Personal Stories
Last calendar week I spent all 24-hour interval packing upward a small-scale U-haul trailer amongst my belongings, preparing to movement to Los Angeles, California. It felt a scrap surreal after vii years living every bit a digital nomad.
A bed. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 couch. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 TV. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 desk. Cat toys. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 truthful cat (no, he’s non going inward the U-haul). Pulling it all behind a novel Jeep. I haven’t owned this much materials inward years!
What the hell happened? When did I halt beingness a full-time vagabond, traveling the ground piece living out of a backpack?
Well, it’s a long story. And it’s most fourth dimension I shared it amongst you.
Becoming Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 Digital Nomad
So if you’ve been next my journeying for a while, you’ll know that dorsum inward 2010 I decided to salve some money, quit my job, sold most of my belongings, too started backpacking just about the world, blogging most it every bit I went.
It was a super scary determination at the time, too I had no thought what the time to come would bring. My approximate was that I’d move for a year, run out of money, too then movement dorsum to the US too acquire a “real” chore again.
What genuinely happened? I managed to build a successful concern from my move blog, too continued to move almost non-stop for the adjacent vii years.
Working every bit a digital nomad from my estimator anywhere at that spot was a wifi connection. It was a relatively novel sort of lifestyle at the time, too everyone thought I was crazy for attempting it.
During those vii years without a home, I visited over l countries. I lived for months at a fourth dimension inward places similar Thailand, Mexico, Turkey, Spain, Nicaragua, too South Africa.
Everything I owned fit into a distich of backpacks — I was completely nomadic. Working for myself. An expert vagabond (hence the name).
I was living the digital nomad dream!
But too then my dreams began to change. As they oft practice over time.
Digital Nomad Burnout
I started noticing a alter after most five years into my fully nomadic lifestyle. Constantly moving from identify to identify came amongst it’s ain laid of problems that became increasingly annoying every bit the years went by.
Traveling just about the ground too making coin online sounds incredible, I know. And it is inward many ways! I’m non complaining. This lifestyle has been really goodness to me.
However at that spot are also downsides to beingness a digital nomad.
THIS LIFESTYLE IS EXHAUSTING
Many digital nomads hang out inward a province or metropolis for a few weeks earlier moving on to the next. But you lot can’t earn coin if you’re non working, so straightaway you’re trying to cram go & opor-garai into a brusk menses of time.
Just when you lot go into a comfortable routine, it’s fourth dimension to movement too start all over again. Packing up, navigating your way just about a novel city, a novel culture, too all the challenges that cash inward one's chips along amongst those things. It gets tiring!
THIS LIFESTYLE IS LONELY
Yes, you lot acquire to view all kinds of cool people just about the ground when you’re constantly traveling. But because everyone is e'er coming or going, it’s tough to shape a meaningful connexion amongst anyone.
I missed having a regular grouping of friends to hang out with. I regretted beingness so far away from family. And unless you lot conception to appointment swain digital nomads, relationships are complicated when solely 1 of you lot tin move freely.
THIS LIFESTYLE IS UNPRODUCTIVE
Well, I should tell less productive than it could be. Sure I managed to create a concern piece traveling, but it wasn’t easy, too I retrieve I could take away grown faster if I worked from a home-base instead of hostels & java shops.
Trying to juggle a normal go routine when you’re also trying to figure out where to slumber adjacent calendar week just isn’t ideal. Often, I never wrote much most the places I was living because I was also busy catching upward amongst go after months of traveling.
Nothing Is Perfect
Basically, at that spot is no perfect way to live. By becoming a digital nomad, you lot just merchandise 1 laid of problems for a completely dissimilar kind.
Maybe, similar me, you lot won’t live bothered past times these things for a few years — it was however far to a greater extent than exciting than my previous life inward the rat race! But eventually the problems amplify over time… too you’ll take away a alternative to make.
Moving Back To America
As the negatives piled up, I began renting apartments for three months at a time. Eventually I signed a year-long lease inward Playa del Carmen, Mexico. I was slowing down, taking trips that lasted 1-3 weeks, too enjoying them more.
It was prissy having a base, a identify to telephone phone “home” for a while.
However every bit much every bit I loved living inward Mexico, I shortly felt an urge to furnish to the United States. To pass to a greater extent than fourth dimension amongst menage unit of measurement & friends. To pursue to a greater extent than lucrative concern opportunities there.
And, to participate to a greater extent than fully inward my ain country’s democratic process, no longer content watching from the sidelines every bit the the States seemed to spiral into a depressing (dangerous?) abyss of ignorance & hate.
But where to go? Moving from United Mexican States amongst my girl Anna, nosotros decided to essay Boulder, Colorado for the summer. We’ve been living at that spot amongst our novel truthful cat Poofy (yes, he’s on Instagram!) for the past times five months.
Boulder was pretty, but non precisely what nosotros were looking for. It was kinda small, really homogeneous, too total of families & students. With our unconventional lifestyles, nosotros felt a scrap out of identify there.
So straightaway we’re off to California to give Los Angeles a try.
Plus We Got Married!
Surprise! It’s been a busy year. I initiative off met Anna inward 2015 at a move blogging conference called TBEX inward Florida, where move personalities too companies come upward together to network.
She’s inward the same draw of go every bit I am, running a pop travel/fashion blog too Instagram account.
We hitting it off correct away, amongst a mutual beloved of travel, cats, too working online. The metropolis daughter too the adventure guy, both taking risks & working difficult to pursue our dreams.
Anna is a remarkable woman. Originally from Poland, she’s been traveling the ground for longer than I have. She holds degrees inward International Law, Journalism, too Fashion Marketing from multiple universities (including Harvard). She’s fluent inward five languages, too has lived inward places similar United Mexican States City, Cape Town, London, Miami, too LA.
Soon after nosotros met inward Florida, Anna came downwardly to Mexico, where nosotros began dating. Eventually nosotros moved inward together, using United Mexican States every bit a base of operations to move from. It was 1 of the happiest periods of my life, too I brutal inward love.
After a yr too a one-half of dating, living, working, too traveling together, I proposed early 1 forenoon at a remote mount cabin inward Colorado. We eloped inward Las Vegas a few weeks after at the famous Graceland Chapel!
It was spontaneous, non-traditional, too fun, just similar our lives upward to this point.
Are You Giving Up Vagabonding?
Yes too no. Yes, I’m giving upward on the pipe-dream of constantly moving from identify to place, living out of a handbag for the residuum of my life. What initially sounded romantic, adventurous, too gratis has acquire a burden over time.
My goal for this wild experiment has e'er been to experience every bit much of our large & various ground every bit possible NOW, piece I’m relatively young. Not stuck behind a desk working to create someone else rich.
Sharing my move experiences to assist too inspire others, piece earning a living on my ain terms.
The liberty to practice every bit I please. No approving needed. No bosses to written report to. Following my passion too making a living through adventure move & photography.
Well, I’ve achieved these goals. I am completely location independent. I go for myself, setting my ain hours, traveling when too where I desire to. I’ve also been fortunate to create a non bad living doing what I love.
Am I just getting older too feeling a ask to irksome down? I’m 36 now. Have I just acquire financially independent plenty that I’m no longer forced to alive inward inexpensive backpacker destinations inward social club to acquire by?
I retrieve these may take away been factors inward my determination too.
Choosing Location Independence
I wouldn’t merchandise the final vii years of my life working every bit a traveling digital nomad for anything else. It’s been a wild ride, too the experience has taught me so much most myself too the ground inward general.
However I straightaway realize that I prefer location independence over fully nomadic living. Because there’s a difference.
Location independence just agency you lot are gratis to take away where you lot live, non stuck living somewhere you lot abhor because of a exceptional job. Being a digital nomad agency you’re e'er traveling, amongst no existent home.
We spent the summertime inward Colorado. We’re planning to pass 2018 inward Los Angeles. Maybe after that, we’ll create upward one's heed to movement somewhere else. Italy? Spain? Iceland? Kansas?
With location independence, all our options are open!
The of import part, is the liberty to take away my location, too the mightiness to update that alternative at whatever time.
For those of you lot who are interested inward becoming digital nomads, I don’t desire to completely discourage you. The lifestyle does take away plenty of benefits, too I’m non proverb you lot shouldn’t give it a shot.
However after vii years living every bit a homeless digital nomad, I personally no longer retrieve it’s sustainable (or healthy) on a long-term basis.
I’m non the solely 1 who thinks this way either — it seems to live a mutual alternative for many after a few years on the road:
- The Beginning Of The End – Nomadic Matt
- 9 Years Of Legal Nomads – Legal Nomads
- Leaving Is Easy, Fighting Is Harder – Adventurous Kate
- The Dark Side Of The Digital Nomad – Mark Manson
- My Nomadic Lifestyle Comes To An End – Ottsworld
- After seventy Countries, Why I Moved To Portugal – Neverending Footsteps
What’s Next?
Honestly, non much is changing. I’m however planning to move a ton, most vi months every year. The solely divergence is straightaway I take away a wife, a home, too a truthful cat to come upward dorsum to 1 time my trips are over!
Sometimes Anna & I volition move together, sometimes I’ll live on my own. I’ll cash inward one's chips along sharing my wild move adventures amongst you lot from just about the ground through blog posts, YouTube videos, too travel photography.
Having a home-base just agency I’ll live to a greater extent than productive, creating useful move guides, sharing fun move stories, too instruction tips & tricks I’ve learned after vii years working every bit a professional person move blogger & photographer.
Moving to Los Angeles too having LAX airdrome every bit our move hub volition hold flying costs low, allowing us both to move often. We take away friends here, too to a greater extent than transcend through all the time.
There is a broad diversity of epic coastline, mountains, deserts, canyons, too forests inside a day’s driving distance from the metropolis if I desire to acquire exterior into nature for a while.
I know some readers may live disappointed inward this change. Those of you lot who romanticize living on the route out of a backpack. It’s 1 of the reasons I’ve been putting off publishing this weblog post service for so long… I was scared.
I built my create every bit a vagabond, what happens 1 time I take away a dwelling again?
Unfortunately, there’s non much I tin practice most what other people think. I’ve lived every bit a vagabond for years, too don’t regret my choice, but my passion for constantly moving began to fade.
When you lot halt loving something completely, it’s fourth dimension for a change.
I don’t pass my life trying to create everyone else happy amongst my choices, if I did that, I’d never live where I am now.
So onwards! To the adjacent chapter of my life — I promise you’ll cash inward one's chips along to follow along on my time to come move adventures, wherever they may lead. ★
READ MORE TRAVEL TIPS
How To Save Money For Travel
Best Jobs To Make Money While Traveling
Becoming Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 Professional Travel Blogger
This Is How I Get Paid To Travel
How to live a Vagabond
Have whatever questions most the digital nomad lifestyle? Could you lot alive this way? Drop me a message inward the comments below!
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