Pack light, live more: The things we thought we needed

Before we kicked off our nomad work life adventure, we researched and prepared extensively. We read blogs, watched videos, and made lists, so many lists. But no matter how much preparation you do, nothing compares to experience. And in our first year, despite all the careful planning, we still took things with us that, in hindsight, we really didn’t need.

It wasn’t about overpacking in the traditional sense, we weren’t hauling suitcases full of unnecessary clothing or gadgets. It was about familiarity. Comfort. The things we thought we had to have because we had always used them.

I took Dove soap and a Lave Active+ Shampoo Bar from South Africa, not a huge amount, but enough because I wanted to use what I was comfortable with. We packed our usual dietary fibre supplements, thinking they’d be hard to find elsewhere. Old Spice deodorant for me, Dove deodorant for Ingrid. Aquafresh toothpaste because it was our brand of choice. Small things, but each represented a kind of security.

We ran out, of course. And then we adapted. We started using whatever was available locally. Some products were great; others took some getting used to. But the key lesson was this: we didn’t need to bring them with us in the first place. There are deodorants everywhere. There are soaps, often Lifebuoy or something similar, in most places. Toothpaste, shampoo, and fibre supplements exist around the world—sometimes the exact brands we used back home, more often unfamiliar ones that did the job just as well.

Now, nearly three years in, we’ve adapted our approach. We no longer carry conditioner, shampoo, shaving gel, toothpaste, deodorant, or dietary fibre supplements, among other “necessities”. We just get them when we arrive. Sometimes it takes a little research to ensure the product is genuine, if you’ve travelled around Asia, you’ll understand why, but that’s part of the journey.

This isn’t a dramatic revelation, but it is progress. It’s one more way we’ve become more adaptable, less attached to ‘things’ and more comfortable with change.

The beauty of this lifestyle is that it continually teaches us to let go. We don’t need to control everything. We don’t need to hold onto the familiar for comfort. And every time we let go of something unnecessary, we make space for new experiences.

Because in the end, carry less to live more or, the less we carry, the more we live.

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