I usually take a backpack when I travel, and over the last few years I’ve learned to slim down what I take so that I don’t have any checked bags — even for trips of 2 weeks.
For Thanksgiving this year, though, we took our Toyota Highlander Hybrid (already a compromise to my low impact goals) to see my brother and his family in Berkeley. Since we had the extra space, I decided I was going to just pack a suitcase. And once I started with that, I decided to take my PS4 and Switch to play some of the new games that had come out. I had carrying cases for both that I had never used and was feeling the weight of the sunk cost.
I brought running clothes and hiking stuff and city “dress” clothes for our urban days in Portland and San Francisco. I had my phone, of course, and my laptop (and power cords for all of those electronics). I even brought a small stack of books (despite my e-book reader) which I added to at Powell’s.
It makes me stressed now even writing about this. Day by day, I realized how much time I was spending managing all this stuff. I had to make 2-3 trips to unpack each time we stopped in a new place. I had to worry when we had to leave the car parked in a “bad” area for fear that someone would break a window in an attempt to grab my console. I had to sweep our Airbnb a few times to make sure I hadn’t left anything behind.
And then, once in Berkeley, I found myself making excuses to get my PS4 set up (“lt would be a waste to bring it all that way and not use it” and “Brian will want to see this game!”). I fiddled for 2 hours that I could have spent with family … all to get about 20 minutes of gameplay.
On the drive home, I realized how having all that stuff had actually made the trip so much worse. I was distracted and unhappy with the weight of all of the things. I apologized to my wife.
And as we drive across Northern California and then Oregon, I realized how this whole trip was a microcosm of my life — weighted down and distracted by unnecessary things.
So planning for a week long trip overseas a couple of weeks later, I went searching for wisdom about traveling light and found Leo Babauta’s useful little book, Traveling Light, on that very subject. I love Zen Habits, and I devoured the book on the eve of my flight. Leo’s advice got me to pair down to the lightest pack I think I’ve ever had on a trip. A few key tips:
- I’m bringing synthetics so I can wash my underwear and t-shirts each night and know they’ll dry by morning. That reduced me to only 3-4 pairs of each.
- I slimmed down to just an iPad and phone.
- I pre-loaded books and movies and articles on the iPad so I don’t need to buy anything and don’t need to think much about what I’m going to read or watch.
- I’m wearing the only shoes I need — black Nike Metcons that can pass as casual work shoes but also can be worn for a run or workout.
- I’m wearing the only jacket I need (like Leo, I always carry a light rain shell).
Mine is a business trip, so I did need to bring button down shirts, but I had a synthetic one that allowed me to trim down my load. I do want to try Leo’s uniform idea, though, for my next family trip.
I’ve always found traveling to be a time for me to reflect, take stock, and make pivots in my life. It’s funny how these two trips are, I realize, giving me a chance to experiment with more fully embracing the wisdom of minimalism. It’s not a fad. I can feel how the lightness of my load brings a lightness in my attitude. I feel more free.
Strangely, I realize, it was the too abundant choices that caused me stress on my Thanksgiving trip. The things created obligations on my time, besides the physical burden.
Now, I’m looking at embracing this light traveling as a daily way of life. Could I get this same lightness by just shedding all of the superfluous devices and clothes and books? We’ll see.
Patrick O'Kelley 
Taking to heart.
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