This post is part of my continuing coverage of the High Five Tour! To see all related posts check out the WWFS Category Button above and make sure you subscribe to keep up with all the information.
The High Five Tour is almost here! I have been busy planning for everything that I can. I know it’s impossible to account for everything that can happen on this trip but it never hurts to be prepared! As I have posted on this site minimalism is becoming an important part of who I am and I wanted to take that with me on this road trip. I have come up with 5 minimalist resolutions that I think will help me and anyone else taking a road trip make the most out of their experience.
Minimalist Resolution #1: Always Be In The Present
This means not spending all your free time on the computer surfing the web or instant messaging with friends from back home. This means being part of your surroundings, meeting and interacting with new people and exploring. Try new activities. Stay out of your head Eat new Foods. Be wherever you are. And finally do not, even for a second, turn on the TV in your hotel room.
Minimalist Resolution #2: Travel Light and Be Flexible
Ultralight travel is a staple of minimalism (I’ll have my packing list for this trip up in a few days!) and not only will it help you stick with resolution #1 because you aren’t gong to be bringing all the extra things that keep you cooped up inside, it will also make your time moving from place to place a lot easier. Plus, it keeps you flexible and lets you change your plans on a moments notice. I travel with one 32 oz backpack which holds everything I need. If I was going away for 3 days or 3 months my travel bag would still have everything I need. There is no need to unpack my stuff in hotel drawers because everything is accessible and it is light enough that I can carry everything on my back.
It is important to keep your options open when traveling. It is great to have your route planned out and mapped but halfway through your trip you may be offered an opportunity to change gears and do something completely fantastic and spur of the moment. Do it! Like John Lennon said, “life is what happens when you’re making other plans”. Take the chance. Put away your itinerary and experience something awesome!
Minimalist Resolution #3: Support The Little Guys
When you stop on your road trip to get something to eat or purchase knickknacks for your family make a little extra effort to help out the local businesses wherever you are. Buy produce from a farmer’s market or a mom and pop supermarket. Each lunch at a family owned restaurant instead of McDonald’s or T.G.I. Fridays. Go to a craft fair and get your souvenirs handmade. Not only will you help keep those businesses afloat during this economy but you will be able to connect with the people and places that you visit. Plus, it’s a lot more fun to tell your friends about that hand blown shot-glass that was made especially for you than one you picked up at Walmart with the state seal machined on it.
Minimalist Resolution #4: Leave It Better Than You Found It
When I was in the Boy Scouts we were taught two rules: 1. Leave It Better Than You Found It, and 2. Do A Good Turn Daily. To me it’s always been the same rule twice but I recommend traveling with the same rules. Clean up after yourself, and pick up some trash someone else might have forgotten themselves. Fix something that’s broken without being asked to. Help someone out who is down on their luck. It doesn’t have to be a grand gesture, even simple things can make all the difference. You will feel better that you did it and may inspire someone else to pass it forward.
Minimalist Resolution #5: Slow Down
If I had limited myself to only one resolution for this post it would be to slow down. It’s human nature to want to move fast and we are habituated to it. If you like to move fast make a conscious decision during your trip to slow your self down and experience what is around you. Just like being flexible keeping a slow place will show you opportunities you might otherwise have missed. It will help you develop stronger memories of your trip and make the activities more meaningful.
A lot of people I know try to pack their schedule full of every single thing they can and end up rushing just so they can say they have been somewhere or done something. I prefer to take my time, find something I really enjoy and give myself a chance to appreciate it. Take a look at your schedule, if it’s jam packed to the brim you might want to consider putting some things off for another day or just leaving them out entirely.
Well that’s what I have for you guys today. I am going to be sticking to these resolutions as much as I can during the High Five Tour. I hope this might give you some new ideas about taking a cross country trip yourself. I would love to hear your own travel tips or experiences. Let me know about them in your comments!
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I love #3 and 4!!! I always try and support the little guys cause that’s where alot of the neat stuff is.
As for #4….I try to live that everyday…..and I’d like to take part of that and post it up at the corp….maybe it will make people think. I can hope anyway. = )
Hey Diane! Thanks. Feel free to put to this up at the Corps. Maybe they’ll start doing dishes or at least put the couch cushions back on the couches!
~Scott
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