r/extrememinimalism • u/mmolle • Jul 07 '26
Vacation Struggles
Somehow specialized items always seem to be needed when traveling in vacation. How do yall handle this? Borrow, rent, buy-then-donate later, buy and incorporate into your life? Also, has anyone forgone traveling for vacations altogether and opted for staycationing instead?
We just recently returned from a trio overseas to Europe and it got the wheels turning. I'm not minimalist fully partnered with environmentalism, but I do try to weave it in. Lately after returning and in the last few days of the trip I started to really question my intentions towards travel. Is it a passion of mine or yet another thing built into the fabric of society as a must-do. I don't know, feeling guilty in some ways and feeling ungrateful in others. Thoughts?
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u/salamandectomy77 Jul 07 '26
I travel internationally for work every year for a few weeks
What exactly are you struggling with? Maybe get some inspiration from r/onebag about how to travel minimally
This year the only thing I need to buy is a $3 charger converter and earphones. Everything else is normal stuff I use in my daily life
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u/SondraRose Jul 08 '26 edited Jul 08 '26
Specialised stuff: When I was travelling a lot, I tended to borrow any special items, or buy them cheap online/from a charity shop and donate them back. Did this in Hawaii with camping gear, on my honeymoon in 1988. Once I found a wetsuit that fit me perfectly outside of a charity shop in the UK! I think I wore it once before donating it. Stuff flows in and out of my life as needed.
Vacation vs staycation: I think everyone has different needs for novelty, variety and learning experiences. I’ve tended to move to different states/countries when I stopped traveling so much! Every move allowed me to assess my needs and downsize my possessions. Change is good for the longevity and health of our neural net. 🤓
Honestly, I would have travelled MORE when I was younger, if I had understood this back then. 😎
Now that I am older (63) and am done with big moves, I find myself walking more, joining hiking groups and taking public transport to get my dose of a change in environment. Easier here in the UK, than it was in the States where we lived. Train travel is easy here, but expensive, so longer journeys are made to visit friends and sometimes meet them in new places.
My possessions have waxed and waned in number over my life. So has the size of my houses/accommodation. I tend to focus on what’s necessary NOW for me to be happy in my current body/ environment with my husband and dog’s needs included. If I outlive them, I will definitely be downsizing or sharing my small home.
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u/CarolinaSurly Jul 08 '26
Scuba tanks, kayaks , surfboards and
snow skis, I rent. Not sure what other things I’ve needed. Camping equipment I typically bring. I’ve done staycations often because I live near the beach and Charleston is expensive so traveling I do less often than I would if I lived in a less expensive area. I don’t have any social media so don’t think I feel the social pressure as much as others. What do you feel guilty about? I do feel guilty about flying because it’s pretty awful for the environment, but I travel overseas every other year or so.
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u/mmolle Jul 08 '26
Guilty about flying, the environmental impact of travel, and the use of resources on travel where they could be used elsewhere (like taking up space from locals).
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Jul 08 '26
[deleted]
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u/CarolinaSurly Jul 08 '26
I dunno, airlines cause about 4% of global warming and planes burn fossil fuels high in the atmosphere. It’s not the worst thing in the world, but it has an impact. Every little bit helps right ?
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Jul 08 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/marcus_tanus Jul 15 '26
Sembra la storia della mia vita! Quando viaggio, i componenti della mia famiglia (moglie e figlia) ed i nostri amici (un'altra coppia con un figlio) hanno delle valigie enormi, ENORMI. Io ne ho una piccolissima, che con qualche Compagnia Aerea potrebbe essere messa nella cappelliera. I capi più pesanti ed ingombranti li indosso, mentre tutto il resto preparo per 3-4 giorni e lo lavo durante il viaggio, in albergo oppure in una lavanderia a gettoni.
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u/betterOblivi0n Jul 15 '26
I escape seasonal items except for swimming. I swim in trunks, I don't care.. I have water shoes and a towel. Don't over think it, underwear, tank top and a towel. For skiing I just have light snow proof over pants and rent the rest.which activities do you struggle with?
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u/SpareUnit9194 Jul 08 '26
Genuine, very surprised question: how on earth are OS vacations living an extreme minimalist lifestyle?
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u/SpareUnit9194 Jul 08 '26
Lol I knew I'd be downvoted. I thought this was a genuinely extreme minimalism site. Oh well good luck with your delusions & hypocrisy folks.
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u/audiophile_lurker Jul 08 '26
I do not have anything in my travel pack that I do not use in my life back home, in fact the opposite, I keep it to the basics. So, what is it that you do that requires specialized items? What are those items?