Let me just get the record straight: I wasn’t always a minimalist traveller.
On my first 6-week backpacking trip in Europe, I remember coming down the stairs with my 65L backpack and my dad remarking, “Oh bloody hell, love, you’ve got everything but the kitchen sink in there!”.
Sure, I had a washing line to hang up my clothes in the hostel, a bulky first aid kit to prepare for every eventuality, and a few “going out” dresses just in case. I genuinely believed that everything in that backpack I needed and would be 100% used. Safe to say, the dresses never made it out from the bottom of my bag. And I ended up wearing the same handful of comfy clothes I’d packed throughout the whole 6 weeks.
Over years of travelling, I’ve managed to downsize from a 65L backpack + a 20L front backpack to a 35L one. Yanno, the one you can sneak onto Ryanair flights.
Minimalist travel is trending due to airlines being cheeky and requiring you to add on luggage on top of the ticket price. Videos have gone viral with content creators showing “what they can fit into a budget airline small personal bag?” While my bag is definitely a little bigger than Ryanair’s (40cm x 20cm x 20cm) small personal bag size, I’m jumping on the back of the trend to encourage you to take the leap into the world of 35L backpacks, too.
why is minimalist travel hyped?
...because it's so carefree
Carrying a heavy and bulky backpack is so limiting, and will restrict you in more ways than you’d think. With a light small backpack you can walk anywhere without having to grab a taxi or pay to leave your luggage somewhere while you’re exploring a city.
The lighter your luggage, the more likely you’ll be up for more off-the-beaten track adventures and day-trips.
...because it allows you to say a big fuck you to the airlines
Only in the past few years have airlines been sneaky and forced you to pay for hand luggage. Now, as a minimalist traveller, every time I board a flight with my little backpack, I feel like I’m cheating the system, and it feels so good.
...because you spend less time worrying and packing
Back when I was interrailing, repacking all my stuff or even trying to reach something packed tight at the bottom of my bag was a nightmare. Now, packing my bag takes around 5 minutes and I’m less worried that I’ve forgotten something.
so what's in my backpack?
For all your nosy parkers out there, here’s a glimpse into my backpack. Obviously, it changes depending on the season. I usually pop back to the UK every 4 to 5 months and do a switch-a-roo. All my other clothes live at my sister’s or parents’ house (thank you, love you both).
The contents of this backpack are for four months of travel from August to December in Norway, Georgia, Egypt and an unknown place (I haven’t yet decided where I’ll be for the month of Dec).
So if you see me wearing the same clothes in my pictures, now you know why! Last winter, I spent 6 months in Asia, so the contents of my backpack looked very different. There I only had one jumper and a denim jacket. Travelling in colder countries makes minimalist packing a little trickier but it’s definitely still manageable!
10 tips to being a minimalist traveller
1. buy a smaller backpack
If you have the space, you’re gonna fill it, and you’ll likely buy and buy until it’s full. The inevitable thoughts like “Oh, I have enough space,” will come creeping in and before you know it, you’ve come home with gap yah pants and tat.
2. don't prepare for every eventuality
Over the years, I’ve packed so much unnecessary shit into my backpack for the “just in case” moments. What if it rains in the middle of July? I’ll take a rain jacket just in case. Don’t do it! You may use that rain jacket once for that ONE rainy day in July in Croatia, but it’s not worth carrying around.
3. everything should match and be multipurpose
To be a true minimalist traveller you need to pack versatile clothing that can be mixed and multipurpose. I have a t-shirt I can wear to go hiking and as an everyday lounging-around t-shirt. Packing a nice summer dress is fine, but as long as you’ll get use out of it.
4. pack layers
Lots of blogs say “chase the sun” to avoid packing for cold days. But I’m not one of them. I’m in Norway, Georgia and Cyprus this winter with all different temps. To solve my issue of cold-to-hot country packing, I’ve packed layers. Then I can pile on the layers when it’s cold (like in Norway) and wear as little as I want in hotter countries (like Cyprus).
5. pack comfy and clothes you feel good in
Being a minimalist traveller isn’t about sacrificing comfort. Pack your staple, comfy hoody or PJS, because this will comfort you when you’re far away from home. No matter how small my luggage is, I’ll always take a comfy big T-shirt or hoody to wear.
When I walked the Camino de Santiago, I left my hoody home because I thought every gram counts when carrying your backpack for 900km. It wasn’t worth it. If I was to walk the Camino again, I’d definitely bring something that gives me comfort. Who cares about the little bit of extra weight?
6. slowly does it
Jumping on the back of the last point, don’t be drastic and take away everything until you’re left with the bare minimum. Think back to your last trip and what you actually used. Then remove it from your next trip. Do the same with the following trip until you figure out your stable pieces and will be more than content with your 35L.
7. shift your mindset and attachment to things
Shifting from a 65L to a 35L wasn’t necessarily a choice but a necessity as on the Camino the key advice is to carry 10% of your body weight and no more!
While on the Camino, I realised how little I actually needed and sure, I was missing my hoody and pjs, but overall I missed none of “the stuff” I’d left at home. It was liberating. We think we NEED something but really if we evaluate necessity, we realise how little we actually need to be happy. Which leads me on to my next point?
8. be brutal: make it a game
When packing, put everything in a pile you’d “like” to bring with you. And try to whittle it down to half. Then, you’ll be likely to end up with what you actually need.
9. limit your shoes
This seems obvious, but having shoes for workouts, hiking, fancier places, beach, etc., isn’t going to work. In a warm country, I use my Birkenstocks as a staple and my trainers for hiking and working out. And when I’m in a cold country, I just wear my trainers. I’m such a style icon, I know.
We made an impromtu visit to Istanbul on the way back from Asia, and the only trousers I’d packed for our Asia trip were yoga pants which looked ridiculous with my trainers, but I had no choice because it was 8 degrees!
10. wear your bulkiest clothes on the flight (obv)
This is a solid piece of advice and one I’m sure the savvy backpacker in you is aware of. I normally wear my denim jacket, hoody and trousers on the flight as their my bulkiest items.
i challenge you.
When travelling on your next trip, I challenge you to pack like a minimalist traveller. It’ll leave you feeling much less free, I promise.
- Choose things you can mix and match and be multi-use, i.e. no ballgowns, please.
- Put all the clothes you think you’ll need on your bed and then reduce it by 50%.
- Be smart and pack only what you need in your toiletries bag. Toiletry bags are something that can bulk up your luggage. I remember when I went interrailing, I packed two 1L Tresseme shampoos and conditioners as if there was gonna be no option for me to buy them in Europe. If you’re going on a long trip and will stay for a while, just buy any bulky things there.
- Choose one or two pairs of shoes that will be your everything. You don’t want any dead-weight shoes taking up that precious space.
- Time to strut through the airport, through the check-in bags line, with a smug look on your face about the money you’ve saved.
