A taxi driver in Chiang Mai told me something that changed how I pack

He pointed at my huge backpack and said, 'You carry your home, but you only need your heart.' I've been traveling for 8 months now and I finally ditched half my stuff after that. Has anyone else had a local give you a simple tip that stuck?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_blake2mo ago

Isn't that kind of advice a bit romantic? I mean, you still need your stuff. A kind local in Lisbon once told me to always pack a small roll of duct tape and a multi-tool. That tape has fixed a torn backpack, sealed food bags, and even helped with a hostel bunk bed that wouldn't stop squeaking. My heart wouldn't have fixed any of that. Sometimes the practical tips are the ones that really save you.

miller.paul2mo agoMost Upvoted

I read a travel blog years ago that called duct tape the "third most useful thing to pack, right after your passport and common sense." @the_blake, you're right that romantic advice only gets you so far when your bag splits on a cobblestone street. My own multi-tool got me out of a jam in Reykjavik when a luggage zipper broke. The heart is great for meeting people, but good tape holds your world together.

anthony16521d ago

That taxi driver's line about the heart is nice and all, but there is a different side to this nobody is mentioning. The real trick is knowing when to hold on to your stuff and when to let it go, and a local once told me travel is like a river, you can't step in the same water twice. Packing light is smart, but only if you have the cash to replace things when they break or when weather hits hard. The romance of minimalism only works if you have a credit card backup plan. Most people who ditch half their gear end up buying half of it back within a week.