Zinthu zomwe tili nazo komanso kuvala

Possessions. That's such a big word. Things that belong to us. That we need and use. Sometimes our possessions define us. And sometimes we define our possessions.

For us, the start of our journey was a long-awaited opportunity to rename our possessions. Of course, we have a wonderful pile of cardboard boxes in Goms. But what we actively carry as a household is very limited. So limited that it fits in 2 backpacks and we wouldn't even need to check in luggage weight-wise before a flight (and then we do, because our backpacks would never pass as carry-on). And that's a good thing.

The reduction to the items we really need has been incredibly healing in our situation. Because what we had to buy, take care of, wash, tidy up, repair, replace in our daily lives was a burden for us. How much lighter our hearts feel now that we feel the true weight of our belongings on our shoulders (okay, admittedly - walking more than 500 meters to the bus station is torture). It gives us the freedom, time, and flexibility that we desire. And it focuses our attention on what we truly need - which usually has little to do with objects.

We need ourselves. And opportunities to do something beautiful and productive with our time.

Our children want toys. We have significantly reduced a few cars, dolls, and small pixie books. Sometimes we thought our children would go crazy with boredom. But in the right environment, there is so much to discover that they never even think about missing their toy boxes in Switzerland. Instead, we discovered the advantage of our daily cereal consumption - cardboard boxes in the best craftman's style. Since then, we have made everything out of cardboard: dollhouses, figures, cars, and even watches.

They are played with enthusiastically and when it's time to move on, they go in the garbage. Currently, we are enjoying the creative world of upcycling to the fullest. And when boredom prevails, we have to do something that is usually even better: interact with each other.

For us adults, pastimes besides two playing children mainly include reading, writing, listening to music, taking photos, doing sports, or drawing. And the digital world helps us declutter. Instead of carrying a lot of books and CDs, we carry mobile phones and an iPad. We can watch a movie in the evening just like at home and read ebooks or listen to podcasts. The internet is our gateway to a familiar world, and sometimes Nora Jones plays in the middle of nowhere in Georgia - thanks to Spotify. Mobile devices simply combine so many things we enjoy that we currently find it difficult to let go of them. But that's just the beginning of our journey to ourselves.

An important factor when traveling is clothing. We don't win a fashion show with our wardrobe. But we gain a few points in wearing. We have very few and carefully selected clothes with us (an important criterion - definitely nothing white!). We wash every few days and currently manage well with that. Everyone has small bags in their color - a fantastic invention - and this system saves us a lot of stress because we always know exactly where to find the spare pants or how many fresh socks we still have.

For cold days, we also have a fleece jacket and a rain jacket each, as well as a pair of sturdy shoes. Until now, we have been walking around in flip-flops anyway - they are still the best travel shoes.

However, the reduction did not lead to a devaluation of clothing for us. It has not suddenly become unimportant, quite the opposite. We cherish and take care of it. If there is a hole, it is mended immediately. Stains are carefully washed out. But luckily, it is done quickly, so we can quickly return to life beyond laundry.

The rest of our luggage consists of small items: toiletry bags, towels, medication, snacks, and drinking water. And diapers. Lots of diapers.

Always with us: bread, water, milk, and - hazelnut spread!!

We can only travel like this because we stay in someone else's home. All the guesthouses we have slept in so far provide us with the infrastructure that we can't stuff into our backpacks: running water and bed linen, pans and forks, Wi-Fi and washing machines. We are grateful for that and we know that this is the only way we can travel as a family of four with two backpacks. Outsourcing with a win-win factor.

Unfortunately, we don't have any room for souvenirs...

Because if we can carry what we need in personal belongings, that is freedom for us. We can get in a car or plane at any time and we only need 15 minutes to pack. We have more time for ourselves and for the things that truly bring us joy. And we still meditate while doing dishes or watering flowers - but it's no longer an obligation, it's a choice. We are curious how long we will perceive this as freedom. Maybe the moment will come when we long for our own home, or when our children scream for Lego.

Or maybe not.