Minimalist Travel Tips and Slow Living

Minimalist Travel Reminders

To be honest, I only started actively practicing minimalism during the pandemic. And I didn’t get to travel a lot since that happened. I also always had a baby in stow during those few times, so it’s challenging to fit all the things we need in one bag. When my baby was a wee infant, our car would even be jampacked since we had to bring a stroller, a crib, and other bulky baby gear.

But then, I’d notice that we don’t really need some of them, and it’s way easier to bring less stuff than to end up carrying a lot. So, here’s how I keep packing our luggage to a minimum during our travels (or more likely, the things I need to remind myself so I won’t carry heavy luggage):

Bring multi-purpose items

Bringing things that are multifunction saves a lot of space in the bag. One of the best multi-purpose travel essentials I know is a mobile phone. It serves as a phone, camera, flashlight, map, and many more. (haha phone manufacturers had made them very powerful)

I also like packing a pashmina on our trips as they’re very handy blankets. For clothes, I usually bring presentable tees and shorts that are easy to match and that I can also use for sleeping. This doesn’t mean I won’t change before going to bed (eww) but I don’t have to think about what to wear when I pack those kinds of clothes.

As a mom, my favorite multi-purpose baby item is a muslin blanket. This large breathable cloth has served as my little one’s blanket, mat, bath towel, swaddle, bib, stroller cover (to prevent mosquitos), and breastfeeding cover. It’s very thin so it doesn’t take up a lot of space in the bag. Also, it’s super easy to wash and dry so I can easily use them repeatedly. They’re literally perfect for travel. I only have three pieces of muslin blankets and I couldn’t give them away since we’re still using them every day and they’re really handy for our travels.

Pack comfy light clothes that are easy to dry

Before I used to bring a lot of fancy clothes during my travels to impress others. Since they’re only for show, I’m not used to wearing them. Some of them are uncomfortable to wear, so I’d be uncomfy too while mingling with others. Worse, I’d end up not wearing them at all since I don’t really like wearing them. For travels, I tell myself to bring only what I’d really wear.

For me, those are comfy tees and a pair of shorts since it’s hot here in the Philippines. My shirts are also very light and they are usually easy to wash and dry. This way, I don’t have to bring a lot of clothes.

Bring footwear and a bag that are easy to mix and match

For footwear, I don’t see the need to bring an extra pair. When we go to the beach, I usually just wear a pair of slippers going there that is easy to match with all my outfits. This is usually what I use while wandering around the beach. But if the beach is rocky or there’s a nearby hiking trail, I may bring also a pair of aqua shoes. And that’s all.

For bags, I usually bring a light sling bag that I can easily take with me while meandering around. This, of course, needs to be easy to match with my garments.

Ask what’s available

Before packing anything, I have to call first our lodgings what items they provide. Knowing if they have cooking equipment, free towels, and toiletries can help trim down my luggage checklist.

That’s pretty much all I can think of right now. Perhaps, I could add some more to this list when we get to travel more. Hope you can share with me your tips and tricks to pack light too.

For the second part of this question (what steps do you take to alleviate having to purchase items at your arriving destination), I can only think of one answer: limit the cash I take with me.

Most weekend getaways here in our country are far from ATMs and some are not yet accepting online payments. Bringing cash that is only sufficient for food and emergencies can help limit unnecessary spending. That’s all!

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By the way, Minimalist peeps, I’m not yet done... Week 3’s topic was my favorite but I wasn’t able to finish my draft in time for the challenge. Anyway, here’s my entry for last week:

Self-Improvement through Slow Living

My initial concept of minimalism was simply decluttering things that no longer “spark joy”. As I researched more about minimalism, I was led to one of my favorite Youtubers: Matt D’Avella. Matt introduced me to the concept of “slow living”.

Slow living means there’s no need to always keep up with the Kardashians.
Or that I don’t have to multi-task maniacally to become a millionaire content creator.

Instead, I should evaluate what things in my life truly make me happy. And if those things are not doing harm to the people around me. If I already have what I want, there’s no need to get new stuff.

Then, there’s slow growth. Most of us have goals and dreams. Slow growth suggests there’s no need to reach your ambitions immediately. Especially if your efforts to attain them are damaging your relationship with loved ones and your physical and mental health. Instead, it’s best to take things one step at a time and savor each moment of your journey.

Before I had my daughter, moving forward in my career and getting wealthy quickly were my priorities. Eager to get ahead of the game, I made choices that burned me out and that didn’t make me happy.

Now that I have the little one with me, family time takes more importance than anything else. And thanks to minimalism, I’ve come to accept that I don’t have to keep up with my peers. Instead, I can spend more time with the fam and pursue something I love since a teenager: writing.

The first organization I joined as a child was a writing club. I loved reading books and I once dreamt of becoming a writer. But during that time, in our country, writers don’t lead bountiful lives and they don’t get to attain the “Filipino Dream” of working abroad. So, I pursued another career in college.

Thanks to minimalism (and the internet and Hive, of course), I get to hone this craft now. In fact, this year, I got a formal job as a copywriter. I didn’t exactly pass the exam, but after showing my blog here on Hive, they gave me a second chance.

Ironically, this gave me less time for the blockchain which was really sad since I love writing in this place. I can write about anything I want here: movie reviews, motherhood dramas, thoughts on minimalism, and many more. Aside from crafting my own pieces, Hive encourages me to engage with the community. I won’t get that from a personal WordPress blog haha.

On top of that, it feels like I’m part of something revolutionary. Through Hive, I experienced and began to understand how crypto actually works and what it can do for a community.

So, as much as I can, I’d try to post and engage here more regularly. Of course, without burning myself out.

Slow growth has also made me understand that I may not become the writer I envisioned myself to be right away. Just because I read a few articles or watched a few videos on how to craft an amazing blog doesn’t mean I’ll be an amazing content creator ala Matt D’Avella, @taskmaster4450, or @geekgirl right away.

Instead, I may start out as a crappy writer and I won’t get to craft my message as awesomely as I had it in my head. And that’s fine, there’s no need to rush. It may take years of practice to get there. Or I might not even get to be as good as I want to be. And nothing is wrong with that.

What matters is that I enjoyed the journey. And that I didn’t destroy myself in the process.

Minimalism and slow living have made me feel more content about life. I’ve come to accept that not everything may go my way. What’s important is that I’m happy with what I’m doing and I’m spending time with the people who matter.

Anyway, inviting @tpkidkai and @indayclara to join this challenge. I have a feeling indayclara is a pro at minimalist travels.