Mental baggage can weigh us down as much as physical baggage when we travel. How do you travel lightly – either emotionally or physically?
The easiest way to travel light is to travel solo. Nothing weighs me down more than having to deal with another person's needs, desires, lack of desires, constant talking, whining about this or that, and their travel mistakes like getting hurt, leaving their money behind or losing it entirely.
While solo travel can be a little lonely, and sometimes scary, it's light on the body and soul. I'm always concerned that I might get hurt or really sick and then what? Or if something did happen to me, like getting lost for days in the woods, who would know to come look for me? But these fears, constantly in the forefront of the mind keep me conscious and unwilling to take stupid risks.
I find that days into a trip, if it's going well, I become finely tuned to the world. I'm not thinking about home, or anybody there. I'm focused precisely on what is happening and what my next step is. Where will my momentary desires lead? What do I want to do, how do I make it happen, and how much will I spend?
I've met many other solo travelers and if the conversation turns to why we do it alone, the answer for most of us is pure freedom.
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