Travel Season: Packing Light

I've always been intrigued by the life of minimalists. There is something refreshing to me about moving day when all of my things are confined to one tight van/truck/pod. After college there was a two week period I floated around couches and kept my belongings in my civic. I loved that time; saying all I needed, fit in that small space. Well adding a kid to your life definitely has challenges to keeping this minimalist perspective. Any parent can tell you how difficult it is to keep people from buying your child a plethora of stuff for birthdays and holidays. And after a few short months it can feel like their stuff exploded all of over your house.

Growing up in my family's household my dad (in an urge to leave for a trip) would repeatedly say, well if we don't have it packed, we can always buy a new one when we get there. If you know my dad the penny-pincher this sounds like an uncanny statement to throw your money at something you already own at home. So here's the catch- he just wanted to leave. He wanted us in the car, seats buckled and ready to get out of town. But guess what? I have trouble remembering a time when we actually forgot something that we thought we needed so desperately that we had to buy a new one when we got there. It's just stuff. And I think that mantra has stuck with me.

Something about travel (specifically air travel) brings me back to that peaceful space of keeping it to just the basics. I get excited for the challenge of seeing how little I can get by with and thrilled when we can save money on less baggage fees because of it. I recognize that I may be crazy unique in this perspective, and so I give you my origin of thoughts first to decide whether you may just dismiss this post altogether and keep with your sufficiently packed ways. I'm ok with that.

So when we are flying somewhere, I first ask myself 'what I can borrow, buy or do without when we get there?' Here are a few things that have made the short list (specific to the tot):
Borrow: pack-n-play/crib, blankets and bedding, stroller, car seat, high chair, toddler plates/utensils, bibs, toys
Buy there: disposable diapers (when we won't have access to washer/dryer to cd), food for Heath, medicine as needed
Do Without: 'his' toys, multiple stuffed animals (we take one)

It's been a huge blessing that when we fly to CA, my parents have a set of everything-baby since they've been official grandparents for coming up on five years now and have my niece and nephew in the same town who've had sleepovers. I realize not everyone has a grandparent pick them up at the airport and have a car seat preloaded for them to buckle right into. For us, in the infant carrier stage this was huge to not have to lug ours around on a few flights or check it and let who-knows-what happen. We've traveled to Oregon twice now with Heath and while I don't have immediate family with extra sets of things, I do have great college friends. And I've just learned to ask. And it has been wonderful to receive borrowed items for the week (thank you Lisa and Erika!). If you start to think about the items you personally own and don't use every day (like maybe it is your pack-n-play), wouldn't you loan it to a visiting friend rather than have it sit in a closet? So think about people you might ask for a loaner. We even asked my best friend Kaylee for her car this past OR trip and she said yes! (thanks KK)

When it comes to my personal belongings in packing, I also think about what I can use where we are going. Do we have access to a washer/dryer? If so, we usually pack half the amount of clothing and do laundry halfway through our trip. I've never heard my friends or family complain that I wore the same shirt twice in my visit when it was smelling fresh and clean. My morning routine is minimal and I'm not one to be attached to certain products, so also on the list of using what is already there is shampoo/conditioner and sometimes a hairdryer too. When we are visiting my parents this is made even easier because I feel comfortable making myself at home in my mom's bathroom and closets. Wearing the same size shoe has even lead me to pack less footwear, seriously.

So as we prepare to get on a plane this coming Wednesday, I will begin my packing. For our family of three for fourteen days we will check one bag (large garment bag size), and carry on one diaper bag, one backpack with laptop and potentially one small roller bag if we decide to take our cloth diapers. If we forget something, we'll borrow or buy it when we get there.