Traveling light: the minimum set of things for a girl

Last year, when I was returning from the Crimea with my child, one of the drivers of the bus on which we went to Evpatoria to the station joked about my luggage: "Are you carrying your husband like a hare?" I joked that my husband would not fit in there, but the second child and the cat would just fit. Jokes as a joke, and the bag in height reached me almost to the waist and I moved it with difficulty.

And the situation in Istanbul with Vanya and a toilet at a bus stop in the middle of a high-speed four-lane highway showed that there is nowhere to postpone and it is time to radically change the whole approach to travel.

Traveling light: the minimum set of things for a girl

While I gradually define the limits of my luggage through trial and error, someone is already able to travel light with five children for three weeks in Europe, with only small backpacks on their backs.

In his post “16 Essential Tips for Traveling with a Family,” Leo Babauta shared his experience of traveling light with the whole family. And his family is big enough.

But a purely masculine and pragmatic view of travel is one thing. Men don't need as many personal care products, cosmetics and changes of clothes. This is not the case with women. And it's not even that we need a lot more things. The fact is that we think so and it is rather difficult to convince us otherwise. Therefore, Leo decided to give the floor to his wife Eva, who in a very brief form shared her thoughts on this topic.

What's in Eve's bag?

Clothing:

one pair of shorts;
underwear;
4 comfortable tops;
one pair of comfortable knitted drawstring pants with length adjustment;
swimsuit;
sports bra.

Cosmetics:

foam for washing;
body cream;
contact lenses;
deodorant;
eyeshadow.

Other things:

book;
iPod;
camera with charger.

And all this fits into such a small backpack:

When they set off on their three-week trip from San Francisco, Eve was wearing jeans, a T-shirt, a fleece jacket, and comfortable shoes.

All family members had similar backpacks, and even the youngest of them (6 and 8 years old) carried their things themselves in their little backpacks. Thus, even such a large family can be very mobile when traveling and react quickly to changes in the outside world.

Shampoos and other hygiene products do not have to be carried everywhere. Unless, of course, you are traveling in remote mountains, where the nearest settlement with a store is at least a few days away, but you need to wash yourself. Everything you need can be bought at any small shop or pharmacy. And then leave everything with a light heart and a lighter bag.

The amount of clothing is also not that important. Nobody will pay attention to how you are dressed. The main thing is to have at least one warm thing if it suddenly gets colder, and comfortable, versatile shoes that are suitable for both hot and cool weather. When we went on a hike to the Crimean Mountains in early May, we had Ecco hiking boots on our feet, in which the foot was comfortable at temperatures from -5 to +25. Therefore, I think that with the choice that we have today, there should be no problems finding suitable, comfortable and light shoes. Plus, lots of clothes = big wash. If you wash with your hands it takes a long time, if you carry all your things to the laundry it is expensive. Especially in Europe.

First aid kit … The most necessary things - antipyretic for children, iodine in markers, nasal spray and plasters - will not take up much space. If you are not traveling abroad, you don't even need to take this with you. All this can be bought at any pharmacy. For the rest, I have already made sure that no matter how much I carry a whole first-aid kit with me, only a few medicines are always in use: pills for stomach problems (for parents) and nasal spray (for children).

Looking at Eve's list, I'm still not sure if I'm ready for this kind of minimalism. But I am determined and ready to go beyond my comfort zone. What's in your luggage? Have a proven minimum set of things?