The dark side of being a nomad
If you want to be a nomad, you need to read this edition
Traveling a lot, having geographical freedom, doing whatever you want, whenever you want. The life of a nomad may seem like a dream, but this newsletter is not an Instagram cheerful page. I present to you the worst things about being a nomad.
Packing
No one has ever said "I loved packing" on their tombstone. Packing is and will always be the great nightmare of a nomad. No matter how much you learn to pack faster and better, it's a pain.
Checking the calendar all the time
Beyond work schedules, your personal agenda becomes a mess. Balancing both can be insane.
Planning
I'm not particularly eager to plan. But a nomad needs planning; otherwise, life becomes chaotic. Looking for flights in advance, choosing where to stay in each city, balancing trips with work meetings or important events, family gatherings, or friends' weddings.
Expat life
I'm a nomad based in São Paulo. I spend periods of about 10 days every two months, on average. During these ten days in São Paulo, I feel like an expatriate who spends only a few days in their home country and has only a short time to see friends, family, colleagues... In normal life, you'd see these people on a broader period.
You're a fragile
You become vulnerable without a home and a key to return whenever you want. If there's a problem with your accommodation on the eve of your arrival (it has happened to me more than once), you must find a solution quickly. Unless you have friends to save, you must spend extra money on accommodation.
You'll spend more on housing
I've been trying hard to spend as little as possible on accommodation (read more in this text), but the truth is that I haven't found any formula that doesn't involve staying on strangers' sofas (which I won't do at 32 years old).
It's much harder to control expenses
In non-nomadic life, we usually spend more than we'd like, but we somehow try to control it. In a nomadic life, we often trick ourselves with the "you only live once" mentality —I will never be here again. Not to mention the expenses at airports and bus terminals, or unnecessary spending on laundry detergent and fabric softener. Believe me: money goes away.
You trivialize the act of traveling
I mentioned that I miss traveling, which might seem contradictory for a nomad. But it's true, you're not going on a trip with a return ticket. You're going to keep going. And you'll keep going until you don't know when. It's your routine.
You trivialize life's emotions
The other day, a friend asked me: "So, what's new?". I gave that bureaucratic answer: "Oh, not much, my life is the same with work, continuing this nomadic life, I am single." Later, I realized that I'll be heading to Buenos Aires and Rome in the next few months. So I get angry with myself. How can there be no news? These are not trivial things. I must celebrate.
Forgetting objects
Constantly changing Airbnb increases the chance of forgetting objects. That's what happened in Porto Alegre with three of my favorite t-shirts. Luckily, the host was kind, and a friend there retrieved them. But I could forget important objects in distant places without any friends around.
When love has a deadline
If you're a single nomad, love stories will be left behind. And then, you'll only have memories of what you didn't experience.
When friendships have a pause
Something similar happens with friends left behind. Some you may never see again in your life.
Bye bye
When you get used to a room, a neighborhood, or a city... bye bye. It's the price you pay for wanting to be a nomad who spends little time in each place. Due to fate and life circumstances, I have been spending very little time in each location. My goal for 2024 is to organize myself to stay in each destination for at least one month.
After reading all this, you might think, "well, he's not enjoying being a nomad, he'll stop soon." It's the opposite. Having many negatives doesn't overshadow the many good things. It would be best if you learn to deal with the problems.
Being a nomad is the most extraordinary experience of my life, and I plan to continue being a nomad in 2024, and then decide year by year.
If you're a Portuguese reader, I recommend the newsletter "Souvenir". (If you are not, try Google Translator or ChatGPT). Thayná Vervloet is on a sabbatical and travels in a motorhome with her husband. She reflects on this life with depth thoughts. "Souvenir" approaches traveler's big dramas in a light, sincere way, with a touch of travel tips.