Planning & Packing for Spring Break Abroad

Planning & Packing for Spring Break Abroad

Last year for spring break a friend and I visited her grandma in Denver, Colorado. I thought packing and planning for a week across the country was overwhelming. This year though, I’m learning how much of a breeze that trip was compared to the 3 country journey I have planned this year.

In the next 10 days my friend Jordan and I will be traveling from Paris to London to Ireland. During our weekend in Paris we’ll be staying in an “AirBnB”—a company that allows people to rent out a house or apartment for a few days—that is near the city center. We’ll be sharing the apartment with two friends who are studying abroad in Spain this semester. Our to-do list in Paris includes all of the essentials: the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, The Louvre, and Versailles. Plus some extras: the Luxemburg Gardens, the Musee D’Orsay, and catching a glimpse of Fashion Week. Fingers crossed we find time to do it all before we fly out to London on Monday morning.

In London we will be staying with a close friend of my aunt who lives just outside the city–so we’ll become experts of “the tube”. Our London to do list is a little more easy-going than in Paris. I think most of what we see will depend on whether or not it’s free and how long the lines are. The one thing we purchased ahead of time are tickets to see Les Miserables at the Queen’s Theater. A show that I absolutely love and cannot wait to see on such a big stage. I’m also thinking that it won’t be such a bad thing to speak English again.

The 4 days we spend in Ireland are going to allow us to tour the countryside and the city of Dublin. My uncle’s family still lives in Ireland and are graciously hosting Jordan and I for 2 nights. They live in County Mayo and are helping us organize a bus trip to Galway and the Cliffs of Moher, are taking us to Westport, and potentially a castle. I am beyond excited for this tour of the Irish countryside. Our spring break trip will be wrapped up in Dublin where we will be staying in another AirBnB just outside the city. In Dublin I’m hoping for some authentic Irish music and a bit of relaxing before we head back to Rome.

Packing for this trip has been an adventure in itself. I’ve managed to fit all of my things into the “backpackers backpack” I brought with me—with the help of a space bag. I’ll have to wear some outfits twice and deal with limited options, but I think what I’ve packed will be versatile enough for the weather—that will hopefully be staying between the 50s and 60s.

Now that we have just about everything squared away I think I’m ready to embark on this spring break adventure. There’s no doubt in my mind that this will be a trip that I take with me for a lifetime.

Comments are closed.