Oftentimes when folks hear that we’ve been traveling full-time for so many years – we get the response of You’re living my dream!’.
To which we of course reply Then why aren’t you doing it too?’.
Over the years, we’ve compiled our responses to the common excuses that folks give us to that question, some very valid. We aim to share examples of others overcoming the challenges, our own stories and share resources to assist. This will be a growing series, so please do check back to see what we’ve added.
We have greatly expanded and updated this series, and now offer it as a ‘Pay as you Wish’ eBook. By downloading and chipping in for the eBook, you are helping us fund our efforts to continue presenting this sort of information to those seeking it. Thank you!
Currently in this series:
Excuse #1: Jobs/Career – Choose careers that are nomad friendly!
Excuse #2: Affording it – It can be far more affordable than you think!
Excuse #3: Stuff – Stuff is anchor, learn to live with what you really need
Excuse #4: Family – Travel can be an education for kids and keep you more connected to family
Excuse #5: Environmental Impact – You can travel and lower your ecological footprint on the world
Excuse #6: Pets – Some forms of travel are more pet friendly than others
Excuse #7: Community – Being nomadic opens up new opportunity for community
Excuse #8: Romance/Companionship – From solo travel to dealing with a partner who doesn’t share your wanderlust
Excuse #9: Logistics – How to handle mail, voting, taxes and banking – the mundane logistics.
Excuse #10: Healthcare – Considerations for health insurance when you travel full time.
Excuse #11: Overwhelm – Tips for handling the daunting tasks ahead of you for preparing your life to be mobile.
Excuse #12: Lack of Continuity – How to find services on the road when you need them
Excuse #13: Safety – Being mobile really doesn’t have more risky than being stationary – just different.
Excuse #14: Connectivity – How to stay connected online while in motion full time.
Excuse #15: Feeling Held Back (available only in the eBook!)
Excuse #16: Being a Homebody – Yes, you can be a homebody and travel full time!
What other excuses do you have, or have you encountered? Reply in the comments, and we’ll address those too.
I like this article. I just finished one in the same vein about why people don’t live their retirement travel dreams.
Regarding fears: What about retirement plans? Do you see yourself leading this lifestyle when you are 80-90? DO you have children? If so, did you start this before they left? What about funding their college education? These are the things holding us back. Thanks for your consideration!
Hi Jodi, thanks for replying to this thread. I’ll continue to be addressing some of these topics in the future.. but thought I’d reply now as well.
Chris and I are childfree-by-choice – meaning we do not nor do we plan to have children. So for us, it’s not a factor. However, there are many families not waiting for their kids to grow up before traveling. Some great nomadic families to check out for inspiration around this include:
http://www.soultravelers3.com
http://happyjanssens.com/
http://www.familiesontheroad.com/
As far as financial planning for anything (retirement, education, general savings, emergency fund, health care) – it really is no different than a stationary life. You find ways to save money. We work as we travel, still producing an income that allows us to afford our lifestyle (which is significantly less than our previous stationary life) and save for the future. It’s all about finding a career/worklife that is mobile-compatible that you can do as you travel to afford the things you want in life.
As for the future.. Chris and I are Gen-Xers (mid 30s), who grew up being told that social security would most likely be non-existent by the time we reached what is now considered ‘retirement age’. So, we’ve set out to create a sustainable lifestyle that will not have a clear ‘dedicate your life to work now than retire when you’re too old to enjoy it’ lifeline. We intend to continue mixing a rewarding all around life that includes career until we no longer physically can – and are investing to fund life should income no longer be produceable.
Will we be doing exactly what we’re doing in 40-60 years? I hope not.. we intend to move on to many new adventures all involving creating a lifestyle totally of our design. And we leave the possibility open that being stationary for periods of time is a choice we’ll make.
Pieces in this series that apply to these topics that we’ve already written about include:
https://www.technomadia.com/2009/03/excuses-job-and-career/
https://www.technomadia.com/2009/04/excuses-affording-it/
https://www.technomadia.com/2009/04/excuses-family/
All our best,
– Cherie
This is a great series. I have actually been working on something similar for quite some time for my own blog.
.-= Kelsey´s last blog ..One Blog, Two Blogs: To Split or Not To Split? =-.
I adore travel and like to do it often one of the more wild excuses I hear is I would not want to travel why would you want to meet weird people. Well, the whole idea of travel is to enjoy the culture differences and learn from it. The world would be a better place if we got to understand our fellow man and braced the differences with a sense of adventure. I have educated myself through travel and my understanding of others has greatly rewarded my life. Cheers Davy
Great excuses! Choosing a nomad friendly career is a huge step. It’s so much more fun working from everywhere 🙂
.-= Justin Wright´s last blog ..Use FriendFeed As A Lifestream =-.
Hi Cherie~ I stumbled on an ad for the solar powered T@B (was really bummed when I saw it had sold) …then got caught up in the blog and then turned onto technomedia.com (looks great)…LOVE IT ALL! Doing research to make a move myself.. But, I have a question…(this falls under “common questions” I suppose)…What do you do, or is it still required, to maintain a physical address??? is there such thing as a cyber address ( or a service that documents you are who you are but for individuals without a permanent address)? I guess I”m thinking of things like driver’s licenses, income tax returns, etc. Or do you just use a good friend or relatives address and kindness? This is something I”ve been wondering about for awhile. No hurry with an answer..just curious.
Thanks and God Speed!
Hi Alison – yes, nomads do generally establish a domicile address somewhere. In the US, folks generally find a mail forwarding service in a state that is advantageous for their own tax/income situation. For us, we use a service out of South Dakota which serves as our legal address for driver’s license, voting, income tax, vehicle registration, etc. They also forward our mail to us upon request to whatever address we’re at. We only had to actually show up in SD to get our driver’s license – everything else can be handled remotely.
There are other states that are also good – Texas, Florida, Nevada, Montana, etc. are amongst them. Usually the criteria is a state without state income tax, easy resident qualifications, no vehicle inspections, how they handle jury duty, etc.
And, some folks will use the address of a friend or relative for the same purpose.
I’ll be writing up a full post on this and other similar issues in time 🙂 Thanks for asking… and many happy miles ahead of you!
– Cherie
Thank YOU Cherie for your concise answer to my ???..I’ve had such an incredible week…reading your blogs and journal entries, investigating T@Bs and T@Das, Olivers and Casitas..rvtraders, rvsforsalebyowner…etc., etc., etc….Dreaming again! For me that is where it all begins ;o) Happy Trails and Thanks Again. I will be checking back often. Alison
In my 30’s ( the 80’s) I lived for months at a time out of an 18 foot high top camper van. I drove around and sold jewelry to stores. I worked very little, had a great time and plenty of money. Since 1993, I’ve had a store and I have no time and worry about money. ( actually I can’t complain, as I still travel 4 months a year in Thailand and Mexico) I came across your website and am thinking I might go back on the road again. I plan to start selling off all my accumulations and that should give me enough to get back on the road.
Maybe first in the van ( paid for, but very poor mpg). I was looking at Bigfoot for the insulation, but I LOVE the Oliver. I am wondering about your diesel Jeep. I have avoided diesel for the noise…. and the fuel seems more $$ than regular gas. I am sure you researched this at length to pick that vehicle.
Anyway— good for you two and the cat!
I’ll get back on the road. If you come toward Glacier National Park, please stop by– I have a spot for you. Maren
Hi Maren.. thanks for stopping by!
The diesel, on the Liberty in particular, is far more efficient than gas. We used to have the 6 cylinder gas version and were only getting 12-13 mpg when towing. Now with the diesel version, we get 18-20 mpg towing. Also, in most places lately, diesel has been much cheaper than regular gas. So.. win all around! Not to mention, diesel is so much better for towing for the torque.
Best wishes on your journey to getting back out on the road!
– Cherie