Dec-2016
Living a nomadic lifestyle
Life as a nomad
A nomadic lifestyle gives you a lot, but just as in relationships it’s about giving and taking. Traveling for weeks, months or for a lifetime isn’t only about relaxing on tropical beaches with an ice cold beer in your hand. It might seem like paradise to some of us, but it will mean a frustrating life to others. Here are some of the characteristics of a nomadic lifestyle.
The characteristic of a nomadic lifestyle
Money
Let’s start with the fact that you need (some) money to keep on being a nomad. To keep on moving you need to cut expenses which allows you to actually keep on traveling. If you don’t do that than chances are you get stuck somewhere where you don’t want to be that long.
Travel is never a matter of money but of courage”
It’s important to find a decent place to stay for a budget price. Every time you don’t it means that you will have to eat cheaper for a few days to manage your budget. You’d be amazed to see with how simple things one manages to survive. It’s really not necessary to have 3 big meals a day, but for example some fruits for lunch can already satisfy your hunger.
Change
The life of a nomad exists out of change – constant change. You change location, the clothes you own and even friends. As a nomad you probably have a place you call home, but most likely it isn’t really where you literally want to be. It is where you family or friends live and you don’t mind spending two weeks a year there. Your ‘real’ home changes from a hotel-room to an apartment and keeps on changing. Home is where you are right now and it that comfort zone might be somewhere else tomorrow.
Belongings
Nomads travel light. You must be a minimalist if you’re a nomad, otherwise your luggage would be too heavy to carry everywhere with you. You carry with you what you need and everything that loses its function you get rid off quickly. Maybe you’re even living with items that aren’t really yours. If you’re renting a fully equipped apartment that your home exists of items from others. You can’t decorate and things such as souvenirs lose their value since you can’t place them anywhere. T-shirts as souvenirs are most common among nomads.
Your bag is your home”
Friends
That fun group of friends from back home won’t follow you everywhere. Nor do the friends you make in abroad. Well, perhaps some of them do for a while, but not indefinite. As a nomad friends change. You will always have some friends back home who will always be your friends, but along the way you’ll meet people you get close with and end up never seeing again. Thankfully we have Social Media such as Facebook nowadays which makes it a lot easier to stay in touch with others.
Sports
If you’re not the kind of person who enjoys going for a run than sports might be out of your reach as a nomad. Traveling around doesn’t give you the time to take a subscription to a local gym or any other sports club. You’ll probably have to forget about doing your favorite sport. Unless you can practice it at your hotel room, like yoga, than you can do your thing anywhere. Personally, I miss my weekly boxing lessons.
Music
Maybe it doesn’t seem very important, but I have noticed the feeling of if they would only be playing that music at several locations. Partying to your favorite music becomes harder too as you might not find it playing in local bars. I would love to find house music festivals and salsa dancing, which surprisingly is not that common everywhere.
Those are a few things you might have to give up or get to enjoy when you decide to travel for a long time and living a nomadic lifestyle.
The question is, why is it worth it? What do you get from it? Well, a heck of a lot. Remember you went somewhere on vacation and really wanted to see that awesome place nearby but you just didn’t have the time to plan a visit? As a nomad you do! Time you have, it’s just money that’s normally less available.
Does this make you feel happy or sad?
Are you a nomad? Would you like to life a nomadic lifestyle? What do you like/dislike about it?
About Renate Rigters
Ever since I left my home country I felt at home at any other place I went to. I enjoy getting to know more cultures by talking to strangers and hearing their philosophy about life. Speaking with gestures when you can not find a shared language, finding places only the locals go to and learn about their customs and values. Hanging out with local people makes me happy. The experience of every new place is a step out of your comfort zone where I like to wander around until it feels like a second home.
- Web |
- More Posts(369)
comment this post