illustrated packing list: Sicily

The long awaited holiday has arrived! 

The weather isn't looking too great in Sicily at present (thunderstorms!) but I am unperturbed, it's just going to be great being somewhere other than London. As you can see from the packing list, I'm also optimistic that we'll see some sun. Rather pleasingly I was able to include a couple of handmade items of clothing too :) 

Arrivederci chums! 

illustrated packing list: Helsinki

Another illustrated packing list. Yup, I'm off again, this time to Finland for a four day trip with my sis. Just as it's warming up here in London, we're trading it in for some cooler temperatures two hours into the future. Jumpers, scarf and mittens have all been packed. We're hoping to visit some of the little islands around Helsinki as well take a day trip to Tampere to see the Moomin museum aaand I've identified a bunch of cafes and bars to try too. Needless to say, I cannot wait!

illustrated packing list - Brecon Beacons for a weekend

A much needed exit from London today and although Brighton was great (and not that long ago), it'll be so good to get a proper change of scenery and some good old fresh air, countryside style. The weather's looking a bit iffy (rain, cloud, nothing higher than 7 degrees C) so I've packed for warmth :) We're staying in a pub, or rather a bunkhouse owned by a pub, which should be good I reckon. Hope you've all got good weekends lined up too, happy Friday!

the illustrated packing list: Slovakia

So this is the dealio today - we're off to Slovakia for a few days for a friend's wedding! Excited doesn't come close to it :)

the illustrated packing list: west coast of Ireland

* Hello! My ineptitude coupled with the fact that my phone is on it's very last legs (and thanks to intermittent signal & wifi) this post didn't publish last Sunday as I'd thought... but here it is anyway! We arrived home earlier today and I've got a lot of pretty pics to sort through (which I'll share obvs) - Ireland is one hell of a beautiful place :) *

I'm currently hanging around at Luton airport awaiting to hear which gate to go to - first post written on the move! Exciting. As the packing list says, I'm off to the west coast of Ireland for a week, starting off near Galway and ending up in Cork. To say I'm excited is an understatement. I've never been to Ireland before which just adds to the fun! We're doing some camping and hostelling, probably some walking, lots of exploring with a few pints of Guinness thrown in for good measure. Should be good :)

the illustrated packing list: Reykjavik

 By the time you read this I'll probably be on my way to Iceland :) Mitch and I are staying four nights in the country's capital so expect a bit of radio silence on here. It'll come as no surprise that it's going be cold in Reykjavik (hence all the layers) and BBC weather is reckoning on snow and sleet for almost the entire time we're there. Rest assured we're aiming to do some touristy tours (though probably not the northern lights as it's going to be cloudy throughout our stay) as well as have a mooch about the city, eating and drinking lots hopefilly :) See you on the flip side!

the illustrated packing list: a long weekend in Dorest

This evening Mitch and I are cashing in on one of our wedding gifts. Two of our fabulous friends have not only invited us down to one their parents' cottages in Dorset but are also driving us there! The weather's not looking too great this weekend but I'm sure we'll get to go for a walk or two, even if it's just to the nearest country pub. I still need to finish packing so I'll wish you a bon weekend now. 

:)

the illustrated packing list: the lake district

This morning my friends and I set off for the Lake District, hopefully by the time you read this we'll be well on our way! Two days ago I made my packing list. Unfortunately whilst the south of the country is having a heat wave, Cumbria will be experiencing much milder temperatures this weekend. I'm not too disappointed as I don't think climbing a mountain in 22 degree heat would be fun at all. We've got lots lined up - a mountain to climb, the coast and lakes to see, some rock climbing and a few local pubs to try out. I am hella excited. Learning from my experiences on Snowdon, for this trip I've invested in some proper walking shoes as well as walking socks, a light weight waterproof jacket and, just in case it pisses it down, the most unattractive things I've ever seen - waterproof trousers. Hope you all have lovely weekends, see you on the other side!

the illustrated packing list: budapest

This time next week I'll be in Budapest! The holiday, much like April, completely snuck up on me - where has the time gone?! Worries of already being a quarter of the way through 2014 aside, I am super excited to be flying off to Hungary.

Travel websites and BBC weather seem to share the same thought that, although it can get unbelievably hot in the summer months, Budapest in April is very similar to the weather here in the UK. With that in mind I've started to think about what I should pack...

At present the forecast is a bit of a mixed bag for next week so an umbrella, tights and sunglasses are all making the trip with me just be on the safe side.

the illustrated packing list: snowdonia

Only two days until we depart for Wales. Needless to say I am super excited. I've not been to Wales since a family holiday about 12 years ago and even then it wasn't snowdonia! We're going with a bunch of friends who are pretty much game for anything and are planning a seriously active weekend (zip wires, mountain biking, white water rafting). Me? Well, I've not got any grand illusions as to what my body can handle so it's just mount Snowdon for me. If I manage to reach the summit then I'll be happy, and will probably spend the rest of the weekend recovering. In the pub. Wish me luck and fingers crossed it doesn't rain too much!

the illustrated packing list: perugia

Only 4 days to go until Italy! Obviously that means I am beyond excited and am struggling to concentrate at work. It also means that I need to start thinking about what I'm going to pack. Now that you're aware of my bizarre packing ritual, this will come as no surprise.

I deliberately used a small piece of paper because, in my logic, this will help me to keep items to a minimum as there's not that much space in hand luggage, especially RyanAir hand luggage. Wish me luck!

illustrated packing list

This Friday will mark four weeks until we fly to New York and so I thought it was time to start thinking about what I'm going to pack. But, rather than just making a list, I drew one, an illustrated packing list. They started when I first went off to uni (just over 8 years ago!) and I've been drawing them ever since – mostly when packing for holidays. I've found that by drawing what I'm going to take I pack more efficiently, planning outfits etc. Perhaps that sounds a little OCD-esque but space is precious in a suitcase. For example, when I went to Greece a couple of years ago I didn't draw out my list and ended up taking hardly any clothes (luckily we had access to a washing machine otherwise I would have been pretty screwed). I figured that others may do the same thing (some people just work better from images rather than words) although I'd never really thought about it, so when this little gem appeared on Pinterest a while ago it made me smile.

image source

It's by painter Adolf Konrad and depicts his packing list from a trip taken in Dec 1973. Incidentally the list appears in a rather excellent looking book called Lists, To-dos, Illustrated Inventories, Collective Thoughts and Other Artists' Enumerations... Upon deciding to write this post I had a root around to see if I could find any of my past illustrated packing lists and found three: my 2008 trip to Spain which required much planning - 5 days camping at Benicassim festival followed by two nights in Barcelona; my trip to Albania; and lastly the list I made (but never completed - hence why some of my stuff is still at my parents nearly 3 years later) when I first moved in with Mitch. They're quite fun to look back on.

This is what my New York one looks like at the moment but it's just a preliminary list as I need to see how heavy it'll be (and some of it still needs to be purchased)!

Do you plan your packing? I'd love to know if there's any more illustrated list makers out there...