There is nothing like packing for a whole year or more of travel that will make you question your life choices.
Over the last 8 years, I’ve lugged a lot of stuff around with me that I had never used… and every time I re-pack my bags and set off again, I think about those times I’ve had to haul a huge suitcase onto a bus, train or upstairs to my apartment. I may have been patient with myself a few years ago, but not anymore! These days, I have learned to get the balance right. There is truly only one piece of advice: know yourself!
Know the difference between an empty hope, and something that you’ll actually use. It’s a wonderful exercise in self-acceptance actually. Realise that the way you’ve been living your life up until now has been perfectly fine, and let changes to your life happen naturally.
Something I’ve learned over the years is that I don’t exactly care about what I wear. In the past, I’ve had a really bad habit of overpacking clothes, and for a short trip this isn’t really a problem… but for long term travel, trimming down on things can be a life saver! I realised over time that my friends don’t care about what I wear. My family doesn’t care about what I wear… it’s just me who cares about that, every now and then when I look in the mirror and don’t like what I see. Well, I’ve learned to just get over that and accept myself for who I am anyway. I’m good enough, without the need for all the decoration.
As a result, I don’t worry so much about packing heaps of clothes – if one day down the line I genuinely decide to dress differently, then I’ll let that happen naturally. For now, I’m really happy with the basics. Especially when it comes to packing for all seasons… which means the key word is layering. Basic summer clothes, and some extras you can layer on top during the colder months. Jackets, scarves, longer pants… you can let some jewellery and your sparkling personality do the rest. There are simply more important things in life for me.
This rule can really be applied to any aspect of your packing: what am I really like? Toiletries and cosmetics is another one for me… will I really use that full bottle of magic shimmer oil that I bought four years ago on this particular trip? Probably not. It’s not going in the bag.
My guiding principle can be summed up like this: if it weighs me down, I don’t keep it around.
You can use that for anything in life really. Packing, spring cleaning, toxic friends, negative thoughts, dead end jobs. Travelling really does give you life lessons in living lightly, whether it’s around Europe or just daily life.
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve not only learned a lot more about who I am, but I’ve also become a lot more supportive of my own journey through life. As a result… it doesn’t take me very long to pack these days. So with two days to spare, I’ve got my life packed into 25kg. And I know that if I ever need anything else, I’ll just figure it out along the way!
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