So you’re going on holiday and you’re super excited. The trip is going to be amazing. And (almost as exciting) you get to make loads of lists before you go. There are lists of places to visits, cards with key phrases and information, sticky notes with reminders of reservation numbers and packing lists.
While packing in a thoroughly minimalist manner is a great idea I’m finding it can be a bit challenging in reality. I’m doing much better on the clothing front (1 dress, 1 skirt, 2 t-shirts and a pair of trousers for a 2-week trip last year) I still struggle not to pack all the papery things.
There’s my tendency to print off all the reservations documents. And I like to write done all the necessary information down in any number of different places. I like to read a guide book or 3 before I go. Then I mark useful pages with sticky notes as well as writing pages of notes. I write out a planned schedule for each day. And I always take my beloved Moleskine planner as well as a notebook, sticky notes and postcards.
So my challenge for trips this summer is to cut down on the amount of paper clutter without going entirely digital.
No Moleskine…
Firstly I’m going to make a decision to leave my Moleskine at home. I don’t like being separated from it. It’s like a comfort blanket. But although it’s not heavy it’s not light either. And I rarely actually do much with it while I’m away. I just like to know that it’s nearby. Plus I think that taking it with me is just an excuse to make use of the cute plane-shaped stickers that came with it.
Notebooks, sticky notes and other papery things will be limited. I’m planning on taking a ring notebook and adding some sticky notes to the back cover. If I desperately need to write something out and journal in lengthy detail I can buy a new notebook. Now there’s an incentive to pack light.
No printing…
I won’t be printing out masses of pages. I’m going to write details of flights, hotels and anything else with a reservation number on cards so that I can slip them inside my passport. Don’t they call this a hipster Filofax?
Likewise, a couple of index cards will likely cover my need to list places to visit, a general day plan for the trip and any useful info. In fact, I might actually be able to lay my hands on the useful info when I need it. Unlike a trip to Cuba where I finally found the travel notes in my sheaf of paperwork as I climbed out of a coco taxi. The transport notes began ‘Do not take coco taxis’.
So my huge pile of papers and book will be reduced to the size of a pencil case!
P.S. If you’re looking for a new notebook for travel how about My Travels or a London Taxi cab pad?