The Perks of Traveling Light

It’s amazing how much freedom can come from leaving possessions behind. Here are the most recent discoveries I’ve made while traveling, with a 22-liter backpack as my sole companion.

Vacation. More than two weeks. Hiking, swimming, discovering, eating, sleeping. One little rucksack. This is the story about what I learned from my most recent adventure.

GOOD FRIEND. 22 liters of pure happiness.

Going north from Nice in southern France, my holiday was almost over. I just needed to get back to Grenoble saefly. Then it happened, the incident that made me start contemplating the perks of traveling light.

I missed my bus in Digne-les-Bains (got on a  train instead, totally lost in translation). Eventually, after lots of walking, frustration and misunderstandings, I found a bus, heading the right direction. How lucky! Life was good again. While dragging my backpack around  under the burning sun, I caught myself  appreciating its lightness.

This is why you should leave some of your beloved possessions at home when traveling:

1. Size matters.
   You can take a small bag into the cabin of a plane, or keep it next to you on a train or a bus. If you’re hiking, the limited weight and volume surely is an added bonus.
2. Safety first.
   Do you have a habit of losing items? It’s less likely that something wil get lost or stolen if all your belongings are on your back. There’s true comfort in knowing this.
3. Get creative and appreciate.
   Learn how to manage without the unpractical sequin sweater that you love. Maybe you’ll even see what you already have in a new light. Good lesson for the future.
4. Be flexible.
   Go where the wind blows. When traveling light, there are no heavy, unpractical stuff to slow you down. And it’ll be easier to simply change your plans if a local gal secretly tells you about the best place to go.
5. Freedom.
   All the reasons above adds up to an amazing feeling of freedom. Appreciate and embrace the beauty uncertainty has to offer.

READY. The starting point of my journey, the cathedral in Le Puy-en-Velay.

Okay, so I’ll admit it, there are disadvantages too. For instance, you’ll hve to do laundry quite often. And if you’re going hiking in places where the weather gets rough, it’s better to bring that extra sweater than to freeze. Respect the nature.

However, the advantages of raveling light far outweighs the troubles of it.

Bottom line: if you’re heading to a comfortableclimate, just leave half of what you think you’ll need behind. It’ll make your life on the road a whole lot more pleasant. I promise.

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I’d love to hear how you feel about traveling light. Feel free to add your tips in the comments below!

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20 Tips For a Successful Camino

Thinking about walking Camino de Santiago, or parts of it? Here are some lessons that I learned the hard way.

THUNDER IS COMING: Don’t trust the weather forecast.

1. If you’re walking at a time or place where it might rain, use hiking boots/hiking shoes. Not sneakers. Water creates blisters. Blisters are not comfortable.

2. Your backpack should have a waterproof cover. I didn’t have this. Solution? Plastic and garbage bags. It got messy.

3. Bring a waterproof jacket. Or one of those awesome-looking ponchos that also covers your backpack. Some people choose to wear rain hats too. They look badass.

4. If you walk in France, learn some French. Or bring a dictionary, it’s useful for booking accommodation. You can also find a French speaker and ask for help. Pilgrims are nice people.

4. Don’t walk with a stick, according to some people I met. It seems like it may give you knee pains. But, on the other side, you will look like a real pilgrim. Two sticks seem to work fine, though, and may even help you stay in balance.

5. Put vaselin or something similar on your feet, if you’d like to avoid those blisters.

6. Carry band-aids. Use them before it’s too late. Blisters are hard to get rid of when you walk every day.

7. Walking alone and with other people are two completely different experiences. Think about what you want from this walk.

8. You don’t have to be religious to use the roads. Some accommodations, however, will need your credential (a book where you collect stamps from places you go) to let you stay there. Get one, I got mine at the Cathedral where I started. The morning mass is also a good place to meet other hikers.

9. Set a goal for how far you want to go, each day and in total. It’s motivating to count down the kilometers.

10. Remember sunscreen, even if it’s cloudy in the morning. And don’t trust the weather forecast, even if it’s presented to you by otherwisely very trustworthy Germans.

11. Pack less than you think you’ll need, you have to carry your shit every day. In fact, use a smaller backpack than you originally planned on. For reference, mine was 22 liters. It worked, but was smaller than most people’s packs.

12. This may be obvious, but don’t wear brand new shoes.

13. Cook dinner sometimes. The best meal I had was pasta, tomatoes and pesto, made in the company of a Kiwi, a Frenchman and a German couple. We called ourselves “the pilgrim family”. Very cute, yes.

14. Take time to actually see some of the villages you pass on your way.

15. Bring sandals for the evening. It’s not very tempting to put your semi-clean feet in wet/muddy/smelly shoes when you’re supposed to relax. This also helps heal your potentially sore feet.

16. Check for bed bugs. Better safe than sorry. Most cheap accommodations require you to have your own sleeping bag or linen.

17. Take pictures of the people you meet. It’s way more interesting than just scenery, and there will be more memories connected to them. Cows, horses, donkeys and sheep are also great models (in my opinion, anyway).

18. Not all villages have ATMs. Carry enough cash for a few days ahead. Thanks to the nice Swiss woman who paid for me in Monistrol d’Allier. I honestly, really appreciate it.

19. If you don’t feel like walking for hours on an empty stomach, eat breakfast where you’re sleeping. Don’t plan to “grab something in the next village”. That village you see on the map may not actually be a village at all.

20. You have lots of time. Talk to people you meet. This is easier said than done if you don’t speak the language, but you’ll always find international pilegrims and/or people who speak different degrees of English.

Let me know if you have other questions, I’ll help you if I can. My knowledge stretches from Le Puy-en-Velay to Figeac in France, but I’ve heard stories from other parts of the trail too.

Good luck, and enjoy your journey! Buen camino, bon chemin, and ultreïa!