Are you a boot bigot?  Have you ever given any thought to why you wear shoes or other footwear every day (assuming that you do)?  Much of the world's population goes their whole lives without footwear with many consequences both good and bad.  Given the potential health, financial and other consequences, whether you are a hiker, world traveler, or just like a nice-looking pair of shoes, perhaps it is time to take a closer look.

Whenever I see a problem, I like to ask myself one simple question, was this a problem for the caveman?  All of our problems big and small fall into one of the following caveman categories:

1. It was a problem for the caveman. 
2. We don't know if it was a problem for the caveman.
3. It wasn't a problem for the caveman.

When living out of a backpack for long periods (seven months on my most recent trip), you need to carefully consider every item of clothing which you carry.  If we give the same consideration to what we wear at home, it can save money, time, and reduce our environmental impact as well.  This is what I currently carry when I travel and why.

By most people's standards, I travel a lot.  Whether you are trying to save money, reduce your environmental impact, or free yourself from possessions, even if you never actually go anywhere, it helps to look at your life from the perspective of a traveler.

If you are reading this, you are already extremely wealthy!  You may not be rich by your definition or even by the definition of the society you live in, but by the standards of a large percentage of the world's population, you are in fact, rich!  You can read, you have access to a computer and the internet - this makes you much better off than many people in the world.

What is the longest you have ever gone without eating?  Has it ever been even 48 hours?  Many people have gone without food for a week or more, or had regular but insufficient food for months or even years.  By these standards you (and in some countries, even the homeless) are in fact very wealthy, so what are you going to do with all your wealth?