My Life As A Wanderer
Someone once asked me if I was a fugitive
For most of my life so far I have been in a nomad life. What might seem like chaos to some people was excitement and normal to me. From a young age, I moved around first with my mother. That is what apartment life is like- so much so, there are places I don’t even remember. Once I graduated high school I moved from Philadelphia to New Jersey where I would stay for the next few decades. I married someone who never left their hometown. At the time I remember feeling relieved that I was finally going to have some roots.
I would find later on that places play such a small role in that feeling of home. Ten years later I joined forces with someone who loved to wander! I have lived in 7 states and traveled for pleasure to even more. I still haven’t found a place that feels like home only people and myself.
There are good and bad to this life so let’s explore it.
The Pros To A Nomad Life
It definitely holds the excitement of new in so many ways. You get to start fresh and be a new person every time you pick up and go. I have found that people keep an image of you that doesn’t really hold true to how you evolve when you stay in the same place.
Traveling in general expands you in so many ways. Every place I have moved to has had a different culture to learn. Places that grow your mind and your spirit. I have learned so much in my travels about different cultures and I thrive on learning. In Virginia, I had the privilege of meeting people from all different countries through the work and travel program.
I now can curse in four languages. The people you meet are amazing wherever you go and the magic of it is they only know you from that moment. Everything that went before is almost erased. The more you learn the more you grow.
The Cons Of The Nomad Lifestyle
Starting over sounds exciting and it is but then reality sets in and so does loneliness. It can be lonely and exhausting to have to rebuild. Often it creates instability especially if you don’t plan ahead. Every time you leave a place it usually means you have to let go of connections and relationships you formed which creates sadness.
It is also an uncertain life because much of the time we don’t have a support system- if we fall we fall. You learn to thrive in uncertainty but it takes a while. It can also hurt your finances if you have to start over which rarely involves starting at the top.
Smart Planning
Firstly, moving impulsively might seem fun but things will be more stable if you set an action plan for yourself. In hindsight, I can see many times that’s where I went wrong. I would literally get rid of or sell most of my things and just go with the thought of what now.
Now, I realize you gotta start planning months even a year ahead. You need money so saving is first. Research is next. Research everything to the point of going there to investigate where you can live and apply for jobs ahead of time.
Get rid of what you can because honestly moving costs can get ridiculous and they are only things.
Get your ducks in a row in terms of leaving. It sounds silly but actually making a plan for closing things out is the smartest move you can make.
There’s nothing better than the nomad lifestyle if you’re looking for adventure- keeping all of these things in mind.
Blessings,
Heidi