6 core principles for living out of a backpack for 6 months (& why it’s so good for the mind and soul)
Every year I travel halfway around the world for 6 months in my never-ending quest to avoid the cold and the dark. Not only does the year-round sunshine keep me happy and healthy but it gives me a unique opportunity to practice and refresh my minimalism.
What I find is that despite my best efforts, ‘stuff’ accumulates. Especially when I stay in one place for a long time. It permeates drawers and cupboards and finds its way into the under-bed storage and even though I own a fraction of the stuff that I used to have, it is still far more than I need.
This is where my annual migration comes in.
How it all began
It all started when I was preparing for a trip in 2017. I was packing a pair of shorts and then trying to figure out whether the shirts that I was taking matched and whether I had enough ‘outfits’ for the weekend.
This was ridiculous to me because of how little I actually cared about fashion. I just wanted to look presentable and wear functional clothing. The fact that I was wasting brain cycles thinking about this beyond those basic principles was annoying as hell.
From that point on I decided I was going to streamline.
