How Clara Bensen literally let go of her baggage

Clara Bensen's story can be summarized in six words: three weeks, eight countries, one dress.

That's right, the writer set off on 21 days of international travel with a guy she'd only recently met through online dating site OkCupid. The two packed only the bare essentials and planned each day the morning of. 

Bensen has now chronicled the pair's adventure in a revealing travelogue called No Baggage. Today she joins Shad to share how she pushed past the anxiety to take a huge risk, and what it really means to put yourself out there. 

q: Have you or would you ever travel with only the absolute basics? Carry on! Send your story to [email protected] or post a comment below. We might read your anecdote on air. 

WEB EXTRA | Bensen and Jeff Wilson — partners in love and travel — pose together, but apart, in several spots around the world. Since their first adventure, the two have completed five minimalist trips in total. 

Their distance in these shots is inspired by the poetry of Kahlil Gibran: "And stand together yet not too near together: For the pillars of the temple stand apart, And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other's shadow."