Photo by Nick Rice on Flickr.com
It is humbling to see your possessions piled up in a dark corner. With less than 6 weeks to go, we've begun packing away our possessions at Jade's parent's house. Our things are going into boxes and containers and getting pulled apart and dismantled, then it's all fit together like real-life Tetris in hidden corners not to be seen again until our return.
It is humbling to see visibly in front of you a pile of your life just tucked away under the stairs. Our room, our living area and our pantry are bare, almost signifying that our life has begun to move on from this place, ready for our departure.
When you see these things: clothes, personal possessions, books, furniture - you begin to wonder how you have defined yourself. Has your life really been shaped around a lifestyle with all of these things? We define our trip as part of our lifestyle, yet it became clearer just how big a shift in lifestyle it really would be as we unattached ourselves from our material life.
Tip #1 before any extended trip: get rid of stuff! Live as simply as you can in the leadup to your departure. Already, a few weeks ago, we did a big cull of our wardrobe, donating what was still wearable and disposing of the rest. Other household objects we've sold, given away or packed away. While a lot of travel advice focusses on what to take with you as you travel, we've had to remember what we're leaving behind - and as such, what we're coming home to.
For a trip as long as what we're taking, the key is simplicity: limit your wardrobe and limit your possessions. This has two benefits.
First, it prepares us to live simply while we're away. It's amazing how much stuff we allow ourselves to come to depend on. It's even more amazing how freeing it is to not have as much stuff. I wear the same clothes week in and week out - and I love it. I love not having to deliberate about what to wear or what goes with what. I just put clothes on in the morning. And, in giving stuff to friends or in donating stuff to Vinnies, there's a sense of being of service to others, that your stuff can benefit people who actually need it.
Second, it's the practicality. While you're away on a long trip, your stuff needs to be somewhere. And if like us, you're travelling lights, most of that stuff can't come with you. Thus, living simply lessens the stress of finding places to store mass amounts of stuff. Some might suggest, "why not sell it all?" By keeping some stuff in storage, we have the bare minimum we need to set us up if/when we come home to Australia.
Preparation for travel includes preparing for either side of your trip. Life goes on, for yourself and for others, so planning is necessary to decrease the burden you leave behind and to simplify your re-entry into home life. For us, this means we've begun to adopt a simple lifestyle that we want to have throughout our venture.
