I went full nomad and it almost broke me(hackernoon.com)
hackernoon.com
I went full nomad and it almost broke me
https://hackernoon.com/i-went-full-nomad-and-it-almost-broke-me-2a02c5e8f138?source=rss----3a8144eabfe3---4
13 comments
I think this is an interesting topic but that article is basically incomprehensible. It could have benefitted greatly from a little more of the "first this happened, then this happened" approach rather than being an impressionistic onslaught of feelings and vagueness.
And the GIFs... ugh, I like to play games, watch movies and enjoy flickering images in those contexts, but not when I'm reading. 9/10 paragraphs are about three lines. But worst of all, content-wise it was just a repetition of 'I used to be stable, but on a nomad lifestyle I wasn't' over and over.
This type of writing/speak is the equivalent of the classic interview response: "My biggest weakness is that I'm such a hard worker." It doesn't feel honest.
I wonder if that is because the author is a founding member of digital nomad community/agency, honestly I have no idea exactly what it does because the website is super vauge, so to question the lifestyle is to question his livelihood.
I wonder if that is because the author is a founding member of digital nomad community/agency, honestly I have no idea exactly what it does because the website is super vauge, so to question the lifestyle is to question his livelihood.
You hit it on the nail. The article is actually somewhat of an advertisement. The author is signaling about his "master status" as an exemplar of this iconiclastic lifestyle. He needs to do this to sell his self-help books, tutorials, advice, etc. He also needs to gain the credibility so he is invited for talks for those mostly marketing based "Hacker Cons" where a bunch of semi believable tinkerers tell their stories about how they did something so special and mold breaking. And I don't mean technical conferences we all love. I mean the bullshit ones.
Hahaha no plans to be th next Tony Robbins just yet but I'll let you know when I start my cult ;)
Hahahaha, good one! I actually really love B. K. Robbins - he is my favorite motivational sneaker! The way he speaks is so deliciously appetizing!
Hi there - author here! Super Global is a nonprofit tech advisory service for social impact organisations. We also have a community of creative & tech agencies who want to do use their expertise for good.
Not nomad related but the name does conjure those images!
Not nomad related but the name does conjure those images!
I mean no disrespect, but perhaps my honest opinion might help a you a bit, though I could be totally wrong.
Your hook, “Super Global is a nonprofit tech advisory service for social impact organizations.”, makes me feel like you think I’m stupid and is personally a turn off.
You’re an IT consultant that specializes in the charity industry. Everything else is just buzzword bingo.
Your non-profit status is meaningless to anyone who understands corporate structures and social impact organization seems to be a new-age word for charity.
The charity industry is big business and people make a lot of money in it. While I really do appreciate their positive impact, the virtue signalling is tiresome.
If your hook works for you, great, don’t change a thing. But to me it’s cringe worthy and might not be helping you. Sometimes being more direct is better.
Your hook, “Super Global is a nonprofit tech advisory service for social impact organizations.”, makes me feel like you think I’m stupid and is personally a turn off.
You’re an IT consultant that specializes in the charity industry. Everything else is just buzzword bingo.
Your non-profit status is meaningless to anyone who understands corporate structures and social impact organization seems to be a new-age word for charity.
The charity industry is big business and people make a lot of money in it. While I really do appreciate their positive impact, the virtue signalling is tiresome.
If your hook works for you, great, don’t change a thing. But to me it’s cringe worthy and might not be helping you. Sometimes being more direct is better.
> Your non-profit status is meaningless to anyone who understands corporate structures
Care to clue the rest of us in?
Care to clue the rest of us in?
Sure. Besides the technical differences in ownership structure which you can easily google, the reality of nonprofits is that in most cases the founder stands to make as much money (yearly) as the founder of a for-profit company.
For example, let’s say I have and s-Corp and it provides me with, let’s say, 100k of salary and my pass through income (profit) of 25k.
I could alternatively have created a nonprofit giving myself a 100k salary and bonus myself 25k - what would have been profit. In this way, I’d end up with 125k and the company ends up with no profit.
The details are different but the results are nearly the same.
One major difference is that the founder of a nonprofit can’t sell the organization.
Again though, the reality is that they can be given a do-nothing role in the company and receive what could be understood as compensation for the exchange.
Sadly, many nonprofits are set up for the benefit of their founders and cronies, thus nonprofits aren’t always as virtuous as you would be led to believe.
Also, I should note, incase anyone is unfamiliar, nonprofit != charity. A charity is a special type of non-profit.
For example, let’s say I have and s-Corp and it provides me with, let’s say, 100k of salary and my pass through income (profit) of 25k.
I could alternatively have created a nonprofit giving myself a 100k salary and bonus myself 25k - what would have been profit. In this way, I’d end up with 125k and the company ends up with no profit.
The details are different but the results are nearly the same.
One major difference is that the founder of a nonprofit can’t sell the organization.
Again though, the reality is that they can be given a do-nothing role in the company and receive what could be understood as compensation for the exchange.
Sadly, many nonprofits are set up for the benefit of their founders and cronies, thus nonprofits aren’t always as virtuous as you would be led to believe.
Also, I should note, incase anyone is unfamiliar, nonprofit != charity. A charity is a special type of non-profit.
Thanks for the response. That is good information to know.
I'll add another example, which I heard about in the context of charter schools. I'm quoting from http://curmudgucation.blogspot.com/2016/07/for-hrc-profit-vs... :
> I set up my non-profit school-- and then I hire a profitable management company to run the school for me. The examples of this dodge are nearly endless, but let's consider a classic. There's the White Hat management company that was being dragged into court way back in 2011. This particular type of arrangement was known as a "sweeps contract,' in which the school turns over close to all of its public tax dollars and the company operates the school with that money-- and keeps whatever they don't spend. The White Hat story is particularly impressive, because the court decided that White Hat got to keep all of the materials and resources that it bought with the public tax dollars.
> Or consider North Carolina businessman Baker Mitchell, who set up some non-profit charter schools and promptly had them buy and lease everything-- from desks to computers to teacher training to the buildings and the land-- from companies belonging to Baker Mitchell. ...
> I set up my non-profit school-- and then I hire a profitable management company to run the school for me. The examples of this dodge are nearly endless, but let's consider a classic. There's the White Hat management company that was being dragged into court way back in 2011. This particular type of arrangement was known as a "sweeps contract,' in which the school turns over close to all of its public tax dollars and the company operates the school with that money-- and keeps whatever they don't spend. The White Hat story is particularly impressive, because the court decided that White Hat got to keep all of the materials and resources that it bought with the public tax dollars.
> Or consider North Carolina businessman Baker Mitchell, who set up some non-profit charter schools and promptly had them buy and lease everything-- from desks to computers to teacher training to the buildings and the land-- from companies belonging to Baker Mitchell. ...
Non profit has no bearing on salaries paid, only what happens to leftover cash. If there is no leftover cash after salaries are paid, nothing really changes.
So saying you are a non profit is a good way to fool some people. The rest know that a non profit still pays salaries in any capacity they'd like.
So saying you are a non profit is a good way to fool some people. The rest know that a non profit still pays salaries in any capacity they'd like.
The article is an advertisement . The author makes money off of the shtick "How you too can live this amazing lifestyle!"
It would be great if people paid me for writing this stuff! I run a nonprofit social enterprise haha
Nonprofit does not imply no salary. Your organization basically does consulting work for profit..but then you pay that profit to yourself and whoever else you employ. It's very clever but it's not like it isn't the oldest advertising trick in the book. And its certainly one of the easiest ways to make innocent sounding statements like the one you just made.
[1] https://super.global/copilot
[2] https://www.linkedin.com/company/super-global
[1] https://super.global/copilot
[2] https://www.linkedin.com/company/super-global
I actually had a more "yup, saying it as it is" reaction to this. I guess I have gone through similar experiences as the author.
[deleted]
I'm full nomad right now - driving my Jeep around Africa for 2 years - something like 80,000 miles through 30 countries over 2 years. [1]
I'm absolutely loving it. I will never go back to full time 9-5 5 days a week. At this point, I don't even consider it life.
Previously I drove Alaska to Argentina - 16 countries over 2 years and 40,000 miles. I also loved every second of that! [2]
[1] http://theroadchoseme.com/africa-expedition-overview
[2] http://theroadchoseme.com/expedition-overview
I'm absolutely loving it. I will never go back to full time 9-5 5 days a week. At this point, I don't even consider it life.
Previously I drove Alaska to Argentina - 16 countries over 2 years and 40,000 miles. I also loved every second of that! [2]
[1] http://theroadchoseme.com/africa-expedition-overview
[2] http://theroadchoseme.com/expedition-overview
I agree, 9-5 isn't a life. But traveling 24/7 isn't a life either. We travel to get to a destination. When you make traveling a constant inecessity it just kills the joy within it. Seems like more of a symbol of indifference rather than actual character growth.
We (nomads) don’t travel to get to a destination - the travel itself is the destination
You and I both know that is misleading. Travel is the same whether you are in a moving plane or cramped fake one in a movie studio. It's the places. Perhaps the ones seen transiently through the train window while in motion. But how can you bottle up traveling into a static and repeatable phenomena??
Any idea what your Carbon footprint it? I've always been curious about this.
I have not figured it out, though I suspect it's lower than the average North American going to work every day.
I only drive about 60 miles on average per day. I have no electricity use. I don't buy "stuff" (clothes, TV, couch, furniture).
I only drive about 60 miles on average per day. I have no electricity use. I don't buy "stuff" (clothes, TV, couch, furniture).
This will give you an idea for flights: https://my.flightradar24.com/
Nice, glad it's working out for you! Just curious, you wrote that you funded the first expedition by saving from your salary, but how are you paying for the second?
The first trip was in 2009-2011. His second trip started in 2016. He must've put in some work inbetween. He's also monetised his traveling with books, partners etc.
More importantly though, from the info he posted, it shows he spends about $1200 a month traveling mostly through South-America. Which isn't too crazy, gdp per capita in the continent is about $450, Africa is even 'easier', in that the gdp per capita is about $150 a month. So he's often spending a multiplier (2-7x) of the national average on a minimalistic 'sleep 500 days of my 650 day trip in a tent' lifestyle. Keeping this number low is key to everything, if you don't have kids it's doable to save for such a lifestyle.
He does mention he worked along the way, really curious as to what kind of jobs he landed and if that meant he stayed in any one place for longer periods of time!
I've got a few friends here and there who've got a few hundred thousand in equity sitting in their home and modest savings. At a 5% annual return, one could spend $15k a year of their $300k investment and live such lifestyle in perpetuity.
More importantly though, from the info he posted, it shows he spends about $1200 a month traveling mostly through South-America. Which isn't too crazy, gdp per capita in the continent is about $450, Africa is even 'easier', in that the gdp per capita is about $150 a month. So he's often spending a multiplier (2-7x) of the national average on a minimalistic 'sleep 500 days of my 650 day trip in a tent' lifestyle. Keeping this number low is key to everything, if you don't have kids it's doable to save for such a lifestyle.
He does mention he worked along the way, really curious as to what kind of jobs he landed and if that meant he stayed in any one place for longer periods of time!
I've got a few friends here and there who've got a few hundred thousand in equity sitting in their home and modest savings. At a 5% annual return, one could spend $15k a year of their $300k investment and live such lifestyle in perpetuity.
The modified jeep alone was 50k or more.
Gas is 5k.
Gas is 5k.
He said gas was 7k and the jeep was 6k, for the trip he referred to as costing 27k.
The Africa trip is another jeep, the jeep itself didn't exist when he did his first 27k two year trip, and indeed he modified it a lot. Probably a lot more expensive but also not necessary. Where'd you find the 50k number?
The Africa trip is another jeep, the jeep itself didn't exist when he did his first 27k two year trip, and indeed he modified it a lot. Probably a lot more expensive but also not necessary. Where'd you find the 50k number?
A new Rubicon is 37k plus at least 10k of modifications.
My Jeep was not even close to 50k.
I bought it used for $22,500 CAD.
I bought it used for $22,500 CAD.
Yeah but your modifications alone gotta run at least 10k.
I have a van I'm modding out and a roof rack and reinforced bumper alone is 6k.
The point is you have income from somewhere that allows you to be carefree with your time and money.
It feels a little disingenuous when people say "I will never go back to full time 9-5 5 days a week."
Like it's a choice most people have.
It's like Donald Trump saying he's a great business man and you should take his advice...when he really inherited a ton of money.
This is all speculation on my part though and I really wish you the best no matter what your situation is.
Looks like an amazing trip! Stay safe!
I have a van I'm modding out and a roof rack and reinforced bumper alone is 6k.
The point is you have income from somewhere that allows you to be carefree with your time and money.
It feels a little disingenuous when people say "I will never go back to full time 9-5 5 days a week."
Like it's a choice most people have.
It's like Donald Trump saying he's a great business man and you should take his advice...when he really inherited a ton of money.
This is all speculation on my part though and I really wish you the best no matter what your situation is.
Looks like an amazing trip! Stay safe!
Sure, the modifications were around $10k, which means the total price was A LOT lower than $50k.
And no, I don't have "income from somewhere".
I worked a 9-5 for 5 years and saved every penny I could, now I'm living on those savings. Yes, I'm trying to earn some money on the road, and it's currently covering about 25% of my monthly expenses.
> It feels a little disingenuous when people say "I will never go back to full time 9-5 5 days a week." Like it's a choice most people have.
I think it's sad you think like that. It is a choice, if you want it to be. It's hard work, and requires changing around your priorities, but it absolutely is a choice. I have met hundreds and hundreds of people doing it [1], including families with kids, including people from every walk of life you can image.
[1] I'm interviewing interesting people I meet living on the road - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNiCe5roBX1gdbLoAclKw...
And no, I don't have "income from somewhere".
I worked a 9-5 for 5 years and saved every penny I could, now I'm living on those savings. Yes, I'm trying to earn some money on the road, and it's currently covering about 25% of my monthly expenses.
> It feels a little disingenuous when people say "I will never go back to full time 9-5 5 days a week." Like it's a choice most people have.
I think it's sad you think like that. It is a choice, if you want it to be. It's hard work, and requires changing around your priorities, but it absolutely is a choice. I have met hundreds and hundreds of people doing it [1], including families with kids, including people from every walk of life you can image.
[1] I'm interviewing interesting people I meet living on the road - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNiCe5roBX1gdbLoAclKw...
I worked a 9-5 for 5 years, saved every penny and now I'm living on that!
Thanks! I should definitively save more :)
Driving alone around in Africa is what you consider life? I know working 9-5 is not a good life. However working on something you love, in an environment with friends and family and fun, is a good life i.m.h.o. I always have the feeling nomads always need to shout of the roofs of "how much better their life is". However I do think, what you are doing is super cool. However seeing it as "this is the only life thats worth living" is a bit extreme.
> I always have the feeling nomads always need to shout of the roofs of "how much better their life is".
If you travel as a nomad and pass through places that serve as meeting points with nomads, you tend to find that while some blog their travels and recommend the lifestyle to everyone else, there are plenty of people quietly living the life, without any internet presence documenting it, and they might be very quiet and introverted people. It might be compared to vegetarianism/veganism, where some have the impression that “vegetarians/vegans always need to shout what they are doing”, but perhaps the majority of people with that diet are just quietly following it without making a big deal of it to others.
I’m a digital nomad, I work as translator. I’m currently traveling for the next several months in West Africa. I wouldn’t say that this life is any better than anyone else’s (I just know that it’s what works for me personally) and I’d consider it strange to try to advertise it to others who haven’t shown any inclination towards it. That said, if someone already feels wanderlust, then I’m always happy to give advice, as I have benefited greatly from that kind of travel skillsharing and I do my part to pay it forward.
If you travel as a nomad and pass through places that serve as meeting points with nomads, you tend to find that while some blog their travels and recommend the lifestyle to everyone else, there are plenty of people quietly living the life, without any internet presence documenting it, and they might be very quiet and introverted people. It might be compared to vegetarianism/veganism, where some have the impression that “vegetarians/vegans always need to shout what they are doing”, but perhaps the majority of people with that diet are just quietly following it without making a big deal of it to others.
I’m a digital nomad, I work as translator. I’m currently traveling for the next several months in West Africa. I wouldn’t say that this life is any better than anyone else’s (I just know that it’s what works for me personally) and I’d consider it strange to try to advertise it to others who haven’t shown any inclination towards it. That said, if someone already feels wanderlust, then I’m always happy to give advice, as I have benefited greatly from that kind of travel skillsharing and I do my part to pay it forward.
Thanks for your story. It's tough to avoid the tendency to assume the more visible individuals are representative of the group. But as you note, that usually isn't the case, so we should try to avoid doing so.
Honestly, it sounds more like just an advertisement for their "lifestyle blog". Just like everyone and their mother is vegan now, and has to make sure you know it every second of the day.
I've been quietly doing it for about 8 years and have met many others like that, but you aren't completely wrong. About 3 years ago I tried to become more of a part of the "digital nomad community" and found it to be full of hucksters.
"Look I'm worldly - I'm traveling the world!"
"Look, I'm a founder! I put a web app up!"
"Sign up for my newletter, my blog, my instagram, my X, Y, Z so you can find out how to make the same ad revenue I do, off of people just like you! You don't have to be you forever..you can take advantage of the yous and become one of the mes!"
/s
"Look, I'm a founder! I put a web app up!"
"Sign up for my newletter, my blog, my instagram, my X, Y, Z so you can find out how to make the same ad revenue I do, off of people just like you! You don't have to be you forever..you can take advantage of the yous and become one of the mes!"
/s
Not sure if you're trying to instigate, but I agree that there is just too much marketing noise, and I wish everyone would just shut up.
“Come on try it”
“No thank you”
“Oh it’s really good just try a bite”
“No im alright thank you”
“Really!? Just a bite”
.. sometimes telling people you’re vegan can help avoid awkward situations like when a friend got some cake they wanted to share.
.. sometimes telling people you’re vegan can help avoid awkward situations like when a friend got some cake they wanted to share.
I'm not talking about becoming a situational mute. But you already knew that. Why does HN have so many pedantic instigators?
I took 6 months sabbatical to backpack. And after the 5th month I was ready to go back home and live a more stable, quiet life. Being a nomad is not for everyone. It wasn't for me.
I like to get away from the everyday annoyances back in the UK (of which there are many) but...
When I have been in another place for a few months the differences I initially find refreshing soon melt away and I find some other stuff to get annoyed about.
In a way, it's great to know the grass is not always greener elsewhere and to accept that, yes, being a nomad doesn't suit everyone.
When I have been in another place for a few months the differences I initially find refreshing soon melt away and I find some other stuff to get annoyed about.
In a way, it's great to know the grass is not always greener elsewhere and to accept that, yes, being a nomad doesn't suit everyone.
It isn’t either or: you don’t need to work 9-5 in order to have a family and friends, the only alternative being driving through Africa. He just said 9-5 isn’t life and I think he is right. I work 9-5 and now that I am a father I will beging cut down work. I find it a lot more rewarding to see my daughter starting to crawl than building some software for someone.
If you don't mind me asking, how will you cut down work? Is your employer willing to just reduce your hours, or do you have other plan?
I don't plan on cutting back yet, but I'd like to know for the future, since I've never actually met a career professional doing so.
I don't plan on cutting back yet, but I'd like to know for the future, since I've never actually met a career professional doing so.
It looks like mosselman lives in the Netherlands. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15497755 . You are in Portugal (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8029643 ), which also has paternity leave. One difference, according to http://www.theportugalnews.com/news/portugal-among-best-for-... , is that:
> Portugal is the member state with the fifth longest period of paternity leave, with a potential of 21 weeks to care for their newborns. However, this report paints a different picture when it comes to the division of domestic chores. Here, Portugal joins Estonia, India, Japan, Mexico, South Korea and Turkey as among the countries where women put in three times more time on such tasks than their male counterparts.
That sounds in Portugal fathers are more expected to work/be a career man, and mothers stay home, than in the Netherlands.
> Portugal is the member state with the fifth longest period of paternity leave, with a potential of 21 weeks to care for their newborns. However, this report paints a different picture when it comes to the division of domestic chores. Here, Portugal joins Estonia, India, Japan, Mexico, South Korea and Turkey as among the countries where women put in three times more time on such tasks than their male counterparts.
That sounds in Portugal fathers are more expected to work/be a career man, and mothers stay home, than in the Netherlands.
Nah, we're too poor for that: before the crisis, 87% of women between 25-to-44 had a job here (now they're just unemployed, not voluntarily staying-at-home).
They do most of the chores despite having jobs. We're a very patriarchal society still.
They do most of the chores despite having jobs. We're a very patriarchal society still.
Point taken.
That answers your own question, does it not? That is, fathers don't take time off to spend more time with their babies because they are too poor to risk losing that job?
(This assumes that men tend to be paid more than women.)
That answers your own question, does it not? That is, fathers don't take time off to spend more time with their babies because they are too poor to risk losing that job?
(This assumes that men tend to be paid more than women.)
Fair enough, but I do know some (though not many) middle-class people who could afford it.
We don't know if mosselman is exceptional or typical of Dutch fathers.
That is, if only 10% take time off, and you only know 5 middle-class people who could afford it, then odds are that even at the Dutch level you wouldn't know anyone who does that.
I suppose it's possi ... okay, that was too easy. A search for "how many Dutch fathers parental leave" comes up with http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2015/06/just-one-in-fo... which says "Just one in four Dutch fathers takes parental leave".
That is, if only 10% take time off, and you only know 5 middle-class people who could afford it, then odds are that even at the Dutch level you wouldn't know anyone who does that.
I suppose it's possi ... okay, that was too easy. A search for "how many Dutch fathers parental leave" comes up with http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2015/06/just-one-in-fo... which says "Just one in four Dutch fathers takes parental leave".
Not sure how this conversation went into parental leave - I actually know fathers who've taken that :) But that's just a month or so. I was talking about working fewer hours (rather than stopping altogether) on a longer-term basis. I find that much harder to achieve than taking a leave, which is similar to regular vacations, which companies are used to handle.
I did consulting work for a Swedish company. They have very generous parental leave policies, including people who were on 50% time for a year.
I also read that in some of the European countries (I'm from the US) there is a right to part-time employment while on leave. I figured that mosselman was from one of those countries.
Searching now I found http://cepr.net/documents/publications/parental_2008_09.pdf from 10 years ago which says:
> Of the 21 countries studied here, ten allow parental leave to be taken on a part-time basis: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden. Portugal is notable in that it gives parents an incentive to choose part-time over full-time leave: parents have three months of full-time parental leave or 12 months of part-time leave.
Based on mosselman's followup, my guess was correct.
I also read that in some of the European countries (I'm from the US) there is a right to part-time employment while on leave. I figured that mosselman was from one of those countries.
Searching now I found http://cepr.net/documents/publications/parental_2008_09.pdf from 10 years ago which says:
> Of the 21 countries studied here, ten allow parental leave to be taken on a part-time basis: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden. Portugal is notable in that it gives parents an incentive to choose part-time over full-time leave: parents have three months of full-time parental leave or 12 months of part-time leave.
Based on mosselman's followup, my guess was correct.
Thanks for the link! I had no idea our law allowed for that!
Haha I am not sure in which branch of the discussion to respond, so I will do so here. I am from the Netherlands yes and we can have 26 times our employed hours 26 times full time for me) per child to be spent before they are 8, unpaid. You can use all those hours at once, or spread them out. I will do the latter and have 1 paternal day a week the coming 2,5 years. Looking forward to it as well. Yes I am lucky enough to be able to handle the income decrease.
Be good at what you do. Do it in half the time. Work from home so no one complains that you're getting all of the work done in half the time (people will complain about everything). Of course, you have to find a position that isn't a sweatshop to begin with for this to work. Small businesses--not startups--can be good places to practice this.
> However seeing it as "this is the only life thats worth living" is a bit extreme.
I didn't say it was for everyone, I just said it is for me.
I have lived both lives, and I know what I like and don't like. I'm certain I am the most qualified person to decided what kind of life is right for me.
I didn't say it was for everyone, I just said it is for me.
I have lived both lives, and I know what I like and don't like. I'm certain I am the most qualified person to decided what kind of life is right for me.
You have to find you "only Life thats worth living". If you say it'd be a 9-5 life the joke is on you.
Cool. What kind of work do you do on the road? Also, if you don’t mind (ball parking is fine), what do you make and what are your expenses?
Love what you're doing but I've always thought of your site as more of a "Lifestyle Porn" niche. Similar in a way to the money moustache guy who retired really early. Most people aren't going to actually try for the lifestyle since chances are it wouldn't work for them (or they won't work for it) but love the idea of hacking life so you can get away from the 9-5.
Do you know how the Money Moustache guy retired early? I always felt something off about his blog. Some good posts for sure in isolation but as a whole it never felt right. Now it makes sense. I and most others don't have the luxury of retiring early (yet ;))
He advocates for prioritizing your health, do cool free stuff instead of cool non free stuff and do not be too materialistic. The more you read, the more you understand this is not even about saving or retiring early.
He retired early by having a high (but not sky high) income and saving like 50-70% of it.
Nothing he did is unbelievable, you can't apply everything but you can apply a lot and it really gives benefits, no matter if your goal is to retire early or not.
Plus he doesn't sell anything and doesn't fool anyone to earn money. :)
He retired early by having a high (but not sky high) income and saving like 50-70% of it.
Nothing he did is unbelievable, you can't apply everything but you can apply a lot and it really gives benefits, no matter if your goal is to retire early or not.
Plus he doesn't sell anything and doesn't fool anyone to earn money. :)
Wasn't the whole Money Moustache thing based on the fact that he and his wife had both a good income to start with?
I read many things in that direction.
"I made millions with real estate! I simply bought a flat, refurbished it and then either became a landlord or sold it for much more money! It's so simple even you can do it. I started with getting like 50000€ after an car accident..."
"I retired with 40 and you can do it to, you just need a job that makes you 100k a year..."
I read many things in that direction.
"I made millions with real estate! I simply bought a flat, refurbished it and then either became a landlord or sold it for much more money! It's so simple even you can do it. I started with getting like 50000€ after an car accident..."
"I retired with 40 and you can do it to, you just need a job that makes you 100k a year..."
I think he has an article that covers his finances from when he started working to when he retired. The short answer is double tech incomes and very limited spending. If your household is pulling 250k and living off 25k a year it makes retirement a lot more attainable.
Good for you! You've clearly found a style of life that suits you very well, and that's something worth cherishing.
But the nomad style isn't for everyone, and its challenges are as unusual as everything else about it. Since Hacker News is at least tangential to those sections of the tech entrepreneur thoughtsphere where nomadism is extolled as the best and only thing, I think this is a conversation worth having here.
But the nomad style isn't for everyone, and its challenges are as unusual as everything else about it. Since Hacker News is at least tangential to those sections of the tech entrepreneur thoughtsphere where nomadism is extolled as the best and only thing, I think this is a conversation worth having here.
Opened your site on mobile and first thing presented to me where 2 products on Amazon affiliate (a torch and mug) and no content nearby. Your lifestyle blog lost me there.
At one point I was tempted to try buying a boat and becoming a sea gypsy, problem is boats are expensive holes in water that you pour more money into.
I also have the problem that my hobby-job revolves around making and tinkering with electronics, Tesla coils, radios machines etc. I would simply get bored without access to a well equipped electronics lab and mechanical workshop. So until I can afford a super yacht it is 9 - 5 for me.
I also have the problem that my hobby-job revolves around making and tinkering with electronics, Tesla coils, radios machines etc. I would simply get bored without access to a well equipped electronics lab and mechanical workshop. So until I can afford a super yacht it is 9 - 5 for me.
> "I would simply get bored without access to a well equipped electronics lab and mechanical workshop."
Could you not just use hackerspaces wherever you went? Also, if that's your hobby, why not live somewhere with great electronics markets? Living on a boat that could sail in and around the East China Sea (Shenzhen, Hong Kong, Seoul, Taipei, Tokyo, etc...) seems like it could be fun.
Could you not just use hackerspaces wherever you went? Also, if that's your hobby, why not live somewhere with great electronics markets? Living on a boat that could sail in and around the East China Sea (Shenzhen, Hong Kong, Seoul, Taipei, Tokyo, etc...) seems like it could be fun.
Doesn't Simone Giertz do this? Maybe you should look into her.
How do you afford this?
I was hoping to find out what a "magnitude 8" burnout actually looks like, but I didn't get it from this article.
What made his mentor ask if he was okay? What does low energy mean for this guy? What came between the realization and the recovery?
For me it was burying myself in social media, reading books, and binging pirated TV shows. I had a pattern of beating myself up internally for not going out and making friends, taking on or finishing projects, or even doing basic tasks like laundry and cooking. When the voice of self abuse started - usually the moment after my partner left the room, but sometimes even before that - I'd whip out my phone instantly to quieten it. Many days I'd sit at the kitchen table for five or six hours, scrolling feeds and watching shows, waiting for my partner to come home and give me enough motivation to pretend to be human for a while.
I kept thinking, how can I be stressed? All I'm doing is sitting in the kitchen. There's no stress here.
But I was living in someone else's house in a country where I had few friends and didn't speak the language. I had just started a new, remote job which was mentally demanding, and had no one, not even co-workers, to talk to about it. I stopped stopped doing my two healthiest activities - writing and cycling - except on rare occasions.
I got to the point where I left the relationship, and went home- though I didn't want to- because I couldn't recognize myself at all anymore and didn't know how to get back to myself except by returning to the last place where I felt like a human. I'm two months into recovery now and have only just gotten to the point where I can sleep through the night, sometimes.
That's what it looked like for me. Hope it helps someone else realize what that feeling is. It took me way too long to recognize it, and by then it was too late.
What made his mentor ask if he was okay? What does low energy mean for this guy? What came between the realization and the recovery?
For me it was burying myself in social media, reading books, and binging pirated TV shows. I had a pattern of beating myself up internally for not going out and making friends, taking on or finishing projects, or even doing basic tasks like laundry and cooking. When the voice of self abuse started - usually the moment after my partner left the room, but sometimes even before that - I'd whip out my phone instantly to quieten it. Many days I'd sit at the kitchen table for five or six hours, scrolling feeds and watching shows, waiting for my partner to come home and give me enough motivation to pretend to be human for a while.
I kept thinking, how can I be stressed? All I'm doing is sitting in the kitchen. There's no stress here.
But I was living in someone else's house in a country where I had few friends and didn't speak the language. I had just started a new, remote job which was mentally demanding, and had no one, not even co-workers, to talk to about it. I stopped stopped doing my two healthiest activities - writing and cycling - except on rare occasions.
I got to the point where I left the relationship, and went home- though I didn't want to- because I couldn't recognize myself at all anymore and didn't know how to get back to myself except by returning to the last place where I felt like a human. I'm two months into recovery now and have only just gotten to the point where I can sleep through the night, sometimes.
That's what it looked like for me. Hope it helps someone else realize what that feeling is. It took me way too long to recognize it, and by then it was too late.
I went backpacking for 3 months a while back, in the developing world and while the freedom is exhilirating, it does get boring and lonely from time to time.
It’s easy to make friends while traveling, but they are very surface level friendships and when you inevitably split up and go your separate ways, it’s sort of heartbreaking because you’re alone and have to start over again.
Not to mention that you’re essentially homeless, which has its own nagging feeling of insecurity.
Long term travel definitely worth doing, but I’m not sure I would want to do it again.
It’s easy to make friends while traveling, but they are very surface level friendships and when you inevitably split up and go your separate ways, it’s sort of heartbreaking because you’re alone and have to start over again.
Not to mention that you’re essentially homeless, which has its own nagging feeling of insecurity.
Long term travel definitely worth doing, but I’m not sure I would want to do it again.
Yeah, I'm the same. I'm glad I did the backpacking thing but it starts to do my head in after a while. I need my own "home base". Maybe with a big enough RV it'd be OK.
I've been a nomad for almost 2 years now changing countries often (about 10 different ones) while working remotely for various companies with a dependent spouse and practically no savings.
It's stressful because changing countries always turns out to be a lot more expensive than it seems, also changing companies as well is difficult; it's mostly contracting so sometimes they don't pay on time. Remote work is also draining because the boundary between your work and personal life is blurred.
Also, one time I had to leave a hotel without checking out because I knew that I couldn't afford the bill on a Sunday because my international payment was delayed and due to arrive during business hours on Monday; I had to check out over the phone the next day. The worst part was that in the process the client I was working for probably figured out that I was broke.
You need a really high income in order to do it and ideally if you have partner they should be able to find remote work as well (it's not always possible depending on the profession).
After 1 year, it's really not fun at all but I guess it builds your character; it pushes you to the edge of your abilities and gives you confidence that you can survive anything in any environment. Initially I did it because I wanted to travel but eventually it just became an effective career-optimization strategy. If you're willing to relocate absolutely anywhere, a lot of opportunities open up to you and you become better at identifying good ones.
It's stressful because changing countries always turns out to be a lot more expensive than it seems, also changing companies as well is difficult; it's mostly contracting so sometimes they don't pay on time. Remote work is also draining because the boundary between your work and personal life is blurred.
Also, one time I had to leave a hotel without checking out because I knew that I couldn't afford the bill on a Sunday because my international payment was delayed and due to arrive during business hours on Monday; I had to check out over the phone the next day. The worst part was that in the process the client I was working for probably figured out that I was broke.
You need a really high income in order to do it and ideally if you have partner they should be able to find remote work as well (it's not always possible depending on the profession).
After 1 year, it's really not fun at all but I guess it builds your character; it pushes you to the edge of your abilities and gives you confidence that you can survive anything in any environment. Initially I did it because I wanted to travel but eventually it just became an effective career-optimization strategy. If you're willing to relocate absolutely anywhere, a lot of opportunities open up to you and you become better at identifying good ones.
Do you mind sharing more about how being nomad helps your job hunting? Do you spend time on-site with clients? Do you interview with local clients, then take the job with you?
First of all, if you move often and apply to jobs in various countries, some recruiters take note of that; they probably assign you a flag in their system that says that you're 'willing to relocate' so you often get offers for lucrative overseas contracts sometimes in low-tax (or no-tax) jurisdictions like Gibraltar, Dubai...
Another benefit is that if you see a company you like, you know that you can just go work for them at their HQ wherever they might be. Really good companies are often the ones which attract talent from all over the world. If other talented people are prepared to fly half-way across the world and leave behind all their friends and families on a short notice to work for a company, then you know that this company is almost certainly doing something special.
Another benefit is that if you see a company you like, you know that you can just go work for them at their HQ wherever they might be. Really good companies are often the ones which attract talent from all over the world. If other talented people are prepared to fly half-way across the world and leave behind all their friends and families on a short notice to work for a company, then you know that this company is almost certainly doing something special.
Not to be rude, but moving once a month seems crazy to me.
I thought that most countries give a six month visa. I would think that it would take me a couple of weeks to get settled: finding a place to stay, getting used to foraging for food and getting used to new types of food. Arranging good Internet connectivity. Also, moving every month would be expensive.
EDIT: also, staying places 4-6 months would provide more opportunity for longer lasting friendships.
I thought that most countries give a six month visa. I would think that it would take me a couple of weeks to get settled: finding a place to stay, getting used to foraging for food and getting used to new types of food. Arranging good Internet connectivity. Also, moving every month would be expensive.
EDIT: also, staying places 4-6 months would provide more opportunity for longer lasting friendships.
Agreed. Most nomad forums are full of visa extending tips.
The greatest benefit to being a nomad is moving when you want, and where you want.
The greatest benefit to being a nomad is moving when you want, and where you want.
There are almost no countries, that allow tourist visa for six months. Work visa usually requires a local sponsor. World is not adapted to idea of nomadism.
The Philippines allows you to extend up to a year (longer if you jump through some hoops). That's multiple extensions, but you don't have to leave the country until you approach the 1 year point. After that, you can come right back.
IMHO, there's a big difference between (a) working as a "digital nomad" and (b) trying to make an income while vacationing all over the place. I have had great success with the former, which allows you to save money with longer stays in each location. The latter means you're wasting more time moving (both planning your next move and physically traveling), are paying tourist rates often (for everything).
I love the nomad lifestyle, in the US being a nomad was easy especially if you have a big vehicle (I had a bus) because once you pass the suspect screens that the police implement to get a green light in their system you are no longer harassed. Here in South America it is different most foreigners are treated very well backpacking or with a vehicle, if you know the language and present yourself well. It is very hard to be broken if you have all your wits, desire, motivation and determination, a person can go indefinitely with a laptop and a backpack without ever stopping or until you complicate it.
What part of south america are you in, if you don't mind me asking? I'm living in south america and I'm worried about the lack of safety drug cartels cause, making me travel less often than I'd like.
I would never hire anyone that “works” like this. This all reeks of bullshit, the whole working nomad lifestyle. I know people that do it. Their definition of work and mine are very different.
Former full Digital Nomad and current sporadic Digital Nomad here (37 countries so far).
First time I "went rogue" and left everything behind was more a rejection and "overdose" of normality. Repeating the same day over and over and little to no variation beside the name of the source code file.
I didn't know what I was doing, but I became good at it quickly enough.
> Nomadic life is hugely variable and it’s difficult to see patterns emerging.
That's his issue. The patterns are important too. You don't press the reset button everytime you move. It sucks, but a new city is just another city. A country side Airbnb is just another one, a language barrier is just another one. It removes some of the "explorator" fun, but you have to treat this as a cycle.
Another tip I learn the hard way, but early enough, was not to plan ahead. Murphy laws is part of the fun. You have to be more flexible than randomness itself. Not knowing what's ahead remove the stress about the future. The 70's punks might have been on something after all. With smartphone, you can book [planes/hotels/buses] last minute and get discounts. Not as big as planing months ahead, but enough to keep going (compared to full tourist rate).
Be yourself (for whatever that means). Don't try to follow a recipe for success or happyness. Freedom is about not following a path. That alone is the most rewarding aspect.
Also, "it's just a job" is important to accept. It's a job to and for yourself. The Nomad is your "job", not yourself. It's better to take a step back and just float above it all. If you take the Nomad thing too seriously and use it to define yourself, you are doomed.
One last thing thing that has to go is any sense of pride or ideological ideals about the whole Nomad thing. If you see it more about a meta joke about not liking normality, not knowing how to fix it, but trying nevertheless, then you will be fine.
https://xkcd.com/137/
First time I "went rogue" and left everything behind was more a rejection and "overdose" of normality. Repeating the same day over and over and little to no variation beside the name of the source code file.
I didn't know what I was doing, but I became good at it quickly enough.
> Nomadic life is hugely variable and it’s difficult to see patterns emerging.
That's his issue. The patterns are important too. You don't press the reset button everytime you move. It sucks, but a new city is just another city. A country side Airbnb is just another one, a language barrier is just another one. It removes some of the "explorator" fun, but you have to treat this as a cycle.
Another tip I learn the hard way, but early enough, was not to plan ahead. Murphy laws is part of the fun. You have to be more flexible than randomness itself. Not knowing what's ahead remove the stress about the future. The 70's punks might have been on something after all. With smartphone, you can book [planes/hotels/buses] last minute and get discounts. Not as big as planing months ahead, but enough to keep going (compared to full tourist rate).
Be yourself (for whatever that means). Don't try to follow a recipe for success or happyness. Freedom is about not following a path. That alone is the most rewarding aspect.
Also, "it's just a job" is important to accept. It's a job to and for yourself. The Nomad is your "job", not yourself. It's better to take a step back and just float above it all. If you take the Nomad thing too seriously and use it to define yourself, you are doomed.
One last thing thing that has to go is any sense of pride or ideological ideals about the whole Nomad thing. If you see it more about a meta joke about not liking normality, not knowing how to fix it, but trying nevertheless, then you will be fine.
https://xkcd.com/137/
How do digital nomads deal with paying income taxes (assuming they are programming or freelancing along the way)?
If you spend more than 6 month outside of your home base country, it gets complicated. I did that once and wont do it again.
This year I only spent ~2 months on the road so there is no problems. From now on, that probably will be the way to go. A real home base all year long with a big (or 2) big Digital Nomad trips. Being "homeless" and full Nomad is a little too much (unless you got a VR or something, but that restrict you to North/South America)
You also have to take into account who pay the value added taxes, that's the complicated part. When in Canada, depending on the province, one of the tax is paid by the customer and I charge the customer the other one. When clients are outside of the country, but I am legally working from Canada, then it's export and it's their problem. Some there is a lot of gotcha and product categories and trade deals. Thankfully I only work in a single field, so I don't have to learn them all.
This year I only spent ~2 months on the road so there is no problems. From now on, that probably will be the way to go. A real home base all year long with a big (or 2) big Digital Nomad trips. Being "homeless" and full Nomad is a little too much (unless you got a VR or something, but that restrict you to North/South America)
You also have to take into account who pay the value added taxes, that's the complicated part. When in Canada, depending on the province, one of the tax is paid by the customer and I charge the customer the other one. When clients are outside of the country, but I am legally working from Canada, then it's export and it's their problem. Some there is a lot of gotcha and product categories and trade deals. Thankfully I only work in a single field, so I don't have to learn them all.
Could someone please post the text of the article? I find it challenging to read this site...
Why does this matter?
Growing numbers of people are leaving their homes to pursue a nomadic life. Exotic Instagram posts betray the challenging reality of travelling while working. We need an honest discussion about staying physically and mentally healthy while chasing our ambitions across the globe.
TL;DR —The upshot
Going nomad changes the rules and you need to look after yourself differently and more. Nomads need to talk about their mental health experiences and smash the stigma.
So you think you can skate?
By January 2017 I knew I was going to do it. I’d spent the past five years dreaming about travelling with a mission. I was about to launch a new impact-driven business. Money in the bank. No attachments. This was it. Time to hit the road.
By May I was bounding up and down the hills of Lisbon in Portugal. Sun shining and smile beaming I was in my element. I’d been practicing for this; blending work and play on short trips to ten countries in 2016.
Fast forward seven countries in seven months and I’m writing this from a courtyard in Bogotá, Colombia. Smiling again but with a very different view of myself and newfound empathy for people suffering from stress and anxiety issues.
I’m somewhere on the long slow road of recovery from a major burnout. I’d had burnouts before. I was even proud of them. They were battle scars from working my ass off for years.
Figure skaters in training are taught to ‘skate to fall’; pushing the angles so far that they crash out. It’s how they learn their limits. I thought I’d learnt mine and I wasn’t scared of falling.
It took me months to realise that this burnout was a different order of magnitude to those I’d experienced before. Adopting a nomadic lifestyle had changed the laws of physics and I was an amateur skater again. Except I didn’t know it.
Everything’s fine
The term ‘burn out’ is dangerously misleading. It suggests visible fire and smoke. In reality the Big Bang when you realise the situation you’re in comes much too late. Burning out is like being the proverbial lobster in hot water. As the temperature rises your self-awareness and ability to save yourself erodes.
Physically my experience of burnout meant poor quality sleep, rock bottom energy levels and leaning progressively on stimulants like coffee, sugar and alcohol. Which of course exacerbated the psychological swings between elated hyper-motivation and crushing depression, punctuated by anxiety.
In retrospect these were huge red flags. But I didn’t spot them for three reasons:
Burnt out
I’d just finished a business meeting with a person I consider a role model. After taking a long pause to examine me he simply asked “but seriously, are you ok?” Suddenly the charade of my self deception became glaringly obvious. He could see what I was ignoring: I was a wreck. It hit me like a ten foot wave.
In the following weeks whatever effects I’d been managing to suppress rushed in. I could no longer recognise myself. I’m known as the happiest, most energetic person in the room. Cool under pressure. Always up for a laugh. That’s who I am. Who I know myself to be. So who the hell was this guy?
Rewriting the formula
My formula of the past had never really let me down: Eat properly. Get enough sleep. Exercise regularly. Have some fun. Work hard. Success follows.
It’s a great formula. Why wasn’t it working?
It turns out there’s a bunch of things I was taking for granted in ‘normal’ life that are really important to any person’s psychological wellbeing. They’re the fundamental constants which we tend to forget about because they’re always there. But change them just a little bit and all our calculations are thrown out.
Not having a fixed location disrupts the bottom three layers of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.
The old formula works as long as you have a stable home and income with close friends or relatives around you. Expecting it to work without those things is like trying to circumnavigate the globe with a map drawn by the Flat Earth Society.
Nomads need a new formula for staying happy and healthy across cities and countries. It’s something we need to develop from the sum of our experiences, but here’s what’s keeping me sane.
What’s keeping me sane
I’m hardly an expert on occupational burnout but here’s what’s working for me. Doing the following consistently seems to counteract the stresses of life on the road:
Doubling down on the basics
The absolute baseline has been doubling my attention to the fundamentals of eating well, getting enough sleep, exercising regularly and allowing myself downtime.
Deep connection with family and friends
I’ve had to get over the male ego complex and force myself to talk about feelings and emotions regularly. Phone calls suck but they’re better than nothing. New friends are poor substitutes for longstanding relationships.
Practising creativity in any form
When I have a home I play guitar and DJ on vinyl turntables. Unfortunately this stuff doesn’t fit in a backpack. Instead I‘m doing things that don’t need any special kit: singing, writing, and curating a street art blog on Insta.
Disconnected time for reflection
Taking a moment to just be conscious of what’s happening in my life and how I’m feeling has been crucial. I’ve banned myself from reading the news or answering emails on my phone during breakfast to create space to reflect.
Time to quit?
So here I am in Bogotá. In recovery mode but still on the road and growing. I’m unsure whether it’s the promise of unexplored lands or the dread of confinement to one place that’s driving me. But it’s definitely not time to quit. This is just the beginning.
In 7 short months I’ve met more than 500 people working to make the world a better place through technology and entrepreneurship. I’ve hiked 100km+ over mountains and through jungles. I’ve made friends from all over the world and learnt so much about their cultures.
The incredibly rich experiences nomads have, both at work and play, makes nomadism a cause worth fighting for. It’s time to have the essential conversation about the physical and mental health of people living as nomads. Let’s start it together.
Peace and love️ global adventurers
Growing numbers of people are leaving their homes to pursue a nomadic life. Exotic Instagram posts betray the challenging reality of travelling while working. We need an honest discussion about staying physically and mentally healthy while chasing our ambitions across the globe.
TL;DR —The upshot
Going nomad changes the rules and you need to look after yourself differently and more. Nomads need to talk about their mental health experiences and smash the stigma.
So you think you can skate?
By January 2017 I knew I was going to do it. I’d spent the past five years dreaming about travelling with a mission. I was about to launch a new impact-driven business. Money in the bank. No attachments. This was it. Time to hit the road.
By May I was bounding up and down the hills of Lisbon in Portugal. Sun shining and smile beaming I was in my element. I’d been practicing for this; blending work and play on short trips to ten countries in 2016.
Fast forward seven countries in seven months and I’m writing this from a courtyard in Bogotá, Colombia. Smiling again but with a very different view of myself and newfound empathy for people suffering from stress and anxiety issues.
I’m somewhere on the long slow road of recovery from a major burnout. I’d had burnouts before. I was even proud of them. They were battle scars from working my ass off for years.
Figure skaters in training are taught to ‘skate to fall’; pushing the angles so far that they crash out. It’s how they learn their limits. I thought I’d learnt mine and I wasn’t scared of falling.
It took me months to realise that this burnout was a different order of magnitude to those I’d experienced before. Adopting a nomadic lifestyle had changed the laws of physics and I was an amateur skater again. Except I didn’t know it.
Everything’s fine
The term ‘burn out’ is dangerously misleading. It suggests visible fire and smoke. In reality the Big Bang when you realise the situation you’re in comes much too late. Burning out is like being the proverbial lobster in hot water. As the temperature rises your self-awareness and ability to save yourself erodes.
Physically my experience of burnout meant poor quality sleep, rock bottom energy levels and leaning progressively on stimulants like coffee, sugar and alcohol. Which of course exacerbated the psychological swings between elated hyper-motivation and crushing depression, punctuated by anxiety.
In retrospect these were huge red flags. But I didn’t spot them for three reasons:
Nomadic life is hugely variable and it’s difficult to see patterns emerging.
The experience isn’t constant but cyclical, the cycles increasing in frequency and intensity over time.
I didn’t have anyone around me close enough to recognise the difference between Settled Sam and Nomad Sam.
Burnt out
I’d just finished a business meeting with a person I consider a role model. After taking a long pause to examine me he simply asked “but seriously, are you ok?” Suddenly the charade of my self deception became glaringly obvious. He could see what I was ignoring: I was a wreck. It hit me like a ten foot wave.
In the following weeks whatever effects I’d been managing to suppress rushed in. I could no longer recognise myself. I’m known as the happiest, most energetic person in the room. Cool under pressure. Always up for a laugh. That’s who I am. Who I know myself to be. So who the hell was this guy?
Rewriting the formula
My formula of the past had never really let me down: Eat properly. Get enough sleep. Exercise regularly. Have some fun. Work hard. Success follows.
It’s a great formula. Why wasn’t it working?
It turns out there’s a bunch of things I was taking for granted in ‘normal’ life that are really important to any person’s psychological wellbeing. They’re the fundamental constants which we tend to forget about because they’re always there. But change them just a little bit and all our calculations are thrown out.
Eat properly + sleep enough+ exercise regularly + have fun + work hard ≠ success as a nomad
Not having a fixed location disrupts the bottom three layers of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.
The old formula works as long as you have a stable home and income with close friends or relatives around you. Expecting it to work without those things is like trying to circumnavigate the globe with a map drawn by the Flat Earth Society.
Nomads need a new formula for staying happy and healthy across cities and countries. It’s something we need to develop from the sum of our experiences, but here’s what’s keeping me sane.
What’s keeping me sane
I’m hardly an expert on occupational burnout but here’s what’s working for me. Doing the following consistently seems to counteract the stresses of life on the road:
Doubling down on the basics
The absolute baseline has been doubling my attention to the fundamentals of eating well, getting enough sleep, exercising regularly and allowing myself downtime.
Deep connection with family and friends
I’ve had to get over the male ego complex and force myself to talk about feelings and emotions regularly. Phone calls suck but they’re better than nothing. New friends are poor substitutes for longstanding relationships.
Practising creativity in any form
When I have a home I play guitar and DJ on vinyl turntables. Unfortunately this stuff doesn’t fit in a backpack. Instead I‘m doing things that don’t need any special kit: singing, writing, and curating a street art blog on Insta.
Disconnected time for reflection
Taking a moment to just be conscious of what’s happening in my life and how I’m feeling has been crucial. I’ve banned myself from reading the news or answering emails on my phone during breakfast to create space to reflect.
Time to quit?
So here I am in Bogotá. In recovery mode but still on the road and growing. I’m unsure whether it’s the promise of unexplored lands or the dread of confinement to one place that’s driving me. But it’s definitely not time to quit. This is just the beginning.
In 7 short months I’ve met more than 500 people working to make the world a better place through technology and entrepreneurship. I’ve hiked 100km+ over mountains and through jungles. I’ve made friends from all over the world and learnt so much about their cultures.
The incredibly rich experiences nomads have, both at work and play, makes nomadism a cause worth fighting for. It’s time to have the essential conversation about the physical and mental health of people living as nomads. Let’s start it together.
Peace and love️ global adventurers