Words by Allison Adams, a CAPA London alumna from Saint Ambrose University.

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I have an extreme love of packing, extreme love. Whenever I go on vacations I make packing lists and figure out what is the most efficient way to save space. Studying abroad was no exception. I started making a packing list months in advance for my semester.

But, even an over-obsessed packing freak like me made some mistakes. So I’m here to make it a little easier for all of you with what you should and should not pack and what you can buy in London.

Tommy Sullivan is an official CAPA blogger for spring 2016, sharing his story in weekly posts on CAPA World. A broadcasting and Spanish major Western Kentucky University, he is studying abroad in Buenos Aires this semester.

In this week's post, Tommy shares his pre-departure thoughts and why he chose to study abroad in Buenos Aires.

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“Tommy, hug me again,” begged my mom as she peeked into the kitchen. In early February, she declared I must hug her three times per day before I left for Buenos Aires. I didn’t realize how much I was going to miss her until my final week in Kentucky. My mom has offered me unparalleled love, support and guidance for the past 18 years. While I can still reach her through online messages and video chats, I will still miss her a lot.

Photo: I did my best to research Buenos Aires and Argentina online and follow my pre-departure checklist.

My program in Buenos Aires will keep me away from her—and the rest of my family—for longer than I’ve ever been away before. While I’ve traveled north and south (Canada and Florida) and east and west (Massachusetts and Colorado), I’ve never been as far away from my family as I will be in Argentina.

Daniel Thompson is an official CAPA blogger for spring 2016, sharing his story in weekly posts on CAPA World. A sociology major at Lebanon Valley College, he is studying abroad in Shanghai this semester.

In this week's post, Daniel shares his thoughts from the flight to China.

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Enthusiastically and confidently, I open the doors to John F. Kennedy Airport; the bustling of people erupts as I enter, organized chaos. Lines of people stem from the multitudes of ticket sale booths.

As I walk towards the plane boarding station, I feel my heart beating fast, as if I am about to have a heart attack. Panic and worries cross my mind, all of the what-ifs. What if the plane crashes? What if the plane runs out of gas? What if the plane’s landing gear doesn’t launch properly? Will the people like me? Will the food be good? Is my journey going to be a story to reach the hearts of others?

Nicole Taylor is an official CAPA blogger for spring 2016, sharing her story in weekly posts on CAPA World. A journalism and media writing major at Lasell College, she is studying abroad in Dublin this semester.

In her first post as a CAPA blogger, Nicole tells us the story of how she realized her dream to study abroad in Ireland!

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There were countless tables piled with pamphlets, books and free pens. The excitement of the potential trip of a lifetime hovered over me. I was an undergrad at the University of Southern Maine at the time.

I walked back to my dorm room with a free bag full of study abroad information; mostly for Ireland, my dream destination. I flipped through the information booklets for weeks getting myself amped up. The only obstacle between me and Ireland was my GPA. I struggled to maintain a 3.0. My priorities were not in order and I lost focus.

I was lost and felt as though I had no direction, resulting in semester leave. The struggle to find a balance was my enemy; to maintain my responsibilities and still have attainable dreams. I took a year and a half to try and figure it out. In that year and a half, I was a full time employee designing kitchens at an independent lumber company in southern Maine. I never saw myself stepping away from school after a short amount of time. I never saw myself designing kitchens, but the door opened so I took a chance.

Kisha Patel is an official CAPA blogger for spring 2016, sharing her story in weekly posts on CAPA World. A political science and gender/women's studies major at Ursinus College, she is studying abroad in Sydney this semester.

In her first post as a CAPA blogger, Kisha shares her pre-departure thoughts from the plane as she stops over in California with her family before heading on to Australia.

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Hello!!

I have been full of dreams, thoughts, expectations, fears, and every other emotion possible as I think about my semester ahead and I thought there was no better time to write out my thoughts than at the very beginning of my journey, so I am writing this post from 10,000 feet above ground on my flight from Baltimore to Los Angeles!

I didn’t think I would be as nervous as I am, but I am filled with this nervous excited energy that I cannot shake because I still can’t believe this is actually happening! I have been talking about studying abroad in Sydney for a year and this is it, I am actually on my way!!

Whitney Browne is an official CAPA vlogger for spring 2016, sharing her story in weekly posts on CAPA World. An accounting and technology management major at the Indiana University Bloomington, she is studying abroad in Florence this semester.

Lucas Cooper is an official CAPA vlogger for spring 2016, sharing his story in weekly posts on CAPA World. A journalism and electronic media and cinema studies major at the University of Tennessee - Knoxville, he is studying abroad in Sydney this semester.

Marte Eggleston is an official CAPA blogger for spring 2016, sharing her story in weekly posts on CAPA World. A journalism major at the Indiana University, she is studying abroad in Florence this semester.

In her first post as a CAPA blogger, Marte shares her pre-departure thoughts before heading to Florence!

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T-minus four days before I leave the snowy landscape of Indiana behind to head for the beautiful, Italian views of Florence. I do not think the magnitude of what I am doing has hit me quite yet; I am mostly too excited to be scared, but I will admit that I am a little nervous!

I have never traveled this far alone, but I believe that if I can get through it I will gain the confidence to travel in Italy and Europe. It is not my first time traveling overseas, though. The first time I traveled, the destination was very different from Florence. I traveled to Malawi, Africa for about three and a half weeks during the summer of 2012. My trip to Malawi could not be more different than my trip to Florence, but having traveled abroad before I had the confidence to apply and ultimately accept my opportunity to study in Florence this spring.

Carly Wickham is an official CAPA blogger for spring 2016, sharing her story in weekly posts on CAPA World. A Journalism major at the Emerson College, she is studying abroad in London this semester.

Rikki Li is an official CAPA blogger for spring 2016, sharing her story in weekly posts on CAPA World. An English Writing and Psychology major at the University of Pittsburgh, she is studying abroad in London this semester.

In her first post as a CAPA blogger, Rikki shares her pre-departure thoughts before heading to London!

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Confession: I haven’t started packing yet.

To be more specific, I haven’t started seriously packing yet. Every time I sit down next to my empty suitcase to start, I end up getting distracted by some other task (which, in the moment, always seems more pressing). There are quite a few loose ends to tie up before I leave for London.

I’m definitely not the most organized person in the world, but I am aware of my forgetfulness and enjoy yelling at myself via Post-it notes to keep myself on track from time to time.

As a result of my haphazard packing however, I’ve come across many of my old journals and have been flipping through those instead. There was a sizable pile of them tucked away in my bottom desk drawer, and you can tell that they haven’t been touched in quite some time by the stiff, crackling sound they make when you turn the pages. The oldest one is from when I was 6-years-old; the spine is starting to lose its flexibility, and the woodland nymph on the cover isn’t as colorful as she used to be. The entries themselves are pretty repetitive, which I guess says a lot about my childhood mindset.

Today, I went to the playground after dinner. I met some old friends, and I was happy. It was a great day.