Final 5 months…

5 months until departure. The last week of June I’ll be leaving the country, one-way ticket in hand, landing somewhere in Asia. This trip has been 11 months in the making, and it still seems most loose ends will need to be tied up in the coming months. I need to find a tenant for my place, find a good place to stash the truck, find the absolute cheapest storage possible, and hopefully ramp up my savings even further. I’m debating the pros and cons of selling most of my furniture, belongings etc.  The duration of the trip will likely be 6-9 months, and should I decide to come home and stay for a while, most of those sings sold will likely need to be acquired again. Or, I could just decide to live out of my backpack for the forseeable future. This option is sounding more attractive by the day.

Everything but the kitchen sink…

While I’ve never been quite as bad as the “kitchen sink” traveler, I’m often guilty of packing what I have room for, whether needed or not. So, to combine something I’ve long been interested in — travel — with something I’m newly interested in — minimalism — I’ve decided to apply these techniques to all of my travel; work and pleasure alike. I’m starting an experiment in minimalist travel.

I am allowing myself 12 items, including clothing, shoes, toiletries, reading material, electronics etc. The only exclusions will be my work related items so that I don’t jeopardize my employment for the sake of traveling light (typically laptop, charger, treo, charger, legal pad, pen, necessary documents.) On trips for pleasure I’ll hold myself only to the twelve items.

I figure the list will be broken down like this, for a 3 day trip:

- book

- pen

- small expandable bag

- 1 pairs of pants

- 1 pair synthetic underwear (washed nightly)

- 2 shirts

- 1 pair synthetic socks (also washed nightly)

- 1 pair of shoes

- toothbrush

- deodorant

- contact solution

The few trips I have taken traveling this light have really been my most enjoyable. This less you have to lug around, the less you have to worry about, the more you’re able to focus on why you’re actually traveling. This fact is only compounded when you consider long term travel. How much of that crap we drag along do we actually need anyway? Not only will I avoid checking any luggage, I’ll be able to fit all these items in a small backpack. Being able to pack for a trip in 30 seconds also has its advantages. Obviously, traveling to destinations of more extreme climate will require small modifications to this list.

We’ll see how it goes.

For more information on traveling light, check out:

http://www.onebag.com/

http://www.travelindependent.info/whattopack.htm

Above oil painting by Christopher Stott

And the ass gets kicked in the donkey…?

This picture marked the commencement of the strangest five days of my life. Still, one of my favorite spots, and a place I will return.

Back at it

I figured it was time to get some of my pictures back online, and this seems to be one free way to do it. Mmmmm, freeee.