Saying "Yes" as a Nomad

Nomad Profile

I met “Nomad Jim” through our Nomad Life community. (He obviously found his way to the right place!) He writes the Substack “The Slower Explorer,” as well as the YouTube channel Nomad Jim. I especially liked his post “I Expected Those Big, Mysterious Statues. I Didn't Expect This” about his experience visiting Rapa Nui (previously known as Easter Island), off the coast of Chile. Check it out for yourself!

9 Fun Facts

• First Name: Jim

• Age Range: 60s

• Nationality: United States

• Nomadic Stance: Full-time Nomad for almost 4 years

• Last Corporate Job: Environmental Office Manager at a research and development laboratory

• Current Job: Retired and loving it!

• Favorite Country: Some favorites are Vietnam, Portugal, Chile, Sri Lanka

• Next Stop: Currently in Kuala Lumpur; next stop is Bandung, Indonesia

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

2 Questions

1) I like your one rule of travel: Always say yes when someone invites you to do something or go somewhere. What is the best experience you’ve had from this maxim?

While having dinner at a restaurant in Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica, I struck up a conversation with my waiter, a young gentleman from Jamaica, during a roughly 10-minute period when all the lights went out, apparently a common occurrence there. At one point during the conversation, he invited me to join him and some others who worked at the restaurant to go to a bar nearby that was frequented by those who work in the service industry in Manuel Antonio and Quepos.

Once I finished my meal and left the restaurant, I debated whether to accept the invitation and meet up with them. Ultimately, I decided to say “yes”. So after the restaurant closed, I met my waiter along with a couple of others outside what appeared to be a closed building. But upon ascending a staircase, we emerged at a lively bar on the second floor where about 50 people were socializing while 80s music played in the background. Many of the people there were service industry workers—waiters, busboys, bartenders, hotel staff—who were from somewhere other than Costa Rica. However, there were also some locals there as well.

I chatted with people from a variety of different countries throughout Central America and the Caribbean. It was eye-opening to find out that there were so many people from other countries who come to Costa Rica to work seasonal service jobs. And it was interesting to hear their stories about how they ended up there. They were really down to earth and fun to hang out with.

Had the lights not gone out in that restaurant during my meal, I doubt the waiter would have spent the time to chat with me and extend an invitation to join them. And if I hadn’t said “yes”, I would have missed the opportunity to learn about this world of temporary locals who keep the restaurants, bars and hotels humming in that corner of Costa Rica.

2) You differentiate the value of time vs. the value of money. How does this perspective influence your nomad life?

People spend so much effort making sure they have sufficient money to enjoy their retirement, but they need to also make sure they have sufficient time to enjoy it as well. The unfortunate thing is that while the money will (mostly) hold its value for you until you decide to use it, time doesn’t hold its value for later use. The amount of time you have available to you decreases each day. And the amount of time that you can use doing things that may require some physical effort decreases even faster.

I find that I am prioritizing my time with a focus on activities that I am able to do now but may not be able to handle as easily in later years. For instance, last year I spent 3 weeks in New Zealand solely to hike moderate to difficult trails on both the North and South islands.

I’m also realizing that there is only so much time on the calendar each year, so as I plan my schedule I need to ensure that I spend my time wisely by seeing and experiencing the places that are truly interesting to me, that I am curious about, that provide the types of activities I’m interested in, that I know will vibe with me. It’s a waste of my time to visit places that I’m not that interested in just because it made a Top 10 list or is a viral sensation on social media.

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Christened “Wander Woman” by National Geographic, Erin Michelson has traveled to 140 countries & all 7 continents. She is 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.

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