Traveling Light & Living Lighter: Wisdom from the Road 🎒✈️
Scroll to see my backpack life! 👉
Just a musing here. If you’ve ever traveled light, you probably understand the frustration and the thrill. Packing light = not easy. Traveling light = soooooo much easier.
Let me explain. A few years ago, I read an article on accumulation of “things”. How 100 years ago, most of our relatives lived with very few things. It wasn’t considered “minimalism”. It was simply all they needed.. or could afford. 1 nice dress, 1-2 work outfits, and a sleeping outfit. Today we have closets *overflowing* with clothes.. and while they’re nice to sort through, they very quickly become baggage and a stress! If not worn, they collect dust and attract moths. They require more storage space, they fill a house with clutter.. there’s a limit to it!
When I started this journey, I thought it was going to be for 1 year. Nothing more. So I diligently put my things in a storage locker, packed what I thought I needed for a year.. and started traveling. I want to say I made it 3 months before I was absolutely disgusted with the idea of having to pack all my cr$p into another bag. So I channeled my inner Marie Kondo. I thanked almost half of it for its service, and let it go. The items became gifts for staff at my hotels, or simply hit the trash bin.. and with 1 bag lighter I kept traveling. 6 months ago, I unexpectedly found myself traveling with just a small backpack for a little over a month. Wow, I have to tell you - I never in a million years thought I could live for months on just the items in 1 backpack. BUT I DID IT!
The thrill. The lightness. It’s also helped me to navigate my own personal baggage. How much of what I carry is serving me. Personal grievances. Anger, upset, you name it. I realized that it’s okay to let those feelings run their course, and then thank them for their service and simply let them go. Just because you were upset yesterday - you don’t need to hold onto it for another day.
So here’s to traveling through life a little lighter, in all the ways that matter. Keep it simple, keep it meaningful, and always listen to the wisdom of your own body.