The decision to become a Nomad and roam the earth for an extended amount of time (or even for life) can be made for a variety of reasons. A Nomadic Lifestyle does have some substantial disadvantages, but fortunately there are some key advantages to making the world your home.

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Advantages of being a Nomad:

• Is fun. Social media sites such as Facebook are a prime example of how the average person narrows down their public posts to the elite experience of their life – the fun moments, the times where unique experiences were had. But how many of those moments do most of us have? The lifestyle of a Nomad is generally an endless stream of constant change that bring you from one experience to the next, enriching your life, making you feel alive..
• Awakens you. This is not in reference to a religious awakening, but related to breaking free of the every day mundane. There was a time when I had a life with a job where I took the same bus every day at the same time with the same people on that bus. Each day looked exactly as the one before and at no point was my life enriched by the people that I saw on that bus to and from work every day. Being a nomad changed that. The lifestyle of a Nomad is one of a constant spark, freeing you from the confines of regularity.
• Gains you knowledge. The knowledge you gain from being a Nomad isn’t the same as sitting in a University class and learning from a textbook. You get to see first hand how the history of a country shaped the culture of the people that live there. You have the opportunity to experience a variety of beliefs (religious or not) from all corners of the globe. You have the ability to pick up foreign languages and learn from people what they do and how they think.
• Builds you. By gaining knowledge through your experiences as a Nomad, this allows you to take the best of the people, cultures and countries around you in order to build yourself. However, being a Nomad isn’t always easy. There are many challenges and problems you will face. Living in an environment of constant change where situations can be quite hectic at times can be tiring, but all of this also pushes you towards personal freedom. The very challenges that will try and bring you down are also the thing that will give you the opportunity to truly be free in who you are and the life you live. By not having a home in the traditional sense (more often than not, your bag becomes your home) and the basic understanding that nothing is yours and everything is temporary – you will reach freedom and learn to accept the hardships of life with ease. The notion of being a Nomad is the very definition of freedom in many cultures.
• Gives you the freedom to redefine yourself. The brilliant part of breaking from free from the constraints of a “normal life” is that it gives you that freedom to become who you want to be. No longer do you have expectations of people, society or even yourself limiting what you are able to be, achieve or choose to do in your life. As a Nomad you have the ability to travel the world and with each new location you get to, you are able to redefine yourself and start from scratch. Try something new. Take a risk. Do something you never thought you would do – be you.
• Creates a story. Being a Nomad is a journey through life that can take you around the world and back again. With so many experiences jam packed into your every day, it’s only natural that such a life would create an interesting story to share with others. Your entire life and every waking (and sometimes sleeping moment) has added value. People become attracted to that, whether in your business or personal life and as a result, the story of your life as a Nomad is definitely an advantage in itself, as it creates contacts and benefits.
• Develops your connections. Naturally, a life as a Nomad will bring you many encounters with people from all walks of life. These encounters will develop you relationships that will build your network of contacts without even trying. Whether you are keen to start your own business, aim to work on your career in different countries or otherwise, being a Nomad is a great way to fast-track your networks to a global scale. Sometimes it truly is more important who you know rather than what you know.
• Allows you to “hack life.” In this modern day, life is no longer restricted to the classic story of living your entire life in one place and taking over the family business. Internet has been one of the great tools to help the world connect on an international level, but also expand our idea of what a “normal life” looks like. The choice to be a Nomad allows you the opportunity to potentially find your own home somewhere around the world, but it doesn’t restrict you to working from there as well. Part of the total freedom of being a Nomad is that you could take advantage of the powerful cost arbitrage while living in a low cost country and working for clients from developed countries that pay well. 

Overall, there will always be different perspectives on what it means to be a Nomad and how that is good or bad. Your choice to live this lifestyle will be made for a multitude of different reasons, but know that the benefits of that choice are not as simple as just getting the opportunity to see a different country. It’s so much more than that. The benefits of being a Nomad may change the course of your life forever.