I’ve officially sworn off Windows. Vista was the final straw with all of it’s annoying pop up questions and flashing screens and… I could go on and on, but the end result is after dabbling in it for years I’ve fully switched over to Linux and specifically Ubuntu. So when I decided to buy the ultralight Asus eee pc 900 for my upcoming trip I knew that Ubuntu would be going on it first thing. After doing a little due diligence to see that other pioneers had traveled the same road and come back to tell the tale, I didn’t even hesitate to wipe the existing Xandros OS and give Ubuntu a go.

Read the rest of this entry »

This article is a continuation from Travel Lightly (Part 1 - Clothing) and will continue along the same themes of finding the highest quality but lightest, smallest, and most compact items to take along with you on your journeys.

Gear

With the exception of my backpack, most of the gear featured below are nice to haves but not need to haves for me. This is an area where you can easily go overboard and end up filling your pack to the bursting point. What I’ve found works best for me is a constant evaluation of the items in there. If during my evaluation I find that I’m just not using something, then I jettison it and see how well I do without. The below are the items that are still in my list.

Read the rest of this entry »

There are many reasons to ‘Travel Lightly’ but I’ll lay a couple of my thoughts at your feet, and you pick up what you find useful. For me it all boils down to peace of mind. When you only have a small amount of stuff it’s easy to keep track of, easy and quick to pack giving you more time and less stress, you can jump on any mode of transport easily instead of having to find a porter or cab to haul it for you, and you’ll never have to check your bag again and worry about if you’ll see it on the other end. “But what do you sacrifice?” you may ask. I don’t think you have to sacrifice anything at all if you choose your gear and clothing wisely.

I’ve gathered quite a collection of small, light, compact but sturdy and quality goods in my quest for that peace of mind, so I thought I’d share with everyone who might be feeling the same frustrations I was.

Clothing

Your clothing is going to be extremely important in traveling light as you will need to select durable, high quality, and attractive clothing that you can wash easily, pack easily, and get as much use as possible each day… no wear once and throw it in the hamper until next week here!

Read the rest of this entry »