My partner, my family, and my friends could confirm this... I don't travel light!
In the next few lines, I’ll talk about camping, but I don’t travel light in every aspect of travel. Like just leaving the house! I don’t know where this fear of running out of something comes from. I’m afraid of leaving something behind at home, afraid of telling myself, “I know where it is—it was written on the third line of the list” (I’m exaggerating—just a little).
Here, summer vacation means camping. First, the kids love it, and second, it gets us away from all the chores around the house. You know, we could tell ourselves it would be better to stay home to reorganize the flower bed, build a play structure for the kids, sand and stain the patio, or sort through the kids’ toys. You could call it procrastination, but I’d rather call it making memories—or living! I’d much rather my kids remember our summers at the campground than the summers when they watched us work around the yard.
Before I had kids, I could pack an entire trunk all by myself. Well, I think it’s important to mention that I’m not good at Tetris, but it really discouraged my friends. Sometimes I had to make concessions when it came to my luggage—like carrying my extra stuff with me during the trip!
Yes! I know that no matter where you are on the planet, you can buy whatever you’ve forgotten or lost.
Also, to ease my guilt, we go tent camping. You know, a tent takes up space right from the start! Folding chairs, our everyday clothes (and the “just in case” ones), food, sleeping bags, pillows, sleeping pads, camping stoves, cutlery—and I could go on...
With our first child, I have a photo where you can barely make out a child! With the second, the kids couldn’t even see each other, and with the third, we ended up taking two trips! We chose a campground not too far from home because the baby was only 4 months old, wasn’t sleeping through the night yet, and if we forgot something, we wouldn’t be too far away to go back. This year, we’ve equipped ourselves with a roof rack. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that everything fits in there!!!
No matter what gear we bring, the memories we make will stay with us forever.
Are you #teamnotatravelinglight or #teamminimalist?
Have a great vacation!