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Comment by cube | Hacker News Reader

A few months back I realized one main aspect of travel, I tremendously enjoy: the lack of stuff. Traveling around with just one suitcase of clothes and my laptop opened my eyes: Of all the stuff I own, everything I really needed for my every day life was right there with me. And it is so easily replaceable...

I never was a big gatherer, but since then I really cut down on buying things. In addition to that I'm getting rid of my things, some are easier to lose some are harder to give away or sell, but in the end it feels great. I actually find it liberating to stand in a store and _not_ buy the fancy item which would inevitably be degraded to be clutter on the shelf in a few weeks. The money I spend goes into the few things I really use all the time, like my iPhone. I also eat better. All in all I'd say it made me a happier person.

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I moved to Asia for 5 months and found the same thing.

I brought a big suitcase full of items, but probably only used a backpack full. I purchased local clothes (for cheap) that were better suited to the climate and everything else was easily replaceable.

I also agree investing heavily into a few key items is important. My Macbook was irreplaceable. I wish I spent more on a better camera, it was a good one but I used it enough to justify getting a great one.

Now that I am back I realize I have a lot of stuff that is completely unnecessary. It is surprisingly difficult to get rid of, but I am donating it in chunks.

It's funny you say that, as one of the things that bothers me most about travelling is the lack of handy access to the things I appreciate making my life easier. Usually it's simple creature comforts: a nice chair, a good work desk, a supply of hot water, tea and fresh milk; but getting those things from a hotel is tough and frequently overly expensive. Staying in a furnished apartment is better, but next thing you know you want a variety of food, better cooking implements, and various other things that don't have lifetimes that match up well with a typical stay in an apartment or hotel (1 or 2 weeks for me).

A some of the bigger upsets in my life come from times I've lost stuff, either through the upheaval of moving, or data from crashed hard drives. Physical and informational tokens can act as triggers for remembrance of past experiences, and it's not nice when you lose those photos, diaries or whatever.

On the other hand, going into a store, I am very seldom tempted to buy fancy items. I usually get more joy from my ability to purchase something than actually purchasing it; probably a relic of growing up in poverty. The best purchases have been food, wine, holidays, theatre and art: experiences.

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