Most people over-pack. It is amazing how much stuff folks bring that they never even use.

It is actually easy to explain because…….. Most people over-pack.

When it doubt, leave it home. No one will notice if you rewear a jacket or a pair of pants. You will probably never get a chance to play that guitar and your purple vinyl jumpsuit will not earn you any points with the locals anyway. You cannot leave it all behind if you take it all with you. Also, most folks travel before and after Lecce and keep in mind that everything you bring with you will need to be carried for the duration of the trip.

Certain genders and nationalities tend to overpack, culturally. In your mind’s eye, consider hoisting your enormous bag up flights of stairs and while doing so, consider what would be the first things you would throw away to make it lighter. Then leave that stuff at home.

Still, here is a helpful list, most of it optional:

  • An Ipad. These are great for sharing your pictures while here on Social media. You’ll have a wireless connection.
  • A copy of prescriptions, kept apart from the actual pills themselves.
  • An European adaptor (versus converter. Most electronics convert themselves. Read the cord to find out).
  • Digital point and shoot camera. Or your Iphone. Be certain to learn how to turn off both the data and roaming.
  • A copy of your favourite cookbook, dedicated by you, for the school’s cookbook library. Tell us in the inscription why the book is important to you. And your hometown.
  • Refrigerator magnet from your hometown for the school’s fridge.
  • A shawl, pullover or sweater.
  • Clothes that go with everything. Think ‘matchable basics’, versus ‘outfits’.
  • Comfortable shoes. We will walk to the market every day.
  • Bathing costume (bathing suit), if you are one to swim. No cheetah-print thongs or banana-hammocks though, please. We hate being upstaged…….

 

What not to bring:

  • Hair dryer. We have several you can use.
  • Tuba
  • A fifth suitcase
  • High-heels (our stable is actually that, a stable, with a cobble stone floor).
  • Aprons.
  • Any cookery gear,
  • whatsoever. We have it all.
  • Travel irons. We have a real one you can use. So does your B and B.

What to do before you come to help you depart home:

  • Use Social Media in a smart way: Set up groups and send one message or picture to everyone, rather than writing individuals. Do this right and you can be remarkable in touch, without dedicating a lot of time to it. Ex. Create a Facebook chat group that sends to everyone that you want to write while away. Sign in, send a single message or photograph and everyone you put on the list will receive it, etc.
  • Set Lecce (or Bari or Brindisi) on your desktop weather and monitor the weather here before you leave. Pack accordingly but only the week before you leave.

One last thought on the subject. You can have any trip you want but you can’t have two. In other words, you can shock and awe with your fashion sense, or you can travel light and see the place you actually came to see. You can do one but it’s hard to do both.