Traveling Naked

I was never the backpacker type. But when my desk job began to draw the juices out of my soft tissues, I threw my Italian leather boots and pink pocketbook with the rhinestones  into the back of my closet, and lugged out a gigantic, canvas duffel. The kind that you carry on your back. I was going to India.

For complete recovery from work-induced trauma, I needed to get as far away from my usual life as possible. Either that, or my brain was then so warped that it was making strange decisions for me. Whatever the case, I decided not to pack any clothing. This is why your budget travel tip of the week is to travel naked.

Okay, not naked. (Though that could be really convenient, with airport security being what it is lately.) I chose one outfit to wear: an impossibly lightweight, ankle-length skirt, a T-shirt, and my most comfortable sandals. Okay, and another impossibly lightweight skirt in case I sat in dung (likely), and underwear (you don't want to have to search for that in a foreign language).

Believe me, there was plenty of other 'stuff' to fill the duffel that, once situated lengthwise on my back, towered above me. You know: the handheld water purifier; the Meals-Ready-to-Eat I'd bought off a military friend in case the foreign food tried to kill me; my journal. In other words, whatever I couldn't buy in India went into the bag.

I could buy clothing in India.

Think about it. If you're traveling (and especially backpacking) in a country where clothing is cheaper than it is in your country (Asia, eastern Europe, Africa or Haiti, for example), there's little percentage in packing your stuff from home. You'll add weight to your bag, and you'll be missing an opportunity to really immerse yourself in another culture: by buying and wearing their styles. I was always treated with respect and kindness everywhere I went in India, and while I can't say fashion is the only reason, I do know of female travelers who donned shorts and tank tops, and didn't enjoy themselves nearly as much.

Among my treasures: A copper-colored silk top and skirt woven through with real copper threads and tiny beads; a heavily embroidered iridescent blue and gold silk sari bought in Udaipur and woven in Varanasi; a full, layered wrap skirt made of a vintage sari, covered in sequins and beads and bought from a shop in the mountains of Rajasthan. (Resist buying much in Delhi or Agra, where the prices are hugely inflated.)

What not to buy abroad:
Shoes. You don't want to discover that another nation's feet are universally a different shape from yours. Believe me, it can happen.
Underwear. For a reason similar to that noted beside 'shoes.'

Other than this, make other travelers jealous with your light bag, authentic clothing--and enviable space for important other things, like the bottle glass Ganesha and the Indian crunchy snacks I brought home. Stay tuned for more tips on where to get the best souvenirs around the globe!