The Law of Travel
Published on Jun聽17, 2014 (updated Feb聽5, 2024), filed under adventure. (Share this post, e.g., on Mastodon.)
The story of my 18 months of travel around the world, including this and other articles, is available as a big but humble e-book: Journey of聽J.
The longer you travel, the lighter you should pack.
Much simpler and more useful than any other laws I wish I had coined, I consider this the most important rule of traveling. And yet I鈥檓 sure it鈥檚 not new, as many savvy travelers before me will have found light luggage to be more convenient, and easily possible.
Then, you get an idea why ten and a half months and twenty-five countries into my travels, I can still resist the urge to settle again. I simply don鈥檛 have that much stuff clamping me on a spot.
Update (October 11, 2017)
Some time this year I wrote a little tool to help with packing: What to Pack for a Trip. To be extended.
About Me
I鈥檓 Jens (long: Jens Oliver Meiert), and I鈥檓 an engineering lead, guerrilla philosopher, and indie publisher. I鈥檝e worked as a technical lead and engineering manager at various companies (e.g., Google); I鈥檓 an active web and tool developer (code optimization, digital defense), a contributor to web standards (like HTML, CSS, WCAG), and a book author (O鈥橰eilly, Frontend Dogma).
I love trying things鈥攊n web development and engineering management, but also in politics and philosophy, where I hold to one idea in particular: that we can only be well if we take good care of everyone. Here on meiert.com I talk about some of my experiences and perspectives. (Please share feedback: Interpret charitably, keep it friendly, but do be critical.)