De'ana - being relatively new to the MMM forums, I'm not sure what others feel about the book The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo, but I found it helpful. Yes, it is a bit goofy at times, but I felt the book gave me permission to let things go. I was hanging on to bridesmaid dresses for the sole reason that they were used in a special event (someone else's special event though, not mine). I also started to feel ok about letting go of things I didn't really like but had "paid good money for". The money is spent, it won't come back, so there's no reason to hang onto the thing if there is no purpose for it in my life. (Also, don't BUY the book! Borrow from a library or download the electronic version.)
Also, if I may, I would like to point you to YouTube and search for Christine Kobzeff or "PinkSoFoxy declutter". Christine is a lovely woman who used to be a beauty/shopping addict. One day, she decided enough was enough and she really decluttered her life. Now, if you are not a beauty junkie, you will be appalled at the amount of makeup she had, but I would say it's par for the course of what other "beauty gurus" on YouTube have. The point isn't the makeup, the point is the idea of "stuff". Anyway, to make a long story short, in a few years I have really seen her transform. After that declutter marathon, she and her husband worked hard and then left to travel Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, and India for a few months. They came back to Hawaii, where they live, and moved into an even smaller place and she continued to downsize her life. They were even able to take an unplanned trip to Australia and New Zealand as they had spent less money and learned to live on and live with less. Another year later and they were able to leave for the Philippines for a while.
My entire point being-if you are wanting to take off for Chiang Mai for a year and live a nomadic life around the world, you won't be able to do it with things. The ability to be global and not tied to a house means giving up most of your "stuff". Maybe some of the stuff that seems important and sentimental lives in storage or at a relative's house, but when you come back and go through it, I bet you'll wonder why you kept half of it. Be inspired by others journeys. I'm sure there are plenty of other people online who have documented a life of getting rid of stuff and getting the chance to travel the world.