Transitioning From Traveller to Nomad

When thinking about travelling there are various steps that need to be taken into consideration. Where are you going? Where are you staying? What are you going to do when you are on vacation? However what I rarely see discussed is how home life needs to be adapted to accomodate for travel. For most of my life, excluding the pandemic, I spent atleast a week at home with family in Puerto Rico. My regular trips to Puerto Rico mean I have to prepare my home for extended travel. Questions like:

• How will I plan out eating and disposing of all my perishables before I leave?

• Have I emptied all of the trashcans in the residence to ensure no pests?

• Have I completed essential cleaning tasks like the toilet, the sink, and the counters?

• Did I run the dishwasher the night before I left and pop it open so it doesn’t get mildewy?

• If I am gone long, did I shut off the water valve to the toilet?

All of these tasks are vital when you are a traveller with a home to return to. These basics were instilled in me by my mother and Grandma. As mentioned in A Love Letter to My Grandparents, my grandparents were homeowners who would go on eight week trips every two years. In Puerto Rico, if you leave anything on the counter for more than 6 hours, sugar ants are bound to infest it and chow down. All of the above mentioned questions are vital to ensure a traveler doesn’t come home to an pest infestation or water damage. Almost everyone can agree that coming home from vacation should not include an immediate, emergency call to a pest controller or plumber. Therefore, taking these steps in advance can reduce stress when travelling.

What makes a traveler?

A home bound traveler is someone who has responsibilities to return to. Now these responsibilities can vary drastically in their simplicity or depth, but they have a few things in common. One, financial responsibility which manifests as mostly as bills. When travelling, money has to be allocated to accomodate the trip as well as financial necessity at home. Next, there may be scheduled responsibilities, such as appointments or a job. Travel has to be conducted within an allotted time frame so as to not interrupt a work schedule. In fact, most people have to take additonal time off for a non-weekend trip. Finally, there are emotional responsibilities, which could be family, friends, or simply an attachment to a place. Travel is usually used for vacation or a pause from daily life to decompress from the rigors of the day-to-day.

For myself, I currently reside in an apartment where I am responsible for the rent and utilities. I also must be present for certain maintenance appointments. Up until December of 2022, I had a job I had to be at in person atleast 4 days a week. While I had a more flexible schedule than most, my barista/prep cook/cafe manager job did not have a remote work option. As this will soon no longer be my home, I am working to return the property to the owner at the level I found it or better. So my current life balance involves packing and moving, producing content for my business, and small amounts of travel to prepare for later in the year.

Old Apartment Set Up

This is how I had my office set up early during the pandemic when I first moved to Philadelphia. The desk has since been donated to the VA in an earlier clean out.

These are the types of comforts one chooses to leave when making the transition from traveller to nomad. While some of the contents shown in this image have remained in my possession, I am choosing to either store them out of reach for a significant period of time or not have them at all.

What makes a nomad?

A nomad is someone who can pick up there belongings and move from place to place with little to no long-term responsibilities. This can take a variety of forms nowadays. Van-life, RVs, and mobile homes are a potential option. Though one is still financially responsible for a home, although it can be moved to a new location at anytime. Another option is to consolidate one’s life into a pack and travel with just the items on their person. Depending on access and funds, this can look like hotel-hopping to cruise-shipping to couch-surfing to hostel-life. The amount one is able to take with them varies greatly on security, physical capability, and the itinerary of travel. For example, how one handles luggage for an extended cruise around the world will be dratically different from a person backpacking across South America.

My nomadic lifestyle has 2 phases. First, I will be roadtripping and camping across the Mid-Western USA, which will involve necessary camping equipment, technology, food stuffs, toiletries, and clothing. This phase will have a much wider array of stuff because I am limited by my trunk space. The goal of this phase is to get accustommed to being away from family and friends for longer periods, get comfortable with finding ways to post my content when I don’t have consistent access to wi-fi, become accustomed to hauling my equipment for long periods of time away from my car, and get used to the solitude of travel.

Travel Essentials

While I have a variety of additional suitcases and bags available, my camera bag and carry-on are always with me. My camera bag is a Bevis Gear Topshelf Backpack and my carry-on is a Briggs and Riley Medium Spinner Brief.

Full disclosure, I am an affiliate with Bevis Gear. A written review is coming, for a video review check out my Patreon.

Second, I will be consolidating my belongings into the maximum allowed suitcases to travel by plane to Europe. I am fortunate that a family member has graciously allowed me to store my out of season clothing with them while I travel through Europe. While it is possible to purchase and/or have items mailed to me while abroad, I am hoping to reduce that need. I have chosen Spain as my starting point because I have been there repeatedly, and I speak the language. The initial goal of this phase is to make regular day or “weekend” trips out using local transportation, see how content creation works abroad, and get adjusted to the rigors fo traveling consistently.

How am I transitioning?

My first hurdle was to tackle is the financial responsibilities I have. I have bills I must pay regularly, so the first step was to reduce cost. During my time in quarantine, I maintained a variety of show services options to watch in my free time. Once I made the decision to pursue this life, I cancelled all of those services. The next step was to begin downsizing what I owned. This was a daunting task I chose to start on early. Not only would I be sorting through my stuff, but also through what I had inherited from Grandma’s house. Early on in the pandemic, my mother and I were tasked with emptying our childhood home in Puerto Rico. With more than 60 years worth of contents, we did as much as we could on the island, and continued to sort our selection when it arrived state-side. Basically, I have spent the last 4 months deciding what I still want around when I return from my nomadic lifestyle.

Once that decision has been made thousands of times over, I have been packing my stuff for storage. While I can applause minimalists, who are able to rid themselves of all unwanted possessions, there are certain items I refuse to part with. For me, I will not part with my journals or any of the cards I have ever recieved. I have kept every handwritten note and letter given to me in my 30 years of living. I cherish every single one. It is why I have provided a mailing address on the Contact page and why one of the tier gifts on Patreon will be handwritten letters. Since these items hold deep significance and value for me, I have been rigorous in packing them away safely for long-term storage. As I build this business, choices will be made to ensure I have a minimum amount of items on my person. The essentials being toiletries, clothes, and technology.

A collection of journals spanning from 2006-2021. The collection has since expanded, but they are in storage.

I am in the final steps of desolving my permanent residence. I am selling off furniture and setting aside donations for the VA. One thing I will request of anyone choosing to make this transition. If you have the time, please sell or donate your excess belongings. The majority of what I no longer need is fully functional. Anything that has gone into storage is either irreplaceable or emotionally valuable to me. That does not mean that the items I chose not to keep should end up in a landfill. Places I donate to include Goodwill for general items of varying quality, my local Makerspace for any tools or art supplies, and Veteran Assitance programs because they come and pick up furniture at no charge. I would suggest against a junk removal service as those tend to (not always) trash the items removed.

What’s next?

I am still travelling during the emptying of my apartment. I have been to New Orleans, Louisiana and Orlando, Florida already. I will also be travelling to Fort Wright, Kentucky in the near future. Articles on these trips are in the pipeline to be released. Once my apartment is returned to the owner, I will be down in Puerto Rico again. This time I will be helping family move into a new property. As stated previously, later plans include driving and hiking through mid-western USA, with the end of the year culminating in moving to Europe. My current plan is to be abroad for atleast a year. However, if I adapt well to a nomadic lifestyle, I would like to make it a longer term change. All in all, I am in the process of achieving a nomadic life. I will address my feelings and observations about nomadic life as it becomes more of my day-to-day.

Update as of September 2024:

I was not well suited for a full-time nomadic lifestyle. I still maintain very little property-wise. I am currently staying in a fully furnished apartment, and doing shorter trips locally, while I manage some unforeseen personal matters, I am getting the bug to travel later this year.