Travel

Notes from wherever the plane lands

Under-planned trips, packing lists, and the little details that make a place feel lived-in, not just visited.

Why I stopped trying to see everything

My first few trips were spreadsheets — every landmark, every recommended restaurant, packed into days with no room to breathe. It took getting hopelessly lost in a market with no plan to realize the trips I remember best are the ones I under-scheduled.

Now I pick one neighborhood a day, leave the mornings open, and let a wrong turn become the story I tell when I get home. This post walks through how I plan a "slow" itinerary now — fewer pins on the map, more time to actually notice where I am.

My carry-on-only packing list, every season

One bag, ten days, any climate — this is the exact system I use to pack light without leaving anything behind. A capsule wardrobe in the same warm neutral palette I decorate with, a few dependable layers, and the three things I've learned are never worth checking a bag over.

Packing light isn't about deprivation. It's about not wanting to think about logistics the second you land somewhere new.

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