Hello my lovelies!! Wondering why I'm so chirpy?! As of the time this is being uploaded I have about 4 hours before I board for my first (of two) flights for Seattle!!! I have a 13 hour flight to LAX, followed by a short 2 hour layover and then a 3 hour flight to Seattle airport!! I'm spending the next 5 weeks living with Morgan (and my awesome host family - you're going to see the names Morgan, Jori, Jason and Brandon pop up a lot over the next month or so because they're my amazing American family that I'm staying with until June 10). We have a few exciting things planned: Morgan graduates high school on June 13, day trips into Downtown Seattle, a trip to the water park, a weekend away at the beach, American Independence Day celebrations and many, many, many more!

But before we get into all of the exciting things/posts/photos/etc. I thought I'd share with you my routine leading up to a flight/long trip. Since I'm going for 5 weeks, I had to really sit down and think about every possible situation and item that I would need to take.
Here 10 steps following how I prepare to travel and some specific things I did for this particular 5 week holiday:
A week leading up to leaving -
1. I write a list of every item I need to pack.
Being a 5 week trip this was quite difficult! I first started with a list that went something like; 10 pairs of jeans, 6 skirts, 15 tops, etc. And got cut down to 3 pairs of jeans, 2 skirts and 9 tops... I tried my hardest to write down on a single piece of paper everything I was going to actually need. Since I know I have Morgan's graduation while I'm over there I packed a more dressy outfit to wear, but it could also be paired with some sandals if we are just going into the city or something. The heels I packed to wear to her graduation are super casual, so if we're going out to dinner I could pair them with a shirt and jeans and still have quite a casual look. Another thing, I know Morgan has a hot tub at her house but we are also spending a weekend at the beach and going to a waterpark - the old Emma would have packed about 6 swimsuits for this, instead I'm only bringing 2 pairs (so that one can dry if I'm wearing them 2 days in a row)! As for makeup and things, most goes in my checked in luggage and the very bare essentials go in my carry on so that once I land in LAX and am through customs waiting for my domestic flight, I can make myself look somewhat presentable - considering it'll only be 11.30am when I land in Seattle!
2. I figure out which luggage I'm going to take, both carry on and checked in luggage.
I spoilt myself this trip! I've had the same pinkish/purple Samsonite suitcase for about 5 years now and it's slowly beginning to fall apart. So I figured I would splurge, I bought myself 2 new white American Tourister suitcases. I get really excited with new luggage (I'm weird, I know) but it also means I lot more room for stuff to take and bring home! As for my carry on bag, I could never go wrong taking my Crumpler backpack. I always bring it on long flights; it's really convenient to have a backpack to free up your hands while walking around the airport, it doesn't hurt your shoulders because it equally distributes the weight and they hold so much!
3. I begin compiling everything that I'm going to take and purchase anything I don't have. 
I make sure I've got everything on my list and if I don't have something I'll make a stop to the shops a couple of days before I leave. I also make sure I check the weather before I leave - I don't want to have packed jeans and jumpers and then arrive to super hot weather. Luckily, having Morgan in Seattle I was not only able to make a FaceTime call to her and discuss what the weather was like but I also know that if I've forgotten anything I can borrow something from her!
4. I ensure everything is still in date and all tickets are printed. 
I have a reminder set in my phone for a year before my passport is due to be renewed so that should never expire unexpectedly, but I know travelling to the USA (as an Australian) I need an ESTA Visa to travel. I've been to America within the last 2 years so my previous ESTA is still valid, but they are super easy to apply for! It's just a couple of questions on a website, around $20 Australian dollars and you're good to go!! :) I'm super paranoid about travelling and not being able to get on a flight because I don't have something printed out, so I'm always that person who travels with a print out of each flight, my visa and anything else I may possibly need - but to this day have never actually had to show any of them at an airport - I've jinxed myself now haven't I?! While I do this, I also check that I have a few blog posts that are written waiting in drafts for in case something happens and I don't have access to my computer or I get carried away having fun and forget to post something! So I like to be able to quickly open the app on my phone and upload something so I don't miss a day of blogging.
5. About 2 days before I leave I start putting everything into my suitcase/s and my carry on bag. 
Pretty self explanatory, yeah?
The night before - 
6. I make sure each bag is packed, nothing is left out and my carry on bag isn't too heavy to carry around for long periods of time. 
Again, something else I'm paranoid about. I don't want to get to my destination and realise I've left my makeup bag sitting on my bed at home. I always triple, or even quadruple, check my suitcase/s and carry on bag to make sure I have everything packed that was written on my list! I'm even more pedantic about making sure I have my wallet, passport, phone, laptop and chargers!
7. I have an intense shower. 
The night before a long flight/trip I like to have a super, super long shower. I put a movie on my laptop, sit on the floor of the shower and exfoliate my entire body, double cleanse my face, (now that I have blonde hair) I put a hardcore toning shampoo through my hair and make sure I'm super smooth. A shower the night before a flight could go on for an hour and a half... Whoops.
8. I try to get a good night sleep. 
If possible, I try and get a really good night sleep. I'm really good at being able to adjust to timezones - it's one of my only talents - so I've never been jetlagged. As soon as I get on the plane, I switch my phone to the time of my destination and sleep accordingly, no matter how long I've slept for the night before. However, if I have a layover or two I don't want to be falling asleep in the airport and missing my flight so I like to be feeling really awake. If I'm not super excited about my travels for the next day I try and fall asleep really early. I tend to book flights that leave fairly early, my flight to LAX left Brisbane at 10.30am, so I needed to be awake by 7am and out of the house just before 8am. This meant I could fall asleep around 8pm-9pm and get a tonne of sleep!
The morning of - 
9. I have quite a quick, but still relaxing shower. 
Because I'm normally in some kind of rush I jump in the shower, as it's the last one I'm going to have for a fair few hours, and do a similar thing to the night before but a more shortened version. I exfoliate my arms and legs, put a charcoal mask on my face while toning and conditioning my hair and then rinse it all off.
10. Just before I leave for the airport is usually quite frantic. 
Just before I leave for the airport is absolute chaos. I always leave myself heaps of time (and I am always at the my airport on time) but I still manage to panic about not leaving on time or the possibility of forgetting something. *Touch wood* To this day, I've never forgotten anything and I've never missed a flight.

I'll keep you updated while I'm in Seattle and my blogging schedule will still be the same! I'm going to continue to upload my posts according to the GMT+10 time zone, which is Brisbane (Australia's) timezone.