The last time I was packing for almost a month on the road I had just finished my A-levels and was cramming as many clothes as I could into a friend's backpack that was almost as big as me!
Now, complete with my own suitcase, I have to pack for three different countries and six different shows. That means up to 12 different TV outfits on top of all my normal clothes.
Hmm, where to start? Well, there are some things that come with me wherever I go. First, my earpieces. They enable me to hear instructions from the programme's director, editor, producers and production assistant. If I can't hear those guys, then I have no idea when to start talking, when we're live on air and when I need to get off the grid and hand over to Steve Parrish and Charlie Cox in the commentary box.
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They say size doesn't matter - but after last weekend I think we can all agree that even a few millimetres can be the difference between winning and losing in the world's premier class of bike racing. In fact, 10mm was all it took to put a smile back on Casey Stoner's face at the Aragon MotoGP.
Without a win since Malaysia '09 and having missed three races last year battling a 'mystery illness' which later turned out to be an allergy to dairy products, the 2007 world champion has struggled to find form all season.
Criticising other riders and complaining about the performance of his Ducati was becoming a routine, that is until he and his mechanics sat down to get to the bottom of his problems. I say 'sat down' in the loosest of senses as Stoner and his team have been chipping away at the problem week after week - but last weekend was the turning point.
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Shoya Tomizawa, tragically killed during the Moto2 race at Misano on 5 September, died doing something he loved and all who knew him well have said he would want every rider, team and fan to carry on as a tribute to him.
So, while 'Tomi' will be very much in our thoughts this weekend and with many riders planning their own tributes to the Japanese youngster, MotoGP continues and the paddock moves on to its second new circuit this season - MotorLand in Aragon, Spain.
This will be the third time the bikes have been racing in Spain this season after trips to Jerez and the Circuit de Catalunya.
And if Fiat Yamaha rider Jorge Lorenzo finishes in the top two - something he has achieved in all but one race this season - he can guarantee that either he or fellow Spaniard Dani Pedrosa will win the world championship.
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Racing of any form is a dangerous sport, but nothing highlights how vulnerable and exposed motorcycle racers are more than the sad and tragic death of 13-year-old Peter Lenz at a warm-up event for last Sunday's Indianapolis MotoGP.
The racing accident happened on the morning of the MotoGP race.
Lenz fell in a warm-up lap and tried to get up but was then struck by another rider. He received medical treatment trackside but died later that day in hospital.
The news filtered through to all of us at the track slowly but in racing, when you're on the grid and the lights go out, riders have to put all other thoughts out of your mind.
There was no doubt, though, that on a hot and gruelling day it hit each and every one of the 17 elite-class riders.
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Hello, I'm Jennie Gow and I'll be guiding you through this year's MotoGP coverage on the BBC. I've been working in the biking world ever since I started out in TV, covering Speedway and Motocross before my move into the world of Valentino Rossi, Casey Stoner, Nicky Hayden et al. Anyway, I hope you enjoy my blog and all the gossip and tales I'll be bringing from the grid and paddock.
