You don’t have to be a Minimalist to be a minimalist☺️

Pack less STUFF so you can DO more.

Try to travel with just a carry-on!  I did a 7 month trip with less than 6 outfits. All my worldly possessions fit in the backpack below. I loved it.

Four Week Update

all my earthly possessions

I’m down to one bag! I shipped gifts back home and also sent 1 pair of shoes, 2 pairs of pants, 1 pair of socks and 1 t-shirt. Everything else fit in my backpack😊 One bag will be so much easier to handle than two. I won’t have room for anything extra, but I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it!

I shipped a sizable box to the U.S. through Japan Postal Service, which weighed quite a bit, and it only cost $50!

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Three Week Update

So far, all of the airlines I’ve used haven’t had any problems with my bag being a carry-on, so I’ve avoided paying any baggage fees at all.

Items airline security took:

1. small grooming scissors (in Melbourne)
2. (almost took) my beloved S.W. Basics lotion, which is in a plastic zip-lock bag, but I convinced the agent not to take it from me (again, in Melbourne. I’ve been hearing that Australia is the toughest customs/security, so I might be in the clear for the rest of the trip, since they are out of the way)

Due to non-use and weight, I off-loaded a few things:

1. bungee cord
2. one lock
3. half of the sharpie pens I brought
4. two s-clips
5. I may ship one pair of pants home

I have added:

1. one sleeveless shirt that I found in a hostel
2. a few small gifts that I plan to mail home
3. candy
4. an extra plug adapter b/c the fuse broke on my good one (still need a new fuse)

The backpack is heavy on my back, but my shoulders are getting used to walking around with it. I’m pretty happy with what I ended up bringing. I haven’t ‘needed’ anything (even though I want to have more clothes), I’ve only had to do laundry once😅, and I feel good about how I’m packed and organized.

I’ve decided to bring with me just a carry-on for a few reasons:

1. No extra baggage fees on most airlines
2. No worrying about my bag getting lost
3. Since it’s a backpack style, I’ll have full mobility when I’m walking around

This is the bag that I bought for the trip – a Tortuga Travel Backpack:

I’ve done a few pre-packing exercises to see what I can fit into the bag, and it’s not enough space…. but I will make it work!

I have a down jacket that came with it’s own stuff sack, a rain jacket that stuffs into it’s own pocket, a small backpack that fits into it’s own pocket, and I purchased a few small stuff sacks to utilize (one for my fleece vest). Because I’ll be experiencing all climates, I have to bring cold weather and warm weather clothes. I’ve picked up some new merino wool shirts because they are fast-drying, hold in body heat when used as base layers and don’t hold in stink!

With the amount of clothes I can fit in the bag, I will need to do laundry once a week! I’m going to try and wear just my swimsuit in Fiji as much as possible so I can limit my laundry room time 🙂