Overpacked, Overprepared, and Learning to Let Go
The Heavy Heart of a Non-Minimalist
Let me tell you a secret: I am still not a minimalist.
I know the irony. I run transformational retreats, I speak on the power of presence, and I wax poetic about the beauty of letting go. And yet, there I am, perched on my suitcase in a dusty Moroccan alleyway, whispering to the zipper like a prayer. I am pleading for just one more inch because I simply must get these handmade dishes home.
While I believe in travelling light, I also believe in being prepared for the world. From the blazing sun of the Aegean to the chilly nights on the Botswana savannah, my journeys often span continents and climates. I am rarely away for a long weekend. I am often gone for a month, sometimes two.
So yes, I bring the layers. I bring the sandals and the boots. The swimsuit and the fleece. I bring the supplements, the protein powder, the magnesium, and the turmeric capsules that make me feel like I have my life together. And of course, the skincare, because no matter where I am on this planet, I prefer to arrive moisturized.
The Art of Asking Better Questions
But here is what I have learned: even when my bag is heavy, I am practicing something deeper. It is not the art of perfect packing, but the art of asking better questions.
I have stopped asking, "Did I bring the right shoes?" Instead, I ask, "What weight am I willing to carry?"
Because it is never just about the clothes. It is about the need to be ready, to be good, and to be enough. Each time I lay another item on the bed, I get the chance to pause and ask if I really need it. I am not just looking at the scarf or the serum, but the pressure, the proving, and the performance. What if I could lay those down too?
Travel has a way of stripping us bare. It teaches us not through comfort, but through contrast. We learn through the missing thing that we realize we never actually needed. We learn through the quiet moments when we are finally still enough to feel what is underneath the planning, the packing, and the push.
Unbecoming What No Longer Fits
That is why I do this work. That is why Grit & Grace Adventures exists. We are not here to help you escape your life, but to invite you back into it more honest, more whole, and less encumbered.
I may never be the woman with just a tiny carry-on and a single linen dress that miraculously suits every occasion. I will still bring my vitamins. I will probably overpack my heart too. But I am learning, slowly, that belonging is not about arriving perfectly styled. It is about showing up fully.
Real transformation does not come from what we bring, but from what we are brave enough to leave behind. Perhaps the less we carry, the more we can receive.
So here is to the women with a little extra in their bags. To those who travel far, feel deeply, and are willing to unbecome what no longer fits, even if the suitcase still barely closes.
In adventure and friendship,
Penny
For the Woman Learning to Carry Less
Journal Prompts for the Journey Inward
So much of what we carry on our backs and in our hearts goes unnoticed until we pause long enough to ask: Do I still need this? If you feel called, pour a cup of tea, take a breath, and explore these reflections. There are no right answers, only space to unpack.
The Weight: What am I still carrying that no longer feels like mine to hold? This might be a belief, an expectation, or a version of yourself you have outgrown.
The Trust: Where in my life am I over-preparing out of fear rather than trusting I will know what to do when I arrive?
The Space: What might have room to enter if I left open space in my suitcase, in my schedule, or in my spirit?
The Belonging: What would it mean to belong not by fitting in, but by showing up unfinished and whole? Where in my life do I feel safe enough to do that?
Xo
Penny