The minimalist life: How backpacking made me tidier

My trusty black bag, complete with my scallop shell pendant from the Camino de Santiago and ribbons I've picked up along the way.

I have always been untidy. I had a pretty big bedroom growing up, with plenty of storage space for clothes, toys and school stuff. Yet I’d still end up with a pile of books next to my bed - usually half read, or lined up to be read next - and clothes covering the floor (all the better to see what you’ve got!). But I seem to be changing…

I’ve spent the last 4 or 5 years being largely nomadic. I cleared out the clutter, packed up some things into storage (thanks to Mum’s garage) and took with me only what I really needed. That first big trip to India, I had a sizable backpack stuffed full, plus another bag as a day pack. Well, who knows what you’re going to need during 4 months in a strange land? But it wasn’t long before I got fed up with carrying bags! In fact, as soon as I got to my cousin’s lofty Mumbai flat, I crammed the contents of the small backpack into the bigger bag so I only had one to carry. 

Delicious sweets at the market in Kozhikode.

There was one particular day that I bemoaned my big bag the most. I was in Kozhikode in the southern state of Kerala. I had found my way from the bus station to the train station amidst the crazy traffic of retro cars and horses pulling carts but I had ages before the train that would take me to the city of Kochi. There was nowhere to leave bags at the station, so I stubbornly explored the fascinating market with my enormous bag. Sweaty, tired and a little bit cross, I remember giving up and sitting at the station for well over an hour - all thanks to my heavy belongings.

So the next trip I took, I was determined to take less stuff. Encouraged by my budget flight, which charged for hold bags, I packed hand luggage only. My black rucksack was meticulously packed so that everything just fitted in. It was great! I didn’t have to wait at baggage reclaim when I landed at LAX, and I could dash around downtown Hollywood with all my stuff. And who needs much clothing in Hawaii?? Ok I had to wash my few t-shirts pretty frequently thanks to Hilo’s humid climate, but walking up and down the beachfront in Kona waiting for the right time for the airport bus was still enjoyable even with all my stuff.

Near the end of the world - Finisterre, the end of the Camino, beyond Santiago.

I love that black bag. It’s walked the Camino de Santiago with me, travelled Peru, Bolivia, Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand as well as Mexico. The only problem with it is that it packs only from the top, meaning you have to take EVERYTHING out to find the thing at the bottom. Yes, I got used to packing pajamas and wash-bag at the top, but there were frequent occasions when my bunk in the hostel was covered in all my belongings. And this is how things get lost… I had this great t-shirt that I loved from Tribe Nutrition (an awesome, conscious, sports nutrition brand. Check them out here!). It was quite new, cotton and I used it to sleep in. However, it was the same colour as the sheets in the hostel and I left it behind somewhere in Mexico. 

Happily I’ve not lost many things whilst globetrotting (pens, hair-ties and a book), but keeping a careful eye on my stuff has made me more tidy. Never leave your wash stuff in the bathroom if you don’t want someone else to use it. Expect your towel to go missing when it looks like everyone else’s travel towel, unless you hang it up carefully near your bed. 

Stef tending to our travelling garden on our way from France to Serbia.

But I’ve noticed that it’s not just while I’m backpacking now. My last trip - to France and the Balkans - was by car. I find I now have the habit of putting things back where I took them from and keeping my stuff in one area. Ok that area might not be that tidy (right now, my bag is just dumped out into the bottom of the wardrobe in the apartment that I call home at the moment) but everything is in there, and with the doors shut it looks tidy. 

Ask my Mum and she may not agree - my room at her house tends towards the childhood habit of keeping clothes displayed on the floor (yes I do need that many pairs of black leggings), but travel has made me tidier and more aware of where my stuff is - just one more reason to go around the world!

Are you a tidy person? And when you travel? I can’t wait to travel again! Once we can, where do you want to go? And how much stuff will you be taking? Comment below.