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Modern Nomads and the Ubiquity of “Home”

“If the thought of living on the road seems appealing,” says MSNBC.com Travel columnist Christopher Elliott, “you’ve got company.” Elliott’s most recent article explores the world of the “new nomad” (aka “permanent tourist”).
Is it the ailing economy that’s behind this trend? Perhaps. Elliott references author Richard Grant (American Nomads: Travels with Lost Conquistadors, Mountain Men, Cowboys, Indians, Hoboes, Truckers, and Bullriders), who suggests that the influx is being fueled from both ends of the income spectrum. Early retirement on the one hand and unemployment on the other.
No matter why more people are contemplating or actually choosing a nomadic lifestyle today, Elliott’s article provides a good introduction to actually walking your talk, gleaned from conversations with folks already doing it. Some of the advice is just good common sense ( “Travel extra light” ), while some is more thought-provoking. My favorite nugget is, “Don’t raise the bar too high,” referring to the fact that a nomadic lifestyle isn’t always vacation-like. Great advice, especially with the additional observation that the popularity of blogging among modern nomads adds pressure—since every adventure story is read by an audience of friends, relatives, and fans living vicariously through you from the safety of their cubicle or refinanced living room.
Getting “unstuck,” as Wikipedia.org founder Jimmy Wales calls it, clearly isn’t for everyone. But it’s an interesting trend to contemplate. My own nomadic fantasy includes a Sony Z Series ultra-portable laptop that would let me take all my “stuff” with me in a compact 3.4 pound package I could toss into a backpack. The irony that my own permanent vacation fantasy begins with the purchase of technology that would enable me to stay connected to the world I’d be running from doesn’t escape me.
Let’s not kid ourselves. Whether you’re reading this while physically sitting at a desk in Seattle like I am, curled up on a couch at a café in Prague, or stretched out on a beach in Bora Bora, the fact remains that your consciousness is meeting me here on the Web, which is a different sort of place altogether. A place where many of us spend the majority of our waking hours.
Having the ability to at least occasionally dwell in familiar mental surroundings and engage in our everyday relationships while travelling can be comforting. One reason why so many more people are now willing to take their bodies on the road may be the ubiquity of technology that allows their minds to be “home” anywhere. At least via Wi-Fi at the closest Starbucks.

{ 1 comment… add one }
  • Bob Thomason May 10, 2009, 6:03 pm

    It’s fun to follow some of these nomads. I’ve been following a couple who’s been sailing around around the Carribbean the last few years. See: http://www.sailblogs.com/member/ashiya/?xjMsgID=7100
    They are early middle aged and, interestingly, headed back to their home in NC. The economic downturn damaged their nest egg so much they need to go back to work. However, I’m sure just as many people are setting out as are returning.
    Personally, I’m at a point in my life where I’m drawn more to my home – my place. I’m making a conscious effort to explore it to a new depth and understanding. I’m not old yet – or finished exploring but I am reminded of TS Eliot’s famous lines:
    “And the end of all our exploring
    Will be to arrive where we started
    And know the place for the first time.”

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