Maybe you’ve heard of minimalism and it struck your curiosity. Perhaps you’ve lugged an oversized bag around enough times to realize you don’t need that much space. Maybe you’re just tired of messing with checked bags at the airport. Whatever your reason, we’re glad you’re here to learn a little more about how to minimize for your travels.
My Story
It was the end of a long flight to Germany and a happy reunion with an old friend. We waited at the carousel for my bag. It was one of those large rectangle boxes with the wheels that aren’t really good for much else besides rolling around on smooth floors.
All the other bags were collected, and mine was nowhere to be seen. It had stalled out during my flight change in Spain and was likely still there. The airline promised to get it to me ASAP, but I had to go a week with only what I had packed in my carry on. For about five years I only traveled with a carryon.
Finally I decided to give the airlines another chance. This time I was heading home for the holidays and decided to check my hardshell bag so I wouldn’t have to cram it in the overheard on a packed flight. It was missing when I got to my destination. When the airline got it back to me, two days later, it had a giant crack in it. Enough is enough, I thought, and so began my journey of minimizing my luggage.
Packing Starts with the Bag
One of the first steps of cutting down your luggage is finding the right bag. Luckily many people seem to sympathize with this plight, and entire companies have been started in pursuit of creating the perfect travel bag.
For me that means something small enough to be a carryon but large enough to hold at least a week’s worth of clothes, my computer, and all the other little essentials for traveling. Compartmentalizing is key to keeping yourself organized in a small space so it’s a good idea to find a bag with a lot of pockets or to get some packing cubes. If you are a shutterbug, you can also look for a solid travel camera bag.
Wardrobe
Learn how to pack light. A minimalist wardrobe isn’t for everyone, but clothes take up a lot of space. Depending on where you’re traveling this can be easier or harder. A weekend snowboarding will be more difficult to minimize than a week at the beach, but either can be fit into a decent carryon with practice and organization.
Get the right kind of clothes for your journey. Synthetic materials often dry quickly and can be hand washed in the shower or sink in a pinch. Wool has a lot of great properties that travelers look for. It dries quickly and has natural antimicrobial properties so it can be worn a few times without needing to be washed.
Choose Your Own Adventure
Research your destination. Maybe you can buy or rent some of the things you’ll want for your trip at your destination. It can be heavy and difficult to bring all the gear you need for a scuba diving/backpacking trip around the Yucatan, but you can rent gear for relatively cheap.
If you only trust your own gear, then that is a different story, but maybe you don’t need your own wetsuit. Figure out what the priorities are for your trip and pack accordingly.
How you travel is up to you. There have been several times that I brought something I knew I’d need and never ended up using. It’s all about balance, and only you can figure out the right choices for you.
