Rob and I have a hard time staying in one spot.
On average we have moved 2-3 times a year for the last 7 years.

I think the longest we stayed somewhere was La Jolla and that was a little over a year.
We get antsy, so antsy that back in January we decided to start moving month to month.
Since then we have been many different places inside and outside of the U.S.
Moving all the time is great but it does have a down side.
Sharing the pro and cons of living a nomadic lifestyle from my own experience.

The Pros

Freedom

Living a nomadic lifestyle means not being tied down to a lease, a mortgage or a specific place.
If we don’t like where we are living, we pick up and go.
If it’s too cold, we go somewhere warm.
Too humid, we go somewhere not humid.
If we want to live in Paris for two months, we go.
We have the freedom to live where we want for as long as we want.
It’s nice having this freedom.

No Responsibility

We are not responsible for cable, internet, water, electric, trash or any other utilities because it is all taken care of by the Airbnb host or hotel.
We are also not responsible for maintenance.
If the roof starts leaking, it’s not our job to fix it, nor do we have to stick around and live in a construction zone while it gets fixed.
We have the option to pack up and go.

Makes traveling cheaper

For years we traveled while paying for a home base at the same time.
We eventually realized we were doing it wrong.
We were paying thousands of dollars of rent for a home base while spending much of our time away.
It’s much more simple and cost effective to not have a long term lease or mortgage while we want to travel.

Fun

Being nomadic is a lot of fun.
I have been to so many different places and met so many new people.
I’ve tried so many new foods and been around so many different languages.
My environment changes all the time.

Sometimes, I don’t know where I will be next week.
It’s an exciting way to live.

The Cons

No Structure

I work best when I have a daily routine.
When I wake up early, workout, eat healthy and work.
I need structure in order to be healthy and productive.

As hard as I try, keeping a daily routine hasn’t been easy.
Being in new places all the time makes me feel like I’m in constant vacation mode.
I want to go explore.
I want to go learn about the culture.
I want to go try the food.

Working out and eating healthy, while important to me, they aren’t my priorities when I’m in a new place.
I find myself skipping workouts because I’m tired from traveling or because I’d rather go explore than go for a run.
I indulge more, because when I’m in a new place I want to experience the local cuisine.
I don’t sleep well, my sleep is always off and inconsistent because we are always changing times zones.

By the time I feel myself getting adjusted and into a good routine, we move to different place and I have to get readjusted.

Lack of Quality Friends

For the last seven years, we have constantly been on the move which has made it tough to build quality connections and friendships that last..

I have a tons of acquaintances scattered all over the world, but I don’t have many close friends that I can deeply connect with.

There have been many times when I have wanted the ability call a girlfriend up and say, “Let’s meet at yoga,” or “Come over for a movie night.”
But, most of the time we are in a new place where I don’t know anyone outside of Rob and Lucy.

Being nomadic can be unbearably lonely at times.
Especially when Rob is out of town and I’m left alone in a new place knowing absolutely no one.

For me, the lack of community is definitely the hardest thing about being nomadic.

No Organization

My shit is everywhere.
If you look at our car, it’s a mess.
It’s full of suitcases and bags and it stresses me out.

But being nomadic means living out of a suitcase.
I miss the days when I could simply open a drawer to find a pair of underwear.
Now I have to dig through three suitcase and hope that the underwear I find are clean.

Granted, I am not the most organized person in the world.
I try, but living out of a suitcase makes it hard to be organized.
And my clothes are always wrinkled.

While living a nomadic lifestyle does have its setbacks, I’m grateful to be able to experience this type of lifestyle at this point in my life.

If you have the ability to explore a nomadic lifestyle for awhile,I hope my experience will help you decide.

I believe it’s great to experience, but it’s not a viable long-term option for us.
Rob and I both need routine, community as well as a sense of belonging to a place.
But, that’s not to say that it hasn’t been a hell of an adventure.

Photo credit: All pics, except the last one, from https://kaboompics.com/
Last suitcase pic is from Anete Lūsiņa on Unsplash.