I thought nomading was care-free and spontaneous. I envisioned a massive amount of freedom. I didn’t realize how much planning was involved nor did I realize the amount of self reflection that got slapped into my face.
This is my story[1] of nomading for 14 months and what I got out of it in the event you have been considering it and want to hear one unstoppable woman’s perspective; that’s me.
Scooch to the bottom of this page for the audio version.
I started this article as I was sitting on a plane headed back to Minneapolis. I had visited the Mesa, Arizona area for a couple days to find a place to live.
I narrowed down a couple of possible apartments before getting there. Knowing full well which one I would end up with.
It just felt like it was supposed to be that one. Cutie little place, thousand square feet, 2 bed, 2 bath place. Outside covered patio area. Lots of natural light. The apartment complex is all single level and detached units. No wall-to-wall neighbors.
Not all of the places I’ve stayed at during my year of nomading have been nice. The most notable was a place I named ‘Murder Me Motel’.
I was traveling from Indianapolis to the next destination point. My intention was to fly by the seat of my pants and just stop when I felt like I needed to stop.
I was trying to be care-free and spontaneous.
The trouble with that “planned spontaneity” is that I ended up at a place that wasn’t suitable lodging. I was tired. I needed sleep. I turned into the parking lot and knew immediately this was going to be scary. My need to feel safe was highly compromised.
(Side note: I didn’t even know at that point that I had felt safe most of my life. I only realised it once it was gone.)
There were weeds, trash and the exterior was so broken down. I went into the front desk and was first greeted by flies rather than a hotel desk person. It felt old and unmaintained. Behind the desk, there was a closed up restaurant.
I did not even want to take any photos for fear of someone catching me to report them and then they’d be all like, hey, you can’t take pictures! And then they’d murder me in my sleep.
I stayed the night and always kept “one eye open” when taking Stone outside for potty breaks. Clearly since I’m writing this article, I managed not to get murdered. And it was the last time I left lodging selections up to chance.
LESSON #1
Leaving choices to chance, can get you killed.
My nomading experience started August 2023. My romantic relationship had just ended and my rented house lease was up. It was very clear the Universe had a hand in this next chapter of my life.
Because one of the main reasons I wanted to work for myself, was to work any time, anywhere. I wanted to be able to visit family and friends from wherever and still make a living.
The original plan was to spend various lengths of years in other countries. The first being Australia. My copywriter and friend, Rose Crompton, lives in Brisbane. I have a client in Yeppoon (Hey Luke and Lyndsey!). I worked with the Bondi Surf Club (Hey Brett, Brent and George!) for a time years ago and would love to meet them in person. I took myself to Tasmania and Sydney for my 40th birthday and would love to revisit.
The original plan was intended for after my first dog, Phoebe, died. However, I ended up with my current dog, Stone (an Australian Kelpie!). And Australia doesn’t make it simple to know how long he has to be quarantined so I gave up on that idea… for now. I’ll visit in the near future but without Stone and for a shorter period than originally planned.
I went out without a clue of what I was doing. I packed up everything in storage and then hit the road. It literally felt like there was no other option. I find it so incredibly interesting how it feels when you just know something must be done a certain way.
I had done a couple quick surface level searches of how to nomad, as if there was a proper way to do it. As someone who feels the need to do things the right way at all times, it seemed like I was supposed to do it in a particular way. Turns out… there isn’t a particular way to nomad.
Some stay in their home country, some travel across countries, some inside their van or camper, some using rentals or pet sitting.
One study I came across showed that most nomads only stay put in a city less than 7 days. I just can’t image that!
I am not a fan of study stats in this manner. Who they surveyed has such a major impact on the numbers that come out.
LESSON #2
Stay at least 3 months, anything less is a geographic one-night stand.
I used AirBnBs most of the time. I also used VRBO a couple times. And even hotels or with family or friends. In the beginning, I was waiting until the last minute to book my next stay. Mostly because I was still living paycheck to paycheck. Toward the end, I would book a little further out as budget became available and to satisfy my need to feel safe.
There are a lot of logistics to consider when nomading. Even more when you have a car full of stuff and a dog. Finding a dog friendly place in areas that are safe and in budget, well, there are less options available.
I did contemplate getting a camper at one point. I thought it would be simpler than always trying to find a new place to stay. Except then I’d have to find a suitable spot that was likely even tougher than a dog friendly place. And it was likely not conducive to my running lifestyle.
Not to mention the fact that I would freak out if I ever got caught driving on a road that was barely the width of the car.
Driving through the Rocky Mountains was one of the scariest driving stints I did. No railing. Two hands on the wheel. Heaven forbid something startle me that I would jump or jerk my hands on the wheel and be hurled off the side of a mountain. It was crazy far down.
Looking back on it, logistics could have been much more simple had I not felt like I had to visit every single person I knew… right… fucking… now.
I feel like that had to do with people pleasing. I thought people would get upset because I didn’t come see them.
What I didn’t realize was going to happen, was that I would be thrown into exploring who I really am. Going through a break up and then trying to live life in various places that were not my home, really threw me for a loop.
I questioned my entire existence. I doubted my existence. I laughed at my existence. I questioned my business.
It got pretty damn dark in the beginning. It didn’t help that my first destination was filled with rainy days. And like a lot of people, weather affects me strongly.
I spent time exploring the feelings and emotions I never allowed myself to have before.
The early weeks felt very abnormal. Not having a home in the traditional sense is a little unsettling. I reminded myself this is what I wanted intended.
“When you have clarity of intention, the universe conspires with you to make it happen.” – Fabienne Fredrickson
Slowly, I learned how to sit with my emotions and not let them overrun me as much as they were.
LESSON #3
You can’t outrun your baggage when you’re literally carrying it everywhere.
One super big thing I learned about myself is that I am a workaholic. I mean I knew that but now accepted the fact enough to admit it. Being a workaholic isn’t pretty. What it meant was that I didn’t want to face anything else in my life.
My worth was wrapped up in my working hard.
I digress. Let’s get back to the nomading adventure. That’s why you’re here.
I very much liked living in different cities. I landed in Portland, Oregon for a time. I think it was about two months. I stayed in an apartment in a really old building downtown.
Here’s where I had another run in with not feeling safe. In the beginning it was fine. It was cool being in the downtown. I’d always wanted to live in a downtown.
Until I stayed in Portland.
Stone and I were out running along the river. On our way back, we passed a man and he said something to us, but we didn’t stop. I remember wanting to stop to give Stone water and something told me to keep running. So we did. The next thing I know, this man, was running a few yards over and back to my left on a grassy area.
Yelling something about him being FBI and stop and dog. Those are the only words I heard. I let Stone a little loose on the leash in case the buy caught up with us so Stone could bite him. We ran faster and toward people. We weren’t in a people-less area either. But it was a little less people where we were at that moment.
We managed to stop for water. But then we ran home a little faster than normal and barely stopped for any lights or traffic.
When your safety is compromised, it’s hard to do anything else.
LESSON #4
Downtown living is fun if you have the stomach for odd situations.
We don’t know until we try. Had the universe not thrown me into this experience the way it did, it might not have happened. I would have overplanned and my brain would possibly have talked me out of doing it. The unknown is too scary!
In the beginning, I didn’t have a travel size keurig. And I love having coffee in the morning. I would land somewhere and go grocery shopping the first day. But many times, I was afraid to go out not knowing the area yet. Looking back I’m not sure what that was all about, however, I learned that having the travel size keurig allowed me to wake up with the coffee which gave me sort of an emotional blanket. I learned my morning routine is important. It kept me grounded when I was moving around.
LESSON #5
I am in fact courageously unstoppable.
Common Nomading Questions
Here are some common questions around nomading that I’ll answer from my personal experience.
How much does it really cost to live this way?
As much or as little as you want. Some people live in a van down by the river, some people rent houses or AirBnb it. Consider how you want to wake up each day, in what type of environment and then match that to your budget.
What gear do I need to make it work?
I put all my stuff in storage when I left Las Vegas. I only took or ended up getting things that I knew I would use on a daily or almost daily basis…
- a selection of clothes and shoes
- kitchen towels, utensils, my favorite coffee mug, travel size keurig
- bath towel (I really only wanted to use mine instead of someone else’s)
- laptop lap thingy
- journal (gifted to me by a friend)
- bathroom stuff like make-up and hair stuff
- laundry soap and dryer sheets
- paper towels (it’s surprising how many places don’t have this or coffee)
- kindle
- That’s all I can remember at the moment.
How do I stay motivated without structure?
I struggled with this in the beginning as it felt like I was on vacation. You have to make a structure. Self-discipline is highly useful.
How do I get reliable Wi-Fi?
I was always in an area that had wi-fi. If for some reason it was spotty or I was only some where for a short time, like overnight, I would use my phone’s hot spot.
If you have questions about nomading or want to share your nomading adventure, reach out below.
The lessons contained in my reflection aren’t necessarily direct pieces of advice for you. They are my lessons. What I hope for you, and why I decided to publish this beyond my personal journal, is that you take at least one thing from this story that will help you on your journey, wherever it is taking you.
[1] As much as I love my copywriter for my blog posts, I wrote this one myself. I used AI tools to help me think of specific words sometimes. It’s why I don’t write on a regular basis. It’s painful trying to get out of my head and putting thoughts on paper in a way that hopefully makes sense. You will find grammatical errors and structure inadequacies galore. You’re welcome.
