Being Honest as a Nomad

Nomad Profile

JL has given a lot of thought to her name (and her address: Based in the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia in Canada on planet earth in the Milky Way.) She explains why she assumed the name JL as her pen name for her two Substack publications:

• The Travel Paradox, a place to look closely at the contradictions, dilemmas, and ideological conundrums that arise from travelling with your eyes wide open.

• Jumble of Sea Glass, about leaving work, finding your passion, and mastering a craft.

In general, JL is the questioning sort, seeking to process her thoughts and feelings about travel through her writing.

9 Fun Facts

• First Name: JL — a pen name

• Age Range: 50s

• Nationality: Canadaian

• Nomadic Stance: I am a traveller. I travel whenever I can. And I travel, in my mind, when I am home.

• Last Corporate Job: I spent my last 20 years of employment in politics and the non-profit sector.

• Current Job: I now call myself a writer. I can do that because I no longer require an income from my ‘job.'

• Favorite Country: I’m currently in love with Perú.

• Next Stop: I’m in that liminal place where I do not have a trip booked. It’s weird, but fortunately it is temporary.

• What do you like best about the nomadic life? Newness

2 Questions

1) You seek to highlight the "contradictions, dilemmas, and ideological conundrums that arise from travel." Can you give us an example of each that you've encountered and how you've resolved the issue?

Many people claim to travel for connection with other cultures, yet our cultural connections when travelling are found in neatly packaged and purchased cultural tours.

When we interact with people who work in tourism there is always the barrier of ‘the customer is always right’, and the need for places to meet European or North American standards for amenities and services.

When we attempt to ‘live like locals’, we generally have the safety net of an extra credit card, travel insurance, and a plane ticket home.

I don’t know that there is a way to resolve the paradox of travel. But I do think it is important to name it. To be honest about it.

I think my writing is for travellers – people who are not just on a two week vacation. If we are travelling as a way of life, we need to come to terms with the effects of our travel on the earth, on the places we visit and the people we encounter, as well as the people we leave behind.

In all my writing I’m better at asking questions than providing any concrete answers. I write about travel in The Travel Paradox. I also write at Jumble of Sea Glass where I think primarily about midlife, reading, and the writer’s life – or whatever takes my fancy.

2) On the flip side, you also write about what amuses you most about travel. What has tickled you lately?

This summer all my travel is in my mind, unless you include occasional trips to camp by the Similkameen River about an hour from my home.

I live in a resort community, and we are overrun with tourists who come for the lakeside living and the wine tours.

The thing that most amuses me now, amuse being used in the sense that I get deep enjoyment from it, is seeing children fully immersed in play on the beach. I feel like this type of play, that requires imagination and freedom, is less and less common. And it makes my heart soar to see others finding this benefit of travel.

When I am on my travels what truly amuses me is the opportunity to ‘just be’. I actually wrote a ‘just be’ trilogy about slowing down and being present not just in the tourist hotspots, but in the more mundane places. Some of my favourite moments (or hours) have been found just sitting and watching the world go by.

I try to employ this ‘just be’ strategy wherever I am. I am constantly amazed (and amused) by the gentle wonders I have witnessed over the years, all over the world.

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Christened “Wander Woman” by National Geographic, Erin Michelson has traveled to 140 countries & all 7 continents. She is the host of the Nomad Life community, a self-defense coach, professional speaker, and author of the Nomad Life™ series of curated trips and travel guides, including the #1-ranked Explore the World with Nomads.

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