I just had
to sell my drone last week… because of its size, transport issues and the lack
it was getting. At the same time, I helped my girlfriend move out of her Madrid
room and that really made me think about the number of items I own, leading to
this whole notion of whether we own stuff, or the stuff owns us. Originally, I
intended to write a blogpost simply about selling my drone, but then it led me
down a rabbit hole of thinking about downsizing, minimalism and a semi-mobile
lifestyle. I know that people on this blog don’t necessarily have the patience
to read long, philosophical stuff, so if you really want to dig deep, read the
full post on my own blog HERE. This one is a heavily shortened version, you
know, in the spirit of downsizing…
I am
moving away from Granada in 1.5 months. Even before that, I’ll spend a large
part of July living in a village near Granada running youth exchanges. My girlfriend
moved out of her Madrid room and I helped her pack all of her stuff. We managed
to fit everything into her backpack, a suitcase and part of my big 70L hiking
backpack. That is quite a bit of stuff, but when you think about how much stuff
you have in your room, it is probably many times more. It got me thinking a lot
about how much stuff I have with me here in Granada.
While you
could say that I am pretty minimalist when it comes to my clothes, I do hoard
some stuff… Camera gear and gadgets are definitely one, although now that the
drone is gone, my kit doesn’t take up too much space. However, this relatively
low size is simply due to me not being able to afford a bunch of expensive
equipment I want. The second big category is hiking gear: while it makes sense
to have a good amount of quality gear to ensure that my adventures are safe, I
do occasionally push it too far and I have a couple of items that I probably
don’t need.
Overall,
in Granada I accumulated very few items that I have to get rid of. Of course,
the usual useless papers I accumulate have to go to the recycling and a few
items of clothing will go to charity. Since the flat will be taken over by new
EVS volunteers, most of the household items, leftover supplies, stationery,
etc. can simply be passed on to them. I’ve already got rid of my drone and I am
currently selling my bicycle (wanna buy it?). Finally, I will probably have to
find a new home for a few pieces of hiking equipment, like my hammock.
I love
taking landscape photos with a drone and just seeing my surroundings from
perspectives that I am not able to otherwise see. I have owned a DJI Phantom 3
Standard drone for the last maybe 1.5 years. After a lot of thinking, I decided
it was time for it to go. When I had it with me, I loved using it and if I was
doing more car-based travel, I’d certainly keep it. I still think getting a
nice used Phantom 3 Standard is one of the best deals out there if you are
looking for a beginner drone that produces quite good images. However, it just
doesn’t fit my lifestyle of long-distance hiking and a lot of travelling. It is
simply too big and cumbersome Ideally, I will eventually buy a used Mavic Pro
or Mavic Air which would fit right into my camera bag in the place of a lens,
however those are currently out of my price range.
It really
just hit me last weekend how much crap I own… Compared to most people, it is
not a lot, but with my fairly mobile lifestyle I really need to optimize my kit
even more, with multifunctional and compact items. I am a big fan of buying and
selling used gear, plus donating stuff, which is not only more environmentally
friendly, but also way more cost effective than buying stuff new and selling it
when you move. So, while in the next few weeks I’ll be getting rid of some more
items, I will need to think even more about what I am going to keep, what to
get rid of and what to buy in the future. Starting a new chapter of my life in
September, I want to be more conscious of these things and keep the lessons
learned here in mind…
PS: If
anyone needs a nice cheap trekking bike in Granada, I happen to know about one
for sale…
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