5 Things I Learned From Traveling That Changed My Home

I love traveling. Give me five minutes and I'll be ready to go. If you make the reservations and figure out the itinerary, even better. There's something about going away that energizes me. And it's not only souvenirs for my home I bring back...

Being away teaches me lessons as well. Lessons that have influenced how I live.

The freedom of living with less: After a weekend, a week, a month or more of living out of a suitcase, I revel in the freedom that having so little brings. But even though I may be a light packer, I feel a joy in knowing that I'm completely prepared for every situation from a picnic to tea with the Queen. In my home I've learned to toss more often and buy less. And there's always a packet of pasta, a jar of sauce and a hunk of parmasen in the fridge so I can whip up a meal for a visitor at a moment's notice.
But less doesn't mean disposable: I always pack my favorite things, from my handmade silver flats to my amazing leather jacket that, enough though it has enough pockets to hold my wallet, my camera, my lipstick, my keys, my business cards, a pen and a small pad, never looks bulky. At home, I use the good stuff and take joy in it; I buy only stuff that I love and that will bring me joy for years.
The resourcefulness of being flexible: A scarf can be a shawl, a shirt can double as a jacket, the same dress can be worn with heels for a night out or with flats for a day of sightseeing. At home, a tray can hold mail or serve drinks to guests, cups can hold flowers or hot steaming tea.
Sometimes the best thing to bring home is not more stuff but more photos: A few souvenirs are great but I didn't come to this amazing place to spend all my time shopping. I'm more interested in doing. Same with my house. I'm less interested in stuff and more interested in making memories, in making it comfortable for guests. After all, what good's a home if it's not filled with people you love?
Always be prepared to leave: Traveling for me is about spontaneity, about saying "Yes" to every suggestion. So I need to be able to throw everything together and split. Whatever gets left behind, gets left behind. Same with my home. Especially living in earthquake country, I'm prepared to go at a moment's notice. On more philosophical note that means that as much as I love my home and the stuff I've worked hard to accumulate, I try not to be too attached to it. So a guest spills wine on the sofa, a plate breaks, my towels get bleach on them. What of it? t's just stuff and stuff can be replaced.

What lessons have you learned from traveling?

[image: Plum Pretty Sugar Plum Pretty Sugar's Flickr with a Creative Commons License]

Comments (15)

Enjoy the moment. You may not get back to that time or place.

this is great, thanks abby.

I lived like that for 2 years. Out of a little suitcase.

Was the best 2 years of my life :) I lived in hotels most of the time (all comped by the company) and all my food paid for, even on the weekends.

That's what really sparked my desire to become a minimalist and to cut down

I learned to live with less and live using the best.

Wonderful post! Travel has taught me the same lessons, and I am trying to incorporate them into my home.

Great post Abby! Thanks so much!

I moved to Maine for a summer and worked, though it was more of a vacation than anything. I showed up with my computer, some clothes, my travel companion (Boomer the stuffed animal dog, yes I am too old for a stuffed animal, yes he still travels with me), some photos and my car.

I learned that sometimes improvisation is the best thing and that I don't need nearly as many "things" as I think I do. Somehow I lost sight of that and this post is bringing it back to me for some reason. I think I will go de-junk my house. Thanks for the inspiration!

I just got back from a year of traveling around the world, and I must say I'm now addicted to my minimalist "uniform" of clothes I wore. :) And yes, it's all about the layers.

I don't spend a lot of time shopping while traveling either, but if I do buy something it has to be something to wear or something useful for my home! Like the amazing material & pillow covers I got in Morocco. Love!

Yes, having to live light teaches you what's essential.

My husband and I travel a lot between homes. We live in two cities (in SoCal and the Midwest), and our closest family is scattered over two ends of India. Living in several places, and trying not to have more than one of anything, has taught us to streamline what we think we 'need.' The challenge has been to live minimally and yet lead greener, more sustainable lives, to waste less as we move around.

We started by not registering for our wedding, and requesting that guests don't bring gifts when we married in India; we asked them only to come and celebrate. It was the best decision we made: no excess baggage when we few back, only things we loved, no clutter in the new house. We had sleeping bags and laptops at first, now we have a simple and welcoming 1-bedroom. Yes, it's possible to have less and feel full:)

On a side-note: For those of you who haven't yet, do read Pico Iyer's books on travel. He talks about traveling and living light, albeit in a more phlosophical/spiritual way.

Less IS more should be Law...take it from someone who went from 10 pairs of shoes my first real trip. To 3 pairs my last real trip, [Heels, sandals and flip flops...sneakers if you need them]. It was the huge bags and lugging it around the air port that got to me. Over the years I've down sized my bag and my wardrobe.

I feel the same way about home. A cluttered house makes me nuts, travel is a very good example.

I have learned that quality bedding and efficient storage is VERY important.

I LOVE those pillows...where can i get them?

I love this and it's soooo true.

I lived abroad for two years and learned to live with only a 40 pound filled suitcase..knowing it was all I would bring home.
It taught me a valuable lesson about 'things' and their value which I really appreciate now.

I agree so much with the last point especially. If you get to attached to your things, it's actually harder to enjoy and appreciate them - youg et caught up in what ifs and in cases, and never take that lovely china out of the box, etc. And then when somethign DOES break, you are so upset about that one thing that you can't enjoy all the other lovely things (and people, and moments) in your life.

I think the thing travelling taught me was to have a lighter touch, to be less heavy in my own life - don't sit in the middle of it like that toad in Pan's Labyrinth!

Travelling helps me remember not to do that in so many ways - it's a reminder that there are lots of people out there, lots of ways of doing things, so many much bigger things! Is it really a big deal if I forgot to pack something, or if when I get home my favourite mug is broken?

Great topic and I'll add my own for travel that changed my home (or outlook):

* the best artwork, for my house, is inspired by my travels (either painting an image or enlarging one of my photos)

* bringing back foodstuffs, from my travels, I find that I'm far more relaxed when I'm at home and cooking because I remember 'being on vacation in Spain, and on a relaxed pace, when I bought this ingredient' (spices, spice blends, peppers, salts, vinegars, wine, etc). If I buy too much, when I'm traveling, I box up my clothes to mail home and hand carry for the foodstuffs.

* choosing chairs properly, that support long dinners and hours of conversation around the dining table (like dinners I've had in Germany and Spain), helps create the lifestyle I crave and works best for me. I can always shift everyone to my living room but it's that true comfort at the dining table that creates a different dynamic when entertaining. Now, I have my everyday dining chairs around the table but when I entertain small groups I bring in the truly comfortable chairs that are distributed throughout the house.

* fabrics from my travels make the best pillow fabrics (they always seem to inspire memories from my trips)

Thanks for these. But sometimes it's easy to get caught up in taking too many photos. It's more important to be in the moment and not too busy to take that perfect photo. :)