Who hasn’t yet
savoured the lightness of living in a hotel room temporarily with just a few
things packed into a suitcase? Regardless of whether we’re minimalists or not,
when we’re travelling, surely we all experience
the sense of satisfaction of living minimally for a while. The freedom that
comes with not being surrounded by “stuff” (as many of us are at home) is just
incredible!
The
benefits of packing lightly
It’s that moment when you realise that you really don’t
need that much to live and be genuinely happy. It’s a feeling which I, when I’m
travelling, deeply relish. It was in fact the frustration with heavy luggage that
set me off on the minimalism route back in April 2014. These days, I don’t lug
much stuff around with me any more!
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| Packing lightly includes choosing mainly things that could fulfil several purposes |
Packing lightly has resulted in the pleasurable consequence that I’ve come to enjoy travelling much more. Packing lightly includes choosing mainly things that, in theory, could fulfil several purposes. Example: I pack running shoes that don’t look too flashy, which I can wear for running, but also (in case a second pair of shoes should be needed) as ordinary walking shoes.
The
minimalist way: Going digital
The BDÜ course in Forlì which I attended recently
was excellent for a whole host of reasons. For example (and to stick with my
minimalism theme), we were provided with the course materials in the form of
files to which we could add our own notes using computers that had been set up
for this purpose. And the files were immediately transferable either to our own
storage media or uploadable to our cloud storage spaces. No piles of paper to
lug home afterwards!
After my course in Forlì, I spent one night in Bologna
and participated in an early-morning sightseeing run with Bologna by Run. It was already my second running tour in Bologna this year (this time with
Andrea, last time with Alessandro), which just goes to show what an amazing
experience it is! I highly recommend sightseeing
running tours: they’re slightly more expensive than “normal” guided tours, but worth
every cent!
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| Guided running tours are slightly more expensive than “normal” guided tours, but worth every cent! |
Combining
several activities into one
As a minimalist, I love combining several
activities into one, and my sightseeing run with Bologna by Run
provided another opportunity to do exactly that: I was able to combine sightseeing,
running, and (especially useful for me!) practising more Italian.
Minimalist and runner Anthony Ongaro recently noted: “I’m pretty certain running is the simplest form of
exercise for most able-bodied humans. It’s as organic as it gets. Some bodies
are made better for it than others, but I don’t think there’s anything that
really gets simpler than that.” (Read the whole interview on the Run With Less blog by Grant Milestone.) And it is one of the reasons why I, too, love
running. It’s so minimal!
Capturing
the fleeting, beautiful moments
As a minimalist, I also consciously enjoyed the
small moments during my “CPD mini-holiday” – however fleeting they may have
seemed: savouring the taste of “real” Italian espresso; taking in the beauty of
Piazza Aurelio Saffi in the centre of Forlì during an extremely mild evening;
or the moments in the company of all the friendly people around me.
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| Minimalists, whether on holiday or at home, treasure experiences more than things |
Minimalists,
whether on holiday or at home, treasure experiences more than things. This is
why spending money on experiences, rather than things, makes a lot of sense to
minimalists. And the joy of travelling can be increased by minimalist means: by
packing lightly, going digital or fully relishing those little moments!
I have since discovered that guided running tours have popped up and become popular in other cities, too. A few weeks ago, I participated in this guided running tour with Sean from Aye Run, exploring the sights and sounds of Glasgow, another beautiful city rich with history and culture:
I have since discovered that guided running tours have popped up and become popular in other cities, too. A few weeks ago, I participated in this guided running tour with Sean from Aye Run, exploring the sights and sounds of Glasgow, another beautiful city rich with history and culture:
Highly recommended: I tremendously enjoyed my #guidedrunningtour of #Glasgow with Sean from https://t.co/gTCldizFas (and thanks for putting it on just for me!). https://t.co/WxeHYSw5WY @GlasgowTourism @GetOutGlasgow @peoplemakeGLA pic.twitter.com/saKknY2fL0— E. Hippe-Heisler (@detransferendo) August 9, 2019
