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WE’VE BEEN TAKING stock of our nomadic life. We’re quite happy living as we are. But we’re also conscious that things could change at any time for multiple reasons, and we’re ready to shift gears if needed.
We aren’t exactly “living the dream”—because being nomadic was never our dream. We hadn’t even thought about it until a few months before we started our travels. We officially uprooted ourselves—meaning we sold our Houston home—after we’d been away from the place for most of the first year of my retirement. We didn’t want to stay where we were, but we also didn’t have a place we wanted to move. Now, as we enter our third year as nomads, we’re thinking of making at least a few smaller changes to our itinerant lifestyle.
Complaints? I have a few. But then again… (sorry, Mr. Sinatra).
I miss my kettlebells, and it’s hard to maintain my certified instructor standards without heavier ones, which you can’t find in most gyms. My wife is an amazing cook and enjoys it, but it’s less enjoyable when a kitchen has crummy pans and knives, plus she has her own fitness goals that are difficult to achieve when bouncing among whatever gyms are available, if any. It’s also a challenge for us to eat properly when dealing with different kitchens and different stores, especially so when you throw in certain dietary requirements.
To be fair, we’ve been able to enjoy some impressive kitchens and gyms. Still, inconsistent eating and fitness are our biggest day-to-day concerns. I realize these will strike some as minor issues, but people are different and, for us, such things are important. We’ll often go out of our way and pay more than usual for short-term access to a good gym or for the food that we need or want.
We rent a storage unit in Texas that we haven’t seen since we filled it, and it’s become a subject of frequent discussions. Hurricane Beryl nudged us toward action when it caused our storage facility to lose power for an extended period. When we go back to the U.S. in early 2025 to see our parents, we’ll grudgingly make time to go to the storage unit… and do something.
Our options range from further downsizing to a full or partial move of our belongings to Virginia, near where we store our car. On the other hand, we might soon find we’ve wasted time and money moving things we must move again or, alternatively, that we got rid of things we wish we still had. This used to be a mental obstacle to action, but we’ve gotten over it. Whatever we decide won’t be perfect, but it’ll hopefully improve the situation and we’ll stop talking about the storage unit for a while.
So far, these things aren’t enough to make us settle down. But we have been thinking about being in one location for a longer period. Since we started this journey in late 2022, we haven’t been in one place longer than five weeks. Let me tell you that, even if you only have a carry-on and a backpack, unpacking for five weeks is quite a treat, and three to six months has some real attraction.
It would be nice to be somewhere long enough to become part of a community and develop a routine that’ll last for a little while, even if it’s not necessarily where we plan to spend years. Would we move some of our things out of storage? Who knows? But for a several months’ stay, we wouldn’t be beyond buying things we need and donating them when it’s time to move on.
Where would we go? This is another frequent topic of discussion. We like England a lot and can stay in the UK for up to six months on a tourist visa. I’m partial to Italy and speak the language, but a tourist visa there will only get us three months. We haven’t found that many places in the U.S. where we’re excited to stay a long time, but that’s partially because so much of our travel has been out of the country. For no particular reason, some places in the U.S. that were once on the short list for our future home don’t hold the same appeal they once did.
We sometimes think about buying property, possibly to use as a base for a couple of months each year and possibly just as an investment. That said, we don’t keep a lot of cash or bonds in our taxable accounts, waiting for a home purchase that may never happen. Buying would almost certainly entail selling stocks in those accounts. We’d be ready to do this, even if the market were down, as we could offset this with a shift into stocks in our tax-protected accounts. This could apply not only to buying property, but also to any other eventuality that suddenly required us to spend significant cash.
Because of the inherent uncertainty in our lives, we value flexibility in our finances. Our next few months of travel and expenses are usually predictable, even though locations are changing, but we don’t know what we don’t know. A medical emergency or a serious health diagnosis could mean a move at short notice to get care.
It would be a place that isn’t home, nor necessarily a town we know or where we have a circle of friends. More likely than not, we’d initially deal with the situation outside the U.S. Likewise, a serious family situation might provoke a similar sudden move. With both of us around age 60, living in unfamiliar surroundings, and with four parents in their 80s, this is not an insignificant consideration.
We’re thankful that, as we consider possible changes, our current motivation to make those changes isn’t health, family or financial problems, or because there’s some necessity we’re missing. Rather, it’s the desire for more of certain things that aren’t necessities, but which are important to us.
That said, we also enjoy novelty and exploration. If we were to settle into a routine and a community, even if we enjoyed it, I suspect we’d want to shake up our lives occasionally. We like our lifestyle and we’re happy, and we recognize that the ability to enjoy it is a gift.
Michael Perry is a former career Army officer and external affairs executive for a Fortune 100 company. In addition to personal finance and investing, his interests include reading, traveling, being outdoors, strength training and coaching, and cocktails. Check out his earlier articles.
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Check out KETTLE GRYP to turn a gym’s dumbbell into a kettlebell.
Interesting. It looks to me as though with a larger dumbbell it would be a bit wide for ballistics (perhaps dangerously so?). And I don’t expect it would work well for overhead movements. But it is interesting, and inexpensive and small. Thanks for sharing.
Cool and inspiring.
Thanks Ben
I’ve enjoyed Michael’s writings at HD over the years. Like others, I’m not prepared / able to launch a fully nomadic life.
However, at age 58 and launching a new entrepreneurial venture that can be partially remote, I’m definitely interested in three- or four-week itinerant stints. These insights about scouting out fitness locations and cooking setups (all airbnbs are not created equal) resonate with me. Perhaps I’ll bump into Michael in Santiago, Lima, or Antigua Guatemala; all are on US time zones for easier video calls…
Thanks for reading and commenting. Another thing that isn’t created equal is internet connection. When visiting us in Italy my brother-in-law had to resort to renting workspace in a hotel the connection was so poor (not a problem with Italy, just this apartment). Likewise, speed and strength of security can vary.
Having a good VPN takes care of the security issue, and also avoids issues with sites that don’t like the fact you’re outside the US. (With VPN you can appear to those sites that you’re in the US.)
I, too, am one of the somewhat vicarious readers/travelers (I say “somewhat” because I have been able to travel, but not as often or as far as I’d like). I appreciate the collective tips and hope I’ll soon be able to use some of them – though I don’t see myself becoming a nomad. For the foreseeable future, I’ll want to come home to my little house in my little town “where everyone knows my name.” 😊
Thanks Linda. There is definitely something to be said for returning “home.”
Thanks for the update, Michael. Enjoyed reading about your lifestyle. We are a similar age with parents a similar age too and there have started to be issues. Enjoy your adventure as long as you can. Chris
Thanks Chris. Wish you the best with the emerging issues.
As a youngish soon to be 54 and not quite retired, your article does give us quite a bit to ponder. We to want to travel extensively, although we believe we will continue to be based in Florida or move somewhere to North Carolina as our base. Just so much to take into account when planning, having these types of articles are invaluable. Please keep them coming and know that we are enjoying y9our travels in our dreams.
I wonder, are there areas that you have already visited but you plan on going back year after year because you feel such a connection?
Thanks Mike.
Not necessarily “year after year,” but there are definitely some places we like a lot and have returned to.
For starters, England in general, especially the Cotswolds and Cornwall. In the past couple of years we’ve spent more time in England than anywhere else.
At one time we considered semi-settling in northern Italy. I guess we still do, but the fact that I speak the language is both a blessing and a curse. My wife is more social than I am but doesn’t have the language so is excluded from some interactions. By contrast, England is a “foreign” country but one in which we’re both fully comfortable and interact with others easily.
Michael,
I traveled quite a bit during my long ago youth, spending the most time in Mexico, Colombia, and the Dominican Republic. These days, and to my wife’s chagrin, I’ve become a dedicated homebody.
That said, I’ve always enjoyed learning about people’s lifestyles that are very different from mine, and yours is a great example.
Keep us posted on your adventures!
Thanks Andrew. The homebody bug might bite us too at some point, but not yet.
Michael, thank you for the update, I enjoy reading about your travels. My wife and I started more travel this summer and are thankful to be home for the holidays and some time in our US home. The UK is our base for European travels and like you access to good gyms and maintaining healthy diet while traveling is a priority for us. On the gym side we joined David Lloyd gyms for 3 months (minimum length) as they have a national network and European locations, and we were able to use their gyms around the country. The downside is the price £ but it is a trade off that is important to us. If I could eat fewer Sunday roasts at the pub that might help the diet a little!
Thanks Grant. We’ve been in the same place a total of twice, and don’t really know where we’ll be in the future, so we tend to wing it rather than join a gym chain for an extended period. Even so we’ve joined the local “leisure center” a few times. Will have a look at David Lloyd, thanks.
If I’m not mistaken, you’re a UK citizen, so that makes the decision to base yourself there for European travel an even better option. Well done.
Correct I have dual citizenship. We have a 300sf ‘forward base’ as you put it, that we were able to achieve “relatively”economically considering the high cost of housing in the UK. Happy to share information offline if you are interested.
Nice. That’s what I’d call not unnecessarily big :-). I wonder how difficult it is to find small places like that outside the big cities. We much prefer smaller cities or market towns.
Btw, our understanding is that we can rent or own UK property without a visa, but we cannot get a driving license or register a vehicle. We basically live with public transport when outside the US so not a big deal for us, but a consideration for anyone else thinking about this.
We have a ‘unique’ place in Brighton on the south coast. How we ended up there is a long story and it unlikely a similar property exists elsewhere. I still have family in Brighton which was a plus when making the commitment, as was the ease of getting to/from Gatwick Airport and Central London. We do not have a place to keep a car year round, otherwise we would have looked into the ins and outs of buying. We have rented cars using our USA drivers license with no issues. We found a Hertz, five minute Uber drive away, with ‘reasonable’ rates when compared to renting at the airport.
Thanks for the update. There don’t seem to be too many options for six month stays for US citizens, at least without a suitable visa, although Canada and Mexico both make the list. So do Armenia and Georgia, although they might be too close to Russia for comfort these days (otherwise fine destinations). But do take advantage of the travel bug while you have it, mine seems to have gone dormant.
Thanks Kathy. Yes that UK six month visa is a great thing. We have yet to really take advantage of it, although we’ve been in and out of the country a lot. Since writing this article we’ve started to think about a small “forward operating base” at which we could keep some things and easily do other travel from, even if we can’t technically reside there.
Btw, of all the people here with travel bugs, yours may be the most deserving of a break 🙂
Thanks Michael. There are a few places on my list, but I’m rather out of practice. Still, in another couple of years getting medical and evacuation insurance will be difficult. I did just renew my US passport – only took two and a half weeks!
Nice! I’ve been under the impression passport renewals were taking months.
Yes, I expected it to take longer, especially as mailing the application Priority Express wasn’t going to get it there very fast. Meanwhile, looks like I’ll have to be in the UK to renew that passport.
Michael, this sentence: “I realize these will strike some as minor issues, but people are different and, for us, such things are important.”
It matters not what others think. You do you. I completely understand the idea of having all the “right” exercise options. This is a great article for those of us who may be traveling vicariously through your writings. I’ll also say that North Carolina has both the mountains and coast with attractive living possibilities all over.
Thanks Jeff. Completely agree and to keep “doing us” is our intention.
NC does have some nice areas. We’ve spent a bit of time in both the Outer Banks and the mountains.
The lack of exercise and cooking equipment that you prefer would wear on me after awhile. A week or two vacation is one thing, but for months and years on end, I’d miss those things a lot.
I’ve been reading International Living magazine for a few years and do daydream about going someplace for at least several months, for just the reasons you outline—to really experience what it’s like to “live” there.
Thanks Dana. Sounds like you get where we’re coming from. Not having those things does get old. Fortunately there are positives that outweigh it.
Thank you for sharing an update on your nomadic life. It is a gift to those of us who only dream of embarking on such an exciting journey.
Thanks for the comment Kevin.
Thanks Michael. I always enjoy your articles and learn from them. Best of luck in 2025 and keep us up-to-date on your future adventures.
Thanks Rick.
Yes, people are different, and I’m wired differently from you. But I greatly enjoy reading about your wandering. Sounds like you are not quite ready to give it up. I look forward to more articles from parts as yet unknown!
Thanks Ed.