Becoming a Minimalist Travel Master: The Basics

by Colin Wright
on August 23rd, 2010
1 Comment

I want to take a little time to discuss something that I haven’t talked about here but that I rant about endlessly on my blog: Minimalism.

It’s important to understand Minimalism, because if you do and are able to apply the basic tenets to how you travel, you’ll have a much more pleasant experience, save a bunch of money, walk away with better stories and be able to beat a grizzly bear in hand-to-hand combat (note: one of these claims may not be entirely accurate).

At the most basic level, Minimalism is about reassessing your priorities and adjusting your life so that you are able to spend more of your time, energy and resources on what is important to you.

For example, if you are PASSIONATE about watching sports, you may want to have a really solid entertainment center at home, complete with a mini-fridge full of brewskies and a nacho hat (for easy chip-dipping).

It may be difficult to afford all this, much less find the time to enjoy it once you have it, but what if you stopped spending all that money on lawn gnomes? You don’t even like them, you just kind of buy them so the yard doesn’t look so boring. And you never touch that extra computer, why do you need that? And you sure do spend a lot of time playing video games so that you can beat your friends when they come over, but you’re not too crazy about video games, and really don’t care much for that group of friends, either, so why don’t you plan on having plans the next time ‘video game night’ rolls around?

Plans to watch some frickin’ sports on your frickin’ awesome entertainment center. Ooooooh yeahhhhh.

This is just one example of course, but hopefully you catch my drift. Absolutely everyone has possessions, responsibilities and relationships that don’t bring them any value, yet we still continue to hold on to them out of habit or supposed necessity. Moving away from these empty-investments and instead throwing your lot in with what you DO get value from improves your life drastically.

This same philosophy is incredibly important to getting the most out of travel.

Here are some tips for applying Minimalism to your next excursion:

1. Pack Light

I know, I know, you want to be prepared for any and all possibilities when in a foreign land or just a county over, but I think you’ll find that if you just make sure to have access to your money, you can cut out 50-75% of what you’re intending to pack.

Yes, you MAY need that mess kit, but if you don’t, it’s just taking up space and weighing you down. Instead, you can eat out, buy some cheap paper plates and plastic forks, or use the utensils that are available at most hotels/hostels/bed and breakfasts.

You MAY need 3 different fancy outfits, but very likely you’ll only need one. Or none at all. A good rule of thumb is to pack items that you can use several times without washing (like jeans and jackets) and wear different one-use articles of clothing with them each day (shirts, underwear, socks). This can seriously cut back on the bulk of clothing you’re planning on packing, and even if you end up needing to wear the jeans more than a few days, you can always wash them at a laundromat, at a friend’s house or in the sink.

2. Plan Your Activities Wisely

Everyone has a slightly different style of traveling, but two very general groups exist: those who plan and those who don’t plan.

If you are someone who likes to plan and fit as much as possible in to your traveling adventure, make sure to work in the kinds of things you actually want to see, not just what you think you SHOULD see. Also, make sure there is enough time between activities to rest and recuperate, otherwise you may find yourself too exhausted to enjoy your trip.

If you prefer to take things as they come and roll with the punches, make sure you set the scene for success by packing as light as possible and having a few Plan B’s available when it comes to lodging. Packing lighter allows you to improvise and purchase things as you need them, and having a backup bed available somewhere nearby will allow you to feel comfortable in NOT planning and taking more risks.

So plan or plan-not, either way make sure you’re optimized to fit in the most of your preferred style that’s possible.

3. Consolidate Consolidate Consolidate

If you can carry one item that has the functionality of more than one, you’ve got the right idea here.

For example, I carry an iPod Touch with me as I travel. My iPod functions as my ebook reader, my jukebox, my portable gaming device, my notepad, my portfolio, my dictionary, my translator, and when I’ve got a WiFi connection, my email inbox, my GPS, my instant messaging device and my phone (good ol’ Skype!).

I could bring a Kindle, an iPod shuffle, a PSP, a Moleskine, a sketchbook, a tangible dictionary, a translation gadget, a smartphone and a GPS with me instead, but why the hell would I do that? Each does it’s individual job a bit better than the iPod Touch, sure, but the sheer versatility of something so small drastically cuts down on the number of devices I have to carry around (and risk having stolen or broken).

The same rule applies outside of the tech world.

I travel with Vibram FiveFinger shoes because I run to work out when I travel, but also because they function as really solid flip-flops, general workout shoes and water shoes, as well. They also pack easily, since a pair of them takes up half the space that one normal workout shoe consumes.

Look at what you own or what you could easily purchase and consider replacing multiple items with one super-item. Your luggage and your trip will thank you.

Colin Wright

Colin Wright is a minimalist, branding expert and serial entrepreneur. While running his blog Exile Lifestyle ,his branding studio Colin Is My Name and his e-publishing business ebookling. Colin travels the world (moving to a new country every 4 months), meeting up with amazing people, giving talks (to audiences ranging from tech industry professionals to college students to Catholic school girls) and hunting down new and interesting experiences.