Okay, this isn’t really related to anything, but a bunch of people have been asking me for travel tips.
Maybe because of the past couple months teaching workshops in California, New Mexico and North Carolina? Though it could also have to do with having moved countries three times.
And since I’m probably on a plane as you’re reading this, on the way to my yearly teaching trip in Berlin for two months, I guess now is as good a time as any.
Though I really have to say, I’m no expert.
You’d probably be better off just paying attention to Chris Guillebeau. Or re-reading that Tim Ferris piece about how to pack smart.
But if you want some of the how, I guess I can do that. Well, I can tell you what Selma and I do at least.
This is the dorkiest piece of advice I’ve ever given.
I really only have one travel tip, and here it is:
Travel light.
I know that’s kind of annoying.
Like, if I could travel light I would.
Or, if I knew how to travel light and didn’t have a million things I needed, that would work too.
So I apologize. But it’s what I’ve got.
So. Here are some of the things I do, both “in the hard” (literally, in real life) and “in the soft” (in my head).
Traveling light: in the hard.
- Socks. I don’t bring them. I bring 2 pairs and then I buy socks in Berlin. I used to live near a weird dollar-store type place in the east, so I usually go there.
- Warm clothes: I bring one sweater and one jacket that fold up small. If I need anything else there, I go to Humana (the huge second-hand place) and buy a sweater for a couple euros.
- Before I leave Berlin, I take whatever I’ve bought there and leave it at one of the Free Boxes (in a cafe or a co-op or an anarchists collective or something).
- Underwear from exofficio (bring 2-3 pairs, wash in the sink, they dry super fast)
- There is an excellent Kindle app for the iPhone. Which means … not having to pack books! I buy a bunch of Kindle-ized books and keep them on my phone. I was worried it would be uncomfortable reading but it’s totally not. My gentleman friend uses the Eucalyptus iPhone app for reading public-domain books, and loves it.
- Since I use baking soda or coffee grounds for shampoo and make conditioner from an egg, olive oil and lemon juice, I (hooray!) don’t need to pack stuff like that.
- And … I pretty much wear the same thing all the time anyway. So no one expects anything different when I travel!
So yeah. Really the “trick” is … not having a lot of stuff, and not worrying about it.
And I don’t know how to teach people how to do that, which is why (as I said) I might not be the right person to ask about this stuff.
Traveling light: in the soft.
Lightness. That’s the quality.
And I work with it like this:
“Even though I feel stressed and anxious because I don’t know what’s going to happen next, I’m allowed to feel stressed and anxious.
“Even though I don’t like this feeling, I’m just reminding myself that every time I’ve done this, things have worked out fine.
“Even if not everything works out fine, I’ll be taking notes for next time.
“Even if I end up hating everything, I’m getting better at being adventurous. Whee! Adventure mouse!
“Even though this is reminding me of some really hard parts of my life, I’m allowed to have those memories and I’m allowed to remind myself that now is not then.
“Even though it’s hard for me to have this lightness in my life, I’m getting better at bringing lightness into my life.
“Even though I’m totally resisting the lightness, I’m also allowed to have grounding and stability if and when I want them.”
That’s all I’ve got.
For now, at least.
Comment zen for today.
We’ve all got our stuff. We’re all working on our stuff. We try to respond to each other with as much, you know, compassion and respect as we can stand. Mensch-like: it’s how we roll.
What I’d rather not have: judgment.
What I would love: tips that you have, stuff you’ve tried, things you’re thinking about related to traveling.
Follow
I love this post. “Travel light” is a mantra for a life as well as for a journey.
When I’m packing for a trip, my heart knows what I truly need. It’s a much more trustworthy and discerning guide than my head, which imagines the remotest possibilities and converts them into imperatives for hauling along everything but the kitchen sink.
On a ten-day trip I’m planning to take in a few weeks, I’ll pack basic clothes (like you, I wear the same thing all the time), my Sony Reader, on which I’ve downloaded a small library of books, my little netbook (so I can write), the shoes on my feet, and my cane. Other than that, I can buy what I need when I get there, and leave what I’ve bought behind.
Happy travels, Havi. May that inner lightness keep you buoyant throughout your time in Berlin.
Love, Hiro
.-= Hiro Boga´s last post … Sunday Poem #7 =-.
I don’t usually comment, but you hit on something I needed to hear about traveling light. Mostly metaphorically, but also literally.
I don’t really have a whole bunch of advice, just wanted to thank you for reminding me to let go of the fear (fear is really heavy) and trusting in myself enough to know that it would be all right.
Oh, one tip. Breathe. People always think it’s a lame tip, but it helps you get centered and it helps you physically calm down, and it fills you with light and air (literally). Deep breath. In all the way, then a little bit more. Then out all the way, then a little bit more. Until you feel yourself calming and lightening. If you care to, you can imagine yourself taking in light on the inhale, and releasing weight/negativity/fear on the exhale.
I’m not traveling, but so many of these affirmation/mantras/things to remember apply to things I do. The first four! Oh! I need those. I may copy them out longhand ten times each to make them sink in.
Just reading the first one makes me feel better about so many of the things that are coming up in my life.
Aaah. Thank you so much.
I used to be really frustrated by advice to basically just not have/bring a lot of stuff. Clothes in particular felt just…so scary to pack. Like, if I don’t bring everything, how will I ever feel comfortable??? I started reading this private blog that I think is now closed about a woman who was trying to pare her clothes down to just the absolute bare minimum she needed and it was really inspiring to me. It was not at all about minimalism, much more about finding things you love so much that wearing them all the time in different ways is totally joyous and makes you feel good. I already basically would find one outfit and wear it over and over and over, so this blog felt like permission to not only continue doing that, but to REALLY DO IT and get rid of stuff I didn’t love wearing, and letting me invest in myself and things that I DO love wearing. I actually haven’t travelled since this change in my wardrobe (almost 7 months, wahhh!) and I can’t wait to pack for my next trip because I anticipate it being really easy. (knock wood)
Anyway, I hope that this is not striking anyone as instructive or should-y, I really just feel so good about it for myself and wanted to share.
Safe and happy travels, Havi.
My tip, after many summers going back and forth across the country between parents –
There will always be cheap/free books.
Every town has a library and most will let you get a library card even if you’re a visitor. If you need something to read as you travel AWAY from the city/town/village, go to the thrift store and be delighted that you can find 10 books for $1 (not that I recommend traveling with 10 books!)
Oooh, this is super helpful for me, gearing up to our Irish honeymoon! Thank you!!
.-= Kyeli´s last post … The Final Book Bonanza Wednesday! Chapter 34: Endings =-.
Havi, you tease! I keep reading these tantalizing tidbits about your hippy-dippy, tree-hugging, superallnatural cleaning/personal grooming solutions, and I want more! I’m sure you have like a million other things going on and your own ideas about what you want to write…but I’d kill someone else’s mother for a book chock-full of how to make soap out of coffee grounds (and a lighter and a piece of twine…)
Who taught you? Is there a book with recipes? If not will you write one? I’ll give you a kiss. I’ll shower your duck with…wait, what do duck business partners like?
My tips:
Do not bring books! If you can’t live witout one book (in my case to write IN) then make sure you limit yourself to ONE. Invest in an eReader (I don’t have an iPhone or a Kindle but I used my PDA) if you want to read, otherwise download audiobooks onto your iPhone or iPod!! It works great and still fuels the spirit and imagination.
If you need creative supplies with you, make an emergency kit (works well for kids too) by fitting a few crayons or pastels or a small watercolour set into an old altoids tin!Or buy cheap supplies.
Having a phone AND a camera AND a videocamera is not necessary. Most camera phones work well, if you have enough storage space in your card!
Buy toiletries wherever you land rather than carting them back and forth!
.-= Pam´s last post … More List-tastic Goodness (Moon’sLark… =-.
I’ll admit it, I don’t travel light. I travel… medium. Mostly I wear comfy clothes and the shoes on my feet, but if I need a fancy outfit with shoes (like for a wedding) I pack the fancy outfit and the shoes. I used to think that I absolutely HAD to travel light and then I’d get all stressed about fitting everything into a carry-on. Now I just allow myself to bring what I think I’ll need, check my bag, and trust that I will see it again on the other side.
.-= Barbara J Carter´s last post … Candy-colored dot painting =-.
I’m a pro packer and have even taught my less worldly (in the travel sense) husband that he does not need a pair of boxer briefs for each day, that all pants and tops need to coordinate, and that being dirty for a day or two is the best part of roaming the world. Now I can say that we fit all our clothes in 1 carry on suitcase!
@Kyeli Enjoy your Irish honeymoon. That’s where my hubby and I went last September. It was gorgeous and romantic!
One of the in the soft things I find quite helpful is that if you are travelling around, you don’t see the same people very day. So wearing the same thing all the time is less of an issue.
I suspect I’m not the only one who feels some weird social/cultural should about not wearing the same thing every day. But when it is people that only see you for one or 2 days, it is easier to get around that should. Maybe that helps someone.
I love your ideas about buying stuff you need in dollar stores or thrift stores and then donating them before you leave. That’s a great idea for books, too, if you are travelling somewhere that they sell books in a language you read.
There is a good 2nd hand English-language bookstore in Amsterdam, for example, and at least one in Paris. And sometimes you can sell back the books. But maybe something like Book Crossing is good for travel reading, too? Hmmm.
.-= JoVE´s last post … You always have time for yoga, mama =-.
Great post. One of the things I’m doing to live my life a little lighter is to compartmentalize stuff and get better organized. For instance, I have a kit that has shampoo and all the bathroom essentials so I don’t have to go search for this stuff everytime I travel. I’ve also compartmentalized my purse so that I have little cosmetic cases / pencil cases that I organize my stuff in. That way, I can easily take only the pouches I need and not have to take everything. It really helps me have clarity and helps me get lighter in the head.
Oh, gawd. It is like pr0n/crack/heroin/doughnuts, but I love a good tips post. And this is a great one. Plus, the comments.
@emilylime: If you really love us all, you’ll start a Flickr group for you and your pared-down brethren to demonstrate to us clingy pack-rat types what it’s like. Pictures! I need pictures!
.-= Colleen Wainwright´s last post … Poetry Thursday: The small, still voice =-.
I totally agree with traveling light. There is no better advice than that.
I traveled to Europe a couple of years back with just one carry on. FOR 30 DAYS! I took clothing that rolled up really small, and lots of black. Not only will you fit right in, you will look suave and fashionable, and it goes with everything.
Think of it like this: it’s 5:30 AM in the country where you just landed after a 16 hour flight. You don’t have a clue what you are doing, all you can think of is taking a shower and then sleeping for days, the light in the building is horrid, you look like crap and do not want to be seen.
If you have a carry on, you just grab your bag and hop in a taxi. If you have 2 or 3 suitcases, then you have to talk to 20 people to find the turnstyle where your bags might show up in 30 minutes if you are lucky.
And you really can buy anything you need wherever you are going.
You will enjoy yourself a lot more because it will be so much easier running through airports for your connections, and running after high speed trains when you have just that one bag.
And you can feel good about yourself knowing that you are working with the environment by helping save on fuel (lighter plane-less fuel consumed).
Bon Voyage
.-= Kathleen, The Savvy VA´s last post … Bluehost Tutorials =-.
Oh, I just thought of something else. One of the greatest points of growth for me in my life was while traveling. But not in the usual way of experiencing other cultures and such. No.
I had just taken an overnight train on my way back from Morocco, (I was trying to get to a hospital because I had severe food poisoning). I was exhausted, my traveling companion was leaving for his scheduled trip to Paris, but I still had 5 more days left before my flight.
I did not want to be alone and sick. I tried to get an earlier flight back to Canada, but could not. It was cold and rainy so I checked the weather on TV and hopped on a train to the only point in Spain that had sun. I pushed myself to be there, sick and alone.
I grew a lot… If you find yourself in a situation like this while traveling, just know that you can do it.
.-= Kathleen, The Savvy VA´s last post … Bluehost Tutorials =-.
This post is fantastic to read at the moment, as I am currently weeding out my closet, trying to leave only the things I absolutely love, and/or are essential.
I love silk and it is light, doesn’t wrinkle, wonderful for 4 seasons, always looks good, lasts for years and years…
I used to pack lots of poetry books on trips, never knowing what I’d want to read. About 10 years ago I switched to transcribing my favorite poems in a little leather bound book. It is such a wonderful thing to have, and it is my favorite book to take traveling. (though the kindle is sorely tempting me.)
.-= Kate T.W.´s last post … An artist who is infusing your world with beauty, whether you know it or not. =-.
I always bring a book and something small to knit, and I wear ballet flats or birkenstocks, and don’t pack “Come Get Me” shoes, unless I’m going to Vegas.
I like to wear knits that pack small and layers. Then even though I am wearing basically the same thing, it’s not the same thing, because maybe some of my layers are off.
I never pack anything that I couldn’t ditch somewhere except for my laptop and I only bring my laptop if I am actively working. Otherwise it stays home.
I write all of the relevant phone #’s on a piece of paper and put it in my pocket.
Traveling Light Mentally-
I try to stay in B&B’s, and small inns, especially ones with cats or dogs in residence.
I always pee before I get on a plane, whether I need to or not.
I drink a lot of water. Way more water than one would need.
.-= Bridget´s last post … Bananas: Trying Something New (Electric Boogaloo) =-.
It’s the book thing that does me in. I usually take at least three, plus magazines. Except I always have to stop in the Powells in the airport (oh, they are clever, they are) and it is impossible to leave there without another book or two. Light is not exactly the word I would use for my backpack.
.-= Elizabeth´s last post … making progress =-.
I pack pretty much like you for myself. I used to be able to throw everything I needed in a rucksack in 10 minutes and be ready to go. My husband once travelled to New Zealand for 10 days with only hand luggage.
And then….
We had a child. Oh how things have changed. I still travel lighter than most mothers – which has a lot to do with not having a car – but she just needs so much stuff and I can’t afford to buy new stuff all over the place. But this has taught me it’s own lessons – to let myself take what I need and to be comfortable with not being able to go at 10 minutes notice anymore. Now I need 15.
Like JoVE says, bookcrossing is a good way to deal with books on journeys! I usually take a book to read and then find a bookcrossing zone, which is basically a shelf in a public place somewhere, leave my book and take another one. There are at least two of those zones in bars in Berlin. Besides being useful, it is fun to see where your books end up, since you can follow their journey when people take the time to leave a message on the website. If you’re a crazy bookcrosser *cough*likeme*cough*, you deliberately take extra books to leave behind in a foreign city, but that’s not helping in travelling light. However, if you’re into souvenir shopping, the books you leave behind make room for said souvenirs.
My tactics for travelling ever more lightly is just paying attention when I come back from a journey and unpack things that I never used. Next time, those things get to stay at home with my non-travelling duck.
My train to Berlin leaves next Thursday. Yay! *small dance around office chair*
Oh, I love this post and the comments. Particularly Bridget’s tip, “I try to stay in B&B’s, and small inns, especially ones with cats or dogs in residence.” I’m going to follow suit!
I’m a carry-on-only traveller too, and love love love being able to put all my books on the iPhone. Going to check out the Kindle and Eucalyptus apps now…
Ooo, and I’m with Thorin Messer: more please about your eco-friendly practices. I tried baking soda as shampoo for a while but ended up with hair that was weirdly stiff. :-/ What’s your secret?
I usually pack light and acquire a hell of a lot of books – which I post home surface mail !
My other essential is a moleskeine notebook but really almost everything can be bought at the destination. And one of the pleasures of foreign travel is going into foreign supermarkets anyway. I really liked my own brand supermarket toothpaste I bought in sydney and mourned its finishing…
.-= creativevoyage´s last post … a literary salon =-.
Back in my PK (pre-kids) days, I traveled far and wide with a rucksack on my back. One of my favorite items was a bungee cord thingy with clips. You can string it up *anywhere* to dry laundry and it’s strong enough to hold jeans. I also became a huge fan of rolling my clothes instead of folding so I can see everything all at once without rummaging.
However, I draw the line at traveling without books. Not an option for me. That’s what cheap paperbacks are for, plus I always leave mine behind at the hostel/hotel.
Warm wishes to everyone off on overseas adventures! Enjoy a loaf of bread and some cheese in a park for me, ok? (grin)
-Sally J.
.-= Sally J.´s last post … Little. Yellow. Dangerous. =-.
This post – and the comments – are pure gold!
What’s interesting is I tend to do the “wear the same clothes all the time” at home, yet I feel like I have so much of it, still.
And for whatever reason, when I travel, suddenly all the stuff I never wear becomes very appealing.
“I might need that, so I’d better bring it along!”
Definitely need to work on that.
I suppose if I started by getting rid of the stuff I don’t love while at home, I wouldn’t be tempted to pack it anymore, since it would all be gone.
.-= Victoria Brouhard´s last post … The No-Brainer Scenario =-.
oh I really like what emilylime said:
finding things you love so much that wearing them all the time in different ways is totally joyous and makes you feel good.
Books are one of the things I’m least likely to cut down on when travelling. The thing for me is sometimes there is a waiting bit like waiting at the station for a train, and if it goes on too long I don’t like it. And then if I have a good book I can just “be somewhere else” through the book while I’m waiting. So a few absorbing readable story-books are always worth their weight to me.
But admittedly I’m generally only away for a few days – a book I’d already read wouldn’t be so worth carrying around if it was for a long time.
Anyway happy travelling Havi, and all the other people about to go travelling!
@Elizabeth – oh yeah, the Powells in the Portland airport! Totally wonderfully dangerous! That’s probably why I always arrive at the last possible second, much to the chagrin of poor gentleman friend. 🙂
@Shazza Oh, right. Kids! I think you probably get to happily throw all this out the window (or most of it) if you have kids! I remember reading one of Julie Morgenstern’s books and her describing what it was like to take her kid out to the park (a full day of planning and bags and all sorts of necessities that you’d never think are necessities).
So yeah. I totally should have had a “this is probably completely different for parents” caveat…
@emilylime Wow. So it sounds like for you (and also for Shazza) that taking more stuff would be the thing that helps you feel more light-hearted.
And traveling light-*hearted* is the best way to travel light that I know of. I mean, that’s why I kind of put more weight on the soft than on the hard for this one.
Because if traveling light turns into a should, then it’s not light anymore and to hell with that, you know?
So I think it’s great that you know what’s good for you, and that you take the precautions and such that help you feel safe and comfortable. Works for me!
@Thorin – I’ll have to think of a book to recommend! I get all my tips from odd places.
For hair: I take my gentleman friend’s coffee grounds and give scalp a good scrub (not at night though because then I can’t sleep!). You can also mix them into a regular conditioner: works great.
Or: mix one egg, one TBS olive oil, one TBS lemon or orange juice (mix really, really well). I like to add a few drops of rosemary oil too. I like the smell and it also works against things like dryness and dandruff.
Re the Soft: sounds spookily similar to the inner monologue I play on repeat every time I travel somewhere!
Another thing I have to carry in mind whenever I go anywhere is that it will take at least 3-6 days for me to feel comfortable at the other end (for I’m a sensitive flower and disproportionately unsettled by change). Even if I’m going somewhere relatively non-scary – it even took me 3-6 days when I moved to Brighton last month. Mental, but there it is – it takes time for a place to feel safe and familiar to me.
So it helps me to accept that during that period I’m going to be able to cope with much, much less than normal, and allow myself to deal with all the different bits of new in teeny tiny chunks. The first day, just leaving the house may be enough. Etc.
And once I figured that out, things got *so* much easier. When I was younger and I went places I used to totally freak out that I was feeling so displaced and anxious, and it felt like I was going to feel that way *for evah*. But eventually I’d done it enough times to know that that feeling was temporary, and that in a few days I’d be feeling at home, and that made the anxious stage *so* much easier to deal with.
Big love to Berlin. I miss it. Kiss it for me, and I hope it kisses you, too – till you’re dizzy!
.-= Kate´s last blog ..Working with Change =-.
Hi Sweetie,
This was a wonderful post and gave me some fabulous insights into how the “other half” ( i.e. the travel light folks) live.
I do not, never have and never will travel without packing a ridiculous amount of stuff, cause it just makes me happy! It’s one of the reasons I hate to fly. I’m not afraid of airplanes but I find it completely annoying to have to limit myself in terms of what I can bring when I go on a trip. So I travel by car whenever I can so that I can pack as much as I want.
When Tim and I got married, we went on a three week trip to Italy for our honeymoon. He told me that I needed to stuff everything I needed into one carry on bag. I did it, but not without a great deal of caterwauling and complaining. It did not do any damage to our marriage but we have never spoken of it since.
And the only thing I ever buy when I’m on the road is jewelry!!!
Hope you have a beyond splendiferous time in Berlin, that your teaching schedule goes “smoovly”, your German returns without a hitch and that you get to eat as much German cheese as your huge and loving heart desires!
Love you biggest bunches,
Chris
.-= chris zydel´s last blog ..Your Creativity WILL Talk To You… But Only When It Knows You Are Ready To Listen =-.
Can you leave a note on how to do your shampoo and conditioner recipe? It is becoming a big pain with my frequent air travel…
Another tip is double up
A “pareo” or light big cloth which weights nothing and olds inside one sock can be used as towel, skirt, dress, scarf (or head scarf for religious places) and even bag (for warm climates)