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Travel

Extreme Minimalism: Wardrobe

Let’s wrap up the Extreme Minimalism series with a topic that’s always popular: clothing!

It’s been over a year since I wrote More Minimalist Wardrobe Musings. In that post, I asked, “So (laundry concerns aside), what if you could have one perfectly-comfortable, perfectly-designed outfit that you could wear everyday — and nobody cared, or ridiculed you for it? I’m not talking scrubs, or military dress, or a UPS uniform, but something you looked fabulous and felt great in. Would you want that?”

For me, the answer is an emphatic yes! Although I haven’t adopted one yet, I’m completely smitten with the idea of a uniform.… {Read more}

The Thread of Connection

I spent last New Year’s Day in Bangkok, participating in the Thai tradition of visiting Buddhist temples and making donations to the resident monks. At one of the temples, a monk blessed me with a sprinkle of holy water and tied a simple white cord around my wrist. Eight months later, I’m still wearing it.

I’ve since googled this Thai tradition to find out its meaning. Apparently, the white thread is called sai sin, and is meant to represent the Buddhist Sutras (the word sutra is Sanskrit for “thread”). As such, it’s a constant reminder to act according to Buddhist principles—treating every living thing with respect, kindness, and compassion.… {Read more}

My Guest Post at BootsnAll

Hi everyone!

I just wanted to let you know that I’ve written a guest post over at BootsnAll, the fabulous independent traveler site:

No Extra Baggage: How Traveling Lightly Changed My Life

The post bridges my two favorite topics: minimalism and travel. I hope you’ll check it out, and leave a comment on it if you’re so inclined. If enough people like it, perhaps they’ll invite me back again. :)

If you’re planning a getaway this summer (or just enjoy some armchair traveling), I encourage you to browse through the site while you’re there. I have to warn you, though: your feet might start itching to hit the road!… {Read more}

100 Possessions: Monk’s Bowl

It may come as a surprise to some, but not all of my possessions are uber-practical. Some commemorate my travels, give me pleasure to look at, or remind me of how I’d like to live.

This monk’s bowl is a recent acquisition, purchased on my December trip to Thailand. In Bangkok, there’s a tiny neighborhood called Soi Ban Baat (Monk’s Bowl Village), where residents have been making alms bowls for monks for generations. Although most such bowls are now made in factories, a few artisans continue the tradition, beating out the bowls by hand. They’re made of eight strips of metal, to symbolize the Eightfold Path of Buddhism.… {Read more}

Minimalist Inspiration from Istanbul

A few weeks ago, I took a trip to Istanbul – a gorgeous city, though not one you’d ever describe as “minimalist.” In contrast to the cool, refined grandeur of many Northern European cities, Istanbul is colorful and exotic, full of history, intrigue, and arabesques. (And all the more beautiful for it.)

Yet even in such lush and embellished surrounds, I managed to dig out a few minimalist nuggets for your appreciation. When I travel, I enjoy soaking up the décor and cuisine and traditions of other cultures, and pondering how I might incorporate some tidbits into my own lifestyle. Here’s what inspired me in Istanbul:

1.… {Read more}

Extreme Minimalist Travel: No Luggage

If you’ve been reading this blog for awhile, you know I like to travel light. I take a small carry-on bag for long trips, and nothing but a large purse for anything under a week.

Author and “vagabonder” Rolf Potts, however, has me beat. He’s traveling the world for six weeks without a single piece of luggage: no suitcase, no day bag, not even a fanny pack!

The only items he’s taking are those that fit in the pockets of his Scott eVest: a handful of toiletries, a few electronic devices, and a couple of miscellaneous items like earplugs, sunglasses, safety pins, and a notebook.… {Read more}

Minimalist Architecture – Helsinki and Tallinn

When my husband and I travel, we love to walk the streets of foreign cities and admire the architecture. We’ve seen it all: from the Art Nouveau apartment houses of Prague, to the neon skyscrapers in Hong Kong, to the Gothic cathedrals in almost every European country. What we don’t see very often: minimalist buildings.

Therefore, I was delighted to encounter some lovely examples on a recent trip to Helsinki and Tallinn (a 2-hour ferry ride across the Gulf of Finland). After spending the last several months gazing at elaborate turrets, intricate stonework, and churches carved with every manner of saint, sinner, and gargoyle, the Scandinavian architecture was a breath of fresh air.… {Read more}

Extreme Light Travel

A few months ago, I wrote about the contents of my carry-on (Minimalist Travel: What’s in My Suitcase). This is the only bag I travel with, whether I’m going away for one week or three months. You can read about it in detail in my earlier post, but generally it contains a packing cube of clothing, a toiletry bag, and odds and ends like guidebooks, energy bars, camera, iPod Touch, umbrella, etc. in the pockets. After years of overseas travel, I had this system down to a science.

Now that I live in England, however, I’ve been spending a lot of long weekends visiting European cities.… {Read more}

Minimalist Entertainment: Watching Sheep

Lately, I’ve been spending a lot of time watching sheep. I know that sounds strange, so let me explain…

I’ve always been a city girl at heart. I love the people, the buildings, the culture, the vibe; going to bars, cafes, and restaurants; and attending the opera, the orchestra, and the ballet.

Recently, however, my husband and I have discovered a wonderful new pastime: walking the public footpaths of the English countryside. As an American accustomed to fences, private property, and “no trespassing” signs, I was completely taken aback by the concept of the public footpath—in essence, it’s a right-of-way that lets you stroll through the fields, pastures, and meadows that belong to someone else (how amazing is that?).… {Read more}

A Little Travel Talk

Since I mentioned my recent trip to Southeast Asia in my last post, I’ve received several requests for more details about the experience. Although the topic of travel is only tangentially related to minimalism (in so far as keeping a minimal itinerary and luggage), it’s near and dear to my heart—and as such, I never turn down an invitation to talk about it. :-)

I do realize, however, that most of you come here to read about minimalism, not travel, so I will do my best to keep it short and sweet. Instead of writing a full travelogue, I’ll simply touch on the highlights of our trip:

Hong Kong:

* Wandering through the Mong Kok district, and experiencing its vibrant street life and traditional markets (selling everything from food to clothing to electronics to jade)

* Taking a breathtaking cable car ride to Lantau Island (photo)

* Climbing up the 268 steps to the Tian Tan Buddha (photo), and having a delicious vegetarian lunch at the adjacent Po Lin Monastery

* Spending an afternoon riding the Mid-Levels escalators (a giant outdoor escalator system on the steep slope of Hong Kong Island), and jumping on and off to explore the neighborhoods through which it passed

* Enjoying vegetarian dim sum in a traditional Hong Kong tea house

* Having a picnic dinner along the Victoria Harbour waterfront, while admiring the brilliantly-lit Hong Kong skyline (photo)

Singapore:

* Awakening to the sound of tropical birds every morning, even though we stayed in the heart of the city

* Sampling the amazing array of cuisine (Singapore is a food lover’s dream).… {Read more}