Living a Nomadic Lifestyle
A nomadic lifestyle may seem like heaven to some of us, butΒ it can also beΒ unrewarding and bitter. Just like everything else in life, being a nomad has some wonderfulΒ advantagesΒ and a fewΒ substantial disadvantages. In this article, we will discuss some of the main characteristics of the nomadic life.Β But first, we start with a short discussion of the current status and trends of the nomadic lifestyle.
The single major factor which affects nomads is technology which has two relatedΒ impacts. On the one hand, the rapid pace of technological advance is decreasing the number ofΒ ancient nomadic people, since it produces more reasons to settle down. On the other hand, the internet allows people to work remotely and becomeΒ Digital Nomads, a way of life which allows anyone to work online while enjoying the flexibility to constantly change locations.
Here are some ofΒ the major characteristics of a nomadic lifestyle.
- A nomad constantly changes locations, switching from one place to another. Most nomads have some kind of place that they can call home, which is usually where their family or childhood friends are located, but they wouldn’t spend more than a few months a year there. Nor would they settle down in a new home.Β For nomads “Change is home”. Not many people can stick to this lifestyle on the long term, since most of us need a little stability and a privateΒ comfort zone. Nomads have no real home they can feel comfortable in, and spend most of their time inΒ someone’s elseΒ accommodationΒ (i.e. aΒ hostel, short rental, a friend’s place, or couchsurfing).
- The nomadic lifestyle is more important than anything else, including career, relationship, or assets. A nomad will avoid any attachment which forces her/him to be tied to a specific location. Once you have decided that your nomadic lifestyle is first priority, you will have to sacrifice to make sure it stays sustainable. Many nomads find the Buddhist religion as a good fit, since it focuses on non-attachment and letting go of everything you have. A nomad lets go and clicks an imaginary “reset button” as they move between locations.
- Avoiding attachments- A nomad breaks away from her/his attachments before taking the nomadic path, and stays away from attachments while living as a nomad. What is an attachment? Anything that keeps you away from realizing a nomadic life. It is anything you have (or actually, think that you have) and can’t give up on. Β The perfect job that is impossible to get once you quit it, the dog you love so much and can’t be left behind, the amazing girlfriend/boyfriend that will not agree to become a nomad. A quick interesting insight- if you have those, and feel happy, keep them. But if they are not perfect and don’t really make you happy, say goodbye to all your fake attachments and either find better ones, or choose the nomadic path instead.
- Nomads usually become quite smart, easy going and interesting people. The reason for that is clear, they are exposed to many lifestyles, cultures and constantly changing situations. This constant process of change is your teacher. If you are ready for it, it will make you a better person.
- Nomads don’t take life very seriously. Think about it. If you keep losing everything you had (friends, home) every time you change a location, then the basic understanding dawns on you: “everything is temporary and nothing is yours”. After you understand that, you can’t really take life too seriously, there is nothing to defend.
- Nomads travel light and have a minimalist mindset. It means that they consumeΒ experiences instead of accumulating Stuff. Life is short, and the only thing we are guaranteed not to lose is great moments experienced. Those of us who keep on over consuming and increasing their possessions will find it very frustrating to carry on their backs while constantly changing locations.
- Nomads usually travel slow. Even for the rare few who can live life without having a home, it is important to create emotional stability by staying longer in each location (usually 1-3 months) in order to establish routines and make meaningful friendships.
- Nomads are respectful, smiley and above all curious. If this is not the case, why would you choose a path of a constantΒ change? Being positive also helps to mitigate one of the greatest disadvantages of the nomadic life, which is loneliness. We are all social animals, which means that without company, we wither and disconnect from ourselves. Since nomads have to keep on rebuilding their social circle wherever they go, being happy and positive is crucial. Regardless, 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 their time alone, and should enjoy it as well.
- Digital Nomads are trying to deal with the issue of lack of social life by choosing global locations that areΒ Digital nomad hubs.Β This greatly increase the chance of meeting like-minded people.
- Nomad think and adjust fast. As a nomad constantly changing locations, everything is always new.Β You have to put effort in finding what you need, and probably can’t speak the native language. It means that you must learn to trust your intuition andΒ make quick decisions.
There are many different types of nomadic lifestylesΒ and each of us better customize their own. For example, with time, I have developed a set of nomadic routines andΒ rules which I follow and adjust. Now it’s time for you to decide if the nomadic life is a beneficial experiment to you, and if so, just make it happen.
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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!
Hi , I’ve been a nomad my entire life. The majority of the time it was because my parents were nomads , and so when I went on my own into the adult world I was molded already to be the same way. It’s interesting to see a website describe my life , I just want to say that there are always going to be some people who just don’t know any other way of living. I enjoy my life , being exposed to different cultures all the time is the greatest gift of life to me .
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 π
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 canβt live without with you, as I did π
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 π
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 π
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! π
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 π
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
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