Welcome to the life of the chosen few. – Author Unknown

The lifestyle of a continuous long-term traveler is an evolving art form–everything from adjusting your budget based upon the countries I’m in to the frustrations of reducing the weight of my pack to become more mobile as I navigate through what many would consider ‘Third World’ countries without concrete paths, but dirt roads. When I pause and think back almost three years before I left the United States and what I thought I needed for this journey without and end date, I could easily fill a separate backpack of items that I could have done without. It’s amazing to me to think that when I used to travel in the States for weekend trips to Vegas or weeklong jaunts to New York, California, or even a seven day cruise, the sheer size of what I thought I needed for these trips is now an embarrassing thought. I would have never guessed back then that I could take a single rucksack for a three-week trip. The idea and determination to become an ultralight backpacker has been a goal of mine since my trip to Bali, Indonesia in January of 2014. I wanted to share with other future and current travelers how it is possible to live with minimal material items, and yet, still have all the things that you need. Below are photos with brief descriptions of what I took to Cambodia and I hope it will be helpful to others. *I have shot and edited a short video that is less than 5-minutes and shows how to become an #ultralight #backpacker CLICK HERE TO VIEW.
Waking up to another cold winter morning in Seoul I have a feeling of excitement knowing that in less than 24-hours I’ll be 2,256 miles (3,632km) and in the warmth of Cambodia. There have been a handful of countries that I’ve returned to throughout my 1,000 plus days on the road, and Cambodia certainly is a special place. After a quick shower and double-checking my rucksack, I grab a cup of coffee and contemplate my course to the subway station since I’ve chosen not to carry a coat to South East Asia or spend the additional money to rent a locker at the airport for three-weeks.
Upon returning to Koh Tuich Village (Tui Beach), which is the area where most of the guesthouses and bungalows are situated, we headed to a $6 BBQ ribs dinner near Bunna’s place and happened to share a table with two Brits, Chirag and Hannah, plus an American, April. Without fail, this now became our traveling family and this was the group we ended up spending New Year’s eve and the rest of our time on the island and returning to Sihanoukville with.