How to Live Out of A Suitcase (8 lessons learned)
For the past few years, I’ve been living out of a suitcase — more or less. Here’s my situation:
One large suitcase — hardside
One backpack — soft, orange
One guitar case — mini, also soft
Moving every few months
My life is simple and I travel often, especially in Japan. And while I’m not against having a homebase that can hold more than 45 kg worth of stuff, I do thoroughly enjoy this current nomadic minimalism thing I’ve got going on.
So, I put together my top tips into this guide. This is how to live out of a suitcase.
Let’s do this!
Table of Contents Show
What Does Living Out of A Suitcase Mean?
Living out of a suitcase means you can fit your life into just a few bags and you don’t own or rent a long-term apartment. Essentially, you’re a nomad. You’re mobile, flexible and tend to travel light.
And living out of a suitcase doesn’t mean just one bag. Having more than one suitcase is still life out of a suitcase.
If you’re moving around a lot and squeezing your life into luggage (however many that takes), then you’re living out of a suitcase.
But in my opinion, less does tend to be better.
Explore more:
➤ How to Become A Digital Nomad
Living Out Of A Suitcase (the pros + lows)
I love the simplicity of a suitcase life. But it’s not without its drawbacks.
So here are some pros and cons to know.
Suitcase Living — The Pros
You’re more flexible and adaptable
Save money on living costs + less sensitivity to regional inflation
Avoid overspending on shopping or souvenirs
Appreciate things more
Stress less (less stuff means less stuff to worry about)
Suitcase Living — The Lows
Difficult to have pets
Can be exhausting always packing up and moving around
You need to become a minimalist
You need to plan ahead and think about space more
Some friends or family may not understand you
Missing the modern convenience of a full closet and home
How to Live Out of A Suitcase (8 tips)
My current “office” outside of Tokyo…
1. Get the Right Suitcase(s)
My first year living out of a suitcase was…not ideal.
I was using a duffle bag (no wheels) and lugging around awkwardly shaped bags for heavy equipment I barely used (like a secondhand snowboard I picked up in Tokyo).
My suitcase situation was all wrong. But eventually, I learned — the hard way. So I’m here to pass on my learnings and hopefully help you avoid the headaches I endured.
Namely, get the right suitcase(s). My duffel bag was a horrible choice and my snowboard was too big and unnecessary.
So here are a few things I keep in mind when choosing a suitcase (for living out of):
Opt for a hardside shell
Get a suitcase with wheels and convenient handles
Consider buying a “closet” suitcase (like Solgaard)
Get the biggest option available that you can fly with
Explore more:
➤ How to Prevent Lost Luggage
2. Become A Minimalist Traveler
Besides my duffel bag mishaps, I also packed too many clothes (which I rarely wore) and brought too many products (that I didn’t need).
In my case, I spend a lot of time in Japan. And since I have no special brands or products I need to use, I can pretty much get everything there. This opens up a lot of extra space in my suitcase.
So it’s smart to research your destination beforehand and only bring with you what you actually need. This brings us to minimalism.
Becoming a minimalist is sort of a requirement for living out of a suitcase. And for this situation, that means only keeping items that are relevant to your personal values, travel goals and needs.
For example, making music is a big part of my life and creative work, so those are essential items for me, even though they take up a lot of suitcase real estate.
So get honest here and put everything you don’t actually need on the chopping block. Remember, many places and countries (if you’re traveling internationally) will have essential toiletries and items.
Explore more:
➤ My Minimalist Travel Strategy
3. Test Out This Lifestyle Before Going All In
If you’ve never lived out of a suitcase before, you may want to try it out first before diving head first into this role.
Because while it can sound fun and it may look cool online, you may realize it’s not for you after trying it for a short while.
So try things out before you commit. Try spending a month as a sort of vagabond and explore areas that are either comfortable or allow for easy suitcase living. For example, I love to take multi-month trips to Japan, which is a place I’m very familiar with.
(plus, Japan is also a pretty user-friendly country to visit if you’re new to traveling)
Easing into this life slowly will let you “test drive” things out to see if you truly enjoy it. And if you like it, then you can keep going or plan your next trip.
Explore more:
➤ How to Make Money and Travel
4. Don’t Get Rid of All Your Stuff
If you’ve never lived out of a suitcase before, don’t throw away all of your stuff yet. This is similar to testing the waters before jumping in.
Luckily, I didn’t have too many things to start with. After college, I hopped around to a couple cities, but I never settled down and furnished any apartments. So transitioning into this lifestyle was pretty simple for me.
But if you have a lot of stuff, you can look into storage options or keep your things at a family’s home or a generous friend’s house.
Of course, maybe you don’t need to keep everything either. But holding onto some personal items that are important to you makes sense.
5. Become More Carefree In Life
Living out of a suitcase requires a carefree, laid-back attitude. Well — things will be easier this way, at least.
Carefree living has plenty of benefits, but for this situation, it helps with stress management, living mindfully and embracing setbacks.
Staying chill always helps me manage the drawbacks of suitcase living much more gracefully. I can let go of things easier and just enjoy the ride (even when it’s bumpy).
So here are some things I do to stay chill while living out of a suitcase:
Practice optimism and seeing the brighter side of things
Solve and/or avoid personal stressors
Become more mindful
Limit expectations and attachment
Explore more:
➤ Secrets to Living A Chill Life
6. Have Travel Projects
When I have a bigger purpose to focus my attention on, I’m able to ignore life stresses. I also need less stuff since I’m so involved with my “thing”.
So having a travel purpose is a solid move for living out of a suitcase. For example, you could
Learn a new language
Create travel films
Starting a blog or vlog
Whatever your project is, it makes simple living a little easier.
Because when you know your (travel) purpose, you’re able to pack with greater intention, avoiding the fluff stuff that you don’t really need.
Again, my music equipment is an essential item because it’s attached to my travel purpose. This makes the decision-making process for what to pack quick and clear.
So what’s your travel purpose?
Explore more:
➤ How to Create Travel Projects
7. Travel Slower
Fast travel with a packed itinerary is not ideal if you’re living out of a suitcase.
I mean, you already need to pack up and move around a lot. So why add the extra stress? That’s why I like to settle in wherever I’m traveling to and stay for a little while. I like to take things slow.
This also adds some important normalcy and routine into your life. I feel like I can unpack and relax — even though the unpacking is pretty quick.
Here are some quick tips for traveling and moving about slower:
Set the intention to take things slow
Go to relaxing places that make slow travel easier
Avoid personal travel stressors
Do slow travel things
Explore more:
➤ How I Travel Slow
8. Cultivate An Adventurer’s Mindset
Sometimes, living out of a suitcase can make life easier. Other times, it creates stress. But having the right mindset will get you through most of the lame moments.
An adventure mindset is one that sees discomfort or obstacles as learning moments and a key part of the journey. It’s like a growth mindset.
While I like to reframe most of life as an adventure — not just the suitcase parts — it is especially helpful in this situation. So here’s how I keep an explorer’s mindset:
Follow inspiring adventure-seeking people online
Create and embody an explorer’s alter ego
Reframe setbacks as adventures
Get good at living outside of your comfort zones
Explore more:
➤ The Adventurer’s Mindset Guide
Later ✌️
Living out of a suitcase isn’t for everyone. But it is a great way to see more with less.
Mobility, greater flexibility and a minimalist lifestyle are just a few of the benefits I experience from living this way.
But if you’ve never dabbled in suitcase tenancy before, you may consider doing a test run with shorter trips first and not getting rid of all of your things all at once. Beyond this, just remember to practice a carefree, adventure mindset and enjoy the ride — slowly.
Have a travel purpose and keep things loose. Life is awesome with so many places to explore.
And living out of a suitcase is just one way to do things.
Want More? Nice. Here’s More.
