When I made the decision in 2020 to embark on a nomadic lifestyle, there was no question that I would bring my miniature Australian shepherd Penny with me… even knowing that traveling with a dog will make my full-time vagabond life much more complicated. Here are some of the realities I’ve encountered.
Category: Travel
Practical travel tips for the female solo traveler on a budget, plus personal experiences and philosophies.
Saving Money on Housing: Travel Hacks for the Frequent Traveler or Nomad
I’ve been a full-time nomad traveling the U.S. since September 2020, and I’ve learned (and surely nobody is surprised): that hotels, housing, and accommodations are by far the biggest expense of nomad life. I have a $2,000 monthly budget for lodging, but my actual spending in that area depends on the cost of living in the city that I’m visiting and the type of accommodations I choose (which, hooray, I have complete control over)! Fellow travelers, you have a lot of choice if you do a little research. The first question: Airbnb or hotel? Let me share my methods and we can explore a few aspects of each.
Month #11 of Nomad Life is a Wrap: What I’ve Learned So Far
Today, Aug. 4, 2021, marks 11 months since I left Phoenix — sold my house, 99% of my things, and embraced a nomadic lifestyle. I figured there was no better time to summarize some of the learnings and lessons from these past 11 months than today. Using the categories on my website (travel, finance, career, and love) as a guide, read on...
How I Determine Stopping Points on the Nomad Life
I'm a digital nomad, and I have been traveling full-time for almost 11 months. I get this question often during my #nomadlife travels: “How do you decide where to go and when?” The answer is, honestly, I don’t overthink it. I consider a combination of things when planning where to home base out of next. Read more...
Nomad Life Love Update: Understanding, The Highest Love
"When two people seek to understand each other, they build bridges of meaning. One person’s rope reaches out and ties up with the other person’s cable, and even while materially different, even while coming from different places, a link is formed. When we ask questions, when we listen, when we quietly absorb, when we seek to understand, when we empathize, we are showing people the highest love and most ultimate respect. A precursor, of course, to any budding courtship."
Personal Safety Measures I Take As a Female Full-Time Solo Traveler
Most people are good. I’ve met so many helpful, hospitable, generous people while traveling, of all nationalities and sexes and ages, and I know this to be true: most people are good. While I’m not naturally distrusting or fearful, I AM self-aware, prepared, and I trust my intuition. From someone who’s been solo traveling for 15 years, and 100% full-time for the past 9-plus months, here’s my advice to you...
6 Misconceptions About Solo Travel
Solo travel is no longer just a pre- or post-college, gap year kind of thing — it's for remote employees, early retirees, sabbatical-takers, or the deliberately unemployed — the ones who are not waiting for that magical "retirement" age of 65+ to see the world.
What Are Your Money, Time, and Emotional Energy Wasters? Cut That Overhead
I had a great conversation recently with a new friend. As we were swapping downsizing stories, she threw this word out there — OVERHEAD — which immediately struck me. You business people know what ‘overhead’ is. But ‘life overhead,’ as I’ve decided to call it, is ongoing expenditures (whether money, time or emotional energy) that do not directly contribute or bring value or profit to YOUR LIFE — THE LIFE YOU DESIRE.
My Secrets to Solo Travel Photography
"Who takes your photos?!?!?" As a solo traveler, I get this question all. The. Time. Well, I have a few tricks up my sleeve...
8 Un-Glamorous Things about Nomad Life, and How I Cope
I am a full-time solo traveler. I work remotely and am location-independent. I am completely self-sufficient, and my life is super glamorous, right? Like anything, there are downsides and annoyances to a life full of travel. And as always, I want to be real with you. Read on...
Deliberately Homeless: I Don’t Have a Home, But I’m Happy
I made a home; been there, done that. The experience had its place in my life, and one day, I may make another home. But all my experiences, all my learnings, all my challenges have shown me, that 'home' for me is not the traditional brick and mortar building that provides comfort and security and holds all your stuff. Home is within me. I am my own home, and I am comfortable and secure in myself.
Reflections on ‘Missing Arizona’, Almost 6 Months Into Nomad Life
To me, missing something means that I’m longing for it, pining for it. So do I 'miss Arizona,' my former home of 11 years? No, I can't say that I do — and let me tell you why.
Living the Mantra: Experiences Over Possessions
“Experiences over possessions.” Idealistic, perhaps. But controversial, no. Most people would agree with this mantra. But would they live it?
Nomad Life Month #5: I’m Living on a Catamaran in Miami!
When you’re living this life day to day, each day is not so momentous. I wake up in the bed I’m sleeping in, wherever it may be. I dress for the weather conditions, be it -8 (Montana in October) or 75 (Miami in January). But when I think back on how I accomplished so much — how I offloaded so much in 7 weeks — I’m almost overwhelmed. Put together and examined as a whole, what I did really was momentous, and I do give myself credit for that achievement. And now, I'm living aboard a catamaran in Miami... it's a dream and a thrill.
Living After Loss: A Tradition of Traveling with My Widowed Mother
For everyone out there who is navigating circumstances they did not expect, I applaud you. Keep living, keep smiling, keep hoping.
Does It Cost a Lot of Money to Travel Full-Time as a Nomad? Myths and Truths
When I tell people I’m a nomad that travels full-time, they either think I’m a vanlifer who only eats ramen (the cheap kind, not the good kind) or that I must be staying in posh places and spending a lot of money. Well, false on both counts! I’m here to say: it can, but it doesn’t have to cost a lot of money to be a gypsy. So, let’s talk comparisons, facts, and figures… time to break out the spreadsheet!
You *DO* Have Money to Travel
International travel does not need to be expensive or out of reach. It’s about choices. These are the choices I made, which freed up hundreds of dollars in disposable income per month.
How I Find Pet-Friendly Accommodations While Traveling & ‘Working From Anywhere’
Pet ownership has exploded over the past decade. More than half of U.S. households own a pet, with younger demos leading the pack. With work-from-anywhere becoming the new work-from-home, a new crop of pet owners are wondering how to best travel with their four-legged companions. Here are my tried-and-true tactics.
It’s a Pandemic and I Chose to Travel Full-Time: Here are My Observations
At best, I’ve been questioned, and at worst, criticized for my decision to sell my house and travel full-time (while in the middle of a pandemic). Why 2020? Why, when the world is blowing up, would I want to hit the road like Mad Max into hell? I had a choice: safe, easy, and lazy... or uncertain, unknown, and life-changing. Would you choose the same?
Downsizing into my SUV: My Methodical Approach to Getting Rid of Stuff
July 24, 2020: My 35th birthday AND the day my house went under contract. My dream of traveling full-time as a gypsy, vagabonding nomad was right there on the horizon... and the only thing in the way of ultimate freedom? A house-full of stuff. I had 7 weeks until closing. So how did I decide what would go and what would stay?
juliedevivre.com by Julie B. Rose 