Dancing with Language as a Nomad

Nomad Profile

A young Pamela is enjoying herself on the dance floor.

Pamela Marshall is about to embrace the nomad life. She has ~18 months before retirement, and she sets off to explore the world. Without an IRA or 401 (k), she’s learning all she can about frugal travel. Her Substack, The Frugal Traveler, shares her journey as she prepares to make the leap of a lifetime.

One of my favorite Pamela posts is “What Dance and Travel Taught Me About Communication.” In it, she shares how dance and awareness of movement help her interpret new cultures and languages by “conveying intent, emotion, directions, recognition, boundaries, and so much more...”

It’s very cool to think we’re communicating all the time simply by how we move through the world.

9 Fun Facts

• First Name: Pam

• Age Range: Mid-60s

• Nationality: USA

• Nomadic Stance: Preparing to take the leap by early 2027

• Last Corporate Job: None. Always been self-employed

• Current Job: Massage Therapist

• Favorite Country: Oooh… that’s hard. Right now, maybe Portugal.

• Next Stop: The world!

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

2 Questions

1) I love that dance shapes how you interact with the world. How is dance reflected in your travel plans and how you engage at the community level?

I definitely plan to find local dance communities as I travel. West Coast Swing has a lot of presence on the Facebook platform, so I have many resources and friends I can reach out to in order to find dance groups in the regions where I will be going.

When I went on my Camino in October, I attended a workshop weekend in Porto the weekend before I started my walk that was being led by a US instructor with whom I had wanted to study under for years. The best thing about partner dance is that as I lead and follow, I can “converse” through dance with anyone, anywhere in the world, without either of us needing to know the other’s mother tongue.

2) “Frugal” is in your blog title. What does living on a budget mean to you?

As it looks right now, I will truly be traveling on a tight budget. My Social Security barely covers my house taxes. I will be selling my home, and I’ll likely invest the proceeds in an annuity or other option to make up the rest.

I’m fortunate that house prices where I live really exploded during the pandemic, as I’m not too far from NYC, so that and sweat equity blessed me with enough equity to make this work, but by comparison to some “budgets” I’ve seen, I’m still going to be needing to watch how I handle my finances. Right now, I’m estimating $1,500-$2,000 per month.

To make up any difference in what I might need, I will be doing house-sitting and volunteering, both because I just want to, but also so I can “splurge” a little if I want when I have to pay for my accommodations and food.

---

If you like this post, please leave a comment or share it with others. This will help more readers find my work. ❤️

---

Christened “Wander Woman” by National Geographic, Erin Michelson has traveled to 135 countries & all 7 continents. She is a professional speaker and author of the Nomad Life™ series of curated trips and travel guides, including the #1-ranked Explore the World with Nomads.

Curious to read more Nomad Profiles? Get the bonus edition to the guide—Meet 10 More Nomads: Bonus Interviews 11-20.