Brandon and I depart to Hermann, Missouri tomorrow morning for the long weekend. We will take the Amtrak train from Union Station in the city, straight into the tiny German town. We've been really excited to go and record our travel experiences together, eat German food, visit the antique shops and fall festival, and squash grapes at the wineries.This next adventure got me thinking about my life-long interests in minimalist travel. I just hesitated to specify what kind of minimalism has fascinated me, because in truth, I have always been intrigued by the entirety of the subject: minimalism in the home, wardrobe, travel, etc. However, I am somewhat of a sentimentalist which makes me keep things and feel joy in surrounding myself with meaningful things. So minimalism in the home is always just a little too clean and sterile for me. I love color and light, and photos of my favorite people on the walls, and paintings my friends have done, and my favorite books and records on the shelves, etc. I find happiness in the treasures my life has awarded me.
But this drive towards intention is also what pushes me into the arms of minimalism in travel. It is the practicality of a light bag, not being dragged down by your possessions, in order to go out and experience something you will remember forever. This sentiment, paired with the feeling of carrying only the most practical, prized pieces to make the adventure much more easily experienced...that makes it all the more enticing to me. I know you're reading this and either you completely get it because you're just like me, or more likely, you don't know what I mean at all.
A good example of what I mean is this: I have a pair of black boots. They are the most perfect boots, because they are extremely versatile, comfortable, strong, etc. These are the boots I would choose to wear in an apocalypse, just for these reasons. I am also the kind of person who will never buy any other version of one thing once I have found the perfect one, so these are the boots in my life.
Compare packing just those boots for a trip, to perhaps packing less sensible, but prettier shoes, just because of the aesthetic they give you. I used to be very guilty of this. I would often shop for and pack clothes on trips because I liked what kind of person it made me seem like I was. I liked the aesthetic.
But it is much better to pack a backpack of a few very versatile, strong, practical, yet attractive items, than to have a suitcase full of clothes and things you may or may not wear, simply because it makes you seem cool to have them. Find stuff that does double-duty on the practicality and attractiveness fronts.
In regards to this trip and future trips, I have finally begun to feel dedicated to pursuing a minimalistic mindset when it comes to travel. I read this blog article, which I found extremely helpful, and even the whole website is helpful for deciding what to pack for various different trips and situations. I don't believe I have ever been a "pack everything but the kitchen sink" kind of person, but I have been known to bring unnecessary things on trips in the past.
However, this "just in case" frame of mind became entirely necessary after I had Samuel. If there is anyone capable of maintaining a truly minimalist lifestyle, while also caring for a small infant, I'd love to see how they did it comfortably. This kind of took me out of practice in the minimalist frame, so now that my little guy is almost one, I feel it is time I can begin practicing a bit more restraint, and I thought that the trip to Hermann was perfect to try.
Inspired by the article, I purchased my off-brand Kanken backpack on Amazon. It was purchased "off-brand" because I couldn't reconcile buying a real Kanken for $80 when I could have one just like it for $25. What's the actual difference other than brand? Who knows. We'll see how long this one lasts.
Off-brand Kanken has 18L, in comparison with the 16L real Kanken AND the backpack described in the article. In it, I have managed to pack three days worth of clothes, beauty/hygiene items, and other little things.
Here is my packing list for what I will wear, and what will be in my backpack:
THINGS I WILL WEAR:
- jeans
- black cami
- gray light cardigan
- jean jacket
- black boots
IN MY BACKPACK - CLOTHES:
- shorts
- another black cami
- t-shirt
- long sleeve shirt
- 4 underwear + 1 pair of socks (I will be wearing the other pair of socks with my boots)
BEAUTY + HYGIENE:
- minimal makeup (meaning, just the things that I feel are necessary, not like an eyeshadow palette or anything.)
- travel-size soaps, toner, and moisturizer (rather than purchase smaller versions of these, I just got the 50 cent containers from Walmart and poured my soap and all that into them. Save money!)
- contacts and travel-size contact solution
- travel-size deodorant
- brush
- toothbrush and travel toothpaste
- travel makeup wipes
OTHER ITEMS:
- travelers notebook (in lieu of my journal since it can be honkin' big sometimes)
- iPad w/ charger
- pens + tape runner (for attaching ephemera found while there)
- 35 mm camera and film
- DSLR camera and charger
And the photo above is everything in my bag! (Also helpful, I purchased these non-vacuum space saver bags for travel. If you don't want to buy them, one gallon ziplock bags work too.)
I will report how my backpack holds up, and ya know...maybe this minimalist travel thing will be a bust, who knows! More soon, and happy Labor Day weekend!
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