When I was nineteen, I spent a semester abroad in Florence, Italy. We departed on September 4th, and I would be changed forever.

Back in those days, social media didn’t exist. The Internet was an accessory, not a necessity. I took pictures on a real camera and developed film. I learned cities by foot, using only landmarks and maps. I got lost, a lot. I spent time in large, loud crowds of American students, and I wandered alone. I slept in hostels and drained bottles of wine on train station steps at 3am.

We drank beer at Oktoberfest and skydived in Switzerland and roamed the streets of Amsterdam, fresh weed in hand. It was a glamorous, risky way of life I had never experienced growing up in suburban New Jersey. I remember gazing dreamily out the Italian train window, whizzing by lush landscapes of green and gold, the sounds and smells of muffled travelers swirling around me. On occasion I’d get a peek of the coast, the sparkling cobalt Tyrrhenian Sea dancing under the light of the setting sun. My soul was overwhelmed with excitement, adventure and beauty...

I’ve lusted after that nomadic life ever since. As years passed I decorated my passport, mourning the day when the last page was stamped and I had to start all over again. I aged in reverse, growing out of careers, cities, and leases and into part-time jobs, freelancing, and furnished sublets. My first few moves I needed a U-Haul. Then a large van. A Jeep was sufficient one year later. And finally, a small sedan - with room to spare.

My luggage followed suit. In the early years I packed bags so large I could physically sleep in them if necessary (came close a few times). How I don’t miss the days of using all 5’2′′ of me to haul my life up and down stairs, in and out of Tube stations, fighting with budget airlines. And then there was the move to London in 2016, sweating buckets in the layers of clothes I had to transfer from the suitcase to my body to accommodate Norwegian Airlines. Eventually I learned to Marie Kondo my life into one little red suitcase.

That suitcase became my home away from home.