Go light or stay home

Being a minimalist it is one of the things that has had the greatest impact in my life as a traveler. I travel light, I take with me just the essential, and when I need something more, I buy it on the road. No better way to travel on a bike.

But I am not the rule, I’m the exception. Social media are full of pictures of motorbikes full loaded, with many languages, bags and sometimes even tires on the top. We must admit that they are certainly very scenic photos and that they make a nice effect.

But, be realistic, why take all that stuff with you? Why some guys travel on a motorbike with 6 T-shirts, 3 pair of jeans, 7 panties, 4 pair of shoes and counting? I saw a video of a guy carrying an axe with him, I swear. Why they carry useless stuff?

The answer is: INSICURITY

As adults we develop a sense of discomfort when we leave our comfort zone, and we often tend to identify comfort with the ephemeral security that we believe is given to us by material things. That’s why some people tend to fill their lives with everything, and travellers are not an exception. I met many motorbike travelers in difficulty due to the excessive load of their motorbike, others who took an infinite time every day to load it, still others who lost important objects in the infinity of their load.

The day you understand that everything beyond the essential is useless, and therefore harmful, you give yourself and your life a new freedom.

There is nothing wrong with being insecure but weighing down your life and, in our case, your motorcycle with useless things, is a waste of time and energy.

Break the pattern, change the way you see security. Doing what’s uncommon requires an uncommon approach and an uncommon mindset and belief system.

So, be light, be agile, be minimal. Take with you the essential, you don’t need nothing more.