Cecilie Conrad logo - dark
Cecilie Conrad logo - light
⌘K
Blog Podcast Unschooling Parent consultant About me
bBlog
pPodcast
uUnschooling
pParent consultant
aAbout me
Back

The Minimalist Approach to Travel: Choosing Being Over Having | Day 289 of my 2023 Journal

Cecilie Conrad·Oct 17, 2023

To be or to have?

There is so much stuff we don’t need in this world.

Moving into backpacks, we realize in extreme detail how little stuff we need.

I see how human nature is being exploited. The malls and supermarkets have refined the techniques to tempt people to buy things they don’t need, and the culture of all moving pictures is pushing the idea of the good life as a life with access to a lot of stuff. Inside houses and closets and bags and vehicles (all of that stuff, too), we own stuff, so much more stuff than needed, stuff numbing and drowning us.

I am no saint. I am not even slightly good at this. But I do accept the challenge, and I feel the immediate benefits of less whenever I let go of even the smallest thing.

These days, we are preparing our bag packs for a seven-month tour - and shipping a perspective of our travels. We want more clarity and focus, more peace. This is not just another adventure but a shift in how we do things.

We know we need to build new habits and new dreams - in the reverse order.

We start from the core, from values, and work from there. Peace, love, health, finances, passion, adventure, clarity, and - I am sorry to say - admin. Maybe that can be stuffed under the “finances” element?

The fix is to assemble enough energy to do something about the stressors, avoid consumerism, list the essential life elements and what to act on, and start in one end.

There is no way around it.

Traveling has the great advantage that every time we move to another chapter, it seems to come naturally to focus on these things, and we wake up as if we were having an existential nap.

With love

Cecilie-Underskrift-300x133

Cecilie Conrad

Thank you for reading
I would love to hear from you. Listen to your thoughts and reflections - or praise :) It is often emotional to share our lives like this, and we get very happy when we get your feedback. So feel free to share a comment below 😋 

Previous The Heart of Nomadic Life: Building Friendships Across Borders | Day 290 of my 2023 Journal
Next The Emotional Journey of Selling Our Bus: A Chapter Closed, A New Adventure Begins | Day 288 of my 2023 Journal

Comments

Write a comment...
00:00 Recording...

Unschooling and Parent consulting, conversations, blogposts, and podcasts on family life and learning

Hi, I'm Cecilie Conrad. I'm a trained psychologist, mother of four, radical unschooler and full-time traveller. I have lived with unschooling for over a decade and help other families find their own path – whether it is about homeschooling, unschooling, or the bigger question of how you want to live as a family.

I offer guidance, conversations and talks. I call my work grandmothering – not coaching in the traditional sense, but presence, professional insight and concrete help navigating motherhood and finding your way home to your own values.

Am I the right person to help you? You can book a free discovery call, and we'll talk and figure it out.

Unschooling & Parent Consultant
Grandmothering – not coaching. Read more here

Listen to my podcasts

I share my knowledge and curiosity about family life and learning in my two podcasts.

Listen here
Listen here

Read my latest blogposts

Thoughts on USA from Beatty, Nevada: The portal to Death Valley
Barefoot on a wet deck in Beatty, Nevada, I listen for an eagle and think about ghost towns, cooking shows, Spanish ads and what the US exports to th…Read more
All Roads at Any Time – Mayne Island, British Columbia, Canada
I nap under a chestnut tree, count 32 deer on a fifteen-minute drive and watch humpback whales from the ferry. Five days on Mayne Island, off Vancouv…Read more
Tourist for an Afternoon – Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
In Gastown I read about the land the city stands on. Then we drive past a street of fentanyl victims. At sunset I sit by the laughing statues in Stan…Read more
Birds of Wisdom: I Was Sold on Vancouver in a Single Day
Autumn maples, hummingbirds and fifteen languages in the streets. After one day in Vancouver I was sold, and at a play called M is for Mom, I laughed…Read more
Bigger Better Faster More! The Conrads in The USA
USA. Land of the free? I am not sure. Land of overwhelm, maybe? Here is the story of our journey to the USA and the first impressions of this very un…Read more
Žižkov TV-Tower, the Apple Pen and the Mechanics of Life - Prague, Czech Republic
🇩🇰 Originally published in Danish — automatically translated to English The offline project is unfolding. Even though I use computers and phones …Read more
The Story of Wenceslaus and Why it is Important (and true)
I'm walking the streets of Prague, piecing together the legend of Václav the Good — a medieval king who may never have been king, and yet defines eve…Read more
Magnolias and Metronome: on nomadic life, on teens, on feelings
I'm walking through Prague while the magnolias bloom — watching skaters fall and rise, and talking with my teens about feelings, time, and letting th…Read more
The Photos We Don't Take: Saint Christopher and the Weight of the World
I stood in front of a painting of Saint Christopher in Prague and didn't take a photo. Now I can't stop turning over the question it left behind. Read more
Previous 1 2 3 4 5 … 48 49 50 Next
Thoughts on USA from Beatty, Nevada: The portal to Death Valley
Barefoot on a wet deck in Beatty, Nevada, I listen for an eagle and think about ghost towns, cooking shows, Spanish ads and what the US exports to th…Read more
All Roads at Any Time – Mayne Island, British Columbia, Canada
I nap under a chestnut tree, count 32 deer on a fifteen-minute drive and watch humpback whales from the ferry. Five days on Mayne Island, off Vancouv…Read more
Tourist for an Afternoon – Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
In Gastown I read about the land the city stands on. Then we drive past a street of fentanyl victims. At sunset I sit by the laughing statues in Stan…Read more
Birds of Wisdom: I Was Sold on Vancouver in a Single Day
Autumn maples, hummingbirds and fifteen languages in the streets. After one day in Vancouver I was sold, and at a play called M is for Mom, I laughed…Read more
Bigger Better Faster More! The Conrads in The USA
USA. Land of the free? I am not sure. Land of overwhelm, maybe? Here is the story of our journey to the USA and the first impressions of this very un…Read more
Žižkov TV-Tower, the Apple Pen and the Mechanics of Life - Prague, Czech Republic
🇩🇰 Originally published in Danish — automatically translated to English The offline project is unfolding. Even though I use computers and phones …Read more
The Story of Wenceslaus and Why it is Important (and true)
I'm walking the streets of Prague, piecing together the legend of Václav the Good — a medieval king who may never have been king, and yet defines eve…Read more
Magnolias and Metronome: on nomadic life, on teens, on feelings
I'm walking through Prague while the magnolias bloom — watching skaters fall and rise, and talking with my teens about feelings, time, and letting th…Read more
The Photos We Don't Take: Saint Christopher and the Weight of the World
I stood in front of a painting of Saint Christopher in Prague and didn't take a photo. Now I can't stop turning over the question it left behind. Read more
Previous 1 2 3 4 5 … 48 49 50 Next
See all my blogposts
Cecilie Conrad logo - dark
Cecilie Conrad logo - light
Blog
All my blogposts Unschooling 365 Days Challenge 2023
Podcast
The Ladies Fixing the World Self Directed
About me
My story - Cecilie Conrad Stay Updated: Get my Newsletter Visit my danish site CecilieConrad.dk
Consulting
Parent and unschooling support Free Discovery Call - Text me on WhatsApp Testimonials: What Others Say Prices and payment options