Minimalist travel is a style where the traveller is equipped with the material possessions that are absolutely necessary for the trip, has a clear goal and minimal waste of time and money during the trip. If you can fit all into a suitcase, and a day pack then that is great. If you can fit it into a backpack - even better. But that is not it. Packing light is only one part of a minimalist mindset. Minimalism for every person works differently. You can a minimalist and travel 33 states with 2 huge suitcases or you can travel with one backpack. Many of you would say no - that is not minimalism if you have so much stuff with you and those who say that are just clicked in different minimalism mode or would have different travel style then I was. So if you want to know, how to travel all around the USA and spend just 6K in 74 days then just read my travel diary.
How to travel like a minimalist?
Minimalists pack extremely light and only the things they would not be able to live without during the trip. These things typically fit in one backpack.
I strongly believe that minimalists can travel to many more places with less hustle. Just imagine - no need to drag that big suitcase wherever you go. And with this I mean you can actually go to places and do things. Big suitcases in many cases mean that you stay in one hotel. One backpack means that you go to places, see and do things. So you decide what travel style is the best for you. I have tried them all. I can even tell you how to travel around the States with a huge suitcase and still be as flexible as you would be travelling with one backpack. You will see the style that fits your needs and mindset the best but chances are that you would prefer minimalist travel style as you are reading this post.
In this post, I will not go into minimalist packing tips but will talk about other advantages this travel style has.
How to not waste your time when you are travelling?
This is one of the points I would advise everyone to take in. Planning your trip in advance can change the whole nature of the trip and save you hours if not days while you are on the road. There are cases when you need to plan on the go, but there are also many things you can plan in advance. I like to know the things I can do in each location so that my trip has a structure and I can create my wow holidays. I strongly believe you can benefit from this as well.
So these are just a few things you might want to keep in mind when you plan your trip.
What are your goals? What do you want to achieve during this trip? What would you like to see or do? Investigate your options and book activities in advance if needed.
Timing is everything! Here you might want to consider things like time for sunrise and sunset. This has many advantages, especially if you want to see nature and national parks. Nowadays you can calculate how much time you might need to get from point A to point B very precise. Google maps are very handy.
Know the weather and stay flexible. With this I mean - If you are staying in one place for more than one day, design your plans around the weather conditions. As an example - if you are planning to visit museums or other indoor activity and another day you have outdoors activity in mind then depending on the weather conditions you can switch the days around to avoid the rain as much as possible. This would be travelling smart and flexible.
Know the area and landscape. This might be useful if you are travelling on foot and you want to save time when you go and see things. It might be wise to book a place in the city centre or within walking distance from it if there is unreliable public transport or high parking fees if you travel by car. This way it's a win-win for you! No need to pay for public transport, no need to waste time moving around and as we know - your time while you travel is the most valuable thing. This is something I would call creating a centre base on your trip. In some cases, the landscape might be very important.
Decide how you will be moving around. You might want to consider all options depending on what is your travel destination. This includes anything that moves under or above the ground including water and sky. Here I am extremely generic as it all depends where you are going and for how long. As an example, I will mention a road trip around Italy. I wanted to explore Venice in 3 days. As that was a part of a greater all-around Italy road trip, then it was pointless to plan Venice in the middle of a trip. Why? Can you use your car in Venice? Or maybe a boat would be a better idea? So what’s the point to pay for a hire car if you can’t use it? I hope I made it clear. So in this case you either start or end your road trip with Venice - don’t plan it in the middle unless it’s absolutely necessary. It’s simple, but it’s a fact that many people forget about such things so think carefully about the best way to move around when you travel. This will save you time and money and you will be able to use that on activities or adventures you would remember forever.
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