“Minimalism is the constant art of editing your life.”
- Danny Dover, The Minimalist Mindset
An accomplishment that will never show up on my resume is how my family has learned to pack lightly. We spent the month of June traveling abroad—all with carry-on luggage. We rolled our clothes into eBags and, once a week, used coin-operated laundromats. It started as a way to avoid bag-check fees and save time, but has developed our ability to operate as a team. One backpack held Luna bars and other snacks in one pocket, our clear plastic toiletry kits in another. One held our passports, novels that we exchanged with each other and a folder with printouts of our itinerary, boarding passes, train tickets and museum tickets. A third carried our electronic devices, chargers and adapters. The fourth, a smaller daypack, held our water bottle, sunscreen, hats, glasses, a protein shake mixer cup and my journal.
Minimizing our baggage helped us stay mobile, spend less time packing between cities and avoid stress our fellow travelers had. When we experienced delays, flight cancelations, gate changes and an unexpected overnight stay in Philadelphia during what became a 36-hour return trip, we had everything we needed. Our packing method is growing into a way of life for us. At home, we roll our clothes to fit into drawers and try to pare down our belongings. What do we really need? What can we donate? How can we better organize our home? What commitments do we value? What can we skip? How do we want to fill our time? What else in our lives can we streamline?
How can you streamline your life to carry less baggage?
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