Thanks, Mark. I didn't know that it was you who wrote this piece until I got to the very end of the post. I couldn't agree with you more, as in every book you have written actually.

I, too, have been keeping so many things and buying so many thing. I feel liberating when I had possessions -- because I was able to buy them. It's only been the past few years that, like you, I was unemployed that I have come to realize the importance of light travel and not owning anything that would eventually "own" me.

When I was traveling alone for 2 years, I disregarded everything that I did not immediately need and put everything I needed in just one backpack that was barely 10 kgs in weight. I washed clothes by hand daily and kept everything only in digital formats, whether that be books, photos, documents, etc.