I left the United States on November 6, 2021, on a one-way ticket to Colombia.
Honestly, I had no intention of staying in Colombia more than a month. But in just my second week there, I met who-is-now my girlfriend.
I stayed in Medellín for 8 months total but couldn’t stay any longer because of immigration rules.
Then I headed all around Latin America – Peru, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Panama – exploring. Not necessarily in search for anything other than myself.
And this is why I fell in love with nomading.
Why nomadism is awesome
Compared to sitting in a cubicle in the basement of a stuffy corporate office, yeah, nomadism rules.
The obvious reasons for nomadism
You get to …
- Experience new cultures
- Learn a new language (or two)
- Travel the world while saving money
- Meet inspiring people in cool, local hostels
- Taste those new cultures through their cuisine
Whether you work for yourself or someone else, you can create your own schedule as long as you get the promised work done. Meaning you can optimize your work hours to take full advantage of exploration.
Got a 16,000 ft hike at 6am? Great. Get all your work done from 2pm to 10pm, and you’re golden.
The freedom is unmatched – especially if you haven’t traveled up until that point in your life.
You’re truly dependent on yourself, and that’s one of the greatest feelings. Self sovereignty.
And because you’re alone on a great adventure, you spend a lot of time discovering more about yourself that you never would’ve learned on autopilot living in the United States.
The not so obvious reasons nomadism works
Nomadism forces you to get out of your comfort zone … A LOT. And that discomfort creates growth. Read Antifragile by Nassim Taleb and the premise is right there in the subtitle: Things that gain from disorder.
We were meant to break ourselves down in order to grow. Just like a leg day at the gym. You stretch and test and break and tear those muscles in order to then have stronger, more resilient muscles.
The challenges you face on the road are unlike any challenge you’ve faced at home or in school or in sports. Completely different ballgame.
- Without their language,
- Without their customs,
- Without their street smarts…
… you’ll find yourself in some tricky spots. But it’s how you react in those moments that will make or break you.
So yes, nomadism offers you experiences most people pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for – freedom, flexibility and a fast-track degree in {YOU} Studies.
For f*ck’s sake, you get to travel the world and earn a great living at the same time. Who wouldn’t want that?
Me 🙋♂️ And I’ll tell you why
3 reasons why nomadism stinks
I’m swearing off nomadism for the time being. A couple reasons why:
- Lack of network
- Lack of a “home”
- Lack of ownership
Nomadism stinks for creating deep connections
Loneliness was by far my biggest challenge when I was nomading.
The people you’ll meet on the road are great. Until they leave two days later.
Most nomads are backpackers and wanderers. They move from one place to another after a few days or a week in search of the next dopamine rush.
Typically, they’re not building a life of freedom – they’re just putting off their real-world life for awhile and exploring.
That’s fine. It’s just not my nor your mission.
So the connections you make with these typically-very-interesting people are shallow and short-lived. ¯\(ツ)/¯
Want to soak yourself in each culture and get fully immersed in the community like I do? That’s a whole different vibe. You won’t gel with these hostel-living “fast travelers.”
Nomadism stinks for feeling at home
Nomadism is a steady stream of instability. For awhile I coped with moving from place to place with no consistent experience. It was “part of the deal.”
But it can be so difficult to establish a routine and develop great relationships when you’re always on the go. Again, loneliness is the big bug you have to squash when nomading.
Every few weeks, you have to pack up all your belongings and head out – to another place not named “home.”
When you graduate from the hostels to Airbnbs or short-term apartments, you still don’t own any of the stuff around you. You’re simply renting a life in every new city.
And yes, surprisingly, that’s taxing.
Nomadism stinks for owning stuff
I’m about as anti-consumer as you can get. I literally live out of a backpack 🤣
But there’s value in accumulating assets. American and Western culture was right about this one. And I’ve realized it as time’s gone on.
- I sold my car.
- I don’t have an apartment.
- I don’t even have a suitcase.
I simply own a backpack full of clothes, a computer and storage unit 50 miles north of Milwaukee (approximately, 24 hours’ travel from where I am now in Cuenca, Ecuador).
Asset accumulation is key to growing your personal wealth. I’m sure of that. To become financially free, you have to have some elements of passive income (a historically flawed term but we’ll fly with it) that you’re not trading your time for.
The problem with nomadism and the inconsistency in your experiences is not owning anything.
Now, two years after my adventure began, I’m looking for a home. I place to call my own. An experience where I can expect consistency and tranquility and stability.
It’s an underrated pleasure when you’re so accustomed to those things in the United States.
My ultimate conclusion: Nomad with a goal
Back to my original point, I left the U.S. in a great search. And I found what I was looking for.
Coincidentally, it was right back where I started in Colombia. I never needed to go any farther.
I found myself. I found nature. I found special people. I found community. I found vibrance and abundance. I found life. And I found happiness for the first time in mine.
See, there’s something really funny about how the world works. Everything just seems to work out in the end.
- Why did I meet my girlfriend so quickly?
- Why did I become enamored with Colombia’s nature?
- Why did I fall in love with the Paisa culture and people?
I don’t know the answers to those questions. But I’m glad I did.
You need a home. You need a community. You need somewhere to call yours.
