Extreme Preppers: Travel Edition

"Bag lady, you gon' miss your bus
You can't hurry up 'cause you got too much stuff" -Erykah Badu

I'm not going to hold y'all. I'm going to wrap us this "Too Much Stuff" trilogy. I talked about keepsakes. I talked about hoarding tendencies. And, now let's talk about packing for travel, shall we?

I would classify myself as a light-packer. I usually only pack necessities. My gym bag, if I carried one, only had a towel and a change of clothes if I had to go to work after exercising. I keep lotion in the car so that was all I needed.

In 2019, I went to Panama for 9 days and only brought a backpack. Not even a backpacker's backpack. More like a high schooler's bookbag. I used everything I brought and wanted for nothing. I had everything I needed.

In 2021, when I resumed traveling, my bags were a little bigger. There were more unused items packed in them. A few "just in case" outfits. Several "what if" chargers. And some "I might need" toiletries. A third of what I brought went untouched.

Now, in 2023, I'm over here wondering if I need to bring two steamer trunks with me on this trip. What has happened to me?

The pandemic turned me into a bit of a prepper. Some of y'all's hoarding tendencies left me without toilet paper and oatmeal. That was not good for my anxiety. I experienced, for the first time, what a lot of people worldwide experience on a daily basis. The fear of not being able to access goods for my basic needs. If you can call those basic needs. I still had a home. I had clean water. And food. Hell, I was privileged to have a job and never miss a paycheck throughout the pandemic. I could afford to take care of my family's basic needs. Money and privilege, however, were no match for empty shelves at the grocery store.

When stores were restocked, I vowed to make sure my family didn't go without. I bought a three-six month supply of food, toiletries, medicine, and household items. I stored number ten cans under the beds next to old journals and no longer needed paystubs. I was taught the adage "One is none and two is one." So I tripled my purchases to quadruple my sense of safety. Exactly what is needed to face the unknown? What number of things does one aim for?

This whole post wreaks of privilege. And waste. Anxiety, whether a diagnosed chronic condition or the result of a worldwide traumatic event, can make you unaware of your privilege. Can make you discount it. Can make you discount the existence of need beyond what you fear you lack. You can also become unaware of separation from community. My bounty was hidden. Not to be shared. My rolled oats and bottles of cold medicine served no one before expiring.

Where is the line between preparation and hoarding?

And just how thin is it?

I've gotten a bit off track. I wanted to write a simple post about overpacking. But I'm being led to examine deeper personal shadows. This is, after all, the month I've dedicated to self-assessment.

Nevertheless, let's get back to the subject of traveling. I want to be prepared. Especially since I'm traveling with my son. But I'm crossing the line. I'm acting as if there are things I cannot survive without. As if there are no stores outside of my hometown. I'm contemplating modifying activities to accommodate the luggage I may bring. How ridiculous is that?

Whether at home or on the road, I cannot let the possession of things dictate all my actions. I cannot let the fear of not having things dictate all my actions. My future and my relationships demand better of me.

Categories: : Wellness