last minute preparations....

To the organised this will make no sense...

I have always been a last minute packer, I fail to understand how people can start packing a few days or even a week or two before - do you just not wear clothes, use toiletries, or require electronics in that space of time? As far as I am concerned a mind under time constraints is a focused one.

I have been informed that the best way to pack is to organise everything into three piles: essentials, potentials, and don't need. Put in the essentials first then whatever else will fit from the other two piles. I believe this strategy is majorly flawed as the essentials piles is very subjective and in my case happens to include everything in my room.

It is now 1am the night before we leave for Poland and organisation is very limited; throwing items in a bag is proving surprisingly inefficient. I do have a gorilla pod, head torch, and compass (essential items for a city break) but seem to lack boarding passes and health insurance cards (I am a heavy promoter of the just don't get ill strategy). I do of course have cards for the Newcastle City library, Boots, and Climb Newcastle - just in case.

I am also midway through an inner debate as to the merits of travel insurance, yes I agree it can be incredibly useful but then again could be money spent for nothing. A perfect example of why students make rubbish travellers.

So potentially insurance-less but definitely well equipped with a head torch off I head tomorrow, gathering Holly in Newcastle for a brief train journey to Edinburgh, to collect Lucy and head to the bright lights of an Easyjet flight to Cologne. Feeling slightly more orange we will arrive on German soil and our youth hostel.

Here we took a gamble and opted for the cheapest youth hostel option - the 8 bed mixed dorm. Now this can go either way; we could meet a lovely bunch of people OR end up in a room full of complete German weirdos who stay up all night chanting. Praying for the former. It also hits me that this will be the last night in a while I spend in a room on my own - this has no effect on me as I can happily sleep through my snoring....

There we go, the first plans of a dark tourist. Off I head along with two bags of yogurt raisins, 15 cereal bars, numerous crisps, yogurt, salsa, sushi, and some pitta breads for good measure. At least if the plan crashes, eating my arm will not be my only option....