I love living a minimalist life.
I enjoy having fewer things. It’s fewer distractions from what’s really important to me, it’s more energy in my life as a result of less decision-making fatigue, and it just feels damn good.
Being a minimalist while traveling is beneficial because I pack less and carry less. That’s important when I’m trying to utilize only a backpack for travel. I haven’t achieved that goal yet, because I’m still using a small portion of the suitcase that Kamea and Greg use. However, with each new destination, I learn to live with a bit less.
I’m also living a frugal life. Why?
We have a major awesome life goal to be financially independent and retired early. Don’t be confused by the “retire early” part to mean we don’t want to work. We want the experience of “not having to work” on any given day should we choose.
Being minimalist and frugal go hand in hand 🤝 (especially when traveling).
Being a minimalist and frugal make travel a lot easier… most of the time. I’ll admit to a few sacrifices and challenges along the way, but all in all, a much better travel experience when being minimalist and frugal while traveling.
I’m also a big coffee drinker. ☕️
I’ve been drinking it since high school for better or for worse. To be honest, my Nana (full blood Italian) started me with my first sips of the black elixir when I was seven.
I’ve carried on the tradition with my daughter, of course.
So… being a frugal minimalist traveling coffee drinker… what do I do?
My Frugal & Minimalist Travel Coffee:
I make coffee at home where ever we are traveling. I usually carry some coffee grounds, if there is any from the prior destination, in the suitcase to ensure coffee survival on the first morning we land somewhere. Once that is out, I go to a local market and buy ground coffee.
I don’t carry any fancy coffee making paraphernalia, like the beloved Aeropress, for two reasons:
- It costs money to buy it. I’m really watching every penny.
- It most definitely takes up space in luggage.
I could carry one of those little mesh filters that you set in a cup (like if you’d brewed tea) but still… costs money and takes up space. I don’t mess around when my eyes 👀 are set on a prize (financial independence). I’m super disciplined, to the annoyance of some people (you know who you are). 💗
Enough with the suspense already. Here’s what I do. It’s a super simple way to ensure coffee in my life on the cheap frugal and minimalist path.
- I add ground coffee and water to a small pot and heat them up. I let it get to the point where I hear that it wants to boil. Then, I turn it off. I take it off the burner if it’s not a gas or induction stove.
- I pour it all (grounds and water, though a few grounds stay behind) into my cup.
- I wait a couple more minutes and then pick up the cup and gently tap the bottom of the cup onto the counter a few times. You see, the grounds naturally fall to the bottom, and this tapping, I think, encourages that.
- I drink.
Is it the best coffee ever? Hell no.
Even though the grounds fall to the bottom, a few make their way into my mouth and belly.
Am I happy this is frugal and minimalist? Hell yeah.
Fortunately, in our travels, we don’t have to drink coffee like this all the time. When we’re in hotels or Air BnB rentals or people’s homes, there is often a coffee setup.
However, on occasion there isn’t anything, or the coffee maker might look totally gross, or we want decaf and the system isn’t set up for that (think: Kuerig-style coffee maker with only regular caffeinated pods to drink and I’ll be damned if I’m spending money on buying decaf pods).
I’ll also mention a hack to get the grounds out…
If I have access to a strainer, I line it with a paper towel. I let the coffee mixture steep in the small pot for a few minutes. Then, I pour the mixture through the strainer and paper towel into another pot.
I transfer this coffee-grounds-free coffee to a cup and enjoy. The picture of coffee you see at the top of the post? That’s using this straining method which is why you see a nice clear-looking cup of coffee.
Join me on Instagram and Twitter to follow my up-to-the date moments, thoughts, and short videos of our world travel.
IG: global_kristen
T: KristensRaw