A short post on packing less, the minimalist on vacation
I just got back from a two week vacation. There were three of us and we had a car at our disposal. Although I consider myself a minimalist I still was packing a big weekend bag, a backpack (my laptopbag) and my mediation mat (even rolled up it’s still quite big). My in-line skates were thrown in the trunk as well as a jacket.
All in I had filed the trunk of the car for about 1/3
After everything was packed the three of us wanted to take along, not only the trunk was full, but the back seats were covered as well, leaving a niche for the backseat driver to fold in to.
Something went wrong there, don’t you think?!
Here I am, blogging (among other things) about minimalism and I need 1/3 of a car trunk to haul everything! That’s just wrong. Upon getting home I did what everything does when home: unpack. But I did it consciously. Not just stuffing everything back to where it belongs, but looking at it and asking myself “did I use this?” and in several cases following the answer with a second question “Then why the *bleep* did I bring it along?!”
Going through my bag this way took some time and served the dual purpose of being my meditation for the evening. Meditative unpacking, give it a try.
In the end I had a nice pile of stuff I actually didn’t use in the whole two weeks. Among them: a pair of shoes, two books, 2 shirts, 2 pairs of socks and a math book I’m supposed to be studying to get ready for University. Unlike Pareto’s law roughly 60% of the content of my bag got serious use, the rest was fluff. I used the skates, but only once. I used my meditation mat every evening and the jacket was used almost every day.
All in I could have packed a lot less and still be on vacation but I need to take this packing more seriously if I’m ever going to be truly location independent. After all, everything has to fit in a carry-on, even if the vacation lasts for year.
If I dropped the skates AND found a portable solution for my meditation mat AND didn’t pack the fluff I think I could have gotten it all in a single bag.
Sorry for the rambling post but there is a message here, a lesson: Next time you unpack your bag after a vacation do it consciously. Ask yourself if you used it and if not why you brought it along. After a few passes I’m sure you’ll be packing far less next time.
Thanks everyone for the nice tweets and comments the past two weeks, I’ve been far less active than I was hoping to be but I’m back home now and read to start kicking again.
Now that is something I am GREAT at — I can pack minimalist easily!
I packed for a TWO WEEK vacation in a country I have never been to, all into a carry-on suitcase and a purse. I wanted the vacation to be open to new experiences, so I left behind anything that tied me to everyday duldrums. The way I looked at it, if there was anything I forgot, chances are I would find it in one of the cities we visited (and I’d get to practice my Italian). The only thing I truly didn’t anticipate was the desire to have a set of travel cutlery…and I couldn’t find those in the local shops, not the end of the world, and it did not spoil the vacation! Having so few clothes, and weird weather, we had to be creative…washing all the easy light clothes in the sink in the evening kept life simple, and there was only one laundromat visit for the heavier things.
To be fair though I have had some practice at packing bare necessities as light as possible, I like to go camping (real camping with no plumbing). And travelling to a civilized place like Italy was WAY easier than packing for camping (all the food, ice, water, bedding, fuel, dry stuff, wet stuff, medical stuff…..)
One-bag traveler here. Usually, upon arrival, I’m asked if I’ll be “staying.” :-)