My recent trip to Seoul was excellent opportunity to practice minimalist traveling. I've been inspired by many blog post (such as this one) of the major benefits of traveling with a lighter load-- less time, less weight, less cost, more freedom. So for a 3 day/2.5 night weekend trip, I limited myself to the contents of this bag (also pictured here):
I boarded the train to Seoul straight from work, so I only had the contents of the bag and what I was wearing.
- On my person: a long sleeve shirt, a tank top, a coat, a scarf, pants, underwear & socks, shoes
- Inside my bag: another long sleeve shirt, thermal underwear (top and bottom), underwear & socks, shoes, toiletries (make up, face wash, toothbrush), phone, journal
One thing I learned from reading minimalist travel blogs was to bring items that have more than one use. For example, my smartphone doubled for my camera and music player. The thermal top and bottoms acted as sleepwear at night, as well as an extra layer for warmth under my clothes during the day. My backpack was my "suitcase" as well as my day bag.
Though this may not seem like much, this practice helped me to be more conscious of what I decide to carry, both physically and mentally. It's a practice of knowing what is enough.
In conclusion, it worked out fantastically! It was so easy for me to move from destination to destination. Since I was carrying everything I needed, I was able to go with the flow or change plans with no hesitation. It took me five minutes to pack. And in the end, there was nothing more that I needed than what I already had.
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