I'm living out of a suitcase, I think you should try it too

So you can probably tell I'm no longer in Chicago and that's because a few weeks ago I made the bold decision to not only leave apartments and leave cities but rather than relocate and find somewhere new to settle permanently I decided to actually embark on a whole year of traveling and in that process I cleared out my entire apartment, donated and got rid of an absolute ton of stuff. Clothes, books, possessions, all of that and the only things I left Chicago with were a suitcase, a guitar and a messenger bag and that's because I've decided to embark on this period of traveling with very few possessions. I want to travel very light and I'm going to talk in this video about the kind of freedom that that affords you but also the lessons that it's taught me about quality, about being intentional, about caring for your items and then choosing experiences over possessions. Now I would consider myself to be a fairly minimalist person but even for me whittling down everything to just one suitcase was no easy task and I'm sure if you've ever packed for a week-long vacation or two weeks even for that short duration of time choosing what will go in that suitcase can be pretty difficult but I found that it has really made me value the possessions that I did choose to take. I had to choose which two or three of my 10 suit jackets am I going to bring, which two or three pairs of my gosh I had like 25 pairs of shoes which ones will I take and ultimately I made those decisions based on the quality of the items, their versatility, what I could wear them with other things but maybe the most important of all was actually their sentimental value, the memories that I've already made with those items and the memories that I do want to make. When you live out of a suitcase you also have to be incredibly selective about any new items you do purchase. I was in Paris for three days, London for three days as you know they have incredible shops there and believe me I was tempted but you get to the point where you actually have to make a decision of if I buy this jacket then I'll have to get rid of the one I have. I love this jacket, I've worn it for years, it feels like a second skin to me therefore I'm actually okay not buying anything else and it kind of gives you that sense of contentment and satisfaction with what you already have. You also have to consider the functionality and the versatility. Now I'm not the biggest advocate generally for functionality, you'll often find me choosing style over function but they don't have to be separate. In this first leg of my travels I'm going around Europe and I'm encountering some pretty different climates, London and Paris are a lot colder, a lot rainier than the Costa del Sol here in Spain. So I've had to choose items that I can layer, wool suits, polo shirts, scarves, waterproof jackets, things like that. You also have to choose items that are comfortable. If you're going to be sitting on a plane for eight to ten hours or a train for two to three hours you don't want to wear trousers that are strangling you down in the crotch, you want to wear something that's roomy and comfortable and I found myself gravitating to the same two to three pairs of trousers. But really the reason I chose to live just out of a suitcase, it wasn't necessarily about the practicality or the cost of storing things, moving things. The reason was more of a mental decision. When you live with less your mind has so much more space. Space to think, space to experience and I'm feeling an incredible sense of freedom from traveling light. And in our everyday decisions as consumers we're often deciding between an experience or a possession. Now I'm not saying that possessions can't be an experience in of themselves but ultimately I had to decide what do I value more? Do I value the comfort of having a large wardrobe, of having all of my books, of having my plates and my utensils and all these different things that I've collected over the years? Or do I value the adventure? Do I value the fresh start? There is an incredible feeling of excitement when you board a one-way flight with just a suitcase, a guitar and a bag on your shoulder. And that's a feeling that I want to keep going for the foreseeable future. But of course when I'm traveling around I don't just throw my possessions in any old suitcase. Whether you're a frequent traveler or you've just got a vacation coming up, you want to make sure that your luggage is not only incredibly functional and will protect your possessions but it also helps you arrive in style. And that's why when it comes to my suitcase I always choose today's video sponsor Carl Friedrich. And not only does Carl Friedrich have beautifully designed suitcases and carry-ons and check-in bags but the durability and security that these products offer is really second to none. And that's why I personally love traveling with these cases and I trust them so much. One of my favorite features of this case is there are no pesky zippers to get stuck or caught. Just the satisfying clip of two TSA approved locks. The suitcase is made from an aluminum frame so it's really lightweight to carry around while still offering you all of the durability that you need. And these silent spinner wheels make the suitcase really easy to glide around the airport or the city. Now this company almost never do any discounts but with Black Friday this is the one time of the year when you can actually get 30% off your order. All you have to do is click the link in the description, use that and you will get 30% off a Carl Friedrich. Now that I've whittled down my possessions to merely the things that I love and that I need and that serve me, it started to change my personal definition of the word home. Often we define home as a physical building or a set of possessions that we surround ourselves with. But now once I unpack whether that's in London, in Paris, in Madrid, I am home. And home is no longer defined as a physical place but it's more a state of mind. And the few things that I do take with me everywhere give me that sense of home. Just as my routines do and I'm trying to keep those as consistent as I can wherever I am in the world while still making room to break the routine and enjoy different cultural experiences and spontaneous moments which make the whole traveling process worth it in the first place. But even when I do return to a permanent home base, I'm definitely taking the suitcase philosophy with me. No longer is home defined by the possessions that I surround myself with. It's a feeling and it's a choice. And when it comes to buying more stuff or traveling with less, there is no other philosophy that gives you that same level of freedom, of mobility and adventure. What an adventure it is to arrive somewhere with just a few amazing clothes, a couple of things that you need like your phone, maybe a laptop and then you'd go out and experience the world exactly how it was meant to be experienced. Now living out of a suitcase isn't forever and it's not meant to be forever either. But there are some important lessons that I'm learning in this process that I know I will take with me going forward even when I settle back into a permanent home. Most of us would do better to travel lighter or simply just have less clutter in our homes. Now I know that some people go on fairly extended trips just using a carry-on. Personally I like clothes a little too much but really having a checked bag these days isn't as much bother as it used to be because it's typically a very short wait to actually get your case on the other end and then you can pack it with all of the things that you need. We've all seen people at the airport that arrive with suitcase after suitcase and they have to pile up their trolley and drag it through the terminal and then pile it into the taxi or try and struggle with them on the train. It's so much easier to just arrive with a bag on your shoulder, a sturdy checked case and then you can jump in your uber, jump on the metro, go wherever you need to go without being tied down by your luggage. You also realize that often we own things that serve a very very similar purpose. Like why do I have five pairs of oxford shoes? Why do I have all of these books that I've never read? And this isn't to say that I don't love stuff, I don't love collecting just as much as anybody but I think there's a time and a place for that in your life and especially as a young man I think it's better to put more value on adventure and freedom. Already the things that I've experienced on my travels so far and the new perspectives that I've gained have been incredibly inspirational and I think you're going to see the results of that on this channel and you'll see a new level of creativity, a new level of enthusiasm from me which has all been inspired by the travels and the experiences that I've had so far. So I can't wait to keep this going and see what happens next and personally I'm not missing home at the moment, I'm not missing my old apartment or my old city. I miss some of my friends, I've been lucky enough to catch up with them, some of them on my travels but I think because I've whittled down the most important possessions to me including ones that have a sentimental value, I feel like I'm able to bring home with me wherever I go and then I've got the room and the freedom to make all these new memories and establish a new sense of personal identity and a new sense of home. There's something very exciting about being an international man, somebody that travels, somebody that imbibes new cultures voraciously and in order to be a man like that you can't be tied down by infinite possessions. You have to be more minimalist, you have to choose quality over quantity and of course you need the right ways to carry them and next time you travel, even if it's for a long two-week summer vacation, I encourage you to focus less on what you will bring and more what you will take from the place you're going. Let me know down in the comments where you are traveling to next and if you will be traveling light also, perhaps bringing just one suitcase. If you do, I highly recommend that you make it a Carl Friedrich. I've been traveling with these cases for nearly two years now and they really are just the best in the business and as you can tell they look incredibly stylish as well so make sure you take advantage of that discount that I have for you and I'll see you in the next video.