A milestone snuck up on me recently. Apparently it’s been a full year since my partner and I set out into the world and became nomads. As this anniversary approached, I realized that I mention my nomad life in passing, but I’ve never dedicated a whole post to it. I never got into the nitty gritty details in one place, so that’s what I’ll be doing today!
A year ago we started our nomad life after selling all our stuff and giving up our Seattle apartment🎒. I don't know where the time went, but I'm enjoying this transient lifestyle even more than I expected🥰✈️🌍. Do y'all have any questions about it for a future post? #AMA
— A Purple Life (@APurpleLifeBlog) July 28, 2021
I put out the call on Twitter and in my Instagram stories asking y’all if you had any questions about nomad life and you overwhelmed me with your number of responses on Instagram in particular. So I’m going to answer the most common questions I received, but before we get into that, I wanted to tell y’all about a few revelations I’ve had after my first year of being ‘homeless’.
REVELATIONS
Adventure In Our Own Backyard
I was so excited to see the world in retirement, but as a result of the pandemic, I obviously haven’t been able to. So I cancelled all my flights and lodgings across the world and instead have been exploring the US with my partner. In doing so, I came to a startling conclusion: there is so much to see and do in my home country!
I was all ready to break free to explore far away places that I didn’t even really think about the awesome things available in my own backyard. As a result, I have a new appreciation for how large and varied the US is. And also how delicious 😉 . Instead of feeling trapped because of closed borders, I am now reveling in getting to know this huge country in ways I never had time to before.
Slow Travel
One tenet of my retirement is slow travel. In direct opposition to going to a far away location for a weekend or a week or (once when I saved up all my annual vacation) two weeks and then running around like a chicken with its head cut off to see and do everything in that allotted time, we now go to a location for a month at a time.
It’s a completely different feeling. When I was in a rush to see and do everything within a short amount of time, I often came back to work feeling more exhausted instead of refreshed. I also felt immense guilt if my body told me to take a rest day and thought of that as ‘wasting’ the little time I had in a new location.
Well luckily, all of those problems are solved with slow travel. A month is a fair chunk of time and though I am continually surprised with how quickly it passes and still usually have things left on my list that I want to do or see when we leave, I no longer feel guilty for giving my body rest when it asks for it. I no longer feel like I need to do everything in a frantic manner.
I feel like I have time to adjust to living in a new location and feel like a local while doing so. This travel approach also has the added benefit of being much cheaper because month-long Airbnb stays are cheaper than shorter ones and because we have the time to shop at local grocery stores, prepare our own meals, figure out the local public transit situation etc. We’re loving the slow travel life so much that we might slow it down even further in the future from one month per city to three months or so.
Mental Acuity
An often asked question in my AMAs is how I will keep my mind sharp in retirement. My current favorite answer is moving every month 🙂 . It’s fascinating to enter a new state, city, house etc and have to figure it out. Even innocuous things like how does the washer/dryer work? What are the local mask mandates? How does this public transit system work?
The difficulty in figuring these things out will be compounded when we can travel abroad where there will also be language barriers, different customs and a host of other obstacles I can’t even begin to imagine 🙂 . Simply having to figure things out often and not just running on inertia helps me feel like I’m constantly learning something new.
And that’s before I add on the fact that I try to read one non-fiction book a week, write a weekly post, and learn new things about the world around me every day. Basically, don’t worry about my mental acuity people 😉 .
Needing Less
I’ve been shedding belongings in every place we go. I thought I had culled a fair amount when we got rid of everything in our Seattle apartment and moved to an Airbnb nearby, but with every subsequent move, I have realized that I need less and less. If I don’t use something for a month and don’t see myself using it in the future, I get rid of it.
Shockingly, despite having very few clothes, I still haven’t worn all of them and it’s been a whole year! I continue to cull at every turn and am slowly realizing that I need very little to have everything I need 🙂 . And if something needs to be replaced, I will buy it again or get accidentally lucky like in this interaction:
Partner: I think this black maxi dress has reached it's limit. It has holes.
Me: How many?
Partner: 5
Me: Yeeah that's too many😢
[I'm 5 seconds from pressing "Buy" on 3 new dresses for $100]
SIL: I'm getting rid of a black maxi dress. Do you want it?
Me: 😈 FRUGALITY WINS AGAIN! pic.twitter.com/rbbBDukMCW— A Purple Life (@APurpleLifeBlog) July 28, 2021
So those are my revelations after a year of nomad life! I’m curious to see what I learn in the coming year. Next let’s answer some questions y’all have been asking me.
Q&A
ACCOMODATIONS
How are you doing it? Living in a van? Sleeping in motels?
We stay in monthly Airbnbs. They cost about the same as our annual rent in Seattle. I don’t ever want to live in a van or a motel personally.
How long do you stay in one place?
Usually a month per city.
What roughly is the cost of your accommodation per month? Do you get a better deal on Airbnbs by staying for a month?
My partner and I share 1 bedroom apartments and aim for $2,000/month total on average. Some months are under and some are over that.
And yes – most Airbnbs are discounted 30-50% for monthly stays.
Month-long Airbnbs tips?
Basically, just do your due diligence. Before booking I always:
- Check the amenities (e.g. AC in the summer, heat in the winter, WiFi, Washer/Dryer, Dishwasher etc)
- Read all of the reviews
- Find the location as close as I can on a map and confirm if it’s walkable to everything we need and in a neighborhood we feel comfortable in
Have you done any monthly rentals with anything other than Airbnb?
Nope – just Airbnb so far. I don’t like VRBO so we’re never using them again.
How do you choose your next destination?
My OG answer was: Randomly, but then thought more about it and realized that actually we work around “anchors.” For example, my partner had a work trip to Austin planned at the end of September so we made a trip out of it and will move to Austin for a few weeks which will allow me to see some of you wonderful finance peeps at the first FriendCon 😉 .
And after that, we wanted to go to the biggest Hot Air Balloon Festival in the world that’s in ABQ so we’re heading there. In 2022, I have a friend getting married in June in Seattle so we’re revolving our plans around that. We set an anchor based on knowing we have to be a certain place at a certain time and work around it.
Has it been hard to find places to stay?
No – it’s been super easy because we have no limitations. For example, I literally searched “1 month stay, Northeastern USA” to find our accommodations for August. So now we’re heading to the Catskills and paying a shocking $1,200/month for a one bedroom on the main drag.
Airbnb’s seem very expensive lately. Has that made the nomad life harder?
I’m not sure where you’re looking, but that hasn’t been the case with anything we’ve seen in the northeast or southwest so far. However, if we see prices going wild in one place in particular, we most likely just won’t go there at that time since we can do whatever we want 🙂 .
How far in advance do you secure your next stay?
We aim to have accommodations booked 3 months in advance to get good deals and have a lot to choose from.
TRANSIT
Do you have a car?
Nope and I don’t want to (I’m scarred from growing up in ATL traffic).
How do you commute to your next destination?/Do you ever have a need to rent a car?
Planes, trains and automobiles…no, but seriously 🙂 . That’s how we’ve gotten around the South and Northeast so far. As for vehicles, we have used Taxis, Uber and Rental Cars so far. And I’m now realizing it’s been almost a year and a half since I’ve been on public transit. Wowza!
LOGISTICS
How is your phone reception with all the random service in your travels?
Great – I have Google Fi for $30/month and it works globally.
How do you handle mail?
Traveling Mailbox! I wrote a whole review of that here: How Do I Get Mail As A Global Nomad? A Traveling Mailbox Review.
Did you put anything in storage?
No storage box or anything, but we did send some sentimental items to our families – like my Plutus Awards 😉 .
Are you still satisfied with your health insurance decision? Have you had to use it?
Yeah, my travel insurance stopgap plan until international borders open so I can qualify for expat insurance, still seems like the best option since other insurance doesn’t really work across state lines and we move every month.
I haven’t had to use it yet but when I do, I’ll write a post about the experience so y’all know what’s up 🙂 .
How much stuff are you traveling with?
The below: an amazing $23 40L backpack and a canvas tote.
Can you talk a bit about the process of minimizing your belongings to fit in that 40L backpack?
Sure – I actually wrote a whole, long post about that here: How It Felt To Get Rid Of Everything I Own.
Did your job in marketing help you be a nomad before being financially independent?
No sadly 🙂 . I didn’t become a nomad until after I quit my job. Despite being mostly remote, my company previously required that employees live in Seattle.
EMOTIONS
Do you get lonely?
Not at all, but I do travel with my partner and if I’m not with him I’m visiting someone I know so I assume that’s a factor.
As a nomad, where do you call home?
Home is where the heart is 😉 . But actually, I haven’t realized until this moment that I don’t technically have a home. I don’t even have a childhood home I can go back to or anything like that either. It hasn’t occurred to me or bothered me so far. Home is wherever me and my partner are 🙂 .
Anything you find difficult about the lifestyle?
Nothing so far, but I’ll keep y’all posted. I expected to struggle with it since I used to like things “just so”, but that hasn’t been the case.
Do you miss your exercise routine?
My exercise routine is walking so no – I can do that anywhere. It’s the same for my partner who is a runner.
What do you miss most? I think I’d miss having “my bed” I always do when traveling!
I don’t miss anything. I thought I would miss things that were mine, but the places we stay are way nicer than any apartment we’ve ever had so I never feel like I’m missing anything 😉 .
SOCIALIZING
How do you keep up with friends? Is it challenging not to be there for “day to day” things?
No, because the pandemic made everything virtual. I wasn’t able to do day to day things anyway 🙂 . Now we’re going to see friends in person for weeks at a time and it’s way more time than I ever spent with them while working. Otherwise, we video chat often.
Have you found new ways of meeting people?
Why would I want to meet new people? I know too many people as it is 😉 . Ugh – introvert problems. But seriously, the FIRE community is a great way to meet people all over the world. Most of the places I’ve visited, I’ve hung out with someone from this community. It’s awesome!
RELATIONSHIPS
Do you feel your partner is an essential piece to happy nomad life?
I don’t think so because if I wasn’t with him I would be going places where I know people. Coming out of the pandemic, I’m all about the people 🙂 …and then my introversion rears its head and I’m happy to be alone again 😉 .
How has your relationship with your partner evolved since your big quit?
It hasn’t really and I think that’s because we’ve both been funemployed before while the other is working, even for months at a time so this isn’t a new situation for us.
Tips for handling partner unemployment without one party being jealous/resentful?
I think just have open communication about it. Don’t let resentment fester and build. Work on it together.
Have you considered marrying your “partner” for some tax benefits?
Um…with respect, I’m not legally binding myself to someone so he can save some money on taxes 🙂 .
Will you ever get married?
No: Why I’m Never Getting Married.
Say hypothetically your relationship doesn’t work out (it happens!) Do you have a plan?
Of course! I think it’s fair to say that most relationships end – a little bit less than half of marriages end in divorce and I imagine a higher percentage of regular relationships.
My partner and I built our separate financial plans with the assumption that we would break up so that if it happens, we can both be retired without relying on each other or economies of scale.
And if we break up, I’m no longer tied to staying near the US to make time zones for working his remote job easier!
Once allowed, I would travel internationally a lot more. My Mom is already my main travel buddy so she would continue to be. It would be a Hot Girl Summer basically 🙂 .
REFLECTIONS
Is there anything you would do differently your first year?
Not have a global pandemic so I could have lived in Australia, New Zealand, Argentina and Thailand as planned 😉 ? But seriously, of the things I can control, there isn’t anything I can think of that I would do differently. We’ve been moving around the US instead of the world, which has allowed me to discover cool things in our own backyard.
Do you still have time to read books and watch tv with all the sightseeing?
Yup – I have a goal of reading a nonfiction book a week and I’m only a few behind. I write about the books in my monthly recap posts, rate them on Goodreads and at times do mini reviews on Instagram.
TV watching is way down though. I thought I would have more time for that to catch up on all the shows in my queue, but besides watching with other people, I basically never do.
This is a complete 180 from my working behavior. I guess my brain has more space to learn and less want to loaf or something.
FINANCES
How has your nest egg grown over since you retired?
It’s gone up almost $200,000. WTF market?!
What is your budget for an entire year?
In the first few years of retirement, I’m aiming to spend $20K/year and increase it if I want or need to after that. My financial calculations don’t include a ceiling so I can make it rain. This $20k goal is based on me spending $18K/year living in the middle of Seattle. Also the fact that I have:
- No house
- No car
- No kids
- No pets
All that keeps costs way down without me having to do anything 🙂 .
How are you paying for your living expenses? Are you drawing from your retirement?
I saved a 2 year cash cushion since I was retiring into a recession in addition to my $500K investments, and I have been living off of that. Current calculations have me not needing to withdraw from my portfolio until 2025 shockingly.
How often do you pull from retirement accounts? Do you try and time it at all?
As I said, I don’t currently. However, when I do, I will not try and time the market because it’s a fool’s errand and I will just take out my next year’s needs once a year.
How do you keep living costs down while traveling?
By vacillating between HCOL and LCOL cities and (in future) countries. Despite staying in the US the last year, I’m still under budget without trying to be. I spend whatever I want without checking first.
THE FUTURE
Out of all the places you’ve visited this far where do you see yourself renting longterm?
No place yet, but that’s not really a goal of mine either. I’ve been to a fair bit of the world and yet there are only two places I’ve ever found that I wanted to live:
- Seattle ✅
- Amsterdam
What can I say? I’m really picky 🙂 .
Do you plan to rent indefinitely or are you planning to buy a house in the far future?
I’m renting forever. The math of home ownership has never looked good to me (check out this awesome calculator from NYT if you’re curious what I mean: Is It Better To Rent Or Buy?) and a house would make me feel like I have a shackle around my foot (yes I am being dramatic – don’t act surprised 😉 ).
How long do you plan on being a nomad?
Until I get sick of it – so indefinitely 🙂 .
What’s one thing you hadn’t considered about retirement?
How little I would think about money once I had enough of it.
Money was my obsession for years – it had to be to retire at 30. I was constantly tracking my spending, projecting my income, tweaking my calculations etc.
Now money doesn’t even enter into my brain. It’s not a consideration – I just do what I want to do and buy what I want to buy. And that’s so wild to me.
What has been one of the biggest surprises?
My biggest surprise is how much I like this lifestyle. Based on my particular nature, I suspected I might tap out after a year or two and want to settle down again. Not the case!
Based on the last year, I’m now thinking it might be my partner who wants to stop traveling before I do. However, we both currently want to keep traveling for the next 5 years or so (and I don’t really look ahead farther than that 😉 .
The other big surprise is that people keep having extra bedrooms and asking us to stay with them. We are currently picking places to stay based on who we know and can see in the area after a year of isolation, and as a result, I assumed that we would get an Airbnb nearby and see them as often as their schedule allowed. And while that has been the case in most places, a lot of people have just said “Why don’t you stay with us? We have room.”
This was not part of my plan, but has been a welcome surprise. Instead of setting aside specific time to spend with people, it’s more like we become roommates for a while and can have more relaxed social time together. This is also probably the case because we are in the area for weeks or a month at a time instead of a quick weekend visit. It feels totally different.
Anyway, I wasn’t expecting so many people to have unused space and welcome us into their home. I also hadn’t realized that unlike previous vacations, I am not also paying for an apartment back home, so if we don’t pay rent that week, we’re not paying it anywhere.
And despite my best efforts of buying groceries, take out and even a stove for people, we are still under-budget for rent because people have asked us to stay with them. Just something random that I didn’t expect.
So far this year, we’ve stayed with people for a total of 6 weeks and are currently housesitting for 2 weeks. I doubt this trend will continue since we’re going to pivot to seeing new places instead of known people, but it’s been fun while it lasted.
What’s the strangest thing you’ve observed as an early retiree?
People telling me unprompted that they desperately want to improve their financial situation and then telling me they’re not willing to do anything to make that happen. I don’t get it 🙂 .
Conclusion
So that’s it! My nomad life in a nutshell and a few things I’ve learned within my first year. I’m curious what the second year will teach me, especially as we hopefully expand our nomad reach outside the US. I’m sure we’ll get ourselves into some hilarious debacles that will hopefully be learning experiences as well 🙂 . Anyway, as always, thank y’all for being here!
Have you ever considered being a nomad?
Wow, I can’t believe it’s already been a year! Time flies. 🙂
So cool to hear about your nomad life, Purple. You’ve had quite the adventure! And funny story regarding the question about marrying someone for the tax benefits. I actually knew a gal who did it for that reason. And she was in finance (no joke!)! Super crazy… 😛
Seriously! I can’t believe it either 🙂 . And wow she’s more hardcore than me – that must have been a lot of taxes haha.
What a great year Purple! Thank you for sharing all the wonderful information about your experiences so far.
Regarding learning how to use the washer/dryer: when you do start to travel internationally again, be sure to inquire whether a pictured appliance is a washer/dryer combo or just a washer. Make sure the “dryer” is actually a machine dryer, not simply a rack upon which to hang your clothes to dry. Been there, done that. I have a “funny” (i.e., something that completely stresses you out at the time of occurrence, but which you will – eventually – look back upon and laugh about) laundry experience travel story from our 2004 stay in Venice … my Rick Steves guidebook pinpointing a Venice laundromat was a true lifesaver that day. LOL
May I ask why you don’t like VRBO? I used them back in the pre Airbnb days, but that was ages ago. I pretty much stick with Airbnb because I like their platform and have never had a bad experience with an Airbnb place or host. (I always read all the reviews, and ask the host very specific questions.)
Speaking of Airbnb, if you need an Amsterdam accommodation referral, I really liked the place we stayed during our week there back in April 2015. (Wow! Time really does fly! Seems like only yesterday …).
Funny how your two favorite places are Seattle and Amsterdam. Despite almost a quarter century of family road trips across the USA (including stays in Washington state), I’ve never actually visited Seattle. Never even been through SEATAC. I’ve spent more time in Amsterdam than Seattle. LOL
Thanks again for providing a window into your purple life.
Hey! Are you “that lady with the purple hair” that I recently read was the subject of a certain politician’s ire???? 😉
I stand corrected; it wasn’t you. But I did think of you when I read a headline that included “Purple Hair”. LOL
https://womensagenda.com.au/latest/the-woman-with-the-purple-hair-played-terribly-trump-attacks-megan-rapinoe-after-bronze-medal-win/
Haha she is far more famous than me and happens to have purple hair so I am honored you even thought of me 🙂 .
Good to know! I actually don’t mind having a drying rack instead of a dryer personally (I lived in Italy for 6 months and got used to it 😉 ). VRBO and I are on the outs because they did not have a covid cancellation plan – we didn’t get any money back from our stays with them, just an extension…that is up before Australia is letting people back in 🙂 . I asked around to see if this was their only downside – customer service during a pandemic – and my stepbro was a host for them and hated the experience so much that he left and only posts on Airbnb. So they don’t get any more of my money 🙂 . I’ve also never had a bad experience with an Airbnb place or host (knock on wood) so I’m going to keep using them.
Thank you for the reco! I’ll let you know when we’re headed that way 🙂 . You should totally check out Seattle – I love it so much and it’s unlike any other US city I’ve ever seen. So green!
I stand corrected; it wasn’t you. But I did think of you when I read a headline that included “Purple Hair”. LOL
https://womensagenda.com.au/latest/the-woman-with-the-purple-hair-played-terribly-trump-attacks-megan-rapinoe-after-bronze-medal-win/
OOPS! Didn’t mean to post the same comment twice. DOH!
Time really flies. You had a great year. That’s awesome. I think most people have more difficulties adjusting to retirement. I’m envious of your nomadic lifestyle. I’ll go when RB40Jr goes off to college. 😉
My question – Did you gain any weight? You guys are eating way too good!
Haha yeah it’s possible my ‘lazy’ nature has helped me adapt 🙂 . I also suspect my Montessori education had something to do with it – that’s was basically retirement…maybe I should write a post on that 😉 .
Not really. I had gained some pandemic pounds before retiring, but it’s been pretty steady since that because I switch between eating all the good things in a new city and staying on keto. All about balance over here!
Nice job on maintaining a healthy weight. 😉
Living in a different location for a month or two at a time is definitely appealing. I have pets though. Having pets in my life is more important to me than being a nomad. Maybe a travel trailer is in my future, so I can bring my dog and cats with me. Glad to know you are loving the nomad life.
Yep pets would definitely make this hard mode if you’re not in an RV 🙂 .
Ha – Another “anniversary” post! I admire your writing discipline so much!
We spent the winter nomadic in Mexico and it felt like a great kick-off to the rest of our lives. Volcanic cactus islands, pelicans diving every day, manta rays belly-flopping, sealions mixed into a dolphin pod, whales, baby sharks, even an octopus! And so much great French pastry (that was one of my must-have items).
Strangers have definitely started to be curious about our way of life (I’m a first-gen immigrant WoC so maybe that gets me some extra visibility). Our responses are usually some combo of truth and wisecracks (e.g. savings/living within means/contract work and “I don’t have a pension — what’s the difference between ‘funemployed’, ‘working part-time’ and ‘retired’??”)
I think people notice the “big step” lifestyle change and get sucked into the romance of the idea. When really, it’s a million unromantic smaller steps along the way.
100% agree about Too Many Clothes — even after multiple hard culls, I have clothes for DECADES to fit nearly every environment on earth that I would want to visit.
The “people inviting us to stay” bit is definitely unexpected. An elderly relative has made it clear that they are lonely despite being very independent so it’s been a joy to get to know them better and introducing them to different ethnic foods while staying in their spare room for a bit, doing our best to beat them at paying for stuff 🙂
We also joined a community workshop thingie for a couple of months, taken classes and knocked out a few projects and fixes. So that filled a niche that we were having difficulty resolving on the road.
I have to say, after LivingAFI’s latest post and as the year has progressed, my strong phobia around the idea of continuing with even the teeniest bit of remote work has actually lessened. The pay will be another hedge against inflation, and the extra $$ will help fund satellite-phone equipment for off-grid adventuring.
I mean, I didn’t anticipate doing this 10 years ago, so who only knows what I want to be doing 10 years from now!!
It’s been cool to be able to ask myself periodically: “Hang on, who am I trying to impress here??” and watch the answers change.
All the best to you and yours!
– Your FI/RE Date Twin (and fellow nomad)
Haha thank you. And oooh – what part of Mexico? That sounds like an awesome time!
100% YES: “I think people notice the “big step” lifestyle change and get sucked into the romance of the idea. When really, it’s a million unromantic smaller steps along the way.”
I’m glad I’m not the only one seeing the “people inviting us to stay” thing. I don’t know why I never considered it before and oooh a community workshop sounds fun! Did that fill a community, hobby or other want y’all had? And same to you!
Baja California Sur/Sea of Cortez. Avoid Cabo San Lucas proper unless you’re dying for the loud-American-partytown vibe (didn’t think so 😉 )
We’d heard about the “makerspace” concept for years but didn’t live where there was one. I’m with a guy who is total MacGyver (aging myself here), the workshop has tons of room and expensive tools like 3D printers, laser cutters, welding and other metal tooling, woodworking and electric/electronics, pottery studio, industrial sewing/embroidery machines, leather/vinyl tooling, stone cutting… It’s a bit mind-blowing honestly.
Me, I grew up a city girl with hardly any DIY skills so while I have picked up little home DIY repairs, I don’t necessarily have the background to execute my own creative project ideas in this direction — but it’s been fun to help out, see what other folks are dabbling in, how they learn specialized skills and just get general exposure to how people and machinery make things we all like 🙂 not to mention, meet people I likely wouldn’t otherwise meet.
Haha yeah I planned to steer clear of Cabo, but thank you 🙂 . Sea of Cortez is being added to my list! And WOW that makerspace sounds cool – I’m wary of telling my partner about this cause then he’s gonna need one I think 😉 . Sounds like a really cool idea – I’m gonna look into it.
Oh right how could I forget, you lived in the PNW after all!
Re: makerspaces — Cost of membership varies quite a bit: where we are it’s $45/single or $60/couple per month recurring, with some volunteer expectations. I’ve heard of bigger places in coastal cities that actually have fleets of employees and are priced accordingly, their target is probably small-industry “incubator” types. Slightly different audience.
As for telling your partner — y’know, you asked if it filled a particular want and I forgot to also mention that yes, we finally found our “Too Much Time Together” line in the sand. So reclaiming some healthy relationship space was also a perk!
I really enjoyed this blog. I enjoy all of your blogs. My time for nomadic living is in the past. Sometimes I tell myself that I am riding my bike in a far distant place other than here in Florida in an over 55 mobile home park.
I am sure you realize how much your ideas and your writing mean to so many people.
Thanks
I’m so happy to hear that! Fair point on nomadism – I doubt I’ll continue doing it as I get older. And I actually don’t realize that so I really appreciate you saying it 🙂 .
Has the pandemic affected your interest in international travel? I know it is a rare event and hopefully will be over soon but somehow it shifted my interests. Right now I am not planning any international travel even for next year. I just lost interest. We did however started doing road trips with outdoor activities and outdoor dining only.
Yeah it’s made me hungrier for it than ever 🙂 . While we have found that the US is way cooler to visit than I gave it credit for, I still want out if I’m honest. That’s awesome it’s shifted things the other way for you!
Wow, Purple! So hard to believe a year has passed. This post spoke to us on so many levels. We’ve come to many of the same conclusions, especially that slow travel really is the ultimate unlock! Thanks for this excellent retrospective!
Right?! And I’m so glad you’ve come to the same conclusions 🙂 . Thanks for stopping by!
Slow travel for the win!!!
Couldn’t agree more. Not just from a cost saving perspective. But also the chance to breath and relax and enjoy a place.
Exactly 😉
And if you make it to Spain when international borders open up, come hang out and have some tapas with our family!
I would love to! Thank you for the invite 🙂 .
I could see myself as a nomad, but my husband needs his roots. We live in a lovely area in a 2400 ft house with tons of amenities so I can’t complain.
For now, I’ll have to live the nomad life vicariously through you.
Totally fair. I’m lucky my partner wants to go on this adventure with me, but I also get the sense that he’ll want to stop and settle down before I do so we’ll compromise there. Sounds like a nice life over there!
Hi Purple! I have a question about how you experienced travel pre-FI/slow travel: Did you find that you always wanted to extend your trips, or that you felt ready to go home at the end?
I have done mostly shorter trips but some longer travel too (lived in Brazil for a year), and generally find that I’m “ready to go home” right around the end of the trip. I’m not sure if this means I’m not suited to nomad life, or it’s just that expectations are different when you are a nomad full-time!
I would always want to extend my trip if it was a vacation 🙂 . The only reason I would want to leave is if we were visiting and staying with someone and they were acting up lol. Now that we just travel with ourselves the latter hasn’t happened (and when we stay with people they are thoroughly vetted 😉 ). That’s awesome you found your trips to be the right length!! I never wanted to go home.
Thanks for responding, that is really helpful!
Of course 🙂
I echo the sentiment that I can’t believe it’s been a year! You’ve been doing some really cool things since retiring. Love to see it!
I’ve learned a lot from your journey and appreciate all of your updates 🙂
Yeah – time has no meaning apparently 🙂 . And thank you so much lady! I’m glad you’ve enjoyed it.
So much this!!! ↓
“People…desperately want to improve their financial situation and then telling me they’re not willing to do anything to make that happen.”
It doesn’t make sense to you, because it doesn’t make sense PERIOD. But then, human behavior often doesn’t.
Also worthy of consideration, from Wikipedia: “Hyperconsumerism has been also said to have religious characteristics…” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperconsumerism)
I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately, because co-workers have been asking me about saving/investing. I could rant for hours, so I just wrote this summary of Dr. North vs. Dr. South from The Millionaire Next Door. That way I can just send them the link instead 😉 https://froogalstoodent.blogspot.com/2021/08/dr.html
All very interesting – thank you 🙂 and haha that sounds like a smart way to do this!
Necessity is the mother of invention 😉
Thanks for sharing all of this! I’m about to celebrate 1 year of minimalist nomad life. (Sold my house and everything inside it last year.) Your posts inspire me to think of money in new ways and give me some ideas for year 2 😉 thank you!
Of course and congratulations on 1 year!! And that is so wonderful to hear – thank you. Enjoy Year 2!