When given the opportunity for travel, I am always a "yes!" Girl. My adventure this time is for several weeks on the road - so I knew making the best choices when packing would ensure my trip would be about experiencing new vistas than managing my "stuff" on the road. My goal in choosing what to bring on this trip was to strike a definite balance between the pleasure favorite outfits (shoes especially) give me and the pleasure I will feel from the freedom of less baggage to carry and manage. This balance is a central precept of the Japanese concept of wabi-sabi and mirrors the underlying result of putting KonMari methods in practice.

As I planned my international 20" carry on, I performed a pre-packing ritual of folding my capsule trip wardrobe into IKEA Skubb organizers by category (as pictured above.) Yes, this is both overly analytical and nerdy!! But being able to visualize the pieces vertically folded KonMari-style, reassures me several outfits can be created and they will fit in the carryon. A longer coat and my tried and true Uniglo puffer jacket go in an all weather tote. My new favorite Tumi backpack carries toiletries (including travel size laundry soap!), sleepwear, journals, electronics so my hands are free to navigate airports and train stations. So one small wheeled bag (which I will check), tote and backpack will do the job.

In the past, bringing extra clothes on trips "just in case" was my modus operandi. It gave me a false sense of reassurance - and an added level of stress in finding clothes in my suitcase, lugging a much larger bag, taking much longer to get dressed as I had more options than I needed.

Over the past year I have consistently applied the KonMari method to travel and I'm excited for the opportunity to put it to the test this time for five weeks!

First stops Berlin and Prague.

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✨💚💫Tricia