“The freedom of the open road is seductive, serendipitous and absolutely liberating,” wrote Aaron Lauritsen. Most of us recognize the truth and wisdom of these worlds – but would we ever chose to live by them?
Doing so may seem impulsive – even foolish. However, from a personal development perspective, the decision to take some time to live nomadically may be one of the wisest decisions we can choose to make.
Here are four reasons to embrace a nomadic lifestyle in our modern world:
1. The way you think about time will change.
There’s something about travelling to a new place that makes us want to get the most out of each day. Knowing that our hours in a new location are strictly limited can cause us to truly realize their value. Time is our most limited resource, and most of us waste it so foolishly. When we travel, however, we experience in a shift in perspective. What do I have to do today? becomes What do I get to experience?. Obligations become options and opportunities. Wouldn’t our lives be much richer if we embraced this alternative mindset?
2. Shaking up our perspective can send our lives on a different path.
Travel can be surprisingly transformative. When we change our environment, we have a chance to discover parts of our being that otherwise would have remained untapped and dormant. Some time spent exploring the earth can provide inspiration for an entirely new way of living. Think of your job, your home, your community, your daily routine, your sense of self… How does it all make you feel? If your current world leaves you unsatisfied, perhaps there is something more out there for you to find. As Leo Tolstoy wrote, “Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.”
3. It helps us to free ourselves from our possessions.
The world we live in is increasingly materialistic. It seems impossible not to keep acquiring more “stuff”. When our lives are overly cluttered, it can become easy to mistake our possessions for something truly valuable. We may even begin to measure our worth and define our very sense of identity based on these things. A nomadic lifestyle, by contrast, forces us to evaluate our belongings and redefine our idea of what is necessary. Even a short-term nomadic stint can help in achieving this mental shift and realign the way we think about our possessions.
4. It’s never been easier.
This type of lifestyle is less common than it was hundreds of years ago. However, that doesn’t mean it’s any harder. In fact, there are many modern resources that can make a nomadic lifestyle easier to navigate. Communities like Digital Nomad Community, Free Nomads, Digital Nomad Entrepreneurs Meetup, Nomad Forum, Hashtag Nomads, WebWorkTravel, and NomadList can help you to embrace this type of living.
They offer connection with other nomads, travel tips, and even leads on remote work opportunities to help finance your travels.
“A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving,” wrote Lao Tzu. Let your travels take you somewhere unexpected. Discover the world, and discover deeper layers of yourself. Getting started is the hard part. In the end, however, you are certain to be glad you did it.