1. I still needed to finish putting clothes into my space-saver bags so I could put most of my things into my large blue checked bag.
2. I hadn't yet gone through the items I'd randomly placed in one of my carry-on bags, and I had to do that to make sure I followed the 3-1-1 rule for packing liquids. The rule means that all liquids/aerosols/gels must be in containers no bigger than 3 oz., all contained within 1 quart-sized Ziploc bag, and each passenger was allowed only 1 bag of such items in their carry-on bag.
3. In the process of sorting through everything, I'd almost misplaced my luggage tags. Better find those, fill them out, and get them on my bags so I can find them back between flights...
4. Try to figure out the least number of pairs of shoes to pack, while still ensuring that all my outfits and shoes could work together. (I ended up packing tennis shoes, black dressy flats, black shoes similar to Toms, and two pairs of flip-flops: one for the shower and one for regular wearing. And I left out my grey boots so I can wear them to the airport.)
5. In the midst of the packing chaos...try to not lose my mind ;)
When I finished packing my checked bag, I weighed it to make sure I was within the 50 lb. limit. While the bag was rather heavy at 47 lbs., I was glad to have avoided the issue of being over the limit. The tricky part will come when it's time to come home because I'm sure I'll have some keepsakes to bring back. Luckily, has this thought in mind when I packed my clothes; part of them probably won't be coming back with me, resulting in some extra space in my bag.
So now it's just a waiting game until my flight leaves from Omaha on Jan. 19. There are two other UNK students going to the Netherlands as well: Thomas Johnson and Lindsey Cork. We will all be flying together.
Thanks for reading! I'll keep everyone updated as more of my adventure happens!
