Expat Diaries: Bringing a Little Piece of Home {A Link Up}

This is my first ever link up with Lost In Travels and Postcards from Rachel for their Expat Diaries series! I am super excited because in a little more than a month I'll be joining my husband in South Korea to teach English. I will officially be an Expat! 

The Expat Diaries is a series dedicated to bringing bloggers together to share their travel/ expat stories with others and to get to know other travel bloggers. 

With this in mind, I thought it would be perfect to start getting involved. 

For anyone that is new to my blog here is a little background on my travel experience: 

In 2007, I decided to continue my undergrad career on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii, so I packed up and moved over 4,000 miles away from my home in Georgia. 

{If you have never spent a long amount on the North Shore, let me assure you- this is a way different culture than the mainland of America. Trust me.}

In Fall of 2009, I took a break from Hawaii and did a study aboard in London, England. During this study aboard, I was able to travel to France, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales. 

In 2011, I returned to Hawaii, with a husband, to finish my undergrad degree. 

Now we are moving on to our next adventure: South Korea! 

Okay- enough of the background...

For my first post, I wanted to talk about bringing a little piece of home with you as you travel. 

If you are going on a long trip away from home, I highly suggest bringing some things to remind you of  your home. Homesickness is a real thing. No matter how excited you are about traveling or relocating, sometimes you just really miss your home. Having some familiar things around you will make your travels a little more bearable on really bad days. {Like when you get lost in a new city, or someone calls you a stupid Haole. -If you don't know what that means... look it up.} 

I love to travel, but I also hate being away from my family, so I always make sure I bring a few things of comfort with me when I am moving. 

Here are my top five: 

1. My Babushka {A blanket I have had since childhood. This blanket is actually a sarong that I got on a trip to the Bahamas. It goes everywhere with me. For real. } 

2. Pictures of my loved ones {I usually just bring prints. There is nothing better than having pictures of the people I love. Just looking at them makes me feel better.}

3. A journal {For me, journaling is a habit that always reminds me of growing up. Plus, I hate forgetting the little details that you think you will remember, but you don't. Write them down!}

4. My pillow {If I am moving to a new place, I like to have my pillow and pillowcase to remind me of my bed back home. I know this is a pain to have in airports, but I can't kick the habit.} 

5. My computer {I know this is a big item as well, and you might think how does this remind me of home. If I have my computer, I can Skype. And if I can Skype, I feel a bit closer to my family.} 

Traveling with these items always makes me feel a little better about being away from home. Having a few comforts helps- it really does. 

Now of course, there is tons more to pack when moving or traveling, but that is for another day. 

Hope you enjoyed my first post with the Expat Diaries link up.