Downsizing - should I sell everything to travel?

Having moved across the country three times I’m no stranger to downsizing and starting over.

If you do a quick google search you will find many an article usually with the heading “why i sold everything to travel the world” etc etc.

Yup, great, selling everything sounds great, but can I tell you, while starting over sounds great, it gets old quick, or does it?

The advantages of starting over are obvious. You get to completely refresh your life, start a new job, meet new people and explore a new region. I would say its the best type of of slow travel out there.

So far I have lived across four states and 5 different regions, and when i count through the amount of places i have lived i count 14 different homes in 16 years.

I remember the first large move interstate, i loaded up my 1989 Mazda 929 and drove from South Australia to Canberra to head to college, there was barely any room to see out the rear view mirror an i’m still suprised to this day how it all fit into my small dorm room.

Second big move from Canberra to North Queensland was the next big move. After two moves in the city and a new relationship i truly started to nest, coupled with the excitement of being domestic purchased a whole home worth of goods in a short three years which we packed onto a 3 tonne moving truck and drove the 2500km with our lives on our backs.

I still remember the disappointment unloading a few items that had shifted through the trip and wondered why we had gone to the expense of spending so much money on truck hire and fuel to transport goods that i cant even remember.

Leaving Townsville to move south to Melbourne, Victoria i learnt the benefits of downsizing where we sold over three quarters of our stuff in a garage sale, making about two thousand dollars yet still needing a small shipping container to move the rest. The attachment to material possessions was strong!

The biggest opportunity to downsize was both the easiest and hardest. Divorce. Nothing prepares you for it, but can i tell you it was one of the most liberating times in my life.

several moves later, a shift to the country, and a new relationship i now find myself a homeowner with a home full of what i like to call my “collections”.

I know ponder the question, how do i sell everything to travel?

how?

why?

do i need to?

these are the interesting questions i have been asking myself. I admit i have gone down the wormhole of reading the “i sold everything to travel” blogs and started to wonder, when i start travelling again what will i sell, what will i downsize? what is important and why do i need so much crap?

maybe I will sell it all, put it all in storage, or, rent out my house fully furnished? well thats a blog for another day.