The American Way, Too Much Stuff
FYI…. just a stock photo.
It seems to be the American way and perhaps globally, but we purchase way too much. When we think we need something, it is a quick click on the phone or computer and tomorrow it is a your door. Too convenient! Why do we feel the need to buy so much? Are we filling voids in our lives? As we prepared for our journey to Southeast Asia, we learned what was truly important to us and what wasn’t. So, how did we do it?
Clearing out the First Time
When we moved to Arizona 8 years ago, we did somewhat of a cleanse. We were living in an apartment and sold all of our furniture. We packed up our clothes(we had way too many), a few sentimental things and stuffed the car full! We had a few things shipped but not much. I did have some stuff stored in my Mom’s attic but left them for a later date. We purchased our home furnished luckily but over the years we added our own personal touches. It was a 3 bedroom home, so it was a lot! Each room was beautifully decorated, Mark transformed our garage into a gym/MMA gym, my Mom moved to AZ 2 years later and brought all of my “storage” from her attic. But, being in such a large home, you didn’t notice any of it.
Now that’s a lot of luggage, LOL!!!
Selling it All, Almost
When we decided to put our plan of leaving it all behind and travelling SouthEast Asia into effect, I instantly started selling. Where to begin?? It was very overwhelming to say the least.
Closet Cleanout. We had a walk in closet that was pretty full on both sides. I had things I had never worn living in AZ: shoes, bags, jewelry, oh the list goes on and on. I was always a seller on Poshmark so I hit it hard. We went through our clothes and determined what we would be bringing. Everything else must go!!! What didn’t sell on Posh or through our garage sale, we donated to the Veterans.
Furniture: I started one room at a time. I listed everything on FB Marketplace. I left our bedroom for last so we would have a place to sleep until we left.
Garage Sale: We took advantage of our community Garage Sale weekend. It was perfect timing. We had stuff on the lawn, on the driveway, the house was open and we had everything priced and ready to go. It was a great success as Borat would say! By the end of the last day, we had an almost empty house. The only thing left was our mattress and some smaller items. What a whirlwind! Everything that was left was packed up for the Veterans! They picked it up right from our driveway!
Cars: We strategically sold our cars the last week we were in Arizona. Mark sold his to a friend and I sold mine back to Carvana. It couldn’t have worked out better.
How Do You Pack?
It has been a learning process along the way. Even though we sold so much, we were still left with quite a bit before we left AZ. We are lucky that we were able to keep some clothing and personal items at my Mom’s, THANK YOU!!!!! We figured when we come back to visit, we’ll have clothing there. We made a stop in New Jersey to visit family and friends. Again, we are lucky because we were able to store some clothing at my sisters as well, THANK YOU!!! We travelled with a full suitcase(that we left filled in her attic), 2 carry-ons and 2 backpacks. The day before we left we started packing and realized maybe we still had too much!? The goal of our life style is to NOT have to pay for checked baggage.
Leaving Newark, NJ August 2025
More Cleaning Out
How did it seem like we had more than we started??? When we were packing up to leave Bali, we decided to get rid of more stuff. We went through our clothing and donated what we felt we didn’t need. Anyone that knows Mark should be proud, he finally gave up his wife beaters and his white socks, LOL!!! The baggage allowances on these airlines are very different than the USA. Smaller weight limits and big fees for last minute check ins. From what we read, they can be very picky with baggage. We still had our same packs but hopefully they were a bit lighter. To be on the safe side, we pre-paid to check Mark’s bag(it’s slightly larger than mine) and filled it as much as we could. It cost $40 USD but gave us piece of mind. We feel like we can still get rid of more. As one of our fellow travelers says, just buy new stuff when you get there. T-shirts are a few dollars at most stalls. We shall see as we continue.
Travel Light, Travel Often
Tips for Packing
Black shorts go with everything. 1 pair, multiple tops, less packing.
Shoes: a good pair of sneakers, a sandal/walking/beach shoe(Keen’s). No cute shoes required in these parts. Buy cheap flip flops if needed.
Toiletries: only pack things that you think may not be available elsewhere. In most countries, everything is available and usually at a reduced cost!
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This newsletter provides a look into how we are making our dream of slow travelling on a budget a reality. We hope to inspire others to make their dreams come true. Whether it be a dream vacation, moving to a new state or country or leaving it all behind, we encourage you to not wait. Tomorrow is never guaranteed for any of us.
Until next time 🙂
