Vacations are wonderful and I’m going to rediscover the beauty of travelling simply and slowly. I’ve been planning a trip for a while now where I’m going away for 17 days with just a little 20 Lt gym bag, no cellphone, no internet and I’m so excited about it I feel like I’m going to burst.

From the responses to this I realize just how far out there living simply is to most people. My mom is utterly worried that I’ll be stuck somewhere and not be able to call for help, my cousin is wondering why I’m ‘torturing’ myself, my work colleagues just think I’m bananas and another friend just said ‘so you’re going to be a bum?’

Yet I’m totally sane. In fact I feel more sane than I ever have. This holiday feels just like the holidays I went on as a kid. I’m totally excited, I have no worries and the only expectation I have is one of adventure.

Here is my guide to travelling simple and slow:

• Do take only one small bag
• Do take clothes you can wash easily and will dry overnight
• Do take a notebook and pencil to write the novel inside you
• Do plan everything except what you’re going to do when you get there
• Do tell people far in advance what you’re doing (they need time to understand it)
• Do take a book for the times in between living
• Don’t take anything with a battery (I mean nothing)
• Don’t do more than one thing a day (make a day of it!)
• Don’t let others put you down
• Don’t let others sway you by their unfortunate busy lives and attitudes
• Don’t take so little that you feel uncomfortable

Before I leave on Friday I’d love to hear any suggestions or comments of similar experiences, tips, tricks that will enrich my adventure into simple, slow travel.

Do also subscribe to hear all about the adventure via email when I get back by popping your email address in the follow box and clicking ‘Simple’