Unencumbered

Is it Luggage or Baggage?

When I was a senior in college, I traveled to Hawaii to perform with our university choir. We even appeared on the Don Ho show. Does anyone remember him? It was my first big trip, having flown only once or twice before. As I struggled to pack my belongings in a suitcase that today would belong in the Smithsonian for its vintage state, someone gave me a bit of advice. Maybe it was mom or my sister who described a two-step process for travel preparation:

1. Pack your clothes and gather your money

2. Remove half the clothes and double the money.

Ridiculous, I thought. (This was in the time of Traveler’s Cheques, no credit cards.)

Today, I know the value of that practice, so first I pull favorites from my closet. Too much! Then the overpacked suitcase sits on the floor for a few days before editing, culling. It is a quest to see just how unencumbered my load can become. Shoes (always bring an extra pair), toiletries and comforts like Snacks On The Plane! are necessities, but clothes can be whittled to a capsule wardrobe of mixed layers.

A few years ago, I traveled alongside three sisters who each had only a carry-on bag. Did I judge them for wearing the same neutral clothes and all-weather coat for two weeks? The opposite. I was envious of their ability to go and do without worry of what to wear. They did step up their game for evening celebrations. A sparkly top over black travel pants and voilà, party time.

I judged myself quite harshly as I lugged around a huge suitcase and a smaller bag, especially as they were stuffed into the belly of the bus. To this day, I think about those sisters and their carefree, minimalist ways. They illustrated that traveling is not a fashion show.

Every subsequent trip after meeting my less-is-more role models has been a challenge to cull unnecessary items. I fill my trusty spinner-carry-on then set it aside to let the ingredients settle, like flavors simmering in a gumbo of delights. It never fails that I will remove or replace frivolous or bulky items before leaving home. For me, the joy of lightweight traveling surpasses the need for impressing others who, let’s face it, are paying no mind at all to little ol’ me.

How do you travel? Do you cuss every time you have to check a big bag, worrying that it may not be there at your destination? Do you have to ask for help to heft your overloaded and bursting overhead bag, especially since you are wearing as many layers as you can on the plane?

Have you figured out that style is constant, but fashion is fleeting? Timeless mix-and-match basics will carry you through most travel situations when layered as needed.

I’ve learned to reduce my luggage and even strive to travel for a month from a backpack. Could I do it? Maybe.

Less luggage equals less baggage. There’s a loaded word. Shall I “unpack” that? I would rather walk around a foreign city without worry of fashion trends than be bogged down by luggage or baggage of the internal kind.

That’s the bigger challenge - to lessen the baggage that I tote around in my head. Reading greats like The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz, helps me work on that. It stays on my shelf, at hand for whenever ego baggage starts to weigh me down. His second agreement is Don’t Take Anything Personally. “Nothing others do is because of you…when you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won’t be a victim of needless suffering.”

Since adopting this idea as my own reality, I feel less encumbered by fret and worry. Have I become heartless, non-caring, sloppy or lazy? The opposite. As the ego baggage gets emptied there is an expansion of space, room for leisurely breaths and lovely strolls.

What is your sweet spot for luggage toting? How about baggage?

No matter where you may find yourself, around the world or in your head, unencumbered is a worthy goal.