Back

The Minimalist Approach to Travel: Choosing Being Over Having | Day 289 of my 2023 Journal

Cecilie Conrad·Oct 17, 2023· 2 minutes

To be or to have?

There is so much stuff we don’t need in this world.

Moving into backpacks, we realize in extreme detail how little stuff we need.

I see how human nature is being exploited. The malls and supermarkets have refined the techniques to tempt people to buy things they don’t need, and the culture of all moving pictures is pushing the idea of the good life as a life with access to a lot of stuff. Inside houses and closets and bags and vehicles (all of that stuff, too), we own stuff, so much more stuff than needed, stuff numbing and drowning us.

I am no saint. I am not even slightly good at this. But I do accept the challenge, and I feel the immediate benefits of less whenever I let go of even the smallest thing.

These days, we are preparing our bag packs for a seven-month tour - and shipping a perspective of our travels. We want more clarity and focus, more peace. This is not just another adventure but a shift in how we do things.

We know we need to build new habits and new dreams - in the reverse order.

We start from the core, from values, and work from there. Peace, love, health, finances, passion, adventure, clarity, and - I am sorry to say - admin. Maybe that can be stuffed under the “finances” element?

The fix is to assemble enough energy to do something about the stressors, avoid consumerism, list the essential life elements and what to act on, and start in one end.

There is no way around it.

Traveling has the great advantage that every time we move to another chapter, it seems to come naturally to focus on these things, and we wake up as if we were having an existential nap.

With love

Cecilie-Underskrift-300x133

Cecilie Conrad

Thank you for reading
I would love to hear from you. Listen to your thoughts and reflections - or praise :) It is often emotional to share our lives like this, and we get very happy when we get your feedback. So feel free to share a comment below 😋 

When the difference between what you want the world to look like and how you perceive it is big enough, there will be pain.  There is no way a…Read more
Sometimes, I feel dwarfed by life, humbled, overwhelmed, confused, run over. I can fly for a long time, lean into love, and trust the process, and t…Read more
When I shop for food, I often grab a box in the veggies department instead of a basket. It's easy. When it is full, I am done. Yesterday, my husband…Read more
Walking back home through Krakow one last time, I contemplate the concept of time and whether it is flying. I carry a liter of laundry detergent fro…Read more
In this final episode of the first season of "Da Ladies", Cecilie joins Luna, Sara, and Carla as they wrap up their journey. The group reflects on em…Read more
Can the question "Does unschooling work?" be inherently flawed? Join us in Episode 11 of Da Ladies Fixing the World as we challenge conventional thin…Read more
Our conversation delves into the psychological aspects of compliance and the desire for state approval, encouraging reflection on how this mindset in…Read more
Learn how conflict can strengthen family bonds, especially in unschooling and conscious parenting. We share insights, real-life examples, and strateg…Read more
Welcome to Europe, Gypsie The first morning after seven months in Mexico and the USA, I woke up in my van somewhere on Montserrat Mountain. The w…Read more