August

Greetings friends!

If you follow my social media pages you might have seen that I received confirmation last week that my placement in New York will be going ahead! Whilst this is amazing news, it has meant that I’ve spent the best part of the last week filling out a mountain of paperwork, trying to organise accommodation and actually applying for student finance (which, like many of you, I held off doing for a while so I didn’t get myself into more unnecessary debt)!

I am due to leave on the 1st October, which sounds like it should be months away, given that the year has only just started... but no. We are in AUGUST already! Which means I have 8 weeks to sort health insurance, get my visa, rent my apartment, pack all my things and fly out to New York. If you know anything about me you’ll know I’m an avid planner, so doing all of these things last minute was not how I imagined this would go. However, I am grateful to be going at all, as I know so many people who have had to cancel their placements abroad.

In this post I thought I would kill two birds with one stone and tell you all the things I cannot travel without. So not only do you still get a blog post from me, but I also have a list to look back on when it comes time to pack!

Obviously I want this to be relevant to everyone, whether you’re packing for a week’s holiday in Cornwall or moving to the other side of the Atlantic for a year. So I won’t be including absolutely everything I am packing (for those of you worrying that I forget to pack underwear). But these are some of the weird and wonderful (and essential) things that I will not be caught travelling without!

1. Travel pillow

I know this is a personal preference, and I didn’t used to travel with one of these. However, since being diagnosed with ME, I’ve found that travel can exacerbate my symptoms - particularly fatigue and myalgia. A travel pillow is a godsend as not only does it help me generally sit in a more comfortable position to alleviate pain in my neck and back, it also means I might get a little nap during the journey! So even though I’ll still feel that post-travel exhaustion, it might not be quite so bad.

2. Headphones

Anyone who doesn’t travel with headphones, I honestly do not know how you do it. I cannot go five minutes in the car, on a train, bus, plane without plugging my headphones in and playing some tunes. Or, if you have money, connecting your AirPods to the Bluetooth and listening to some tunes. I’d also recommend taking different types of headphones, because if you have a long journey you KNOW your ears are going to start hurting. So if you don’t want to sacrifice your music or the feeling in your ears, then bring a couple of pairs of different shapes/types to switch over!

3. Moisturiser

This is an essential for me and falls into the same category as hand cream in the winter. You know when you’re travelling, be it on a train, a coach and especially an aeroplane, your skin is going to be as dry as the Sahara when you get to your destination. Not only that, you’re going to feel disgusting, dirty, smelly, and suffocated (okay maybe not the last one, maybe that’s just me). Moisturiser is my one-size-fits-all cure. It battles dry skin, stops you feeling unclean, gives you that little boost, and just makes you feel a bit more human - and not “human that just got off a 9 hour flight” human. It’s a necessity.

4. Reusable water bottle

I only discovered a couple of years ago that airports have to provide water for free - who knew? And if you empty a reusable bottle before heading through security they will not attempt to take it off you, unlike plastic water bottles. The same applies to reusable coffee cups, which if you go to the right places might even earn you a discount for not using their disposable paper cups - always hunting for a bargain discount, me. Not only will bringing your own water bottle save you money when travelling, it is also so convenient to have at your final destination too! How many times have you had to venture around searching for water that didn’t cost your right kidney? Bringing a reusable bottle with you saves you that time. There are literally no downsides!

5. Document organiser

I would highly recommend investing in one of these, whether you are travelling alone or with your family. This little gem is small enough that it can fit in virtually any size bag, but includes enough space for your passport, visa paperwork, insurance coverage, any currency you might have. It helps keep everything organised and makes finding everything so much easier! It even helps to slightly alleviate some of that “I LEFT MY PASSPORT AT HOME” anxiety that I seem to feel every 5 minutes in an airport. I blame my dad for that one - he likes to check we the passport holder at least 6 times before we leave for the airport and on average a further 42 before we board the flight. In fairness though, it has meant we’ve never left without our passports...

6. Revolut card (or equivalent)

I didn't know how much I needed one of these until I had one. A Revolut card is essential a debit card that can be used internationally, usually without encountering any of those pesky fees associated with using a national debit card in a foreign country. Revolut banking all happens through a mobile app, where you can determine which settings you want to use, for example whether you would like to use contactless payments, swipe payments and use the card for online purchases. The best part, in my opinion, is that when you make a purchase the money is instantly shown as withdrawn from your account in both the currency you paid in, and the equivalent in GBP! This has made it so much easier to keep track of spending and exchange rates when travelling abroad. I would highly recommend this to anyone, and in fact this card is what I will be using when I live in New York instead of opening a US bank account - too much hassle! Another popular international banking card is Monzo, which I believe works in a very similar way.

7. Magicool

This might be one you haven't heard of before, but essentially this is a branded cooling spray. Evian also sells something similar, however I have specifically mentioned Magicool as they have recently started to provide a specific cooling spray to tackle prickly heat (sun allergy). My mum and I both have this allergy, and usually take an allergy tablet to prevent a rash from forming. However, I have found this to be only partially successful. When I first tried the Magicool spray for prickly heat I was extremely sceptical (and so was my mum), but when I tell you this thing works..!! I don't know how or why it works, I don't know the science behind it or how they managed to create a spray of overpriced water that blocks the sun from setting off my allergies, but they did. Now I don't even question it, it just goes straight in my bag without a second thought. Along with the factor 30 sun cream, obviously.

8. A good read (or five)

Summer holidays are where I do the majority of my reading for the whole year. I can read a book flat out in a day or two sitting on the beach or around a pool in the sunshine. So for me, travelling anywhere without a good read is completely foreign to me. I've read so many books that I adore, too many to recommend in this short space! However, I'll mention a couple of my all-time favourites:

The Wife Between Us - by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen. (6 stars out of 5)

The Girl on the Train - by Paula Hawkins. (Much, much better than the movie - sorry Emily Blunt)

The Hypnotist's Love Story - by Leanne Moriarty. (A great story with a great ending)

My Sister's Keeper - by Jodi Picoult. (Do not even talk to me about the movie)

Blood Orange - by Harriet Tyce. (Will have you reading from cover to cover in one day)

9. Cute outfits

This probably goes without saying but if you're anything like me (associating feelings of happiness with wearing nice clothes) you've got to pack some cute outfits! Lots of times when we go on holiday we want to make the effort to look nice for dinner, or wear our favourite swimwear on the beach. I usually plan ahead the things I want to take on holiday with me. I am definitely an over-packer normally, so taking one suitcase to New York to last me 10 months might be the biggest challenge I face this year - yes, even in the year of the COVID-19 pandemic. I am packing for 4 seasons, an internship in the lab and a life in NYC... The one suitcase thing is a big source of stress. Something tells me I'll be doing some shopping when I arrive!

10. Something from home

Last, but certainly not least, if you're going away for a while then bring something from home. I am a big fan of printed pictures and collages, so that is what I would plan to take with me to New York. It can be anything that makes you feel a little less far away from the people you love, something as simple as a bottle of perfume that reminds you of getting ready in your bedroom at home would suffice. Travelling alone, whilst an exciting adventure, can be extremely daunting. So having a keepsake from home can help to ground you.

I hope you found this little checklist helpful.

If there's something vital you think I'm missing from this list that I MUST pack for New York (using up that valuable suitcase space) then please do let me know!

Charlotte. X