcase for my four-day trips.
3. As a continuation of the last bullet above, I don’t want to lug an enormous suitcase around Europe! Seriously, using a medium-sized suitcase is going to make my airport experience super easy, and with all the ferries and buses I’ll have to deal with in Ireland, it’s just easier to have the one, condensed bag.

In essence, I took what I needed, including options in wardrobe and footwear, without exacerbating my scoliosis. I think that’s a pretty good deal in the grand scheme of things, and besides, it’s going to end up overflowing with new, interesting things from around Europe regardless of how big it is.