What I bring for a trip

In the past, my suitcases were always full of things, different clothing options, and so on. Why? Perhaps it was the pressure to adapt to circumstances, which meant I even took clothes that I didn't wear, but I thought it was okay because it was better to be safe than sorry. However, when I returned, with all that weight, it was really a nuisance to come back loaded down, tired, and full of things that I always wanted to leave behind so I wouldn't have to carry them.

That changed a couple of years ago. Perhaps the fact that we moved far away made me think carefully about what to take so that we could travel light, and on this last trip we put it into practice. For me, it was an emotional and mental complex that kept me stuck, because before it was impossible for me to travel without everything I needed to look good, so that no one would comment that I looked bad or something like that.

That fear of being seen in an uncomfortable way, or of having comments made about my appearance, was something I was giving so much power to that it even caused a lot of discomfort for myself and my husband, just to appease that senseless fear. This was an obvious physical burden, because obviously the more things I took with me, the more weight we carried, but it was also a mental burden, because there was the fear of being judged, the thoughts of not being accepted for what I was wearing, and so on.

Over time, I learned to prioritize what is important. When we travel, it is for two reasons: either to visit loved ones we haven't seen in a long time, to support them in important events or even in difficult situations, or to see new places and learn from them. In neither of these situations is what we wear the most important thing; what we carry is totally secondary. And although it's true that we want to look our best at important events, this doesn't require us to take a lot of things with us.

On our last trip, we went to a place that was quite far from home to attend a very, very important event for a dear friend. We wanted to be there and we wanted to look presentable for the occasion, but we also considered the weight we were carrying, so we chose clothes that didn't take up so much space and took only what we were going to use, and that was it, just two small bags that were comfortable to carry, one carried by my husband and the other by me. This meant we didn't have to carry so much weight, and when it came time to decide what to wear, it didn't take us long because everything was already planned out.

Transforming our mindset from taking everything we might need just in case to taking only what we are going to use and learning to make do with that is a process that I feel has helped us grow, let go of some insecurities, and also save ourselves unnecessary things, whether it be expenses or extra weight. But beyond that, what is more powerful mentally is being able to say that I am not concerned about my clothes or my comfort. I feel that this is a huge step that has only helped me to live a simpler life.