Minimalism Part 3 – Travel Luggage

Before Purge
After Purge

Here is the next food for thought in minimalism world.  Do you travel and if so, how big is your suitcase?  Do you get a backache hoisting your heavy suitcase?  Do you carry a lot of “just in case items?”  Do you unpack after vacation and think “Hmm, I didn’t use this and this and this”?

I answered yes to all the questions.   We travel frequently and it ranges from a couple of days to a couple of weeks, so I keep a loaded suitcase and rearrange it according to the time frame of the vacation.   Courtney Carver’s “Project 333” (inspiring minimalist) states that she travels only with a carry on bag and a laptop bag under the seat, even with international travel.  Wow, that’s huge and I’d love to say that.  Realistically though, my suitcase is a checked size and I’m ok with that. 

What Ms Carver taught me is to do some critical thinking and decide what I really need.  When I was young, my mom had everything in her suitcase and purse and I never thought about not needing all the “just in case” stuff.  So first thing I removed is “extras and just in case items.”  Then I removed items I haven’t used in quite awhile, with the thought that there are stores on vacation!   I stuck all this extra stuff in a plastic bag for now, won’t be taking it on vacations, and I’m guessing I won’t be missing any of it. 

My pictures may not look like I removed much but…..

 

Final result…suitcase went from 34 pounds to 25.3!  Thank you God for helping me.  If you have thoughts and tips, please share. Have a good week. ❤

12 thoughts on “Minimalism Part 3 – Travel Luggage”

  2. What a blessing to travel frequently. I’m hoping for more of that in my future. I’m a novice packer, as I haven’t had to do much of it. But I am grateful for these ideas to keep in mind for “some day”. :). Actually, I’m going on a road trip in a couple of weeks and will think through my bag with your tips in mind.

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    1. Good for you! The pandemic last year really helped my ideas of traveling. We started taking frequent 3 day mini trips within 100 miles of our home. Low cost, something to look forward to, exploring our own neighborhoods, easier packing, just all positives. No airline issues, stolen luggage, rental car debacles, etc. I hope you blog about your road trip! 😀

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  3. I’m not good at packing because I want to cover every area of “just in case”. 😂 I do try though. It amazes me how much “stuff” we have around that we haven’t used in years. I’ve been getting rid of things but there still seems to be too much that I’m keeping. Piano, piano as my mom would say in Italian. Little by little. Have a great day in the Lord, Marla!

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    1. Haha, love the just in cases but sounds like we’re still in training! I am figuring out if I know the why’s of my reasoning, it is so easy to purge. Like as I said my mom carried the kitchen sink in her luggage practically bc she was super prepared for our family. Back then, we couldn’t afford to go to a store and pay higher prices if stuck on a vacation. Now, I’d rather not carry 1 toothpaste and 2 extras, just in case. Haha

      I have an upcoming blog that I share about keeping too much!

      Thank you for, I did have a great day in the Lord so far. I hope you are too.

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