Minimalism

Do nothing of which is no use. - Miyamoto Musashi

When you revolve a trip around staying at hostels, you really get to know who is a novice traveller and who is a seasoned backpacker by looking at how big their backpack is. The expedition packs that can hold a whole retail store’s worth of clothing will most likely belong to someone that is fairly new to the backpacking culture. Whatever situation may arise, there is a high chance that the appropriate item that you may need will be tucked away in their backpacks. Conversely, the hardened veterans will get by with nothing more than a daypack to store just the bare essentials. A select few can get by with nothing more than the clothes that they are wearing. I personally fall in the middle of the two extremes. During my recent trip to Southeast Asia, I was able to comfortably travel for months with a 35L backpack and a small day bag. In retrospect, I believe that I probably could have functioned with even less space. A small step towards being a minimalist backpacker. Why does this phenomenon exist in the backpacking world? Why is there a slow progression of needing fewer things in future travels? An obvious observation can be that you just learn over time what pieces you can sacrifice in order to carry less weight throughout the journey. If it is not a critical piece of gear then it probably could be left at home. Backpack space, after all, is premium real estate as I have mentioned in Digital Souvenirs. On a deeper level, I believe that the accumulation of knowledge and wisdom with every subsequent journey fortifies the mind of a person. Therefore, the lack of a physical piece of gear will be made up for by the increased ingenuity of the individual. The increase in mental resiliency will slowly start to reduce the perceived need for a sense of security in having more equipment. Upon meeting any future obstacles, the solution lies within as travel will create a transference of metaphorical tools from the backpack to the backpacker.

Trials On Trails

Be water, my friend. - Bruce Lee

Last week's entry was about following the map laid out by fellow travellers going down a similar path. The focal point of this essay is the pursuit of your own path; following your own internal compass. There are numerous benefits of striking out on your own, some of which I touched based on in The Backpacker’s Path and Peeling Away The Layers. Then, of course, with anything novel and unique comes with it an increased possibility of things not going according to plan. Obstacles in the form of unforeseen setbacks, miscalculations, and miscommunications could happen more frequently due to the lack of a prior bearing to follow. The question then is why take such unnecessary measures? All for the sake of having a noteworthy adventure? Perhaps, but there is much to gain from going through your own mistakes and the self-realization of where you have erred. The lessons learned will embed itself into your mind at a deeper level. All of which may prove to be useful someday as we move through life. We are all going through some sort of journey as we live each day and, as much as we would like to think that we have it all figured out, the future is never promised. We all jump head first into the void; into the great unknown. Similar to exploration ships making their way through a thick fog, a need may also arise on our life’s journey to alter the course. A wrong turn made. An unwise decision. This is an inevitability in the life of a backpacker and an inescapable trait in life. It is a natural characteristic to have our emotions sometimes get the better of us with the outcome being irrational and poor decisions. Nothing good can come from a state of mind in which emotion takes over logic and perspective. Our species are not infallible to mistakes; it is what makes us human. We have simply lost our bearings. It’s recognizing these momentary lapses of weakness that we can learn to make rational decisions moving forward. It’s the reaction to this obstacle, not the circumstance, that matters. The choices that we make to get back on course should be the focus of our energies. That’s what gives travel its magic. It can provide that real world education that can be transferred to everyday life. So whatever obstacle you may come across on the road or at home, stop and take a moment. Breathe. Find your centre. This is all but a lesson. Take note.

Course Well Trodden

The pleasure we derive from journeys is perhaps dependent more on the mindset with which we travel than on the destination we travel to. - Alain de Botton

In a very general sense, there are two types of travellers. Ones that blaze their own path and ones that follow the trail set by others. The focus of this entry will be on the latter. Suggestions, solicited or otherwise, inevitably come your way once you announce a trip. “You must go here!” “This is definitely a must see.” “Make sure you eat this while you’re there.” This can come from family and friends that have visited these places before and are wanting to impart their knowledge and wisdom unto you. It can also come from doing your own research, whether it be online material on travel blogs or forums and any of the countless travel books available. Regardless of what medium or source this material came from, it all originally came from a genuine human experience. It came from the heart. In the end, it is only natural for an individual to not completely agree with all the things suggested by another. A friend may have recommended a “nice hike up a mountain” while, in reality, it was actually a couple loose rocks away from certain death. A blogger that suggested that this hostel will have all the makings of complete paradise will seem banal and unoriginal after even just spending one day at the place. Travel guides nominating a certain activity as “the most authentic aspect of this country” may seem overly commercialized. Everyone has their own preferences coupled with different definitions of what adventure means to them. Now for a thought experiment that I have come to occasionally ponder about. While taking a moment to reflect and approach this concept from a different perspective, sometimes you can see the subtle nuances hidden in between the lines. An insight of what they went out in search for and what they were intrinsically seeking. You see into the priorities they had; what they wanted their focus to be. You can catch a glimpse of the lens they were seeing the world through at that point in time. Their recommendations were more than just words of cordial conversation. It was a personal narrative for their recipe to happiness. The ingredients needed will unfold as you travel. It is up to you to make it your own. Maybe one day you can pass along that recipe to someone else looking for their own slice of happiness.