Sounds lovely, doesn’t it? Travelling around the world with your laptop? Not having a regular base and simply wondering who you will meet in the next youth hostel? Being nomadic means that you can be completely location independent.
In the past year, I’ve been lucky enough to blog from Reykjavik, do client work from Stockholm and have business meetings in Manila.
What I really love about being on the road is that you just never know where you will be or what will happen next. Fancy a detour to the neighbouring country? No problem! Fall in love with a city? Stay there longer.
If you have cash on your card and wifi for your laptop, you’re good to go. The excitement of being a nomad is thrilling.
The Importance of Family and a Strong Support Network
But what people don’t realise is the downside to being a digital nomad. It can be rather lonely in reality. If your partner or best friend is with you on the road, it’s fantastic. My partner’s not always with me, and when we are apart I miss him terribly.
Sadly, in December, I lost my dear Grandma Maureen Prince. She was very dear to me and we were very close. In summer 2016 I went to show her my wedding dress that she had had so kindly offered to pay for. She told me that it was beautiful. At this point, clearly I feared she would not make it to our wedding.
Her condition deteriorated, but I was told not to cancel my trip to the Philippines – it wasn’t what she would have wanted. So, I carried on with my travel plans. The wedding dress was the last time I saw her.
I am still dedicated to living my life to the full, it’s just that has made me realise how important it is to be able to get back to family in a crisis. That’s when I decided to relocate to Liverpool.
Why Health can Suffer when you are Nomadic
Then there’s the other important thing that often gets neglected when you are nomadic – health. Ok, you may have health insurance. But, it can be a ball-ache to get insurers to pay. Also, being on the road takes it’s toll on your health.
The exhausting nature of constant travel combined with the fact that I have a few chronic long-term health conditions that I need to manage, makes me really appreciate the good old NHS! If you are not from the UK, let me explain. The system we have in England allows free access to healthcare. For me, this includes my epilepsy nurse and asthma specialist.
I’m No Longer Nomadic!
So, if you haven’t already guessed it, I’m no longer nomadic! I’ve struck gold by finding a job that I love in a city that I love. I’m so pleased to announce that I’m joining the team at Elephant Digital, a digital marketing agency based in Liverpool.
I’m doing what I love everyday – basically, I’m still blogging and promoting on social media. However, I’m helping other companies to achieve success too, rather than focusing purely on my own success.
Yet, I’m not stopping my blog either. The company are so supportive in my online ventures and allowing me to take holiday and work remotely for the pre-planned trips. I’m still doing what I enjoy, but doing that with the support of a fabulous team.
The regular job will mean a regular pay check. This means more money to spend on travel, but less time to do it! I will be travelling for shorter time periods, but with a healthier budget! This suits me now I’m in my 30’s, of course.
My partner’s family are also located in Liverpool, and as we are getting married soon, they are pretty much my family too now! I’m also just an hour and a half from my Grandad, Aunt, cousins and Dad.
Oh, and I’m now living back in my own house! Yes, I invested in a cheap mid-terrace in Anfield 10 years ago. I’m now refurbishing it to live in myself after years of travelling and repeated relocations.
I’m now looking forward to making a massive impact in my new job as client services manager, as well as travelling to Italy in February and Israel in March. Life doesn’t get any better than this!
Reasons NOT to be Nomadic
- No regular support structure takes it’s toll on many nomads.
- Far from family in crisis situations
- Health can suffer – travel is exhausting and you miss regular check ups or dental appointments
- Lack of regular colleagues and team
- You often spend more than you earn!