At least to me, it does. The thing is that I have a kind of mortal dread of owning things and I tend to get high as a kite when I am setting off on a new adventure. That being said, I have become part of a far flung community of similar folks. We 'Bohemian Nomads' are all ages, from all over the planet, and my gang tends to have very specific types of destinations. We want warm. We want want inexpensive. We want beauty. We want strong local culture and flavor. We wand a simple life style. We want an absolute minimum of hassles for a good life.
We do not get freaked out when the internet doesn't work for a day. We do not get upset if the electricity goes off. We have time to hang out a lot. Everyone has his/her own set of interests. We often see each other when it happens, more by accident than by plan.
I know that there are countless subcultures that function this way. This is the one I have fallen into. Surprisingly, more and more young people are becoming long term nomads. One Australian couple I met had worked tech jobs in London 70 hours a week for a few years. When they realized they hadn't seen the sun in 2 years and were drinking gallons of coffee by day and too much booze at night, they ht the road. I met them after they had been traveling for 2 years and they were fit and healthy and happy and planned to go home someday and maybe buy a house. They had learned several languages, learned lots of skills, worked for orphans, rescued animals and so on. They owned nothing.
Some folks do remote work while they travel. Some get a pension, the usual spread. Well, as I firm up my plans for this winter (I mean I purchase a few tickets, and make myself aware of what visa limits I have in which country), I have heard from some of my fellow nomads. I am meeting friends from the US in Bangkok on their way home from China. I am meeting a Brit friend in Bangkok also. She is on her way to Vietnam for a spell, and figuring out where to rent in Nicaragua for the rest of the year. I will see some inspiring nomads in Bali. She is from Argentina, he from Scotland. It is kind of coming together this week. Each of us made our plans separately and now find we are on the same path.
I tend to go somewhere, establish a routine, (coffee shop, church or temple, news source, favorite restaurant, SWIMMIMG POOL) and then wander from there. People have been doing this forever and everywhere, and I am pretty new at the game.
Most of the older nomads have a foothold at home, that is to say they have a home and a car and a change of clothes. Many are tired of being maintenance people for their homes and are selling. Others are getting over wandering and looking for something at home that gives them comfort and freedom. I am still not ready to land anywhere partly, to be honest, because I am so sanguine about what I like and partly because if I had a permanent home in the US, I don't see how I could afford to wander.
Happy today and, God willing, happy tomorrow.
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