25 Travelers Tell a Story...

There's no right way to nomad

When Steve and I started our nomad life, we grabbed the best pieces of what everyone else had done and created our “Two Carry-ons and a Plan” style. In this new version of our life, we travel the world, chasing 72 degrees (22 degrees for the rest of the world), living out of our two carry-on suitcases, and moving about the world every 3-4 weeks.

We thought we knew everything and had the exact right way to nomad as full-time travelers.

But then we started meeting other full-time travelers. We started debating what the word “nomad” really meant. Other terms popped up too; expat, flexpat, immigrant. Where did nomad fit among these other well-established terms?

And boy, did we get an earful. We quickly learned that the lifestyle of full-time travel takes on as many flavors as a Baskin-Robbins Plus. Some travel most of the time, others keep homes, some have storage units, others travel ultra-light. “Fasties” move every few days, “slowmads” move every few months.

Afterall, there’s no right way to nomad.

I decided to interview 25 couples about how they nomad. How they launched. How they move. What they carry. Where they go.

• There’s Stephen and Shae who travel with their dog Truffles in their car around the US with the goal to see all 50 states.

• There’s Dave and Kate who keep their little casita in Southern Baja California, Mexico, so they can find a grounding spot when they need it.

• There’s Heidi and Chuck who return to the US a few times a year to keep family traditions alive, including opening day of the Red Sox.

• There’s Warren, the octogenarian testing out the limits of his Social Security check.

• And Renee, the solo senior who is leaving her artwork as “litter” around the world.

Everyone is fascinating. Everyone has a story. And everyone is right.

If you’ve been thinking about a life of full-time travel, snag a copy of my new book, Wanderlust Wisdom. It’s the first step to the next step of an exciting life of dandling about the world, dancing tango in Argentina, drinking Bordeaux in France, and dropping into Transylvania. (It’s available in audio, print, and ebook.)

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See you next month, Chris