Bon Voyage!

... or should I say Zhaijian!

I am off on my travels to China tomorrow! I've just finished packing and it's all starting to feel very real.

Despite my limited knowledge of Chinese language (I can confidently say that I eat noodles and also drink tea, and tell people my last name is Wang), I am so excited to see more of this part of the world.

The trip looks intense, but beautiful, and most definitely worth it. Check out The Dragon Trip on Instagram and you'll see what I mean!

I started to pack last night, which is quite last minute for me considering the amount of stuff I need for a month away.

I laid my things out on my bed and felt slightly overwhelmed by the amount I had to pack. I doubted how much I would be able to fit into my bags, whether I needed all of it or if I'd missed something crucial.

But, to my delight it has all been squished and squeezed into every possible pocket - with some logic to the order of packing so that hopefully I can find things easily...

(the little yellow bird, courtesy of my sister, so I can find my bag easily in luggage claim)

My packing list for a MONTH in China is as follows:

Clothes:

* T-shirts x 4

* Long sleeve tops x2

* Vests x 4

* Bottoms x 3 (1 trouser, 1 leggings, 1 shorts)

* Pyjamas x 2 (1 long sleeve, 1 short sleeve, 1 trouser, 1 short)

* Pants x 7

* Socks x7

Wash Bag Essentials:

* Microfibre travel towel

* Solid shampoo and conditioner (to avoid liquid explosions...)

* Multi-purpose soap bar (for hair, body and clothes)

* Net soap bag (to avoid wet soap slimy-ing up the rest of your stuff)

* Bug spray

* Sun cream

* Moisturiser

* Toilet roll

* Tissues

* Baby wipes (for 'cat-lick' showers)

Practical Essentials:

* Earbuds (in case of noisy sleeper trains/ hostels)

* Spare shoes

* Flip flops (for hostel showers)

* Sunglasses

* Hair snood (can be used as headband, scarf or eye mask)

* Bikini and swimbag (for impractical hostel showers and to carry wet belongings)

* Plastic hanger clips (for a makeshift clothes line!)

* Portable power bank

* Snacks...

... So many snacks. My dad went on a spree and bought me plenty of nutritious energy bars (I think there are 12 altogether) as well as Polos and Fruit Pastels which I always take on a flight.

For flight entertainment I have packed headphones, a notebook and pen (which I plan to write in everyday to capture each activity on the tour) and 2 books which will hopefully last me the whole trip.

All that and I've managed to fit it into a 40L rucksack and a 20L day bag.

Now just over 24 hours till I fly, the hype is real. I've got a lot of hiking, eating, learning and sight-seeing to do. The time has finally come!

It's been a long and admittedly slightly stressful build-up, expensive to say the least, but I've had enough of planning and talking about it, and now I'm ready to go.

Obviously, because it's a big trip, you can most definitely expect a big ass Vlog when I get back in October. As much as I want to experience this part of the world for myself, I would love to share it all with you as well.

That's me, all ready to fly! Though I'm sure I will have forgotten something... Any last minute tips or tricks for long-haul flights or sleeping in hostels, please send them my way.

Otherwise, it's time to explore the world.

E. x