Six Months on the Road - Takeaways from Nomad Life

Time’s flown, and I recently hit six months of nomad life… a friend asked what I’ve taken away so far from my travels.

In no particular order, here’s the surprises, the highlights, the lessons, and what’s stood out so far in six months on the road.

My Takeaways

the journey’s turned out to be more about the people I connect with than the places I see
having a place feel unfamiliar and then turn into feeling like home is a really cool experience
creating friends and community all over the globe is another really cool experience
I’ve become much more of a people person, and might even need to turn in my introvert card, which would rank as one of the more ginormous surprises of this lifetime
living with a regulated nervous system means anything’s possible

most exhilarating experience: learning to kitesurf in Colombia
most surprising place to easily find Vegan food: Baños, Ecuador
most amazing community: Chivorkite, Colombia
most fun travel day: Buenos Aires to Montevideo – quick 45 minute flight, and I made a new friend on the plane
longest travel day: Albuquerque, New Mexico to Baños, Ecuador. (2 days, really)
craziest travel experience: 4 hour drive from Bogota to Lake Chivor, at night, and in a rainstorm.
most amazing natural wonder: Pailon del Diablo Waterfalls in Ecuador
fun workout for my brain: watching a movie with Korean dialogue and Spanish subtitles in Buenos Aires
place where I forget I’m not in the US: Montevideo, Uruguay… reminds me of Santa Monica, California.

least expensive place I’ve visited: Buenos Aires (though inflation’s going crazy, now)
most expensive place I’ve visited: Montevideo, Uruguay (totally worth it, love it here)
moment I wasn’t prepared for: when my friend and I withdrew money from an ATM in Macanal, Colombia, and between the two of us, we drained the ATM of cash. (and the town only has one ATM).

most useful tip I’ve picked up: currency calculator app.
where I’ve stayed: three Airbnb’s and one coliving.
how to stay in shape: find a workout routine as soon as I get somewhere, and adapt. this has looked like: hiking and kitesurfing in Colombia, walking through the hilly city streets in Baños, rollerblading in the park in Buenos Aires, and running on the Rambla in Montevideo
favorite anywhere workout: virtual workouts with the Strength Shoppe
how I get mail: a mailbox service that scans and emails, plus options for forwarding. BUT….
biggest challenge: getting things shipped from the states is pretty hit or miss. my new credit card eventually arrived, but it took three months.
how I stay in touch: zoom, text, and whatsapp
how I make sure I have solid wifi for work… read the reviews very, very thoroughly before I book a place

most surprising favorite thing in my suitcase: a sarong that I purchased in 2018 for a river rafting trip. it’s functioned as an extra towel, a light blanket to wrap myself in, and a throw to dress up couches so a place feels like my space.
thing I wish I had: the priming button for my Berkey travel water filter. it got lost somewhere in transit so I gotta soak the filters, which takes awhile.
glad I brought: shampoo and conditioner bars. lighter and less messy to travel with.
what I’ve relaxed about: I can get most anything I need, anywhere. if it’s different than I’m used to, it’s ok.

how far in advance do I plan: it varies a bit… usually the next stop. I know when I know.
how I decide where to go: I get asked this a lot, but I don’t really “decide”. I listen for what’s next and then go.
how’s my Spanish going: better every day.
overall: it’s easier than I thought. people are kind. things work out. (take this as your sign to go).

so there you go… six months of nomad life. stay tuned.