byJakeJohnson

Many people who think of a nomad imagine a Peruvian climb in snow-topped mountains, and while the word still holds the same meaning it has for centuries, the concept of a nomad in our modern world seems elusive.

When I first imagined such a life, I was much like many of you. My idea of a nomad presented my mind with an array of camels, tents, headwraps, and static waves in an ocean of sand. I imagined the early concept of gypsy wagons and carnival caravans, and frequently imagined a life of freedom and experience that sacrificed the comforts and potential of settling in the suburbs. What I didn’t understand was that you could have both.

When I first presented the idea to my wife, it was partly in jest. While I was serious when I said to her, “I work remotely – we can go anywhere. We can live anywhere. We can buy an RV and travel like my parents want to,” I didn’t expect her to take it seriously. I hoped it would plant a seed, as I grew impatient with the static life brought on by a global pandemic and uneventful midwest ennui. She however, surprised me. Not only was she open to the idea, but she began almost immediately to plan on how she would quit her job and what that would look like going forward. She persisted in asking me to help research what kind of vehicle we would need and what kind of RV we should buy.

There was a lot of research involved, and we were lucky when trying to research RVs because we knew we needed one that would fit our brand new Polaris Slingshot, a 3-wheel vehicle more similar to a small sports car than to a motorcycle. To fit the slingshot, we needed a 14×7 garage space in a toy hauler, offered in only a few models of RV, and culled further by the fact that we knew we wanted a trailer rather than a class A or C (Class As are otherwise akin to a large coach bus, and class Cs are more similar in style to a box truck). We wanted a trailer for the ease and convenience of having a vehicle other than the Slingshot, as it is open-air and mostly intended for climates that are warm and dry.

In November 2021, we purchased our truck and in December 2021, we purchased our RV, a 40 foot fifth-wheel toy-hauler with a 14×7 garage. We sold our house and were on the road by January of 2022.

Plenty has gone wrong in that time, but more has gone right. We have had great experiences, and the challenges we have faced have only made us more confident and capable nomads. While I can’t recommend being a digital nomad to everyone, I can say that it has enriched my life in many ways. It is more than possible to travel full-time, to explore the world, and make experiences more valuable than any thing in your life.

I hope that you find this idea interesting and thank you for letting me share my story with you. Please continue to check back on this blog and share it with family, friends, or colleagues – I plan to share much more content in the future, about my experience as a digital nomad, about my expertise in a technology-rich industry, and about ways you can improve your life and your career through travel.

Thanks again – I look forward to updating you soon.