You can learn a lot about minimalism when you travel. If you practice traveling light, you’re already learning the basic concepts of being minimalist.
I travel several times each year. Vacations, weekend getaways, conferences, and job interviews all require planning and packing.
Lately, I’ve been taking weekend trips to nearby small towns as part of a research project. On one of my three-day trips, I realized that I have way more stuff in my home than I’ll ever need. Here’s why…
Traveling Light Can Lead To Living With 100 Things
If you’ve followed Hip Diggs for awhile, you know I’m not a big fan of living with 100 things as an expression of minimalism. I think that’s a bit of an extreme.
I live in a 3-bedroom house with a comfortable amount of belongings. But by traveling light, I’m learning how easy it would be to pair down to 100 things or less if I wanted to.
Here’s a list of what I take with me on my 3-7 day trips. Of course it depends upon the season. This is a cold-weather list:
That’s plenty of stuff for several days. In fact, I could have stayed a week and needed no more than what I had with me. I probably could have gone a month with those few things and done just fine.
Granted, I was staying in a hotel and eating my meals out. Kitchenware was not necessary, as it would be at home. But even so, I wouldn’t need much more than another couple dozen items.
By Traveling Light, You Practice Living With Less
If you travel, I encourage you to learn to travel light. Traveling light will help you see how easy it really is to live minimally.
When I travel, I spend my time writing, walking, and playing music. What more do I need than a few sets of clothes, my computer, and a guitar. On some trips I take a ukulele or my iPad mini with GarageBand for my musical practice.
What more do I really need at home? Of course, I need some simple furnishings, some dishes, and some some extra personal items. But I don’t really need much more than what I travel with.
Traveling light helps you see how little you really need. It helps you to practice minimalism. It teaches you how to simplify and stick to the basic necessities.
Will you make a point to start traveling light?
For more great articles on simple living and healthy habits, be sure to check out the Hip Diggs’ archives.
