Packing for short trips is hard. Packing for long-term study abroad trips is even harder. I will admit, I procrastinated until the last day to pack. It felt like such a daunting task. The biggest thing I learned is if you forget something, you typically can find it there or something close to it. So don’t overthink it too much! I put together this packing list to hopefully help you make packing a little easier. You'll be packing for the travel time (on the plane) and for your study abroad experience, as well as weekend travels, etc.

My Dad works in New York City and I grew up a 45-minute train ride away from Manhattan. For me and countless others in the metropolitan area, those famous five boroughs are ‘the city.’ Manhattan has a pulse all its own. Millions call this place home and even more travel in and out daily, weekly, monthly, and of course, to visit. Thousands show up ready to move in and make a new start, embrace a new journey, try their hands at something new, or break into a new world.

For the better part of an hour last week Cheryl Gum entertained me with stories of how she came up with ideas for new truffle flavors and candy concoctions to serve up at The Candy Shop. For the last 33 years, Cheryl has worked at The Greenbrier, an 11,000-acre historic luxury resort in the mountains of West Virginia, which dates back to 1778 and is known as a frequent stopping place for past U.S.

When we boarded a train in Madrid for a day trip to Alcalá de Henares, I began thinking of the legendary figure Don Quixote lashing out at Castilla-La Mancha’s giant windmills with his faithful squire Sancho Panza in tow.