The Journey Begins

This is a story about a girl who sold all of her earthy possessions except the clothes off her back (ok, she kept a decent amount of her wardrobe, a girl has to dress!) and simply lived life, one day at a time.  Yes, I am this girl, and this blog is intended to chronicle my journey as well as provide advice or inspire others of the same mindset.

I’ll start by providing some background information.  I have never done this before.  I have a regular Monday-through-Friday office job that I’m keeping.  For the most part, I’m staying in my current city.  I’m not a hippy or having a quarter-life crisis.  I am an individual with incessant wanderlust.  I enjoy challenges and get bored easily.  I value experiences over possessions.

The “opportunity” to become a nomad came in late September.  One afternoon, my landlord called and simply said my roommate, her dog, and I must move out of our house by the end of October.  We’ve lived in our 1200-square-foot- two-bed- two-bath-one-car-garage-with-a-yard house for three years.  It’s in a prime location too, so it served as Grand Central Station for our friends every weekend.  We’ve loved it!  Now the owner’s daughter wants to move in and because I negotiated a month-to-month verbal agreement last year (there’s currently no lease), we’re out!

My roommate is moving to another city in a few months so it didn’t make sense to get into a short-term lease with her.  A couple of acquaintances approached me about renting extra rooms but their locations were a problem.  I started weighing my options and talking to friends.  One close friend is a pilot, and he kindly offered his place to me while he’s out of town several days a week.  Other friends mentioned I could stay with them for short periods of time or when they’re traveling.  Holidays are coming up and I’m going home for Thanksgiving and Christmas, in addition to a couple of pending trips for work.

I talked to a co-worker who couch surfed for ten months last year.  He had a place to stay every night (friends, girlfriend, co-workers, etc) and as word got out that he was nomadic, people started reaching out to him, asking him to house-sit or simply offering him short-term places to crash for free.  From my research online (my inner nerd is out), most people who adopt a vagrant lifestyle are college students backpacking around Europe on the cheap.  There aren’t many people who drift in their hometowns while holding down a steady job.  I’m a planner, so I’ve had to thoroughly prepare myself mentally for this change in lifestyle.

I’m currently living my third week as a nomad.  It’s been an adjustment but the experience has been positive so far.  Tonight I’m in a quiet, cozy apartment in my favorite part of town while my friend is gone on a work trip.  The keys to my success have been planning and flexibility and not sweating the inevitable hiccups.  Most importantly, my solid and supportive network of friends and family has made this possible.  You know who you are and I thank you!  I’ve had so many people ask me questions on how I’m brigning modern day nomad life to fruition, down to the nitty gritty, so my next few posts will reveal all the juicy details....  Stay tuned!