Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Only the Essentials

My neighbor advises me how to pack for an entire summer in one tiny little bag.  Her family travels for months at a time with only one duffel bag each.

Impossible!

Well, I did it.  I listen to her advice about essentials.  For once in my life, I don't over-pack.   I get bare-bones about it, and I actually have room to spare.  One skirt, three tops, two pants.  Everything coordinates.  Two shoes:  one pair of sandals and one pair of running shoes.  A sweater.  Toiletries. 

It feels so free to cast off the entanglements of too many clothes, too many shoes, too many this or that.  What if I lived like this all the time and gave the rest away?

Living with flair means simplifying.  That's the first lesson of my summer travels!

______________________
Journal:  What else can I simplify this summer?

4 comments:

Patricia said...

Wow, Heather! I am impressed! I thought I lived simply, but I've never traveled without overpacking.

Louis' aunt's luggage was lost when she traveled to Japan. She bought one set of clothes to go with the set she was wearing. Every night she washed out the set she wore that day and hung it in her hotel room to dry. She lived that way for two weeks. Her luggage was never found. She had more than enough money to replace everything she had packed, but she had lived through the depression and had learned to live simply.

You and Louis' aunt inspire me.

Unknown said...

Oh, I love this and Louis's aunt! I am still removing nasty stuff from my flooded basement; along with it, I am cleaning and pitching gobs of stuff from the house proper. Who will notice what you wear day to day? Others have done it and no one notices. As a nurse, I could wear the same uniform night after night w/o suspect (I do change, though). Love the duffel bag idea. Have a fabulous summer. Will you tell us what you are planning or is that family? I hope you keep up this blog - it helps me put clarity into my daily life. Utterly selfish on my part w/no apology! LOL

Barbara Thayer said...

Okay...where do I go to sign up for this course in packing on the essentials! I am better than I used to be but not nearly as good as that! I need to take a lesson from this and learn to pack sparingly. I know from experience that on every trip we have taken...I pack far too much. Except...on my Canada trip that I wrote about on the blog. In that case, we packed the WRONG kind of clothing! Oh well..live and learn! Blessings Heather....great read today!

Reena said...

I am a totally light packer! Only carry ons for flights, even overseas for several weeks. Just read where one person throws away expendables like underwear, socks ... to keep his travel lite. Interesting!