4 Benefits of Minimalist Travel

Living out of such a small backpack has endless benefits that you don’t even realize during the planning process. There are also things we’ve learned that might help us pack slightly differently in the future. We put quite a bit of time and thought into researching our minimal travel gear for this trip (not to mention money). Franklin joked that gearing up for this trip really gave us a rush of consumerist excitement that neither of us had for anything else (except Franklin and tennis gear). But we both looked at all of these purchases as investments; this gear is high quality, will last a while, and allows us to live more simply while traveling.

Some benefits of minimalist travel that we’ve come to appreciate thusfar:

1. Never Check a Bag – I hope I never have to wait at baggage claim again, or worry that my luggage will be overweight. Airports are less miserable now than ever; of course security can still be a drag (and sometimes they’re suspicious that you’re traveling with a one way ticket and a small backpack). So next time you’re waiting at that carousel for your big-ass rolley suitcase, just know that your 20 Liter Life has gone on without you.

2. Packing takes 10 minutes – We can both go from everything scattered around the room to packed and out the door in about 10 minutes.  You just have less stuff, and you’ve geeked out about how it packs together so many times that it all just falls into place. It saves time, but more than anything it gives you a peace of mind that with your pack on your back and your tennis case over your shoulder… You have everything, and can go.

3. Wherever you are, you have everything you need – I realized this when I was in Chicago. My friend Scott had gone to work, and I was just hanging around a coffee shop getting some work done until I had to head to the airport. I decided to just head to the airport really early because… why not? I had everything in my backpack that I would want anyway, so might as well just avoid any stress and get there. I had my kindle to read, computer to get work done, iPhone to listen to music, etc. Or even a sleep mask and earplugs to sleep if I need it. Anywhere you are becomes your office, your living room, or bed room (even a train).

4. When you need to run, you can run – Our flight time was drawing uncomfortably near from New Delhi to Bangkok and we hauled ass through that airport. No wheelie bags, no heavy suitcases, just our small backpacks and our specimen-like athletic prowess to get us on that flight. Had we had 30 liters on our backs? I can’t make that guaranty.