Packing: The dilemma of a Shoe Addict

The Shoe Addict, the Fashionista and Princess Tim Tam had a tough time in this necessary step towards a new and temporary (for now) life in Spain. So what does one pack for 9 months, and practically all seasons abroad, whilst limiting it to only 23kgs? And more importantly, what shoes does a shoe addict drag along with her?

So many shoes

Now, as mentioned in previous posts, I had been pretty busy and preoccupied with other things, that I left my packing to the last minute. This is very out of character for me, as I am admittedly a little OCD when it comes to organising holidays (I’m talking colour-coded spreadsheets, itineraries and multiple checklists).

The dilemma with packing only 23kgs worth of “stuff” for 9 months is working out what to take and what to leave behind. Having been to Spain previously, I knew that whatever I don’t bring I can easily replace with all the wonderful fashion stores they have there (NB: My obsession with Desigual still remains). However, the last thing I want to do is spend all my travel money buying things I already have back home, so I spent a whole day compiling piles of “Yes”, “No” and “Maybe” and ended up with something like this….

After packing, weighing, re-packing and re-weighing, I finally was ready to go! And it was a good thing I did weigh the suitcase as I went, as I was only a mere 200g shy of the luggage limit upon check-in! I would suggest to the over-zealous packers to buy a light luggage scale to keep tabs on weight. The $10 may save you valuable travel money at the airport.

And now that I’ve reached my destination, I’ve had a chance to reflect and re-evaluate some of my packing decisions along the way…

Layers. I’m certainly not the first blogger to say this and definitely won’t be the last. PACK LAYERS (I’m talking singlets, t-shirts, leggings, tights, skirts, summer dresses, shawls, cardigans and coats). Despite being told that it gets cold in Pozoblanco, I arrived to scorching days of 30º+ temperatures at the end of September. Now coming from Canberra, by the end of March (the southern hemisphere season equivalent), I would be layering jackets over shawls over tops and wouldn’t dream of wearing short anything. But in Spain, I found myself questioning if I had early onset menopause due to my constant hot flushes and sweating walking around. This lasted right up until the end of October, when the weather suddenly changed to much colder weather. And just my luck, it was when I finally had a chance to buy some short-sleeved tops and skirts. That’s right, more than half-way through Autumn, I finally got the message that Winter is Coming.

Other Do’s and Don’t’s

By all means, bring some comforts from home. I admit to sacrificing clothes for tim-tams (I wasn’t nicknamed Princess Tim-Tam as a child for nothing!) and vegemite. However, rest assured Spain has yummy treats of its own. I guess it just depends how much you love and value food (for me, I live to eat) :p My advice though is, don’t go overboard. Speaking from experience, it’s better not to get too hung up on what Spain doesn’t have and embrace what it does (Chocolate truffles, turrón and polvorones to mention a few). I now wish I did bring those extra tops and jumpers instead of the double-pack of tim-tams, which is now a distant memory of the past.

Polvorones: A yummy biscuit normally found around Christmas

Teaching Resources. This is a tricky one. I brought gifts and things for the students and haven’t given any out because frankly I’m not overly keen to reward the current behaviours here. As stated at an Orientation prior to leaving, “The best resource is YOU”. However, this advice is hard to believe when surrounded by bored and often-crying 3-year olds in an after-school class, where you have no resources but yourself. And it wouldn’t have really mattered what I brought from home in this situation. My advice is to bring portable things (such as music, game/activity ideas and videos on a USB). Don’t waste valuable suitcase space or weight on things you may potentially not use. Yes, you are the best resource, but only if you’ve got ideas, songs, games up your sleeve (and you can always buy or borrow physical resources when in Spain).

Aussie gifts and comforts from home

Pack a backpack for short trips. Having done many a travel holiday in the past, I know how annoying it is to drag around massive suitcases through train stations (why is it so many only have one escalator going in one direction?), airports and cobblestone streets. I actually packed took two with me. One as my carry on and serves its purpose as a ‘weekender’ bag for short trips. The other one is a large backpackers’ backpack (which fitted perfectly inside my huge suitcase). The plan for this one is for the longer trips away and ‘los puentes’ (long weekends). It will also serve as my second piece of luggage for my flight home, as I know I won’t be able to fit all the stuff I accumulate (read: buy!) over the next 9 months.

My two handy backpacks for short and long trips away

My two backpacks for short and long trips away

Now I’m certainly no expert, but hope this may help any of you who feel as lost as I felt when facing the piles of clothes and open suitcase a day before leaving! Here’s a little rhyme I came up with for those as frustrated as I was:

Pack things you’ll happily wear to work and play; But be assured you’ll buy things along the way!

Ling’s Packing List

2 x jeans
1 x leggings
2 x dresses
5 x long-sleeved tops
3 x short-sleeved tops/singlets
3 x work-out/travel/lounging clothes
4 x tights
3 x cardigans
2 x jackets
swimmers
PJs
3 x summer dresses (however, not really school-worthy due to having spaghetti straps)
underwear/socks
1 x pair of long boots
1 x pair of flats
1 x pair of thongs (or flip-flops for the non-Aussies)
1 x pair of sneakers
1 x pair of hiking boots (don’t judge me; they were light and I hope to do lots of nature walks here!)
Laptop, iPad (loaded with e-books), camera, harddrive (loaded with favourite movies and tv shows)

** Disclaimer – I purposely didn’t bring a heavy coat a) because I didn’t have the extra space/weight in my suitcase; and b) because Spain has lovely coats here that I am hoping to invest in. The same goes with shoes :p

Ling’s initial shop