How many clothes would you need for a 15+ day trip? Try 6.
At the start of the project I knew I was going to be travelling mid-way and being a frequent traveller i’m used to packing my bag in about 15 minutes. I’d usually mull a bit about carrying extra tees and then wonder about the weight I’d be lugging around. Being a part of sixitemsorless meant everything thrown into a largish overnight bag, and I was done this time in just 5!
shrunken travel bag
While that was the easy part, the tricky bit was this – being away for over 2 weeks at a stretch, and being away from home implied not being able to do your laundry as frequently as you wished.
My 6 included a pair of leggings, a skirt, 3 tops, and a knit jacket and let’s face it skirts aren’t really travel friendly clothing. Desperately needed another pair of leggings but was determined not to buy another one. As a result of which I think I’ve extracted as much value as I could out of that $10 I spent buying them.
This last month we drove through the clouds to a little hill station out of town.
It was pouring the whole time and nothing would’ve dried but thankfully that was a short trip requiring no laundry work and the clothes survived.
The next trip though was to Bangalore, catching up with friends, over gigs, drinks and meals. Normally I’d have packed a few dressy items, a few casual ones, and a few spares cos you never know what comes up.
bowling shoes and a skirt. who cares!
Having just the 6 was awesomely liberating – I didn’t have to bother what to pick, neither could i care less about seeming underdressed for any place – this is what I had and this is what I was comfortable with. So I landed up in pics shot on different days wearing the same clothes. Big deal!
An overnight bus ride from Bangalore takes you to Hampi, a little village (world heritage site) that nestles the ruins of a 500 year old empire amidst huge boulders.
Vitthala temple, Hampi
The best way to see the place is by bicycle which meant 1 pair of leggings being used everyday. I think the locals prolly would’ve started recognising me as the girl who rides up and down the mud paths everyday in a uniform!
Getting caught in the showers on one of the days and cycling through it for hours meant 3 items of clothing rendered useless, the leggings (now with a little hole in the knee) hung out to dry and clothes from the previous day being reused with an overdose of perfume.
knee woes
As much as salvaging situations required a little effort, travelling with a smaller bag was every bit worth it though I must admit I was only glad to wear my fresh trackpants while travelling after the 21st.
———————————-
By the way, my parents didn’t notice that I was wearing the same 6 day in and day out. A few years back I’d have gotten a good listening for not being well turned out, etc. Guess I managed decently with the 6. Also, a few of the guys I know have been swearing they live in 6 pieces (4 shirts + 2 trousers) of clothing any way. They just get a new set of the same every 6 months. Hmmm…
———————————-
All in all here’s what I got from my 1 month:
– No need for spares. Be it clothing or stationery or anything else.
+ Leggings are awesomely comfortable. And they hang-dry way quicker than jeans
+ Check for longer lasting clothes. And bang for buck.
+ What doesn’t fit you anymore will surely fit someone else. Give it away
+ People aren’t always watching you and noting what you wear.
+ If you’re comfortable and okay, it’s all okay
+ it’s not difficult to stick to a routine,
especially when you’ve got a 100 other people doing the same thing :)
KathyBabb
Comment
July 24, 2010 @ 8:58 pm
Excellent post! Thanks for sharing your thoughts and pictures. You learned a lot of the same key take-aways I finally figured out – such as longer lasting (read:quality) clothes, ppl aren’t watching what you wear, etc., etc.
thekheshirekat
Comment
July 24, 2010 @ 11:31 pm
yes, thanks for the share. awesome pics
Colleen
Comment
July 24, 2010 @ 11:45 pm
I like the idea of 6. My husband sent me this link today, maybe he is trying to tell me something. He and I are off to Italy for a month soon and although I doublt I will go with only 6 items I will certainly cut it back simply because I don’t want to have to carry it on my back. It will be liberating with clothing choices being more simplified. I just hope we can find enough laudromats.
Davina
Comment
July 25, 2010 @ 2:43 am
my friend showed me your website and i’m definitely inspired to try this on one of my vacations! it must have been such a liberating feeling!
Xinya
Comment
July 25, 2010 @ 11:06 am
This is great post. I am inspired to my own 6 items in a month.
Rabia Khan
Comment
July 25, 2010 @ 11:58 am
When people are conscious of their bodies, they tend to wear more clothes. I realised this when this summer I decided to take control of my workout routine. Its usually 38 degrees centigrade at midnight where I live so we go through a lot of clothes as we sweat. So I decided to sweat more. I stopped going to the nail salon too. The idea was to concentrate on working out and being clean.
What I noticed was that in all this – clothes became irrelevant. I now live in 2 pairs of white linen pants, 2 tank tops and 2 loose blouses. And that it. I stick some mouse in my hair or rouge and lipstick on if I feel like it but am just concentrating on being healthy and active. I am happier, calmer and more “awake”. And now it shows on my face and in my body language. I realise now that, before this, I was counting on clothes to do that for me.
This fall I am taking my son to University in Canada. I will be there for 3 weeks. My suitcase will contain 1 classic black trench, 2 pairs of pants, 3 long sleeved Ts and one long sleeve cardigan. That will take me through dinners, lunches and various meetings. Like Heidi Hackemer said, and its so true, no one notices but you.
The only thing I WILL notice is how light my luggage feels and the absence of a daily fashion crisis.
So please start subtracting. It adds happiness.
Sue luke
Comment
July 25, 2010 @ 6:05 pm
Having just gone from about 10 items to 200, I am convinced that fewer is in every way better. Now I am going to start organizing groups of 6 items to wear from one month to the next. Now I’ll start giving away unworn items. Thanks for your great post about travel.
Catherine
Comment
July 25, 2010 @ 6:47 pm
Thank you for sharing your story, it is inspiring. I will be leaving for a 7 day cruise and will work on my 6 itmes. I will then incorporate it into my business attire (limit one suit) Genius idea. I have convince my daughter to do the same (teenage out of control with fashion). This can change the world. KOODO.
Katie Wooten
Comment
July 26, 2010 @ 12:31 am
This is great! I love your insight! More people should take on this challenge…it could improve the materialistic world we live in :)
synthia
Comment
July 26, 2010 @ 8:10 pm
love the way of the traveling I bring to many love the blog. Thanks for the tips it will be used in the future,no more being a slave to this suitcase travel.
wanderblah
Comment
July 27, 2010 @ 1:17 pm
Kathy, thekheshirekat – Thanks a ton. And that ‘nobody’s watching you’ bit really took me by surprise. So much for bothering to match things and pick out accessories. The only person who gave a sh*t about it was me. While I’ve always liked to believe I dress for myself, in a sort of I-dont-care-what-you-think sense, I guess no one else’s really staring at anyone constantly in the first place! :)
wanderblah
Comment
July 27, 2010 @ 1:35 pm
For everyone who posted about the travel bit, I’m glad you’re going to be travelling lighter. It IS really liberating – less weight, lesser bags, smaller laundry pile, more space for maps – it’s all good!
Catherine, it’d be great to hear how your cruise trip goes with just 6 items. It’s a little scary. But then again like most of us’ve figured – no one’s really keeping note. if you’re good, it’s all good.
And yups, it’s a fab idea by Tamsin and Heidi. Not only is my wardrobe and house getting cleaner, I’ve managed to (tame myself and) stick to a 6 piece routine for a month. We’ve got some 600 signed up for the next run of 6itemsorless, I hope you guys join in too
marilyn
Comment
July 29, 2010 @ 10:52 am
Hurray for giving me some inspiration,and many Thanx! Now I have to see if I can do this when packing for our trip to Italy in a few weeks! Packed for 7 day cruise in June, and thought for sure my arm/shoulder were going to fall off from carrying all the weight onto and off the ship!!
synthia
Comment
July 29, 2010 @ 9:57 pm
what I learned from this link will work wish I did that in 2000 when I went to germany it would have been better and lighter thanks now I know what to wear in the future.
cyn
15 Day Trip – 6 Items Packed | Little Black Guidebook
Pingback
July 30, 2010 @ 10:03 am
[...] The 6 item challenge is all about living in only 6 items of clothing for a month to get a better feel for what you really need and detach from your clothing possessions. I think its a cool project, but I don’t know if I could travel on only 6 items like this lady: My month of madness, or how I traveled in 6 items [...]
pharmacy technician
Comment
July 31, 2010 @ 5:15 pm
nice post. thanks.
Mike Bark
Comment
July 31, 2010 @ 8:16 pm
Heard about this site on KGO-am Sunday 0845 Aug. 1st.
I realize your talk on the air wasn’t really geared towards travel packing but rather shopping and a clothes inventory. However, as one of your readers noted, the same philosophy can be applied to packing for a trip.
Heidi, you make packing “light” sound easy and more than sensible. Compared to the way I’ve been packing your method is more like going naked. I thought the best way to pack was to use the smallest piece of luggage I owned. That works to some degree but….
Thanks for sharing your way of life with the rest of us.
Mike in Zhangzhou, Fujian, P.R.C.
CoCoYoYo
Comment
August 11, 2010 @ 6:10 pm
wanderblah, you are my new hero! While I’ve made vast improvements in regards to packing I always come back with a few unworn items. Your being able to travel with just six items of clothing is motivating me to do the same on my next trip. So glad that I stumbled across this site/challenge. Who knows? Maybe I’ll join in on the next round :)
Consciousness and Spirituality
Trackback
August 15, 2010 @ 8:32 am
The Road Less Travelled: A New Psychology of Love, Traditional Values and Spiritual Growth…
I found your entry interesting thus I’ve added a Trackback to it on my weblog :)…
~j~
Comment
August 16, 2010 @ 5:08 am
Just came by to check your updates. Super post! Very inspiring. Proud of you, girl.
wanderblah
Comment
August 16, 2010 @ 6:17 am
hey Mike, Think you’re looking for Heidi, who was on the show. She’s here: http://sixitemsorless.com/author/heidi-hackemer/
Coco, Marilyn, Synthia, glad to be of some help. Come join us for round two! :)
J, Thanks a ton :)