Hi everyone! My name is James (or Jamie) Daigler—welcome to my blog! With only a few days to go before I board a plane for Nantes, France, there’s no better time than now to write a pre-departure post! (Exclamation Point!)

Packing is always the most daunting part of trips for me. I tend to overpack and regret stuffing my suitcases as full as I can. As I get ready to study abroad in Paris, I wanted to find a happy medium of packing trendy clothes to keep up with the fashion and having enough room for souvenirs. To make the packing process easier, I started packing my bags about a week and a half before leaving. That way I can think about what I actually need and what I will actually use. This strategy helps me to be efficient and alleviate stress.

As I sit here writing this, I can’t believe that next week I actually leave for an entire semester abroad in Rome, Italy! The last three weeks have been a whirlwind trying to get everything together. Yet as I think about catching my flight, I’ve realized, per the popular phrase, I’ve caught some feelings too. Not about a person, but about leaving my home and comfort zone for somewhere completely and utterly new. But first, let me start with how I got to such a realization.

Arriving at the Vienna airport on Monday, it was not hard to spot other IES Abroad students. Just look for the people speaking English and have an abnormal amount of luggage. By the time check in was supposed to start, most had arrived.

こんにちは! My name is Sara, and I’m a senior at the Universtiy of Puget Sound studying Business Administration and Japanese Language/Culture. This semester I’ll be studying abroad in Tokyo, Japan, and running this photography blog for you to see what I see as I embark on the adventure of a lifetime! This isn’t my first time in Japan, or even Tokyo. In the summer of 2014 I visited Tokyo, Kyoto, Nikko, Hakone, Hiroshima, and Tono. 

Here's a few photos from that trip: 

Today’s blog post might not be too exciting or informative in terms of the latest and greatest adventures and information about New Zealand and if that is why you are here, I understand if you wish to stop and go find another post...but, I urge you to continue with my post, for maybe it will give you some guidance, or at least entertain you with my thoughts.

To be clear, my use of the term minimalist is quite loose. I've always been an overly cautious traveler, preparing for the possibility of bitter cold in July and scorching heat in January, so the idea of getting three months worth of clothing and supplies into a suitcase was daunting and seemed impossible.

It is 6:56 PM the day of my flight to Paris, and boarding begins at 7 PM. I am writing this to recount to craziness of the past ~2 days.

AUGUST 22

Some time between midnight-1 AM, August 22: I started mentally packing two nights ago, creating a Word document list of everything I might need, consulting the IES Abroad Nantes packing list (does anyone else do this?)

Let me introduce myself. My name is Taylor, and I'm a junior at Ithaca College. I love it there. I mean, who doesn't love the independence?  

In college there are many posters and fairs that promote the idea of studying abroad. I mean, like everyone you know or your mother's friend's daughter just came back from a semester away and LOVED it. So, now it's my turn. 

I’m not packed. I’m sitting in my apartment with clothes I potentially want strewn all over chairs and couches―some are folded, some aren’t. My suitcase is empty; I’m eating a yogurt and typing this blog and pretending I am packed. I’ve been running around picking up odds and ends, coming home, and remembering more odds and ends. It’s like an endless cycle! There are suggested items to pack everywhere, but I’d like to share my list of add-ons, because I know there are certain things I need and want that will seldom be included.