One Bag, Eleven Countries: A Minimalist's European Exchange Journey
Creatrip Team
4 months ago
Author Lee Ji-eun embraced minimalism and boarded a plane to Czech (the Czech Republic) with only a 25-inch suitcase. Her commitment to traveling light transformed that case into a single shopper bag and eventually led her to visit 11 European countries while studying as an exchange student in the Czech campus town of Zlín. Through couchsurfing at a German artist's home, meeting Dutch friends, staying with a Slovak host, and sharing Korean dishes like bulgogi and bibimbap along with the song "Gangnam Style," she collected vivid intercultural experiences that shaped her first book, "One Bag, Europe." Having practiced minimalism since 2017, Lee documents how paring possessions down to essentials created freedom, allowing travel to become richer in human connections and experiences rather than things. (Couchsurfing: staying with local hosts for free or cultural exchange; bulgogi and bibimbap: Korean dishes)
