The Art of Traveling Light
Mary and I love to travel. Our first trip together lasted nearly nine years. In our 32 years together, we have been to 43 countries that I can think of.
Over that time we have developed a particular style of travel that we find most enjoyable. It includes taking no more stuff with us than we are comfortable carrying on our backs. In the photo above, we have everything we are taking on a 6 week trip to Europe. Immediately after the photo was taken, we walked to the train station to board a train to SFO. The only things bought in Europe (that we could have packed) were a light jacket and an umbrella that we needed during our last week in Austria when the weather turned cold and rainy. Everything fit neatly in our backpacks with enough room left over for the souvenirs we brought home.
Our goal in travel is to experience the place we are visiting as fully as time allows. This leaves out the 5 star international hotels – they are the same everywhere. Besides, we are not wealthy people. It also means no cruise ships or tour buses. To the greatest extent practical, we travel on local public transportation and on foot. We have traveled by aerial gondola, automobile, bicycle, boat, bus, elephant, ferry, inclined railway, inner-tube, jeep, motorcycle, pickup truck, subway, train, tram, tuk-tuk or whatever else was available.
Traveling with backpacks brings us into closer contact with other travelers. There are backpacker hotels in many countries that cater to people traveling on tight budgets and for extended periods of time. They ofter include kitchen facilities, lounges and libraries with local travel information. These are great places to meet people going in the other direction and exchange tips about the road ahead. In New Zealand, we found we received a substantial discount on the airport bus just because we had backpacks!
Traveling light also means not being burdened by your possessions. We often go from one place to another on short notice and without making reservations for the next stop. This would be quite uncomfortable if we were loaded down with luggage. In Prague, we found out one morning we could not extend our stay in the hotel we were in. So we just put on our packs and walked to the train station. In most places, there are either offices to help tourists find rooms and/or people with rooms to rent hanging around. In 15 minutes, we found a place that was right in the heart of the old city and cheaper than where we had been staying.
Finally, because we tend to visit less expensive countries, places that are becoming increasingly hard to find as the US dollar goes the way of the Italian lira, if we find we need something, we can usually purchase it there for less than we could have at home. And shopping for the item becomes part of the experience of being in that country.