I picked up my luggage, on clearance! There is no way I will lose them in a crowd.
My mom works at Savers and found that awesome backpack (Fossil Brand, might I add) which will be my new traveling bag. Can't forget my fox tails of course.

Flights are booked for cheaper than what I was expecting (yay!) and my visa papers are sent. We made a first payment and all is well. I've been peeking at clearance racks at stores for any shirts/shorts/sweatshirts that might be good. I am getting very excited!

This past weekend I decided to get crafty, and use up some coupons I had in my wallet. So, I decided to make my own travel journal. Not only that, but I found some neat-o luggage from Marshals that was on clearance.

Picked up a basic black journal book from staples. The pages were already a cream color, but I used a mix of coffee and tea to darken the page edges and give them a nice aged look.

I also grabbed things on clearance such as travel scrap booking stuff, paper blocks, stamps and the best of all, modge podge!

I went ahead and started to arrange things on the inside cover. My dad collects stamps, so I used some of his many extras. I glued them in place, but then to cover the finished arrangement, I used the trusty modge podge, which gave it a shine. Now none of the edges of stamps or the paper will pop up and get damaged. Modge Podge is basically glue that goes over things to seal them!

Then this.... is the cover! There are stamps from all over the world (mostly US though since that's what my dad collects). The stamps in the frame are exploration stamps. The oldest stamp on this book is from 1924. I did this again on the back, with even more stamps. I didn't double up on any stamps (except two in the frame).

So as I plan for an awesome study abroad experience, I've gotten in the DIY mood, the planning mood and the overall excited mood. I figured I would share some cool travel ideas!!

Luggage is typically black, or brown and the colored ones are expensive right? Well, here is a neat-o idea of how to make sure you can spot your luggage right away! No more stress!

I'm going to Japan, so I plan on grabbing a map of Japan (from AAA) and making my own! Don't forget to put your name, address and phone number on it! (Click on the photo to be taken to the Etsy store!)

Traveling to a foreign country, air fare [Check!], cash [Check!], sleeping pills [Check!], Passport [I dropped it!] Now what?

This nifty idea is a passport cover so you can quickly recover if lost! Grab some old international stamps (thank goodness my dad collects stamps) and don't forget the modge podge! (Click on the photo to be taken to the Etsy store!)




So my last little find is my favorite. A journal made with an air mail design! Although I find it awesome for travel, I plan on making my own and customizing it for my travel experience. Either plain, lined, blank or decorated, a journal is the best way to keep track of your experience abroad! Well, a blog is good too! (Click on the photo to be taken to the Etsy store!)