My husband and I have talked of doing different things once we've retired, including RV-ing for a few years in warmer climates during the winter season. Sometimes the thought of living in a 400 square foot camper seems so appealing to me.  Less space to keep clean. Less stuff to contend with. Less stuff to keep running and operating.

Have you ever considered what the bare minimums would be that you could get by with living in such a small space? What sort of things would you find hard to give up? Personally, I would have a hard time giving up gadgets found in my kitchen.  I think Tony would agree that it would be difficult deciding which tools from his workbench would make the cut.

In the kitchen, I try to imagine getting by with only a few wooden spoons and spatulas, one sauté/fry pan, a couple of saucepans, and a minimum number of plates, glasses and silverware. I suppose having one set of linens and towels would also be part of the plan. 

When it comes to clothing I've heard it stated that we wear 20% of our clothing 80% of the time. And as I look in my closet, I believe this definitely applies to my current wardrobe.  In this case, I guess we'd take the 20% with us and ditch the rest! 

Tony and I recently traveled to Costa Rica. It was one of those once-in-a-lifetime adventures that we'll not soon forget.  We both agreed that we would pack with a "less is more" approach. We took clothing that could be worn multiple times and easily washed and dried. I took NO jewelry except my wedding ring and the pair of earrings I was wearing when we boarded the plane. I downloaded all of my reading material to a Kindle so no bulky, heavy books. I even left my blow dryer at home. This last item turned out to be an item I really missed, mainly due to the humidity we experienced in the rain forests.  Luckily one of the places we stayed provided hair dryers so I at least got to have that luxury while staying there.

Even my make-up was limited to moisturizer, mascara and eye color. As we were packing to return home, we had two suitcases so we packed according to color. All whites went into one suitcase while the other bag contained the darks and bright colors. When we arrived back home in sub-zero Minnesota, we left our bags in the garage, opened and airing out, so that any critters who had hitchhiked a ride to the frozen tundra  didn't stand a chance of getting in our home! When I was ready to do laundry, our clothing was already sorted and ready to go directly into the washing machine.

Being organized with your stuff while away from home,  whether driving, flying or RV-ing, will help you relax and enjoy your travels a lot more. By adopting the "less is more" approach, you'll have less stuff to manage, less stuff to loose,  less stuff to take care of and less stuff to repack.