Book Summary: Life Nomadic by Tynan

My Review

The book was published in 2010 and is therefore partially outdated. Websites and tools mentioned don’t exist anymore or don’t resemble the state of the art. However, there are many aspects that I still consider relevant. Since it’s a very brief book it can’t hurt to quickly skim it. You can get it here on Amazon.com*.

Rating: 7/10

My Notes

People don’t like being in debt and have regrets on their spending. Yet people having spent their money on experiences don’t regret spending it and would not trade back.

Then there’s the small remaining minority who also don’t like being in debt , but wouldn’t give back what they purchased , even if it meant being out of debt . Can you guess what that second group spent money on ? Experiences . Usually travel . No one ever regrets spending money on travel , and I think the reason why is obvious . Possessions come and go , but experiences change us as people .

Travelling

You will travel a lot and there will be a lot of time spent to get from point A to point B. As a nomad you work from your laptop and therefore can get a lot of work done during these times of waiting.

Make sure to be able to focus and get work done. Blogs, Social Media and other distractions are your productivity killer. Contrary to popular belief travel does not equal vacation. Break this neural link.

When you leave, you will change - a lot. What you leave behind (your hometown, your friends, your family) will probably not change that much. This is due to you making tons of experiences in a short time while those staying behind are going on about their daily lives and not much happens.

💡 Living life with occasional breaks where you do whatever you want for 7 days (so called vacations) and then going back to the same old, waiting for the next one is not the way to go.

Consider getting an AMEX to use airport lounges with a free concierge. Get health insurance for travelling.

Nomadic life and minimalism

Truly living a nomadic life means leaving your possessions behind since you can’t take most of them anyway.

💡 Subtracting clutter adds freedom and peace of mind to your life. It allows you to make life choices based on your desires and your life won’t be dictated by the things you own.

I had become addicted to the freedom and peace of mind that accompanies minimalism.

Get rid of (almost) everything. Only keep a couple of boxes with memories (trophies, photographs, etc.). Store those with a friend or your parents. Otherwise your mind will be constantly wander back to your things while being away.

The plan:

• throw out the cheap
• sell the valuable (if not sold after 7d, put it on auction)
• Give away the rest (free lawn sale, donate clothes)

Become your actions and your principles. Stop trying to create a façade of who you are through buying things.

Consume in a limited, but high quality way.

Packing Light

Packing light offers you multiple advantages. You are ready to go in a few minutes, your can bring a backpack anywhere. You don’t have to check bags at the airport (which results in lower fares). Packing for day-trips is simple - you just pack a necessary subset of all of your stuff.

No one travels for a long period of time and wishes they had brought more. Think about that.

Pack efficiently by minimising air space and making frequently used items accessible.

Clothing

As clothing material use (Merino) Wool, which dries quickly and prevents funny smells. Use this for socks*, underwear* and a tight body layer. Merino can be washed with soap in the shower.

Brand recommendations (stated in the book, I have not tried any of these yet):

• Socks: Smartwool (If you need toe socks: Injinji)
• Underwear: Icebreaker
• Tight Layer: Icebreaker (Choose 140/150 fabrics)

Dress for the cold by using:

1. Warmth layer
2. thin wind protection
3. thin water protection

The unknown

The unknown may seem dangerous and full of non-trustworthy people. It’s the opposite if you go open minded and try to get familiar with the place. Embrace the unknown

The world is packed full of people, and the overwhelming majority of them are good honest people who want you to enjoy their country. This goes double if you seem like you are actually interested in participating in their culture, and not steamrolling over it with your Western values.

Your best safety net is common sense and being careful. Carry only what you actually need.

Planning

Long term planning ahead might offer better deals and give security, but you have to give up a lot of flexibility.

💡 Recommendation: Avoid buying tickets to your next destination prematurely. Don’t give up flexibility unless there is a compelling reason to.

Compelling reasons that come to mind would be: • coordinating to travel a certain segment with a friend • getting a great deal on a fare • coming close enough to your departure date that it made sense to get a ticket before the prices rose.

Spend 1 or 2 months in a place to really get to know it. Do shorter trips to explore and then decide if you want to revisit later for immersing yourself.

Create a list of places you’d like to immerse yourself in (for 1-2 months each). Developing countries change much faster and are more affordable. Pick things outside your comfort zone and the unknown.

Decide when to go where by the following factors (most to least important):

1. major events (e.g cherry blossom festival in Japan)
2. weather (avoid monsoon season etc.)
3. Routing flow (how easily you can combine the destinations)

Make a chronological list of countries with events first. Then add to the list the other countries, along with a list of the best months to visit. Write weather information next to the event locations, too. Events are typically short, so you still have the option of scheduling your visit with the event at the beginning, middle, or end.

Technology

Focus on versatile and compact (and light) technology. Remember safety requirements for taking everything in your hand-luggage. Get a small universal adapter for electricity. Consider a portable bed to be able to setup camp (almost) anywhere.

Language

Learn local languages if it’s worth it and if possible. Spanish or French are definitely valuable languages as many countries and people speak them, another exotic language like thai might not be.

💡 Definitely learn some basic phrases (’Yes’, ‘No’, ‘Hello’, ‘Can you help me?’, etc.).

Focus on being able to use the language to get your point across - don’t try to be fluent. Be functional.

Consider getting a language partner when staying for a longer period.

Budgeting

Spend money efficiently. Spend money on things that genuinely enhance your life, cut out others.

Spend as little money as necessary on flights and comfortable lodging, and save the rest to fund the unexpected adventures that your future surely holds.

Flights

Check round-trips even if you take one-way. Try to use hubs to cover great distances.

New York is a major hub, which means that it will almost always have the best international fares in the United States. Los Angeles, Miami, and sometimes Chicago are other examples of cities with excellent prices.

Trains, Cruises and Ferries

Consider repositioning cruises (moving in the fall to the Caribbean and in spring to Europe) if you have time - they are often cheap.

Accommodation

Some criteria might apply for your chosen accomodation:

• excellent location (city center)
• clean and comfortable (for longer stays)
• Simple not fancy (fancy costs extra without delivering much extra value)
• Have your own room

Hostels are a cheap option that is ubiquitous and readily available for short-term (1 week) and spontaneous stays. Sometimes some hotels are as cheap as hostels.

Apartments only make sense for longer stays. Get to a place and find a good (shared) apartment while staying at a hostel.

Consider couchsurfing to kick-off your stay and meet locals.

Making money while you travel

Travelling is the ideal setting for becoming an entrepreneur, since you have

• low living expenses when travelling to developing countries
• lots of time, since you don’t work
• a high degree of motivation
• out of the box thinking through lots of experiences

Other options to make money are:

• Freelancing
• Blogging****
• Remote Work (check sites like RemoteOk)

Spending Time

Interact with locals and fellow travellers. See the sights of places. Be flexible and open to spontaneity. UNESCO World Heritage sites are often worth a visit.

Ask people who know (locals know their town better than travel guides). Ask fellow travellers for their favourite places.

Be spontaneous and join fellow travellers on interesting adventures. Say ‘Yes’ a lot!

Travel with an open mind. Accept invitations and extend them as well. Indulge in other cultures and appreciate the best in them.

Attitude

Allow yourself to be happy and embrace the chaos of life. Not everything will go according to plan. Shit happens.

The only real determinant of one’s happiness is the permission he gives himself to be happy. I’ve been through some of the poorest countries in the world and seen residents of them with the kind of beaming genuine smiles you rarely see walking down the street in the United States. Everything you need for happiness and enjoyment is there, it’s just a matter of you accepting it.