Today’s guest is a talented writer, a savvy entrepreneur, and a dear friend. I’ve had the privilege of traveling a couple of times with Tsh Oxenreider, first to the Philippines and most recently to Italy. I can tell you first-hand how light this woman packs. It’s impressive is what I’m saying. In many ways she has lived an unconventional life which is why she has a perspective I deeply respect on what it truly means to travel light.
I get a weird enjoyment out of packing. I like rolling my shirts just-so, deciding the three shoes I’ll need for a trip, fitting my toothpaste and deodorant like a puzzle in to its tiny zipped pouch. It’s like I get to decide the miniature version of my life: If I only lived for a week, and it was in such-and-such place, what are the only things I’d need?
There’s the fun of searching for the ideal carry-on bag and the thrill of your passport fitting perfectly into your everyday wallet (or maybe that stuff is just me), but I think there’s something a bit deeper at play here.
There’s a beauty to curating our life’s needs to the basic essentials. There’s a step of faith involved when you decide to leave behind those socks in order to make room for that swimsuit.
It never fails: Every time I travel, I’m surprised at how little I need.
My family and I lived out of backpacks for almost a year, traveling to four continents and doing life and work and school with whatever we could carry on our backs. No one was more surprised than me how much I grew to love choosing from only three t-shirts and two pairs of earrings for months at a time.
I had one trusty pair of jeans for our first seven months on the road until they ripped a giant hole in the upper thigh. (I bought new jeans in the old town of Split, Croatia and left my old pair on the lid of a trash can nearby, hoping someone would repurpose them into something useful.)
We’ve been back for over a year now, and over and over again, I hear God asking me the same question I was asked in the savannah of Kenya and the rainforest of Sri Lanka: Can you live with only what you need?
It’s harder to do this in regular life, when my days are more about stirring soup than standing in visa lines. Invitations to volunteer, a bajillion extracurricular options for my kids, an onslaught of stuff to read via Facebook, constant sales at every store on the corner (40% off! This weekend only!) taunt me like they do you, I presume. Maybe I could use another pair of flip-flops. It wouldn’t be that big a commitment to sign the kid up for another season of volleyball.
The structure of our culture’s surroundings asks us to the do the very opposite of traveling light. It teases us with an idea that life would be better if we just had more, did more, were more.
It’s an art form, this traveling light. It’s an act of discipline, a trust that God will provide for my needs exactly when they arise, and that I can live without the things I don’t really need. And it shows up in big and small ways.
It’s skipping the sale because I simply don’t need another skirt.
It’s going meatless one night a week.
It’s taking the Facebook app off my phone in the name of sanity.
It’s going to bed on time and pausing that next episode on Netflix for another night.
It’s savoring date night with my husband at our local favorite hole in the wall.
It’s watching the kids catch fireflies after dinner.
Traveling light means a trust in God that life will be richer when the things that really matter have more wiggle room. It’s being okay with going without. It’s assuming that if I really need another t-shirt where I’m going, I can always buy another one.
But chances are, I won’t even need another one. I usually have more than I could ever ask for or imagine.
Tsh Oxenreider is the author of Notes From a Blue Bike, is the founder and main voice of The Art of Simple, and is the host of The Simple Show.
Her next book, At Home in the World: Reflections on Belonging While Wandering the Globe, will release spring 2017.
Caroline Starr Rose says
July 28, 2016 at 10:31 AMYour new cover is gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous!
Tsh Oxenreider says
July 28, 2016 at 1:41 PMThanks! Connie Gabbert (my go-to artist for both Blue Bike and AoS) did another fabulous job. Appreciate it, friend.
Eva Pauline Scott says
July 28, 2016 at 10:41 AMI only own a week’s worth of clothing for two seasons – hot and cold weather, but it’s because I hate shopping, and being five feet tall most clothes don’t fit right. I have to shop a long time to find one set of clothes. I’ve done sewing when I was growing up, and let’s just say it’s not my talent – ha!
Even if some simple living is forced on you, it still works out. I do laundry on a regular basis and don’t let it pile up by necessity.
It makes decisions easier in the mornings.
I’m working on other areas by giving things away and throwing things away a little at a time. My goal is to get there in two to three years.
My main motive is seeing a large dumpster like the kind they use at construction sites parked on a driveway of an older couple who weirdly both died of different things the same day. This thing was as long as their driveway, not like a dumpster in an apartment complex! Their children were throwing things away in it, and filled it completely up.
I would hate to think that we’re hanging on to stuff that just needs to be junked, and that my daughter would have to spend time out of her life doing that.
Cory-Lynn Hatton says
July 28, 2016 at 11:16 AMSo enjoyed this piece. Is this on another blog page or to share I link here?
I went to her blog site mentioned.
Thanks!
Cory-Lynn
(hope*writer)
Tsh Oxenreider says
July 28, 2016 at 1:44 PMYou can just link here, Cory-Lynn. 🙂 My blog is The Art of Simple, if you’re curious, but this is post especially for my friend Emily….
JennyF says
July 28, 2016 at 11:17 AMI’m so thankful for this today as I’m looking around making a mental list of things to pack for an upcoming trip. I always desire a lighter load, but tend to over pack because I like to have options. It is a form of not trusting my immediate judgement and ultimately God not providing for my needs while away. I’m going to pack light this go around and watch God work His beautiful.
Jerralea says
July 28, 2016 at 11:35 AMThis piece challenges me on two levels: one, of course, to not accumulate so much stuff, but two, not accumulate so much activity that there is no time to enjoy this one beautiful life I’ve been given.
Thanks for sharing!
Tsh Oxenreider says
July 28, 2016 at 1:45 PMYes! And amen, Jerralea. Right there with you (I tend to write to myself). 🙂
Margaret Kitk says
July 28, 2016 at 12:57 PM2 years ago we moved across country. It was our time of streamlinibg our life. We packed almost everything we owned into a 26 foot Penske truck and headed east….we’ve been married now 44 years….so I get and enjoy a more simple life. I LOVE this that you have posted here today. Ours has also been a journey of trusting God to provide and lead us into trusting him more day by day. Thank you
Beth says
July 28, 2016 at 1:10 PMBeautiful. I’m trying to pare down, but this gave me a lot more to think about.
Melissa says
July 28, 2016 at 4:05 PM“Can you live with only what you need?” I sense God asking me a similar question recently. Are you content with what I have given you, where I have placed you, and who I created you to be? A spiritual “discipline” requires practice. “…I have LEARNED to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity…” (Phil. 4:11-12) Learning how to travel light is something that I have to keep learning. Thank you for the encouraging words. I love your heart.
Laurel says
July 28, 2016 at 4:10 PMBeautiful reflection. Having too much on our plate, too many possessions to juggle, etc. can easily distract us from our most important work and do away with any time for quiet and contemplation. Thanks for this, Tsh!
Beth williams says
July 28, 2016 at 5:17 PMTsh,
I’m like you in some ways. I feel like a minimalist. Constantly going through clothes and other items to see what I can get rid of & pass on for others to use. Can’t stand a bunch of clutter & junk sitting around my house.
Blessings 🙂
Kristy says
July 29, 2016 at 7:51 AMFor me to pack light (or even to live light) I need to be more comfortable in my own skin and with the things I choose to represent me. I worry to much about appearances and fitting in. I dress/pack and even live sometimes in a way to please others, not draw too much attention to myself and to feel apart of the crowd. I’m working on it. X
Tsh Oxenreider says
July 29, 2016 at 1:56 PMI appreciate you sharing your thoughts here, Kristy—I know what you mean. I think there really is a direct correlation between knowing ourselves/feeling comfortable with who we are and living with lightness. It’s most definitely a process, and in my late (late) 30s, I feel like I’m *just* now getting there a bit.
All this to say, I’m right there with you in this. 🙂
Denise Conner says
July 29, 2016 at 3:50 PMI so want to travel through life light! I decided to start letting go of “stuff”. I’m hosting a free yard sale day where I will give everything away. I will accept food donations for the local bank. Thank you for your words of inspiration. Blessings
Heidi says
July 30, 2016 at 5:26 AMWe just spent a month traveling in three countries in Africa visiting friends and family. With our family of three kids ages six and under, I thought we were traveling light with our two suitcases, both just a little larger than carry-on size. You know what? It was still too much! We brought six changes of clothes for each of us, but could have done with less. I will mention, however, that anyone traveling minimally, particularly in a less developed country, needs to be comfortable washing clothes by hand. Washing machines are not always available and some lodges/guesthouses/hotels charge $3/item (even in Africa!) to have your clothes washed by hand. Bring your own soap made especially for handwashing and you can ponder the spiritual discipline of traveling light while getting red dirt stains out of a two-year-olds jeans – by hand. (By the way, I have to add that washing by hand is a great way to get that same ubiquitous red dirt out from under your fingernails!).
Lori says
August 2, 2016 at 10:58 AMI’m in the midst of unpacking from a recent move and am all too aware of how much stuff I have. I am (very) slowly working on simplifying and love the message of this article. Thanks, Tsh!
K Ann Guinn says
August 2, 2016 at 12:54 PMI so appreciate this post. I am in need of paring down (with stuff, in the physical manner), and have begun….but it’s a long road to change. Also, I am challenged to simplify spiritually and emotionally, too. It’s all connected. Yes, we are happier and more fulfilled with less “stuff” and baggage (whether physical or emotional), and will learn to trust him. Here’s to creating more “wiggle-room”!
Natalie says
August 2, 2016 at 2:59 PMI love, love, love this post. I have been really trying to pare down and get rid of clutter, then find myself buying stuff I could really live without. It is a struggle, but one I am slowly getting better at this. I love what you said here, “Traveling light means a trust in God that life will be richer when the things that really matter have more wiggle room.” Yes, I want to trust God more with His provision and not feel the need to clutter my life with “stuff.” I want to focus on things that really matter. A friend of mine passed away a few days ago, and this quote is even more meaningful in light of that. Thanks for writing this, Tsh.
Linda Sand says
August 2, 2016 at 5:40 PMWe lived for 3 years in a motorhome traveling the USA with minimal possissions. We’ve now been in an apartment for 5 years and are preparing to make our final move–into a Continuing Care Retirement Center. I’t hard to realize how much we have to get rid of or move. But most of the things related to camping that traveled with us are still here. Other than the camp furniture that will fit on our new balcony, everything camping related needs to go. Along with a few other things we’ve acquired in the last five years, of course.
Sarah Badat Richardson says
August 5, 2016 at 1:33 PMWe are going 2 weeks to Japan in October and I’m planning on packing light! 2 pairs of shoes. 2 pairs of pants, 5 tops, undies, and voila. I have a harder time packing light for my 6 yo because she gets dirty so fast 🙂
Katie Di Filippo says
August 6, 2016 at 2:34 AMI somehow always seem to overpack for traveling, no matter how much I pare down what I bring. I tend to consider too many contingencies, as if I think it would be the end of the world to pick something up in an “emergency” situation that never arises. The less I bring, the less I have to worry about and the more I enjoy myself! Traveling light is definitely a work in progress. Thanks for the inspiration!
niha says
August 7, 2016 at 1:37 PMI find so much encouragement here! I agree that choosing to have less stuff is an exercise in faith and brings so much personal growth. It forces me to acknowledge that God has always provided for my needs, and that everything else stems from my own insecurities. When I have too much, I am overwhelmed and want to give it all away. Not that giving stuff away is bad – but it brings my own insecurities to light, and I wonder why I accumulated all that in the first place? At some point, I must have decided that having those things was worth my time and money, and that is rather sad.
Christa Wells says
August 8, 2016 at 8:37 AMWell, I can’t remember the last time I sat still in the morning and read a blog, much less commented on it. 🙂 It took the two of you to bring me to it, I suppose. So I’ll just add my little thanks for you both being exactly who you are, and speaking good, true things that go against the grain. I myself crave quiet, simple ways, am mostly content with my small, well-worn wardrobe, and am thrilled with our new life in a small rental…a classic Type 9 if you want to talk Enneagram…and yet I do find it hard to not merge with whatever norms surround me. Voices like yours help me remember what matters, give me permission to live the kind of life I deep down want to live, and refuel me towards standing my own ground against the undertow. Much love & gratitude to you both!
cw
Anna says
August 8, 2016 at 9:46 AMThe more I travel, the easier it is to pack light. You do realize how little you need when you’re down to the basics. I try to incorporate that as much as I can into my daily life, especially since I tend to do some international moves, where you really are limited to airline allowances. There’s a balance there. You can have too few things, and not have what you really need, or too many things, and spend lots of time keeping it up.