Travel Tips: The Packing Light Mindset

One of the most frequent questions that I get asked as a traveler is "Where do you keep all your stuff?" At one point, I also spent long nights pondering this question before my family set off. In my world, wearing the same shirt or outfit in public twice in two weeks was embarrassing. I couldn't fathom living off of just three pairs of pants and six shirts. Not to mention leaving behind my precious collection of books. And of course there were my beloved picture frames of me and my friends, and my curling iron, and all of my shoes, and so on..... you get the point.

In November of 2021 we began our travels by driving from Michigan to Arizona, not a short drive! As I packed for extended travel for the first of many times in my life, I can still distinctly recall my mindset How much of my stuff can I manage to fit in my bag? Now there might not seem like much wrong with that mentality, but let me assure you that there is a better way! I was trying to cram my old life into a bag to take with me instead of embracing and adapting to the change. Upon arriving in Arizona, I realized that the things I brought had not managed to recreate but a shadow of my old life and surprisingly, I didn't want them to! In my new world, I didn't need that curling iron or fifth pair of shoes. I didn't need a sundress and all of my old magazines. I didn't need all my picture frames and my whole bag of crocheting supplies. I know it sounds ridiculous, but I actually had brought all of those things.

I still loved my curling iron, but I learned that it was heavy to tote around and the braids that I adore were far more practical for hiking and left my hair wavy with just a small hair-tie. I learned that shoes took up a ton of space and I really only needed one or two pairs to serve the purpose of all occasions. As much as I loved the feminine look, jeans and a adorable top were way better on the road because my dress was taking up valuable space and getting super annoyingly wrinkled in my bag! My magazines were at risk of damage all the time and useless because the last thing I wanted to do was read them when the whole world was just outside. My pictures were all the more precious and less at risk when taken out of their frames and slipped between the pages of my Bible. And do I truly even need to explain why the crochet supplies were unnecessary? That wasn't my finest moment.

Embrace the change and simplicity.

So I've learned that the answer to packing lightly is to embrace the change and simplicity. Cling to the present and future and be practical. You don't have to compromise dramatically, you have to be creative! I buy travel sized makeup and reuse old spice containers to fit jewelry and bobby pins in. I use the space inside of my shoes. I remember to test the weight. Trust me, that one's important! Just remember above all to embrace the change instead of ignoring it. Acclimate to your culture as best you can and packing will soon be an easy endeavor. Don't bring a single item thoughtlessly, but consider the practicality or everything you put in your bag.

I hope your packing goes just splendidly and that these tips were useful! If you have any more specific questions on the subject, send me a message through the contact info below!

-Grace Teresa :)