Candice LandauLast Updated on August 29, 2024 by Candice Landau
Simply wanting to embrace a nomadic lifestyle isn’t enough. While many people are drawn to the idea, certain factors can either ease or complicate the transition. Here are 7 things that make nomadic living truly achievable, or so I think!
1. A remote job
If you spend almost all your time at work on a computer, it might feel like remote work should be a given. The truth is, it’s not. Many companies still like to hold employees to the old-school notion of coming into a physical office, suggesting that the face time is better, creativity improved, and that better (and more) work is done. Frankly, I couldn’t disagree more. For a creative like me—remote since 2020—physical work spaces can be fun but can also be huge time wasters, especially if you have a job that requires deep time to focus.
My opinion: If your company doesn’t offer remote work, move on, there are too many companies that do. Alternatively, you could ask them to change your policy. They might just do it, especially if you have valid reasons.
2. Facebook Marketplace
For those who own or rent a house or apartment, including a lot of physical possessions, it can seem daunting to figure out what to do with all of that stuff, especially if it has sentimental value. Thankfully, we were only renting a house and so didn’t have to work through the complexities of selling one. We did, however, want to minimize what was being placed in storage and so, listed all of the furniture we weren’t in love with. This way, when we return to living in one space for longer we’ll have the opportunity to start from scratch. Who knows what our style will be then?!
A few tips for Facebook Marketplace listings: Be prepared for the long haul. Price at what you’d like to sell your items for (and be prepared to lower that price if it isn’t moving). Take good photos, and if possible quirky photos. Cute pic of your cat in the photo? Definitely an attention grabber.
3. A secure storage unit
Not going to lie, looking for a storage unit in Orlando required a bit of research, most of which Stephen did. Factors we had to take into account included whether or not it was in a flood zone (hurricanes and tropical storms do blow through and cause not infrequent flooding), temperature controlled (for my scuba tanks), and secure. Not all storage units feel that way. Ours came equipped with security cameras, security gates, a good feel, and seamless setup. Price was also pretty competitive all things considered and we pre-paid for a year. Total cost for 20×10? Around $2,000.
4. A virtual mailbox
Unfortunately, bureaucracy hasn’t yet caught up to the reality of how people live. You still need a permanent physical address and while Stephen’s company is truly remote with remote insurance, etc, mine requires an address in a state. With a virtual mailbox, I’m still “living in” Florida. After all, if we move once a month, I literally can’t change my address each month—I’ve got to pay taxes somewhere! There are multiple services out there. I’ll withhold telling you more about mine until I know whether or not it works. We’re just waiting for our change of address to come through on it (you’ll still have to change it via USPS, to the new address the virtual mailbox assigns you). From there you should be able to view the outside of your mail online and have it forwarded, or have it scanned. The choice is up to you.
5. No particular ties to where you’re living
Neither Stephen nor I have ties in Orlando. Furthermore, we have no family in Florida so leaving isn’t hard. We also haven’t been there long enough to establish a community or to really feel there’s a strong draw. This was not the case for me when I was asked to leave Washington State. Though I wasn’t necessarily the biggest fan of Tacoma, the area was beautiful and I had a few good friends, a dive community, and best of all, a vegan weightlifting gym. Leaving Washington was hard!
6. Sites like Airbnb
I have no doubt that there are niche sites for digital nomads and the like but if you’re just getting started, Airbnb is a great place to begin. If you stay at least a month, most places will also give you a pretty substantial discount. Granted, it’s still more expensive than renting so you may have to lower your standards slightly. When I was looking for Airbnbs, I focused on places that had wifi, a washer and dryer, and a dedicated workspace. A studio was out of the question as Stephen and I both take calls/do virtual meetings throughout the day. Of course there were plenty of nice spaces without a desk. Perhaps at some point we’ll investigate portable desks. For now, we’ve got to further whittle down the stuff we brought.
7. A partner with shared goals
Though I likely drove the initial thoughts around nomad life, Stephen quickly bought into the idea and pushed to continue with the plan when I began to have my doubts. It certainly helped that neither of us wanted to settle in Orlando, and that we’d both lived in a few states (and countries in my case). I think it would be very hard to embark on a lifestyle like this without full support from your significant other.
