Living like a nomad (how to prepare and how to keep it fun)

Marriam Webster’s dictionary states these are the definitions of the word ‘nomad’:

1: a member of a people who have no fixed residence but move from place to place usually seasonally and within a well-defined territory

2 : an individual who roams about

I identify myself with the second definition.

A nomad, a wanderer, a traveler,… All synonyms for the life I chose not too long ago. I’ll tell you all about how I prepared for it, how it’s going now and tips for future nomads.

Preparation

Everything in my life needs preparation. I can be quite impulsive, but I only tolerate organised impulsiveness. Does that sound confusing to anyone else? Yeah, I get that.

Compare it to ‘an organised mess’ if that makes it easier to understand the concept.

By organised impulsiveness I mean that I prepare all necessary things I need so I can leave with a peace of mind, but without having everything planned out to the smallest detail.

This is what I do arrange beforehand:

Flights

I booked a one way ticket to Melbourne well in advance. Yes, you can be impulsive with long distance flights, but that also comes with a price. I booked a flex ticket just in case I had to reschedule my date of departure for some reason. Since COVID, I accepted the extra fee for a flexible ticket and am also happy to pay for a little extra comfort in terms of choosing seats. Other than that, I had nothing else booked so far.

The first plane of the trip ✈️

Travel visas

I made sure I had Australia and New Zealand are covered for the next 12 months.

Australia: Since I already used a Working Holiday visa for Australia once before, I couldn’t return on one of those the second time around as it’s only granted to travelers once before the age of 35, unless I would have completed 3 months of farm work. Which I didn’t. So, I got a tourist visa for Australia, which allows me access to the country for 12 months if I leave the country for at least one day every 3 months. I am also not allowed to work while on a tourist visa.

New Zealand: I applied for my Working Holiday visa for New Zealand just in time (right before my 32nd birthday), which allows me access to the country for 12 months if I travel to New Zealand within 12 months after applying. Which I will of course. This visa allows me to work and travel in New Zealand for 12 months straight. I can also leave the country and get back whenever I want within those 12 months.

Vaccinations

No vaccinations necessary for the two countries I will visit for sure, but that doesn’t mean I won’t be needing any for the countries I might go to unplanned, or ‘impulsively planned’ (wink). So, I got the vaccinations I need to travel safely to most parts of Asia and an emergency kit for bowel issues. Because, you know, tummies just don's always agree with a travelling lifestyle.

A baseline travel plan

Full clean cut travel iteneraries don't work for me. They don't exactly align with the freedom that should come with travel (for me). But I do usually have a rough overview of the places to go to and people to meet up with. And this time around I have to keep the dates I’ll have a travel buddy (I will travel 5 weeks with my brother for example) in mind. Just as the visa expiry date.

Accommodation

This one’s interesting and I am planning to zoom in on this subject in other more specific blog posts in the future, but for now I’ll say: there are ways to bypass one of the biggest expenses while traveling. A few examples:

• Housesitting: there are plenty of platforms where you can apply to house and/or pet sit for locals going on short trips or long holidays

Meet Paddy! 🐾

• Asking friends or relatives for help: maybe you know someone living where you are going, or a friend or family member can help by helping you get in touch with locals

• Dating apps: this may sound a little sketchy but dating apps also work. I read about this guy who traveled the world using just Tinder for accommodation. That’s genius, right? I know there is a stigma around this, but I am a big fan of meeting people through dating platforms and see if they are up for an adventure. They can show you around and might even offer you a place to stay. By communicating your intentions very clearly from the beginning, you will avoid awkward situations and probably end up having a great time.

And last but not least (and also a little boring but necessary):

MONEY

I saved up for the last few years to cover my plans for at least the end of the year. That seems like a lot of money, but when you don’t have too many expenses, you also don’t need an endless budget.

Aside from my savings, I will start working online once I feel the need for an income again.

How it’s going

So far so good. That’s the answer I keep giving to people asking me how it’s going. To be completely fair: it’s not always as easy and fulfilling as I anticipated every second to be. Even as an introvert it gets challenging being alone with my own thoughts all the time.

Not that I have been alone all the time, that sounds a little dramatic. I have stayed with my friend from back home, her boyfriend and little doggie who live in a suburb in Melbourne and opened their home to me for my first 4 nights, which was so lovely.

But it has taken me a minute to adapt to a nomadic lifestyle and depending on other people’s generosity and schedules.

Granted, it’s only been a week and that’s not enough time to adopt a whole new lifestyle, but I did ‘practice’ it at home a little bit. Living with my brother for a year in his apartment, already gave me a nomadic feeling because it was always going to be his place (even though we both knew it was as much my place as his, but I also always knew this was a temporary solution). Now it’s for real for real.

Anyways, after those first few days of catching up, going into Melbourne city, and exploring nature outside of Melbourne, I went to my first housesit address located in the middle of nowhere, where I was invited to look after a dog, 2 cats and 5 ponies. Sounds like a lot of work, but it’s not that bad. What I didn’t take into consideration was that I would be worried about the animal’s safety a lot while I was out of the house, animals have their own (sometimes challenging) personalities, a big house with a big land and no direct neighbors can be very scary at night and also: my thoughts kept going in circles from ‘I’m so happy I decided to do this’ to ‘will I ever find clients in time’ to ‘life is great and I will never regret this’ back to worrying about money and businesses again.

I got stuck in that loop and I kept being unproductive but still finding myself sitting inside with my laptop not enjoying the amazing life going on outside.

And wasn’t that the whole entire reason I decided to adopt this lifestyle in the first place? To live carefree, be outside most of the time, have all the time in the world to enjoy the little things and to do whatever I want? Why is it so hard to actually do it then?

I’m now slowly getting out of that loop and actually enjoying every second to the fullest.

I discovered the things I love doing most:

1. Photographing the sky (I decided I’m going to buy a Drone, great job living on a small budget, hey)

2. Writing about things I experience and how I feel about it

3. Working on my website

4. Creating content, whether I reach a great audience or not, it’s for my pleasure

5. Dancing around (naked too sometimes)

6. Reading books on my e-reader, what a GREAT invention!

7. Swim in the pool of the house I’m staying in

8. Early morning yoga

Have you noticed how I haven’t added anything work related to that list (yet)? That’s because I still have plenty of time to enjoy all the things above before I need to start thinking about money again. And eventually things will start happening and oppurtunities where I can earn money doing things I like, will present themselves.

Tips for future nomads

So here are some tips off the top of my head:

1. Don’t overthink it (great adivce, Domi, now listen to it yourself)

2. Make sure to arrange all the necessary things I mentioned before to leave with some peace of mind

3. Buy a prepaid SIM-card once you arrive at your destination (trust me, it’s all very romantic to be unattached from the world, but once you need to get directions and there’s no one around to ask, Google Maps is your best friend)

4. Enjoy the little things

5. Look around and also up

6. Take public transport, even if it’s the most inconvenient way to get somewhere

7. Be creative with food: don’t eat out all the time but cook yourself or with a local you already know or have just met

8. Get in your regular routine (eat, sleep, move, hydrate) as soon as you arrive at your destination, your bowels will thank you later

9. Bring a small travel bag to carry your valuables on you all the time

10. Still don’t overthink it!!! It will all run its course, trust me
    

Oh, and most importantly: have fun!

This view...

Xoxo Domi