Since I mentioned that I’m packing it all up to head off into the
unknown, I’ll occasionally raise topics that have to do
with long-term budget travel here at Gadling, depending on what stage of the process I am at.
I’ve already been in savings mode for over a year now, and am in a similar situation to TwinF’s
monetorium, buying for the
backpack only. But unlike the LeFever’s, I don’t have a home to rent while I’m away, so everything in the apartment has
to go. Therefore, the past few weeks have been all about unloading. My itinerary is not set yet, and I have
only a rough idea of my departure date…but, I do know that I’m not going anywhere until I get rid of most of
what I have. I’ll be moving back into my parents house in December, where they have graciously agreed to let me shack
up until I leave. There is ample storage space in the attic, but I won’t dare lug lots of stuff to their place. And I
don’t want to pay for storage if at all possible.
So, I’m slimming down…most of my furniture has already found a new home in the apartment of my youngest bro, the
recent college grad. And yesterday I had a tag/yard sale that yielded decent results. When it was over, only two big
items came back into the apartment — everything else went straight to the second hand store. (You can get the full
scoop on my sale and this new “freedom from stuff” phase I’m in at my
personal blog.)
Much of the direction and motivation for this simplification came after reading
Vagabonding by Rolf Potts earlier this year. Here’s an
excerpt from the beginning of his book. Another inspirational travel
writer who just posted about decisions and priorities
related to this topic is Tim Leffel, author of The World’s
Cheapest Destinations. Erik has mentioned both these guys before, but this is my first chance to plug their travel
philosophies, which remind us that spending less and clearing out unnecessary stuff is a choice that opens doors to
make extended trips possible.
What other people/books/motivations have helped our Gadling readers in the simplification process so often needed to
prep for long-term travel?