Four years ago, I tried living in another city for a month. I chose Barcelona. I wanted to know whether I enjoyed living abroad and whether I could still run my company and serve clients from a distance. Around that time, Pieter Levelshad just launched the first version of Nomad List as a spreadsheet.
Help me build the definitive list of locations for digital nomads+remote workers, edit w/ me https://t.co/Nqb4eyEAmu pic.twitter.com/DMnVPaYi88
— Pieter Levels (@levelsio) 24 June 2014
The timing was perfect. I became increasingly interested in the digital-nomad lifestyle.
After a month in Barcelona, I knew I liked it. Managing my company remotely had worked well, and I wanted to live in different cities in the world while continuing to work online.
Eventually, I sold or gave away most of my belongings in the Netherlands and gave up my rental apartment. Since then, I have traveled with one carry-on backpack containing what I need.
Owning so little felt strange at first, and people often find it hard to imagine when I tell them.
I rarely miss anything. Having fewer things to look after gives me peace of mind.
These five habits help me pack lightly:
- You probably wear fewer clothes than you own. Look through your wardrobe and count the pieces you actually wear.
- You can find washing machines almost everywhere. If you wash your clothes weekly, packing for one week can be enough even for a much longer trip.
- You can buy everyday toiletries at your destination, so you do not need to carry many of them.
- Quality matters more to me than quantity. I buy durable things I enjoy using. They cost more initially, but I replace them less often.
- On a flight, you can wear or carry some items, such as a jacket and accessories. Zipped pockets help keep them secure.
I now carry 62 items. My packed backpack weighs 9.6 kilograms, which has fit the cabin-bag rules on the flights I take. That also saves time at the airport.
Here is the full list. I wear the bold ones while traveling.
- Essentials (12 items):
- 1 carry-on backpack
- 1 smartphone and charger
- 1 mini wallet
- 5 debit and credit cards from different banks
- €100 in cash
- 1 passport
- 1 driving licence
- 1 public transport card (Netherlands)
- Accessories (8 items):
- 1 cap
- 1 pair of sunglasses with case
- 1 pair of earbuds and a case
- 1 smartwatch with charger
- 1 e-reader with charger
- 1 Chromecast
- 1 eye mask
- 1 pair of earplugs
- Clothes (30 items)
- 4 t-shirts (wearing 1)
- 4 long-sleeved shirts (wearing 1)
- 2 pairs of jeans (wearing 1)
- 2 shorts
- 8 pairs of boxer shorts (wearing 1)
- 7 pairs of socks (wearing 1)
- 1 pair of shoes
- 1 belt
- 1 waterproof wind jacket with zipped pockets
- Toiletries (3 items):
- 1 bottle of perfume
- 1 beard trimmer with charger
- 1 nail clipper
- Work (4 items):
- Sports (5 items):
I use Trello to check that I have packed everything.
P.S. All right, I left out two things . I still have a bicycle parked on the streets in Barcelona and a winter jacket at my parents’ house in the Netherlands for visits during winter.