How I Moved A Fraction of my Stuff to the UK.

So, I had a huge dilemma when I was packing to move country.

20 kg limit on checked baggage, 5 kg for cabin.

My suitcase weighs 7.9 kg (which is light for the size, trust me. I weighed quite a few.) and my carry on was 3.1 kg (ugh, should have used a backpack I guess) That took away 11 kg of my allowance, so I really only had 14ish kg to work with.

My carry on hit its max weight as soon as I put my laptop and laptop accessories in it. I seriously would have looked like a tool when I had to open my bag to be scanned cos now you have to take your laptop out of your bag and have it scanned separately. So. The laptop would have gone through the X ray machine... followed by an empty suitcase...

Also, I would have looked like I was 3 and my Mummy had let me pack one of my bags all by myself so I'd stop whining that I wanted to pack my own stuff like a big girl.

I started by sorting down my clothing big time. I wanted to take things that would work for the winter cos that's what I was going to be moving into which meant I was packing all my heavy clothing which meant fewer items. Then I had to consider any valuables I had to take like letters and cards, photos, sketch books and journals, important papers, my expensive face wash and cream, etc. In the end, only a 3rd of my suitcase was clothing.

And the rest was all heavy stuff. I'll draw you a diagram of the situation I had at hand.

Soooo, I came up with this frenzied plan.

I would dress myself in as many layers as I could manage without killing myself through suffocation and without tipping people off. I would be my own suitcase!

This is what I came up with.

I even had another dress and a shirt stuffed down the sleeves of my winter jacket.

I should mention here that on this day, we had the hottest day of that year. It was something like 30 or 32 degrees and I was wearing a fur lined winter jacket over multiple layers.

I looked like a crazy bag lady lugging her home behind her in her suitcase. I guess now that I say it out loud/on blog, that is sort of what I was doing.

I also had my camera bag, my purse and a laptop bag in addition to my carry on which were dangling off one of my arms. I got to the check in, they weighed my bag and I still had to pay an extra $100 for the over weightness of it. I don't want to know what the price would have been if I hadn't taken my precautions.

I was feeling pretty faint after that from being over heated and probably dehydrated in addition to the undercurrent of hysteria at leaving my homeland for a pretty new adventure. I went to the bathrooms and I stripped down to the comfiest combination from my many layers, stuffed it in my carry on bag and draped my coat over my many extra bags to go to duty free to buy a chocolate bar and some water so they'd give me a big bag to put it all in and make me look legit. :D

At the gate, they reiterated that it was important that no one's luggage be over 5 kg and I guiltily shuffled around avoiding eye contact and going quietly insane at the thought that I'd have to put all the layers back on for a 9 hour flight stuffed into the economy section of an economy flight. But the lady hefted my bag in her hand like she was she hulk, she gave me a look and she shrugged. Thank. Goodness.

I realize they have restrictions for a reason but come oooooon. I just wanted my stuff. We didn't fall out of the sky, so it's all good. : D

PS. I feel I should also mention that the only other thing I had packed in my carry on was a fuzzy blanket that my Aunt Valerie had given me for my birthday a few years ago and I have taken on every international flight since. I am the actual coolest.