Sixth Nomadiversary

Six years ago today, right as the sun was rising, I left my apartment keys on the counter and pulled the door shut behind me.

I had no set plans about where I was going. I didn’t have any mobile-friendly work lined up. I didn’t have a partner by my side to share the adventure with.

Just two months earlier (without even a trailer or tow vehicle picked!) I had given my landlord irrevocable notice that I would be out on April 1st. All my belongings had been purged via an intensive month of Craigslisting, Goodwilling, and a final epic take-my-stuff-home-with-you house cooling party. What remained was crammed into a borrowed Jeep, or piled into a small storage unit.

I was very literally heading out with no idea where I would be sleeping that night – my new T@b trailer had been delayed and was not yet ready to be picked up and moved into.

My world was filled with uncertainty. But I trusted that I would figure it all out each step of the way.

And I was absolutely thrilled to death.

A snapshot from my second month on the road – camped alone with my Tab, Jeep, and paramotor – preparing for a sunrise flight.

Six years have passed, and a lot has changed.

Instead of living in a new 16′ T@b Clamshell with essentially no amenities (or plumbing!), I am in a 35′ vintage bus that is over fifty years old and decked out with more technology and creature comforts than many homes.

Instead of traveling solo, I have an amazing partner by my side.

Instead of wondering when the next paying gig might come along, I’m wondering how to best keep an ideal work/life balance (focused on the ‘life’ side!) as I juggle all the pending and potential projects we have.

Instead of feeling alone on this technomadic path, I am now surrounded (this week, literally!) by a community of other full-time travelers who have charted a similar course.

Nomadic Serendipity at work yet again… Today we participated in the impromptu first ever Cedar Key Hash with a bunch of other nomads. A very appropriate way to celebrate my sixth nomadiversary!

The future is still filled with a lot of uncertainty, and the road ahead remains mostly unknown. But I continue to trust that no matter what comes along, I will always be able to move forward figuring it out a step at a time.

That is what nomadic serendipity is all about – and trusting in it has given me a wealth of encounters and experiences that I could never have planned, predicted, or prepared for.

Life is good.

And, six years… Wow!

What’s next?

Memory Lane:

• Fifth Nomadiversary – Giving up nomadism and buying a condo (not!) in the Virgin Islands.
• Fourth Nomadiversary – Discovering the secret prize that comes inside every box of wine.
• Third Nomadiversary – Camped on a beach near Malibu, watching dolphins frolic.
• Second Nomadiversary – Working with Cherie to custom design our Oliver, moving up from a trailer ideal for one to one made for two.
• First Nomadiversary – Preparing to set out with Cherie, reminiscing about my first very eventful year on the road.