I started my nomadic life in 2010. It has been a gift that keeps on giving and has taught me more about myself than any great teacher could. True to the constant change that characterizes nomadism, you will also learn over time that a nomadic lifestyle is hard to define. It changes constantly and is highly personalized to you and the phase of life you are in. In some ways, it might not even exist as a fixed concept.
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In any case, it is not all roses—because life is not all roses. There are some wonderful advantages and a few painful disadvantages. Is it worth it? Maybe.
Let’s be honest about one thing. Life and humanity are constantly changing at an accelerating pace. Living a nomadic life 50 years ago is very different from living it today. In some ways, it was better before. In other ways, it is much better now.
In any case, the rapid pace of technological advancement has nearly eliminated many traditional nomadic ways of life, since modern systems create more reasons to settle down. On the other hand, the internet allows people to work remotely and become digital nomads, a lifestyle that enables anyone to work online while enjoying the flexibility of constantly changing locations.
Here are some of the major characteristics of a nomadic lifestyle:
- A nomad constantly changes locations. How often? It is hard to define. More than anything, it is the deep understanding that when you arrive somewhere—even if you truly love it—you know and accept that you will be leaving soon. “Soon” usually means less than three months. In that sense, it may even be easier for nomads to understand the concept of death, since they embrace everything as temporary. They see temporality as a feature, not a bug, as part of the design.
- Most nomads have some kind of place they can call home, usually where their family or childhood friends are located, but they would not spend more than a few months a year there. For nomads, “change is home.” Not many people can sustain this lifestyle long term, since most of us need stability and clarity in our lives.
- To be a true nomad (I stopped being one in 2026 according to this definition), the nomadic lifestyle is more important than anything else, including career, relationships, or assets. A nomad avoids attachments that tie them to a specific location. If you decide that nomadic life is your first priority, you will need to make sacrifices to keep it sustainable. Many nomads find Buddhism appealing, since it emphasizes non-attachment and letting go. A nomad lets go and effectively clicks an imaginary “reset button” when moving between locations. There may come a time when you still incorporate a nomadic lifestyle even though your priorities have changed, but this increases the likelihood that the lifestyle itself will also change.
- Avoiding attachments: A nomad breaks away from attachments before taking the nomadic path and continues to avoid them while living as a nomad. What is an attachment? Anything that prevents you from living a nomadic life. It is anything you have—or think you have—that you cannot give up. This could be a perfect job that would be impossible to get back after quitting, a dog you love and cannot leave behind, or a partner who is unwilling to become a nomad. One important insight: if you have these things and they make you happy, keep them. But if they are not truly fulfilling, let go of false attachments and either find better ones or choose the nomadic path instead.
- Nomads often become smart, easygoing, and interesting people. The reason is simple: they are exposed to many lifestyles, cultures, and constantly changing situations. This ongoing process of change becomes a teacher. If you are ready for it, it can make you a better person.
- Nomads don’t take life too seriously. Think about it: if you keep losing everything you had—friends, home, and familiarity—every time you move, a basic realization eventually emerges: “Everything is temporary, and nothing is truly yours.” Once you understand that, it becomes difficult to take life too seriously. There is nothing to defend.
- Nomads travel light and adopt a minimalist mindset. This means prioritizing experiences over possessions. Life is short, and the only things we are guaranteed not to lose are the meaningful moments we experience. Those who overconsume and accumulate possessions will eventually find it frustrating to carry everything while constantly moving.
- Nomads usually travel slowly. Even for the rare few who can live without a fixed home, it is important to create emotional stability by staying longer in each location—typically one to three months—in order to establish routines and build meaningful friendships.
- Nomads are generally respectful, smiley, and above all, curious. If this were not the case, why choose a life of constant change? Positivity also helps mitigate one of the greatest disadvantages of nomadic life: loneliness. We are social animals, which means that without connection, we wither and disconnect from ourselves. Since nomads must constantly rebuild their social circles, being open and positive is essential. One of my favorite nomadic quotes is: “If you are lonely when you are alone, you are in bad company.” Nomads spend a lot of time alone and should learn to enjoy it.
- Digital nomads often deal with the lack of social life by choosing digital nomad hubs. This significantly increases the chances of meeting like-minded people.
- Nomads think and adapt quickly. When constantly changing locations, everything is new. You must actively figure out what you need, and you often cannot speak the local language. This forces you to trust your intuition and make fast decisions.
- There are many different types of nomadic lifestyles, and each person should customize their own. For example, over time I have developed a set of nomadic routines and rules that I follow and continuously adjust.
Now it is time for you to decide whether a nomadic life could be a beneficial experiment for you—and, if so, to make it happen.
i want to dive into the nomadic lifestyle because i notice my loved ones become happy or dissappointed at the things they have. or dont have. nomadic lifestyle seems to be the answer so i dont suffer the same fate, not to mention i have a divine connection with my maker. my “zen” is away from this “american dream” that leads to unhappiness in everyone i know.
GO FOR IT….I FELL EXACTLY THE SAME.. MOVE ON YOU CAN ALWAYS GO BACK TO BE A SLAVE TO THE GRIND
KEEP FIGHTING AND FIGHT EVERY FEAR WITH A SMILE, U CAN BE NO MAD
Hi Chris,
thanks for the comment!
The only advice from me as a nomad for the last 3 years is to actually dive into a nomadic lifestyle if it makes you happy. It is not the only “true” lifestyle, and not necessarily suitable for everyone. Give it a try, and if it feels good continue, and if not, time and luck will show you what lifestyle is best you.
good luck!
that’s very interesting Richard, most nomads I know had to come to the conclusion of being nomads alone, so it is nice to see the influence of parents on your life decisions 🙂
Hello Richard,
I would like to ask you..how can you live a nomadic life and at the same time have the money to travel? And.. how do you start this kind of life?
Thank you.
Sara
Hello, cool article. A litle comment on point 3 though. You can take the dog you love so much and the amazing girlfriend that you can’t live without with you, as I did 😉
Hi Peter. You are very lucky that you have found a girlfriend and a pet that are willing to adopt a nomadic lifestyle.
You are right of course, if you can all go together, then there is no need to leave them behind, happiness is better when shared. (I will change the post accordingly)
I like that: “lucky you have found a girlfriend and a pet that are willing to adopt a nomadic lifestyle.”
I get that girlfriends have a say in such matters, but I didn’t realize that anyone bothers to ask whether a pet is “willing” to move.
everyone has a saying 🙂
Hi you people make me feel so jealous, I wish I had the courage to live a nomadic lifestyle, unfortunately I feel I waited to long had five children and now three grandchildren
It’s never too late to follow your heart. I raised 4 kids, one of which is 15 and travels with me. I homeschool him so it’s a great learning environment. I have 3 grandkids, and two more by the end of the year. I say, Go for it!!!!
If you are ready to begin you adventure of a nomadic life you just need to know that you are ready for a change of environment and a new world it is a very exciting life with lost of widom and path ways to knowledge just pack your bags and go where ever you would like to begin it is a great rewarding life you can I ways make money online for travel and were ever you go you can create ways to make money you will meet lots of people to help you no worries I can help anybody that would like to live this great life of freedom I know the way just let me know where you would like to begin traveling or begin a homestead farming
What Ton said 🙂
Milarepa’s quote comes to mind- “My religion is to live and die without regrets”
How are you supposed to earn money if you live a so-called nomadic lifestyle? what jobs allow you to live this lifestyle? Are they easy or hard jobs? I mean I wanna be a nomad by all means, but I was wondering, I have autism, SEVERE Anxiety, HORRIBLE ADHD, is it possible for me to manage that lifestyle? If not, back to my anti-depressant medication.
You don’t need to stop taking your medicine, however the outdoors is great medicine. I have anxiety as well as brain tumors. I can’t think of a better way to spend my life. Try looking up wwoofingusa for temporary employment, housing and food along your travels.
a nomadic life style would be your best medicine, in short yes a care free life full of trials and tribulations would be just what you need, you just need to take the leap!
Agreed ?
I had a few questions, the first of which is, do you travel by foot or vehicle or bike? Do you gather your own food from nature? Do you travel with tent or tarp? Is it hard to find ways to make money on the road?
Hi James,
My travel style is not as exciting or nomadic. I am working while traveling on some online projects, so I find regular accommodation (hostel or shared apartments), and spend my days working on my laptop, and the weekend to traveling. Every month or two, I change to a different city or country.
I switch places using a bus or train usually.
As for making money on the road, this is one of the tough parts, to do so, you have to decide if you are going for a digital nomad option, or working in your location for locals.
There are some articles about this, in the Nomad Revenue sources Section in the site
https://becomenomad.com/category/nomad-knowledge/nomad-revenue-sources/
thanks for commenting,
Eli
do it all no wrong answers here
hi
im 18 live on the border and im in med school in mexico across the border and im aspiring to become a doctor but would like to maybe take a year off to really add some excitement to my life before settling down and travel across the country, working anywhere and after a month or less take the first bus out of there to another state, city etc. to really have a grasp on what enoying life really means and meet different people with different perspectives on life.
any comments on my thoughts would truly help
Hi Fer,
If you feel like you should go for it, than I would suggest to take the leap and make it happen.
As you know, life creates attachments, your career as a doctor might stop you from taking long breaks, you might enter a relationship that will require some stability.
If you go for it, do it in a smart way, plan ahead (especially on money and style of traveling), and be happy while on the road (and if you are not, just stop)
We would love to hear about how it goes for you.
I have a fantasy that me and my bestfriend if our life gives way to us we will take what we must and roam our country exploring and makig an insane journey of fun exciting time and frustrating times too
Hi Jeremy,
no reason to keep it a fantasy, traveling is not difficult, it’s only being you in another place.
If you have any questions, let us know and we will do our best to assist.
Eli
So being nomattic is a lot. Like free loveing hippies. And across. From cave man days. Aquireing places to stay.sellingthings to make money to live on and to make your own cotrubutions for paying your way. Evaluateing how to best navigate thrugh different laws and ways of life. What about relige in different cultures. In some of these cultures you had better be part of that religion or lose your life.how do you cope with. And servive to move on
Religion is the word
Hi Phillip,
Nomadic religion is indeed the Word! 🙂
As for your question, the countries where you encounter difficulties due to religious reasons are quite rare, people from around the world are receptive to the idea of traveling and don’t really want to change travelers.
And if there are problematic places, I just avoid them, the world is big, and the variety is huge so you can always aim for the tolerant places (that are the vast majority of countries)
Well…no exaclyt nomadic lifestyle is just for religions….
I think Imore goes for lifestyle
Nomadic person never feel complete or in home always looking for the perfect or close to the best macht lifestyle desires.
Me….I still looking for it…and is really hard..
This is really cool,
Hi, interesting artical! I went travelliing on my own a couple of years ago & had to walk into places to socialise on my own, got me out of my comfort zone & shell really fast & gave me a lot of confidence. I felt like I found a new me, travelling changes you. I met a lot of foreigner & found a new respect for all cultures, whereas if I was still sitting at home I would be still judging from my couch. It felt amazing, like I was alive & seeing the light for the first time. I felt at home. I remember feeling more socialble travelling on my own than I was travelling with a partner, because when your with someone you tend to stick to yourselves more. I lived a gypsy lifestyle as a child. I feel frustrated all the time like I have to leave, like my time here is up & I’m wasting time sitting here. The career choices I make have to be something that I could just get up & leave on short notice, or travel with. I am a photograher and are thinking of tenting it alone for a little while backpacking style, but not sure how to make money as a travel photographer. My life is boring, I feel like I’m stuck in quick sand. There is another life out there that I know I belong to. And if I know how to master it so I can survive on the road then I will be out this door right now. This is where my two values clash – financial security & freedom…if I win lotto it would solve all my problems Lol. Do you have any suggestions? Or know what I can do to make money as a travel photogapher cause I don’t think National Geographic is ready for me yet. Lol. And I’m still trying to figure out how to make a Blog…they are not easy! PS: sorry for the novel! Ness 🙂
Great comment Ness!
This awakening feeling while changing locations is a powerful sensation that shouldn’t be missed.
As for travel photography for a living, I honestly don’t know. It is a dream job for many people, so the competition is fierce, but if you are on the top 1%, you can surely do it.
If not, it might be wise to “pivot” to another profession that has to do with your core skills and allows you to have a nomadic lifestyle.
If it would be simple everyone would do it. So your two options if 1)Struggle, be creative and try to make your dream work 2)Go to automatic mode, not suffer and keep on sinking in the quick sand. I have done them both successfully.
Whatever you do, take it easy, in 60 years, it won’t matter anyway.
All the best and keep us updated.
E
I love this article parts of a describe me perfectly. In my sixties my mom died and I got rid of everything and took off in a van. No water or electric hookups, no toilet. Fabulous experience for me it changed me for the better. Got me out of my shell made me able to meet people. I have social security so I didn’t have to work. I learned so much about myself. I’ve grown so much as a person. Changing locations all the time keeps my mind Sharp. Where’s the grocery store, where will I camp today, where’s the laundromat, everything is new all the time. And yes I became a Buddhist. Nothing is permanent. I’ve got terrific memories/
Hey I’m 18 with 6 months graduated from highschool,made a lot of bad choices,been mentally hurt ALOT. An For some time now my thoughts have been real mixed & negative.An I have this inner thought like I myself don’t even know who I am,basically saying (I believe) I suffer from low self-esteem an depression an all that garbage..Anyhow now to the point,for a VERY long while I believed I just needed to get away & wander aimlessly almost in search for myself..iv heard that a Nomadic lifestyle will almost bring you at peace with yourself,do you think it would help me? An if I did pursue this path,how do I tell family? And also I was curious as to if you had any direct links to people who have lived 100% nomadically? Ex.No Electronics,Just the cloths on their back