As I am starting to prune down my possessions, in honor of my impending graduation (and with Christmas gifts looming), the thought of living a nomadic lifestyle has crossed my mind.

I have been planning for about 6 months now to go on a trip after graduation. Backpacking across Europe is an appealing, though expensive, notion. I have never really traveled alone, and am looking forward to a chance to venture out on my own, preferably someplace relatively safe for this first trip. However, there are some real difficulties in getting a month’s worth of “stuff” to fit into a backpack that wasn’t designed by Mary Poppins.

The more I think about what kinds of things will go into my backpack, the more I start to think about what I can live without. If I can go without something for a month, chances are I can go without it for much longer. And if I end up moving far away after graduation, then it would certainly make the move easier and less expensive if I could fit most of my possessions in my checked baggage.

While I’m not looking to be an extreme minimalist, I firmly believe that less stuff = less clutter = less distraction. I’ve spent a lot of time in the last 6 months reading about becoming a minimalist or making life clutter-free, particularly on the blogs ZenHabits and Unclutterer. Each of these, in their own way, has inspired me to start reducing the amount of unnecessary stuff in my life.

Neither of these sites is really addressing a nomadic lifestyle, however. I recently stumbled across the idea of nomadism as I was looking over www.couchsurfing.com as a potential lodging solution to my travels. Based on some of the mission statements of the members, many people wanted to live the life of a wanderer.

At first glance the idea is appealing. Being able to pick up and go at a moment’s notice is the picture of freedom.

But what happens when people don’t put down roots? I’ve been reading about the Plum Island erosion problem — a barrier island is meant to move and erode, creating a new barrier island behind it. But this doesn’t work when people build their homes and businesses there, and expect them not to fall into the ocean.

The erosion cycle is not unalterable: buildings have been on Plum Island since the 1700s, and with a little TLC (and a lot of money), the island can be maintained in its present condition. But without people there, their roots firmly planted, ready to fight to preserve the island, nothing would happen. Now, with over 1,200 homes there, there are plans in place to renourish the beach. In the 18th century, no one did anything about the erosion because very few people lived there.

The freedom of a nomadic lifestyle is appealing, but we need the investment in a place as much as the place needs people to invest. It’s how we end up with good school systems, sustainable development, and a sense of community.