The challenge? Spend a week on the road with no change of clothes and nothing but a BlackBerry, and still do my job as Lifehacker's editor. Here's the complete story in chronological order.
Tagged With no luggage
I spent last week on the road with nothing but a BlackBerry Torch and some essential toiletries for No Luggage Week — an experience that proved both liberating and productive. Few people would ever duplicate the exact experience, but it does have plenty of lessons for anyone who travels regularly for work.
The BlackBerry has come through with flying colours. But there's another component of No Luggage Week: the clothing. After a week, how are the non-crush suit and the quick-dry lower layers coping?
I always planned that one of the main posts during No Luggage Week would have to cover how I altered my work habits to deal with not having a computer as my chief work device. But you know what? I really didn't have to make that many changes.
No doubt travelling with no luggage requires sacrifices: a constant laundry routine, careful battery management, and no backup option when the mobile network dies. But there's a big payoff too: a feeling of liberation and ease I haven't experienced on any of my previous and numerous work trips.
The good news? In Brisbane, I have a washing machine. The bad news? Optus apparently thinks data services are an unnecessary luxury throughout the Brisbane CBD. It's one thing to have no luggage, but how can I do any work with no net connection?
The original inspiration for this week's No Luggage challenge was the realisation that I could do my entire job using my BlackBerry Torch rather than my PC. Here's a list of the apps I've added to my Torch to make that process easier.
I'll just say it the once: for the duration of the No Luggage challenge, you can safely assume that after 6pm I'm sitting in my hotel room, wrapped in a towel and nothing else while my freshly-washed laundry dries.
Spending the whole day away from a power outlet is challenging, but not impossible. Also inside as the No Luggage challenge continues from Newcastle to Melbourne to Bendigo: how NSW is still losing in the rail fare stakes.
The success of my attempt to travel for work for a week without a change of clothes depends on a rigorous laundry routine — and on my outfit drying fully every night. So I'll do anything I can to help the process along.
The signal is better than expected and new applications emerge for the BlackBerry as the No Luggage experiment heads north on a train from Sydney to Newcastle.
The good thing? My suit has more pockets than I thought. The bad thing? Sitting at your my desk with no PC in front of you feels somewhat odd. Welcome to day 1 of my No Luggage experiment.
For next week's No Luggage challenge, I can't pack anything that won't fit in my pockets. So what makes the cut?
Two years ago, I completed the Hand Luggage Only project, roaming across Australia for a month with only what I could fit into a single carry-on bag. Ever since then, I've been looking for a more extreme travel challenge. The solution? Go on the road for work with no luggage whatsoever — and no computer.
