Living Life Nomadic – The Road Less Traveled
Written on September 10, 2007 by Tezza
Monday’s weekly guide to Travel and Recreation from 4EvaYoung.com
“I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I–
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.” – Robert Frost
The idea of traveling has been something that has fascinated me as mentioned in “Backpacking Trip – Planning Your Next Adventure”. While others embarked on gap year trips or saved up a few years working before going on a trip of a lifetime accumulating debt that will take years to repay after they return, I opted for the more traditional path hoping to travel later on in life.
Well for me at least the time of travel and seeing the world at large has come. The all too startling realization that life is not promised, and you never know when it’ll be taken away is something that is motivating me to travel while I’m young.
I got tired of feeling pulled into the false promise that has you putting your nose to the grindstone day after day. Working excessive hours just to enable you to have what others do not have. Instead I’ve decided that life is too precious so I’m going to live it as well as I can, and enjoy it at every opportunity.
1. Decide on your style of travel
“The tragedy in life doesn’t lie in not reaching your goal. The tragedy lies in having no goal to reach.” – Benjamin Mays
The word travel has different connotations for different people. Some people prefer to lounge around a beach; others prefer taking tours and then there are those who see budget backpacking to rural villages as the ideal way to see another culture. By knowing your travel style it will make it easier to plan and if you are traveling with other people it will help you make sure that you are compatible.
For me the simplicity of backpacking around appeals to me. I haven’t done a backpacking trip before so it’s something that’s going to be a great learning curve for me. I will have to abandon my attachment to simple luxuries like having my own bathroom, my own room and general levels of comfort. But it’s a necessary sacrifice if I’m going to be able to go outside of the city and experience the countries I travel from a non-tourist type of perspective.
2. Decide on where you want to go
“When you know what you want, and you want it bad enough, you will find a way to get it.” – Jim Rohn
I’ve decided to take 6 months out and travel the world a bit. Deciding on which countries to visit can be a bit daunting as there is so much to choose from. I also didn’t want to do any tours so that at least takes away the option of city and country hopping that most tours seem to focus on. I’m not a big fan of spending only 2-3 days in each country just to try and squeeze in as much as you can in as little amount of time as possible. While this certainly has great appeal for people who are time pressed, I have the luxury of time on my side.
So I’ve decided to spend two months in each of my regions. I will spend 2 months each in Asia, Europe and the United States. I will try to limit the time spent moving around so I will definitely be stopping in Hong Kong, Germany, Spain and in the United States (New York and LA). I will be using these countries as the home base for my travel and it will be used to explore my surrounding countries as I see fit. The itinerary will begin from January 2008 till roughly July 2008.
3. Things I’d Like To See And Do
“After the game, the king and the pawn go into the same box.” – Italian Proverb
There is so much to see and do at the destinations I’ve decided on. Off course all the typical touristy things come to mind, drinking, partying and shopping. While these are all well and good I can do all these where I live now so why would I want to spend thousands of dollars to do it in someone else’s backyard. It’s a great shame that many tourist spots have been destroyed to cater for “tourists” and as a result many have lost their beautiful cultures and traditions.
The greater appeal for me with travel is to see and do what the locals do. I’d like to immerse myself in how they live their lives and maybe to get a glimpse of someone else’s way of life. I know that this won’t be achieved by hanging around the cities so I’d be looking to escape the tourist traps by and large.
Here are a few of the goals I’d like to also tick off on my list of life goals.
5. Trek to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
11. Pilgrimage to Santiago
17. Eat a Hot dog in New York
26. Walk the Wisdom Path, Hong Kong
44. Ride a cable car in San Francisco
45. Hike a part of the Appalachian Trail
46. Camp in Yosemite National Park
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Hey Tez,
This article raised particular interest in me.
The great thing about the Nomadic lifestyle that you have written this article on is that a “nomad” is someone who finds little validation in possessions. It is incredibly difficult for someone who is trying to live nomadically to hang on to a plasma tv or a expensive pair of shoes. The nomad cannot afford to be concerned with such things as his adventure would come to a halt.
The nomad then has a fantastic way of reaching the world within. He or she can reflect, think and realise what is really important when everything else is stripped away.
Nomads are usually spending most of their time in natural environments, like in the bush (forest) or at sea. I think there are also great lessons one can learn from nature if we are listening. We can learn a great deal about ourselves and the planet that created us and how live on it in a better way.
I think that every True Seeker needs to go through a period of self realisation, and a nomadic lifestyle can be a great aid for that…
So in short …. GO THE NOMADS!
Cheers
Mas
Mas, That is an insightful view of the nomadic lifestyle. I think the thought of settling down to one spot and accumulating possessions like “plasma TV’s” can be quite stifling to some people. Thus the nomadic simple lifestyle has great appeal for those who as you say are “seeking” greater meaning in their lives.
All my life I wanted to travel, but I allowed life to get in the way. Job, then marriage, then kids. Finally, we retired early, bought a popup trailer, and traveled all over USA, Canada, and then Mexico.. Although we stayed a minimum of a week, usually longer, in each place, after almost a year on the road, we got tired of the constant moving, and we settled in the mountains of Mexico, where we have a wonderful life.
I think sometimes you have to look around the world a bit to see what feels like home.
Happy travels. Que le via bien!
Marti in Mexico
Marti, Wonderfully inspiring! You are very fortunate to have retired early and been able to live out your dreams. Driving around in an RV is something that resonates deeply with me and I hope one day soon I will be able to travel on the road like you. May you continue to have a wonderful mountain life in Mexico.
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Hey Tezza,
wish you a satisfying and enjoyable roadtrip. Do note that Europe is beautiful in Spring and its also an ideal time to undertake the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostella.
BR,
Girish
Girish: Thanks for the well wishes for my trip. Yeah i hear spring is amazing in europe…unfortunately it looks like i will be starting the pilgrimage a little earlier. So it looks like i will be walking it in winter, starting feb 15 or thereabouts.
The basic life concept that seems to be lost on today’s society is the fact that we are on the Earth to live and experience, not to work. Work is merely a way to make money and money is merely a tool for survival. Life is not about money or work or accumulation of possessions. Life is about people, interacting with one another, experiencing new things, and seeing this beautiful planet we live on. Why doesn’t everybody do it? Fear….cowardice……that intense desire to stay in the comfort zone, to not lose one’s lifestyle, to not lose one’s possessions (even though they are in storage and you haven’t seen them in months, yet you keep paying that $50 per month…..you konw who you are!) You don’t have to retire before you can hit the open road! Do it now while you are young enough, enthustiastic enough, energetic enough, and will appreciate the freedom. Need money? Find a job. When you get to the next place, find another job. It’s not that difficult.
Please tell me how you can to a point in your life where you were able to do all this? If you are independently wealthy then I dont even want to hear about it. What you are planning is my heart’s deepest desire.
So true Cassandra, but i think its so easy for people to get caught up doing what everyone else seems to be doing and focused on. I met so many people who weren’t retired but living their dreams traveling the world, seeing new sights, experiencing wonderful cultures and yet they seem to manage fine. We think we need more than we really do because we fear what tomorrow might bring. Maybe it’s because we don’t have enough faith in ourselves to know that no matter what, we’ll find a way.
Hi Ashley,
If you are asking if I am independently wealthy or somehow inherited my wealth from parents etc then the answer is an emphatic NO.
Ive earned everything myself the old fashioned way, hard work and long hours. But we all think our dreams cost more than it actually does so we put it off thinking we aren’t ready, or we dont have enough money. If its your dream to travel, then i say go and do it. Save up some money and maybe take a month off and get a sense of the freedom. You will soon realise that there are many others living your dream and they are doing it on far less money then you are. Experience enables you to better put your dreams into realisation.
Hi! I’m only 16 but I am intriged by the nomadic lifestyle already. I have been making a list of things I want to do before I die.Travel the west and live nomadic (for a bit atleast) are two of them. I live in ohio and have been through the eastern states michigan to florida. I have always loved the pioneer stories and would love to see a bit myself. Your stories are very insightful.
Thank you
katie
Hi Katie, Its wonderful to hear you have that you are inspired by the nomadic lifestyle. I wish you all the best and I’m sure you’ll have wonderful stories to report back on so would be happy to hear them.
hello! I just have to say that My husband, mother, and I ended up nomadic for a bit. My husband and I sold everything we own except for one car and were going to stay with my mom. 2 days before we were going to leave to go there, her house caught on fire. and wouldnt you know, she had no where to go. So, we all packed up the cars and headed down to my mother-in-law’s house for around a month. My mom sold her car and we sold ours. We bought an Rv, did some maintenance before we hit the road. I have never been so happy! We made it from west virginia, all the way down to Key West and back up the western side of Fla and all the way over to Texas, which is where we reside now. My mother loves it here and is staying. We have every intention of moving on, again, next spring. My husband and I have the same thoughts. Why wait til we are retired and too out of shape, which will be more than likely our story. I dont want a mortgage and all kinds of responsibility. Why cant we travel now, and have a house later? There are so many beautiful things and places in the world to see and we plan to see as much as we can. When we arrived here, we stayed a few weeks and then went job hunting. We were lucky enough to aquire jobs right away. I have never been happier and I cant wait to hit the road again!