How to live out of a suitcase so you can travel the world

I just love this quote and felt like I had something to say more than just posting it up. We have been living out of our suitcase for the better part of this year. All of February we were on the road, March we lived out of a hotel, April we moved into our apartment but did not have our things until the end of the month. Nicholas traveled in May for a couple of weeks and then we finally were living like normal for the next 2 months. By mid-August, I was packing my bags again, to head on the road for work and for a wedding. September was all travel in US and Brazil. October, I had two weeks at home before we packed up again to live out of another hotel for two more months.

When people see the bags we travel with, they always assume that the rest of our bags got lost on the way. Most are shocked when they find out that we really do travel that light. You would be surprised how little you really need to survive and be happy.

I love clothes and fashion and shoes. However, with our lifestyle, I have had to make some adjustments and it hasn't been all that bad. It involves having fewer things but of better quality. And, it turns out, I prefer wearing the same things. Even when I was at home with a much larger selection of clothing, I tended to wear the same 10 things and the rest just sat there for show. When we left Switzerland, I did a major closet overhaul and kept my bare basics and quality pieces. As long as you have clothing that can be mixed and layered and some great accessories and scarves, you can create fresh outfits. Same goes for shoes. For the two months we are away this time, I packed two pairs of heels, two pairs of sandals, walking shoes and my workout shoes. This is a bit extravagant for me, but since we are where the climate is really mild, all of the shoes I packed are very thin and have no bulk. So I could "splurge." When we travel and it is cold. My shoes go down to a pair of boots, running shoes, sandals for shower and a pair of walking or going out heels.

Most of the time, we are the packing pros. We even have our toiletry kits prepared so we can pack with very little notice and very little effort and never forget our favorite lotion or advil or other random thing. Some of our trips even consist of just carry ons, even when we are gone for weeks. Although, we have been known to forget things- like sun lotion when we went to Brazil or toothpaste.

The more I travel, the more I realize that I like to have my things with me and I adjust my packing so I never feel like I have to sacrifice while I am on the road. Again, you really do not need much. To survive. To feel at home. To be happy. And I swear this is true, I gladly live out of a suitcase so I can see the world.