As I’ve gotten back into more consistent travel I’ve been thinking about a variety of things. One of those is what I’m traveling with.
It honestly throws me for a loop sometimes when I think about it. I’ve been living out of 2 backpacks for the last 8 months. I’ve swapped a couple of the clothes out, and had to restock on some things, but mostly what I left with is what I still travel with.
I’ve got my bigger backpack that has my clothes along with toiletries and a couple of other odds and ends that I don’t use day to day (like some basic rain gear, basic first aid kit, etc.). Then I have a smaller backpack that holds my remarkable notebook, laptop, and some of my needed items for when I’m traveling around.
And those two bags are it. I’ve got a collapsible bag for when I want something easy when going on a hike, a water bottle, and a small purse for when it’s needed – but everything fits in those two bags. And if I ever needed to condense or cut back even more I could. I do have some things in the US still – some clothes, childhood keepsakes, some books, etc. but even that doesn’t take up much. It’s basically all in a corner of a closet with the exception of a couple items in a dresser. Things can make life easier, but they can also bog you down – I’ve actually found myself thinking about what else I could slim down.
It’s crazy to think about how little material possessions really mean when you’re out and about. I’ve done a little bit of window shopping throughout my travels but nothing ever strikes me as something that I really want. I was never a big material possession person before – but I think that I’ve taken that even further now. Knickknacks lose even more meaning when you have no where to put them. The closest I’ve gotten to buying things has been when I’ve seen something that someone I know (friend, family, etc.) might like – but the anticipated cost of international shipping has always killed that desire. No seriously, international shipping is crazy now. It was not this bad even back in 2020.
So yeah – that’s what I’m thinking about today. The fact that I’ve been living out of 2 bags and haven’t missed anything I left behind is honestly telling. It’s worth it.
