Maximizing Flexibility as a Nomad
Nomad Profile
My friend Becky is a true Renaissance woman—someone who is both actively interested in the world and multi-talented, excelling in various arts, music, languages, and business.
Not only did she nail it as Master of Ceremonies at Nomad Fest this year, but she writes a travel blog on Tokyo, published a guidebook about the Tokyo neighborhood she lived in for 9 years, and just launched a new children’s book for kids aged 8-18 (or any kid at heart!) called “Tear This Book Apart.”
She also sings in a choir, performs improv, teaches English, and runs a consulting business. We bonded over making origami animals.
9 Fun Facts
First Name: Becky
Age Range: 40s
Nationality: American
Nomadic Stance: Part-Time (6 months in Portugal every year required by my current D7 visa)
Last Corporate Job: Academic Proofreader
Current Job: Project Manager / Content Writer
Favorite Country: Japan!
Next Stop: Uzbekistan
What do you like best about the nomadic life? Flexibility
2 Questions
1) You have such depth of personality – improv performer, writer, MC, tax accountant, English teacher (have I missed any?!). How does your nomad life support your varied interests?
If I weren’t a nomad, I simply couldn’t do everything I do. I also sing in a choir here in Lisbon, and I’ve hosted karaoke in a few different places. Being a nomad lets me control my own schedule, and that’s really the whole thing.
I teach English in Japan for one week every year, and the only reason I can pull that off without burning actual vacation days is that I have a flexible job I can do at almost any hour. I made a deliberate choice to build my work that way rather than being tied to fixed hours, so I can balance my time around the things I care about.
One thing I’d remind people is that not all digital nomad jobs are created equal. If you’ve got a lot of interests spread across different places, look for work that’s asynchronous and isn’t based on logging on during fixed hours.
Honestly, though, where there’s a will, there’s a way. You can always find a way to work your passions in.
2) You've had several bases during your nomad life, including Portugal and Japan. Why a base? Why these countries?
Japan was never the plan. I saw Lost in Translation my final year of college, decided I’d try living there for a year, and an English-teaching company happened to be recruiting at my college that same year.
I ended up staying thirteen years because it was so comfortable and safe, and I fell in love with living in a walkable society, having come from Cincinnati, which is about as un-walkable as a place can get. Japan kept renewing my work visa and was paying me enough to travel easily during my vacation days (and get obscure visas at Tokyo embassies easily), so I made it my travel base.
After all that time, I started asking where I’d want to live next. I’d traveled all over Asia, but the long flights to Europe, South America, and back to North America were wearing on me, so I decided I’d love to base myself in Europe.
I’d visited Portugal twice after meeting Portuguese friends while traveling in Colombia and had been listening to podcasts about it. When COVID hit, I’d been a full-time nomad for almost three years, and I got worried about healthcare. Getting sick in the US without coverage would have been financially brutal.
With travel shut down, it felt like the right moment to settle somewhere, and Portugal offered a path in, so I applied, and it worked. My years in Tokyo taught me to value having a base. I love returning to the same places and building community there.
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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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