Featured image: Get started with downsizing for travel with these tips and product suggestions | Photo by ira_evva on Envato

Downsizing frees up space and energy 

by Carolyn Ray

If you’ve felt the urge to travel, but don’t know how to downsize your possessions, this is your call to action! Not only does downsizing clear out the clutter of things you don’t need, it can also help us shift into a new lifestyle. Perhaps you’re thinking of moving into a smaller home, travelling more or becoming nomadic… Imagine how much easier it can be to travel when you have less physical possessions to worry about! 

It has been seven years since I sold my house, auctioned off my furniture and felt the first twinges of freedom. That was in 2018, right after I turned 50. I left my corporate job and sold everything I owned to travel full time. Then, I was invited by JourneyWoman’s founder Evelyn Hannon and her daughter and my friend Erica Ehm to carry on the legacy of JourneyWoman. That tells me that there’s a lot of wisdom in this world, and that the universe has a plan for us. 

Do I miss any of the things I grew up with? My family antiques, china or piano? Not for a minute. Instead of feeling trapped by my possessions, I am free of that burden. Instead of waiting for my daughter, who’s now 24, to come visit from London, she meets me wherever I am in the world and we create new memories together. Home, I’ve discovered, is where we make it, as long as we’re together. 

Here are my tips to help you get started, along with some articles on our site with more practical advice.

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Preparing for downsizing for travel

When I decided to travel full-time in 2018, I had a three-bedroom house I’d lived in for decades. It wasn’t easy but I cleaned it out myself – with the help of an auction company called MaxSold. Within six weeks, I sold my house, auctioned off my family’s antique furniture and donated loads of clothes to non-profits and charities.

The hardest thing to get rid of is paper – old documents, photographs, our kids’ artwork, even books. You will need to be ruthless. Keep or scan a few momentos, but ditch or shred the rest.

My tips to prepare for downsizing:

• Auctioneer – MaxSold
• Scan all photographs. Use a portable scanner like this one.
• In Canada, The Furniture Bank will take furniture and issue a tax receipt.
• Value Village takes clothing and household items (and is a great place to find recycled clothing) 
• 1-800-Got-Junk will take any left-over garbage (but it’s expensive) 
• Books: give to friends or look at second-hand stores
• While we may think of Goodwill first, try a women’s shelter, small church or synagogue that’s supporting somebody
• Ways to sell or give away stuff: Facebook Marketplace, Kijiji, Craig’s List, or flea markets
• Consider museums (I donated my great-grandfather’s piano to a Canadian Piano Museum)
• If you need to rent a car to move things, try Rentalcars.com 

The dreaded storage locker

When you first downsize, you might need a storage locker. Look for deals and try to get the smallest one you can find. Putting things in storage makes you tend to forget it. Don’t fall into that trap. What feels like a little adds up over time.

• Use plastic see-through bins (number each bin before you put it into storage and do an inventory with photographs)
• I use StorageMart but I do not recommend them, as they raise rates without any notice.  Whatever company you use,  re-negotiate the fees all the time. I have saved over $100 a month just by calling and saying I will cancel, however they will raise rates without telling you, so you have to be ready to walk. The message is – less is more! 
• You’ll need to make sure your house insurance includes the contents of your storage locker, or the company will charge you each month for insurance, which can add up.
• Buy a good lock with a key to keep your belongings secure. This is the one I have.

Downsizing into a smaller space

After I sold my house, I rented a furnished apartment, intending to stay for a few months. With the pandemic, I couldn’t travel, so that became too expensive, so I bought a small 500-square-foot condominium near the airport, on public transit. 

Once you’ve moved into a smaller space, you might find that you need new furniture that does double duty.

A dining room table that doubles as a workspace. Or a couch that doubles as a bed. A coffee table with inside storage. Or bins that fit underneath a bed. I have found Urban Barn to be a good place to find this kind of furniture, as well as Wayfair. 

Products I recommend when moving into a smaller space:

• Endy Bed (great for a small bedroom, only needs a frame)
• Bed lifts to raise the bed and create a storage space underneath
• Flat plastic bins with a lid that fit under the bed, good for sweaters and bulky clothes
• Dining room table that doubles as a work table
• Flat jewelry bags that go on the back of a door
• Storage bags for the closet (invest in good ones that don’t let critters in)
• Coffee table with storage inside
• California Closet to make small spaces bigger
• Check out Wayfair for even more furniture with built-in storage and other organizing solutions

Creating healthy habits

Now that you’ve rid yourself of material possessions don’t let them build up again!

• Restrain yourself from buying a lot of souvenirs when you travel
• If you buy a new piece of clothing, give two pieces of clothing away
• Rent clothing when you can, such as for Arctic expeditions
• Invest in a paper shredder – don’t let it build up again!
• Try to downsize your storage locker regularly

Considering a nomadic life after downsizing

There are lots of websites that focus on nomadic life and a life of full-time travel. If you truly want to be nomadic (I’m not there yet), here are some starting thoughts:

• Ipostal is a digital mailbox service that lets you view and manage postal mail and packages from anywhere, starting at US $9.99 a month
• Use a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to connect to WiFi  (see our suggestions here)
• Create a Wise account for easy currency exchanges while travelling to different countries. Learn about using Wise here.
• Use virtual phone numbers to replace SIM cards. These don’t need a physical phone line or SIM card. Instead, these numbers place and receive phone calls and SMS texts using the Internet. (Check hushed.com for more information)
• Make sure you have long-term travel insurance.
• Use a tool like iVisa to make sure you have the proper documentation and visa needed for each country you visit.

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