And when can I leave again?
Most sensible people probably start blogging at the beginning of their adventure. Easier to write about things which are fresh in the mind, you can make sure you take the right photos and go to the right places… Well I don’t think even my best friends have ever called me sensible so of course I’ve decided to start when we are twenty months into our travelling life, I’ve forgotten all the best bits and taken very few photos. My excuse is that I didn’t know before that it might be worth sharing; in fact I'm simply lazy and always full of excuses. It's taken me a good while to get around to writing, and a while longer to find the courage to press publish!
I'm writing this from the UK, where we’re taking a break to visit family and catch up with friends before continuing our travels. Out of the last twenty months we’ve spent very little time back ‘home’, sometimes a week – sometimes one day! – and sometimes we've stayed for slightly longer stints. It’s fair to say that the UK doesn’t really feel like home anymore, though it’s always good to see the people we love. We head off again in a month and I’m already counting the days…
Oh to be in Romania now that Autumn's there!
The journey continues...
So far we’ve spent time in Italy, Croatia, Romania, Sweden, Bulgaria, Austria, Morocco, Spain and France. We’ve taken holidays to the Philippines and Canada. We’ve had some very good times, and some slightly less than optimal times (I’m looking at you Bansko). We’ve driven round Europe in an old BMW with a broken roof. We’ve applied for one Digital Nomad Visa and ditched it when the wait and bureaucracy got silly. We’ve skied, hiked, ferried and flown. We intend to continue, with trips to Ireland, back to Austria, and on to Turkey in the pipeline.
I hope to blog about all of this – our past travels as well as those in the future. I want to share the highs, of which there are many because goodness knows this is a dream lifestyle sometimes, but also the lows because no matter where you are, life happens. At best it will be fun and inspiring, at worst a rant - but I'll aim for more of the former!
Staying real
There is a temptation to only push the positives of the digital nomad life that I recognise in other blogs, so I am taking inspiration from the writers who don’t sugar coat. I hope you’ll continue reading this website for travel tips and stories, and while you’re at it check out some of my favourite blogs:
Working on the Road: My OG favourite, because writer Christina was the first person I know personally to embrace digital nomad life, and the first travel blogger I read.
The Broke Backpacker: I have no idea how this guy does what he does but the website is both informative and highly entertaining!
The Travels of BBQ Boy and Spanky: one of the most honest accounts I’ve read about what it takes to ditch everything and travel full time, as well as marvellously unvarnished destination profiles.
Legal Nomads: Beautifully illustrated travel articles, often food related, and thought-provoking pieces on travelling with anxiety and health challenges.
Enjoy!