I downsized from two bedrooms and countless books to one suitcase and a carry-on.
© Joyce McGreevy

Minimalism and the Art of Travel

It was my travel posters that made me hesitate. For years, I’d decluttered my condo with the passion of Michelangelo releasing sculpture from stone.  Then last year, decluttering took on new purpose: I wanted to become a digital nomad.

But those posters anchored me. So I took a break from filling bankers boxes to contemplate the art of travel.

Toddler at Large

Dad savors a rare moment when I am sitting still, as Mom takes a snapshot.
© McGreevy Family collection

I’ve been a happy wanderer since age two. That January, I wriggled out of my snowsuit, ran naked into our New York garden, and scaled a redwood fence.

What on EARTH are you doing? my mother shrieked as she bundled me back inside. Apparently, I answered in a tone that implied Good God, Madame, isn’t it obvious?

“I’m singing to the snowflakes.”

I loved being outdoors and on the move. When I turned three, my family moved to California. Convinced that my new cowgirl outfit gave me license to roam the Wild West, I set off across the fields one dawn. The Law, a.k.a. my long-suffering parents, quickly caught up with me.

At age four, I crossed the border into Canada, fortunately with parents in tow.

When Freelancers Go Free-Range

Over time, travel made possible my happiest life experiences, from the birth of my son in Ireland to a meeting with Samuel Beckett in Paris. Best of all, travel taught me to feel at home almost anywhere.

This year I am embracing that free-range sense of home.

After minimizing household contents by 95 percent, I sold the house. Then I called my adult son and informed him that his mom had become a vagabond.

Being free to travel while working adds variety to lunch breaks, I discovered in Washington, D.C.
© Joyce McGreevy

Eoghan seemed to think this perfectly normal.

Then again, he had just returned to Los Angeles from a research trip to Tunisia and was heading to North Carolina the following day.

Now as I zip up essentials into one medium suitcase, allow me to “unpack” a few concepts.  Like minimalism. And nomad. And What on EARTH are you doing?

Minimalism Isn’t About “Containerizing”

Nor is it about living with bare walls and one potted orchid. It’s about tending whatever you most value and clearing away whatever distracts you from it.

Most communities host free events to help you declutter a wide range of household items.
“Document Shredding/E-waste Roundup” by Joshua Barash is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

Thus a fridge covered in your kids’ drawings is not automatically cluttered. By contrast, one item too many—an “investment” outfit you never wear, a gadget that doesn’t work, that pile of papers you always step around—is definitely clutter.

Why? Because it literally and metaphorically blocks your way.

Just ask Joshua Becker, author of The More of Less: Finding the Life You Love Under Everything You Own (WaterBrook, 2016). Spring-cleaning his garage triggered a life-changing decision. Three hours into thankless labor, he was no closer to getting time to play with his 5-year-old son.

Then a neighbor said something that sparked an idea: “Maybe you don’t need to own all this stuff.”

“Fill your life with experiences, not things,” says author
Joshua Becker. “Have stories to tell, not stuff to show.”
© Joshua Becker/ Becoming Minimalist

Becker’s family began donating, recycling, and removing whatever subtracted value from their lives. As he researched minimalism, Becker learned that the average American home contains 300,000 items.

Today Becker presents online classes and commentary on owning less and living more. I took those lessons to heart–and to the airport.

The Moveable Office

Meanwhile, my wish to own less and travel more led me to become a digital nomad. Another term for this is location-independent professional. According to Global Workplace Analytics, 50% of the U.S. workforce holds a job that’s at least partly compatible with telecommuting.

An online conference call in West Cork, Ireland connects business team members
from London to Los Angeles.
© Joyce McGreevy

In the digital economy, going to work needn’t mean being tethered to a fixed location. Last year, for example, I was based in Chicago, but met my winter deadlines from islands in the Mediterranean and while visiting family Out West.

Global Localism

What’s the difference between location independence and other travel? Plenty. Instead of frequenting hotels and restaurants, you rent a modest home and shop at farmers’ markets.

The income of a digital nomad is typically modest, but the benefits are pure gold.
St. John’s Co-Cathedral, Valletta, Malta
© Joyce McGreevy

You carry a mobile hotspot, not souvenirs, and develop a fondness for hand-washable black separates. You meet the neighbors, learn the language, and explore local arts and culture.

Yes, working full time while traveling takes discipline—especially during “the festival.” And there’s always a festival.

It’s 9-5 Somewhere

Morning coffee break in Malta
© Joyce McGreevy

Ah, but even the busiest days  end in celebration. You close the laptop, disable the wifi on your cellphone, and give thanks for where you live.

You cross the Galata Bridge in Istanbul as minarets glow in the sunset. Wander a wild garden in Ireland.  Listen to birdsong as you hang laundry on a balcony in Malta.

You meet a friend for tea in Bloomsbury, or Ann Arbor, or Sydney, or wherever your small, uncluttered home happens to be.

Last of the Packing

Remember those posters  I hesitated to let go of? Ultimately, they triggered an “Oh, I see” moment: I could stay at home and have my travel posters—or I could have the travel.

So I began to declutter and became a digital nomad. As time goes by, I hope you’ll travel with me and my fellow writers at OIC Moments. How have your own travels made you feel more at home in the world?

Some keepsakes can be digitized.
© Jules Larkin/ Joyce McGreevy

Find out more about Becoming Minimalist here.

Learn about responsible decluttering in your community here. 

Comment on this post below.