Travel is transformative by default: Traveling allows you to feel emotions, encounter situations and meet people to which you would be completely oblivious if you stayed at home.
Unless you’re a super high-end traveler, traveling also forces you to be more efficient. The more you travel, the more aware you become of what you need (and don’t need) to travel effectively. Eventually, you get to the point where you know exactly what you need to take with you, down to individual items and even certain intangibles.
Every traveler is obviously different, but here are seven things I’ve found don’t serve much of a purpose when I’m on the road.
1. Large Luggage
Backpackers are easy to spot because of their obnoxious camping backpacks. I say obnoxious not only because said backpacks make you look like a douche — hey, they do! — but because they’re unnecessary.
2. Strict Diet & Exercise
Travel is active in nature. Whether you’re scaling Machu Picchu in Peru, camping in Morocco, or visiting a Zoo, you’re not only moving around constantly (and probably quickly) but you won’t have a lot of time or energy to snack and graze like you do at home. If you gain weight while traveling, you aren’t traveling hard enough!
3. Your Entire Wardrobe
At home, I have a (relatively) large wardrobe for two reasons: Firstly, because I like to vary my look; and secondly, because I hate doing laundry. Both of these concerns are moot out on the open road: You won’t encounter the same people often enough for them to notice you haven’t changed clothes; and having your laundry done and folded for you is dirt-cheap in most places.
4. Expectations
My favorite part of travel is discovery, which is why I tend not to do too much research in advance of a trip — I prefer to hit the streets (or dirt roads, as the case may be) with my camera and an open mind. Indeed, expectations are even more futile when you travel as they are in real life. When in doubt, follow these four simple steps: (1) Arrive, (2) explore, (3) leave and (4) be thankful.
5. Blow Dryer
I’m obsessed with having good hair, so it might come as a surprise that I’m suggesting you not take a blow dryer with you when you travel. The reason I’m recommending this is two-fold. First and foremost, blow dryers take up a lot of space; secondly, travel time is far too precious to worry about your hair more than occasionally.
6. Mobile Phone
I’ve forgone having a cell phone with me on most of my trips, so trust what I say: Not carrying a mobile phone with you is absolutely freeing. Not only are you not checking your phone constantly, but not having one gives you an incentive to be where you say you’re going to be when you say you’re going to be there. You know, like our parents used to do.
7. Attitude
Part of being transformed by travel is not clinging to your proverbial “old ways.” A big part of this is getting rid of your attitude, however essential you might feel it is to your personality. Resist the urge to talk back or have the last word; spend more time listening than talking; and don’t be afraid to admit when you’re wrong or when someone else is right.
Robert Schrader is a travel writer and photographer who’s been roaming the world independently since 2005, writing for publications such as “CNNGo” and “Shanghaiist” along the way. His blog, Leave Your Daily Hell, provides a mix of travel advice, destination guides and personal essays covering the more esoteric aspects of life as a traveler.
