Why it makes to always travel light, and here are useful tips that will help you do that.
You may have heard this several times; just pack the few essentials. No more. No less. But I also agree that its easier said than done.
However, if you look at the benefits, it just won’t pay to have a lot of stuff to carry around while you and your friends wander along from street to street, from temples to shopping malls, from one location to another while you have the Titanic strapped to your back.
Having lots of things to carry around also reduces your options of making spontaneous decisions, such as visiting some local attraction, if that was not already part of the plan.
It’s just not fun, whereas travelling is all about fun.
So the simple advice is:
- Don’t carry on too much.
- You are not going to wear all those dresses (that you think you’ll wear)
- Avoid taking food items (you can buy it there)
- You also need to leave enough space for things that you’ll buy on the trip.
- Do take important medicines
Do remember to take essentials such as medicines. Even though you can buy them at your holiday destination, you may have to show doctor’s prescription.
And even though some locals can be friendly, there are many who are just interested in making a buck or two at your expense. So it’s better not to put yourself at the mercy of the latter. In some communities, you are even expected to pay triple what the locals are paying. If some locals treat you especially nice, then great but don’t think of it as your due. Thank them and move on.
Travelling light relates not just to the physical things, it also means leaving behind your biases, prejudices, and so on.
Always follow the rule: “When in Rome, Do as the Romans Do”!
- So leave your biases (if at all you may have against people of a certain race)
- If you go to a restaurant and if all the locals eat noisily, slurping at their bowls, talking with their mouths full. Probably that’s how it’s done over that side of the world. If you prefer silence when you take your meals, you need to find another place.
To Conclude
Travel is a way to improve the quality of your perception, of your attention. One way to allow for that to happen is to open your mind to possibilities. To accept things are they are and to look without judgment. Don’t stare at the way the locals have dressed, or frown at them if they do things differently. Adjust, and respect the differences of your culture and theirs.
You’re on a trip to look for fun, so be flexible. And you can only do that if you don’t have tons of things to carry, and leave your biases behind.
