💗 Thank you to our Nomad Life folks for joining the community meetup, including Kat - Fifty & Free, Roberta Hill, Wander After 70, PEGGY SIJSWERDA , Ruby Tuesday | Postcards, Atelier Slow Life, Nomad Jim, Astrid Heystee, The Flaneurs, Teodora, Tracy Smith, Ph.D. and Michelle.
And a special shoutout to Chris Englert (EatWalkLearn) for guest co-hosting with me and suggesting the topic: Nomad Launching Tips: How to Actually Get Out of the House and Go.
We all provided our advice on the:
➡️ One thing we wish we *didn’t* do
➡️ One thing we did right
➡️ The impact of nomad life on family & friends
➡️ All things storage!
You were missed Dr. Debra Kouda, The Grounded Expat, Jill Amatt - Full-time Nomad, Pamela Marshall, chris kalaboukis, Salt Air Nomad 🌴, Memoir Writer, Melinda V King, Paula Chanda. Feel free to join the conversation in the comments!
Topic 1: What Did We Screw Up When We Launched?
Chris led this discussion to help pre-launch people learn from experienced nomads’ mistakes.
Chris: Her biggest regret was not accounting for the emotional impact on her daughter. She was a senior in high school, knew about the plan for 5 years, participated in the packing process — but when launch day actually came, she was devastated. They didn’t realize how badly she’d been affected until she unloaded at Christmas, 6 months later. Her advice: give loved ones more transition time than you think they need, even if they say they’re ready. In hindsight, she would have stayed through the summer so she could process graduating high school before the family dispersed.
Chris’s data trick: When her family said “we won’t see you enough,” she went back through her calendar and built a spreadsheet tracking how many days per year she’d seen each family member — before and after becoming a nomad. The result: she spent 30% more time with family as a nomad than before, because she has flexibility, time, and a travel budget to make it happen. She now uses this data when the “you’ll disappear” argument comes up.
Jim: No children, so family pushback was mainly from his father, who worried constantly. His key observation: fear of impacting family can become the thing that stops you from going at all, and you can’t let other people’s anxiety dictate your life choices.
Erin: Quality time matters more than quantity. She sees her 88-year-old mother at least twice a year, often for 5-week stretches of intensive travel together — far more meaningful than seeing her occasionally before nomad life. She also lost friends when she became a nomad — one told her the lifestyle was “too wild” and caused “emotional whiplash.” Chris noted this is common: friendships naturally fall away when your life diverges significantly, similar to changing jobs.
Advice for Kat (launching with teen daughters):
Ruby (from experience meeting nomad families on the road): it’s hard in a different way but deeply rewarding. Families become very close. As long as kids know they can speak up and it’s an ongoing conversation, it goes well.
Chris suggested planning a return to your starting city within the first year or 18 months, so kids can go back and see the old neighborhood with new eyes. It gives closure and helps them process the change.
Kat’s plan — moving to Florida first as a transition before launching internationally in spring — was seen as a smart middle step.
Topic 2: The Storage Unit Debate
Jim: Had a 5x10 storage unit for 2 years, paid a teaser rate that doubled over time. Every time he visited, he removed more things he didn’t need. Eventually cleared it out, drove the remaining few items to family in New Mexico in an SUV, and stored them in the footprint of a grill in his parents’ backyard. His verdict: biggest mistake — should have gotten rid of everything from day one.
Peggy: Tried to ship belongings from the US to her Netherlands house. Her husband did it himself — arranging his own container and broker — and paid about one-third what a shipping company would have charged.
Nathalie: Became a nomad impulsively (a holiday that never ended), so had only 4 days to deal with her flat. Now pays €60/month for 6 cubic meters of storage in Lyon containing mostly things she’ll never use — mainly because she didn’t scan her papers and important documents beforehand. Her recommendation: scan all documents and photos before you go.
Chris: Did not get a storage unit at all — had an estate sale and sold or gave away everything. Her reasoning: (1) she would never pay to ship things internationally; (2) by the time they wanted to settle again, they’d be different people who’d prefer different things. She does keep a safe deposit box with irreplaceable items (paperwork, jewelry, childhood artwork from his daughter).
Erin: Only kept artwork in storage for one year, then distributed it to friends on a road trip during a travel break — literally opened her trunk and let friends take what they wanted. She described the joy of visiting friends and seeing her travel treasures on their walls and throughout their houses. Her favorite items now have a new life with her best friends. She’s now completely digital, nothing in storage.
Topic 3: What’s the One Best Thing You Did?
The call closed with each person sharing their top “right decision”:
Peggy: Followed her heart. No regrets.
Jim: Took the leap when the market forced his hand — didn’t have time to get cold feet.
Ruby: Got a Google Voice number and ported her US number to it — essential for two-factor authentication and banking while abroad, and keeps friends connected without feeling the distance. Also: switched to a Charles Schwab debit card, which reimburses all ATM fees worldwide.
Roberta: Established a home base in Montreal as a foundation to travel from, rather than going fully nomadic — the right call for nomading in your 70s.
Nathalie: Invested energy in maintaining friendships back home — set regular online meetups and rituals with close friends, and created an annual tradition (renting a chalet in the Alps together when she visits France).
Tracy: Quitting her 9-to-5 job and heading to Africa.
Astrid: Realizing that community is everything — building a nomad community around her, while also staying connected to old friends and accepting that some relationships will transform as you change.
Adam: It’s okay to get emotional when letting go of your stuff — you’ll laugh about it later, and you’ll completely forget what you cried over.
Kat: Building an online community before launching — reaching out, getting out of her comfort zone, connecting with people doing the things she wants to do.
Chris: Not having a storage unit, and starting her Facebook group, which led to deep, lasting friendships with people she now meets on the road regularly.
Erin: Taking a self-defense course before leaving. Not a day goes by that she doesn’t use what she learned, and she’s positive it has kept her safe.
Next Nomad Life Community Meetup — RSVP Today!
Topic: 🌊🪸🐠 Holding the Front Line in Ocean Protection
Special Guest: Dr. Sarah Hameed, Blue Parks Director & Senior Scientist with the Marine Conservation Institute.
Call Details: Friendly to Americas, Europe, Africa, Middle East & Asia time zones
📅 Wednesday, August 26
🕙 10:00 pm Bangkok
🕖 7:00 pm Dubai
🕔 5:00 pm Cape Town
🕓 4:00 pm London
🕙 11:00 am NYC
Dr. Hameed will be sharing the latest on marine conservation, including the:
Marine Protected Atlas: A science-based assessment of the highly protected areas critical to the goal of protecting 30% of our global ocean by 2030.
Blue Parks: Marine sanctuaries recognized for their outstanding effort protecting marine life.
This will be an informal, interactive call—a prime opportunity to meet with a leading ocean scientist working to ensure the health of our oceans.
*️⃣ AI Alert: I used Claude to summarize our Zoom call. I then edited the transcript.
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Founder of Nomad Life, Erin was christened “Wander Woman” by National Geographic. She has traveled to 140+ countries & all 7 continents. As a professional speaker and author of the Nomad Life™ series, she offers travel safety tips, ethical adventures, and travel guides, including the #1-ranked Explore the World with Nomads.
Curious to learn more about nomad life? Get the guide “Explore the World with Nomads: 50 Practical Tips, Interviews & Insights.”
