The world is a big and beautiful place and there are people who aren’t satisfied with just seeing a part of it a few times a year. For some of us, travelling full-time has become a way of life.
When we sold everything we owned, quit our secure jobs and told people we were leaving the UK to travel the world, we had mixed responses. Some people thought we were crazy, others said we were brave and couldn’t do what we were doing but would love to follow in our footsteps.
One person, however, had us thinking when he asked “what do you think you will miss”. Good question Dave, good question.
Fast forward eight months, living out of a backpack, sleeping in different beds, never knowing which country you will be visiting from one week to the next …
… is life as a nomad how we thought it would be?
When we sold everything we owned, quit our secure jobs and told people we were leaving the UK to travel the world, we had mixed responses. Some people thought we were crazy, others said we were brave and couldn’t do what we were doing but would love to follow in our footsteps.
One person, however, had us thinking when he asked “what do you think you will miss”. Good question Dave, good question.
Fast forward eight months, living out of a backpack, sleeping in different beds, never knowing which country you will be visiting from one week to the next …
… is life as a nomad how we thought it would be?
We all have our ideas of what life on the road would be like and everyone misses something when away from home. You may be away for two weeks, two months, a year … maybe longer, but there are always some things you crave and others things you thought you would miss but don’t, if you are from UK, usually you don’t miss weather!
Eight months into our travels, I remembered that conversation with Dave which we had on a cold winter’s night back in the UK during December. I thought how easily we have adapted to nomadic life which made me ponder about things and what we miss.
So I thought I would speak to other nomads, talk to them about their lives and how they have adapted.
If you are thinking of becoming a full time traveller, we will tell you what it's like, and if you are thinking of doing the same, make sure you research places you're thinking of visiting. Reading travel reviews for the cities on your list is a smart idea.
Eight months into our travels, I remembered that conversation with Dave which we had on a cold winter’s night back in the UK during December. I thought how easily we have adapted to nomadic life which made me ponder about things and what we miss.
So I thought I would speak to other nomads, talk to them about their lives and how they have adapted.
If you are thinking of becoming a full time traveller, we will tell you what it's like, and if you are thinking of doing the same, make sure you research places you're thinking of visiting. Reading travel reviews for the cities on your list is a smart idea.
Kelly Turpin – Trippin’ Turpins
Hi I’m Kelly, one half of the Trippin’ Turpins. I was born in New Zealand but have spent most of my life living in Australia. Having said that, my gypsy ways started when I was 13 and I subsequently never lived anywhere for longer than 1 1/2 years. At 31 years old I had finally lived in the same house for seven years in Adelaide.
Then in 2004 my hubby and I travelled Australia for two years and we lived in a tent for most of the time. We arrived back in Adelaide, started a business and set about planning our next big escape and hopefully our lifestyle for years to come.
Hi I’m Kelly, one half of the Trippin’ Turpins. I was born in New Zealand but have spent most of my life living in Australia. Having said that, my gypsy ways started when I was 13 and I subsequently never lived anywhere for longer than 1 1/2 years. At 31 years old I had finally lived in the same house for seven years in Adelaide.
Then in 2004 my hubby and I travelled Australia for two years and we lived in a tent for most of the time. We arrived back in Adelaide, started a business and set about planning our next big escape and hopefully our lifestyle for years to come.
Fast forward to 2014 and we were ready to leave Adelaide on our sailing yacht. We have now been living, and travelling, on our boat for over three years. I hear about people backpacking full-time and living out of a backpack, and I realise I have the best of both worlds. I am travelling full-time, I have gone back to my gypsy ways, but I still have a home. I’m sort of like a snail who takes their home with them wherever they go. It is nice to have a galley to cook in, bookshelves with 100’s of books (no exaggeration), a little box I keep treasured things in… and my toiletries don’t have to be limited to 100ml each.
Kelly on Bawean, a beautiful island in the Java Sea
But what do I miss? Lots really. I miss my children (all adults now) and my family and friends. I miss the dinner parties I would put on every weekend and the social gathering we’d have with friends. I miss the Australian outback, and I miss camping.
We still throw on our backpacks and travel by land. But when I arrive home from visiting Laos or Myanmar or some other exotic place… I am still on holiday. I really do have the best of both worlds!
We still throw on our backpacks and travel by land. But when I arrive home from visiting Laos or Myanmar or some other exotic place… I am still on holiday. I really do have the best of both worlds!
Kris – What Kate and Kris Did
I was born in a small town on the north east coast of England. In 2006, I left the UK with my partner Kate and since then we’ve been bouncing around different countries, so far I’ve lived and worked in Thailand (twice), Spain, Vietnam and China, but currently, I live in Ukraine (for the 2nd time).
After a graduating I spent less than two years working in England when Kate and I decided we didn’t want a 9-5 job with two weeks holiday a year. I showed no interest or aptitude for home improvement. I wasn’t interested in upgrading my car. What we really wanted to do was see more of the world. So we rented out our house, sold or stored our stuff, jacked in our jobs and left for Thailand. Since then we’ve developed our careers as English teachers which gives us the opportunity to live in lots of different countries. We’ve never had the aim to find a ‘new home’, but to create a scattering of ‘homes’ all over the place!
I was born in a small town on the north east coast of England. In 2006, I left the UK with my partner Kate and since then we’ve been bouncing around different countries, so far I’ve lived and worked in Thailand (twice), Spain, Vietnam and China, but currently, I live in Ukraine (for the 2nd time).
After a graduating I spent less than two years working in England when Kate and I decided we didn’t want a 9-5 job with two weeks holiday a year. I showed no interest or aptitude for home improvement. I wasn’t interested in upgrading my car. What we really wanted to do was see more of the world. So we rented out our house, sold or stored our stuff, jacked in our jobs and left for Thailand. Since then we’ve developed our careers as English teachers which gives us the opportunity to live in lots of different countries. We’ve never had the aim to find a ‘new home’, but to create a scattering of ‘homes’ all over the place!
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Before I left the UK, I didn’t think about what I wouldn’t have access to anymore, so I didn’t think about what I would miss other than friends or family (that’s too obvious, right? Oh, I play the guitar, so I had to store my instruments away in my parents’ attic, but I play them when I get home for a visit and I buy a new guitar in each country I live in – giving it away to a friend when I move on.
When I left the UK I was glad to see the back of winter. After a long time living in the tropics I started longing for things like a day cool enough to sit outside without sweating or the option of wearing more clothes than shorts and a t-shirt! Then…you live through a Ukrainian winter and you long for the tropics again! More generally though, I dislike that I usually miss special events in the lives of family and friends. I just can’t fly home for every wedding or birthday.
Despite what it seems, I really like England! I didn’t leave because of anything personal about the place, but more the urge to see more places and keep moving. I like seeing new countries and cultures and trying new food and meeting loadsa people. A holiday isn’t anywhere near the same experience as living in another country, even for a few months. I’ve made friends across the world and there are several places now I could just be dropped off at the airport randomly but still feel at home. And, as further motivation, there’re still so many more places to go…!
When I left the UK I was glad to see the back of winter. After a long time living in the tropics I started longing for things like a day cool enough to sit outside without sweating or the option of wearing more clothes than shorts and a t-shirt! Then…you live through a Ukrainian winter and you long for the tropics again! More generally though, I dislike that I usually miss special events in the lives of family and friends. I just can’t fly home for every wedding or birthday.
Despite what it seems, I really like England! I didn’t leave because of anything personal about the place, but more the urge to see more places and keep moving. I like seeing new countries and cultures and trying new food and meeting loadsa people. A holiday isn’t anywhere near the same experience as living in another country, even for a few months. I’ve made friends across the world and there are several places now I could just be dropped off at the airport randomly but still feel at home. And, as further motivation, there’re still so many more places to go…!
Lorelei – California Globetrotter
Hey ya’ll! My name is Lorelei and I was born in Okinawa, Japan, but was raised in San Diego, California my whole life. For the last 5 years, I have been living in Regensburg, Bavaria, Germany.
In 2012, I quit my job at the bank, sold all my belongings, including my car and bought a one way ticket to Germany to teach English abroad in order to fund my unquenchable wanderlust. I have always known I would live in Germany, it was just a matter of fate guiding me there. I wanted to leave the US for Germany simply because I find the architecture, the history and the culture so fascinating. The US is so young compared to the history of Europe.
Hey ya’ll! My name is Lorelei and I was born in Okinawa, Japan, but was raised in San Diego, California my whole life. For the last 5 years, I have been living in Regensburg, Bavaria, Germany.
In 2012, I quit my job at the bank, sold all my belongings, including my car and bought a one way ticket to Germany to teach English abroad in order to fund my unquenchable wanderlust. I have always known I would live in Germany, it was just a matter of fate guiding me there. I wanted to leave the US for Germany simply because I find the architecture, the history and the culture so fascinating. The US is so young compared to the history of Europe.
Goslar - A Quintessential Half-Timbered Town
I knew homesickness would be inevitable and I thought that would have been the most difficult aspect of being gone. What I wasn’t prepared for would be the constant inner struggle to stay in Germany or return home. I didn’t realize that the longer you are gone, the more you integrate yourself into your new home country, the more your heart will be torn between two countries. I married a German, built a home here and a daily routine. My heart is in both countries, but which one do I pick for the long haul?
I knew I would miss being able to put Ranch on everything, drive-thrus and stores open seven days a week, but what I didn’t know I would truly miss is the casual, friendly small talk with a stranger at the counter or in line behind you. I miss big American smiles which is so stereotypical of all Americans, but which you don’t realize until you’re gone. Germans don’t do small talk, and when you strike up a conversation while waiting in line, you usually get a stern face and no reply.
I knew I would miss being able to put Ranch on everything, drive-thrus and stores open seven days a week, but what I didn’t know I would truly miss is the casual, friendly small talk with a stranger at the counter or in line behind you. I miss big American smiles which is so stereotypical of all Americans, but which you don’t realize until you’re gone. Germans don’t do small talk, and when you strike up a conversation while waiting in line, you usually get a stern face and no reply.
Wernigerode, Germany - The Heart of the Harz
Obviously travel has been the number one thing that I have loved the most about living abroad and what has kept me away the longest. It’s so easy and affordable to travel within Europe, just to hop in the car, drive a few hours and you’re in a completely different country. The way of life has also appealed to me, with relaxing Sundays, family time and long bike rides. Germans truly know how to enjoy their leisure time and switch off from work. 40 hours is 40 hours.
Angie – Feet Do Travel
I have always said it would be comfort I would miss when I left the UK. I loved my big arsed comfy sofa and king size bed with its memory foam mattress; I spent time relaxing on this furniture and I knew that, when we were away, the simple luxuries of watching movies and sleeping soundly were something I would have to learn to deal with.
I was half right.
Beds are surprisingly comfortable! Any problems sleeping haven’t come from knobbly mattresses, but from external sources such as inconsiderate people talking at full volume on their phone in the hostel bed next to us or roosters displaying how loud they can cackle on our windowsill at 5am. Watching movies on a comfortable sofa … now that I was 100% right about, and I miss that dearly! Not enough credit is given to how valuable “down time” and relaxation means for a peaceful mind and calmer way of life.
I have always said it would be comfort I would miss when I left the UK. I loved my big arsed comfy sofa and king size bed with its memory foam mattress; I spent time relaxing on this furniture and I knew that, when we were away, the simple luxuries of watching movies and sleeping soundly were something I would have to learn to deal with.
I was half right.
Beds are surprisingly comfortable! Any problems sleeping haven’t come from knobbly mattresses, but from external sources such as inconsiderate people talking at full volume on their phone in the hostel bed next to us or roosters displaying how loud they can cackle on our windowsill at 5am. Watching movies on a comfortable sofa … now that I was 100% right about, and I miss that dearly! Not enough credit is given to how valuable “down time” and relaxation means for a peaceful mind and calmer way of life.
Gili Air - where we lived for 15 months - not a bad place to call "home"
We have spent our time so far in Asia so I also miss healthy food which isn’t easy to buy when travelling. Everything is fried and readily available like rice and noodles of every shape and size … delicious, but not exactly healthy, and cheap – super cheap, way waaaaaay cheaper than healthy food and cost is a consideration when you have no income to support your travels. Decent wi-fi when you need it is also a bit of a headache, but only because I’m a freelance writer, otherwise it wouldn’t bother me one bit. Oh, and fancy dress parties we would host for our friends, my oh my, the laughs we would have, I definitely miss that.
Sy missed bacon …and salt and vinegar crisps … so when he was asked what he would miss, he was right! There isn’t a lot of bacon in Asia, and the only packet of his favourite flavoured crisps costs more than both our dinners!
However these are small things, and what I do love about being a nomad, is the freedom that comes with it. We have embraced the pace of life we have chosen to set for ourselves. We have seen and done so many amazing things so far and have met some wonderful people, life is pretty darn good and we are only at the beginning of our journey.
Sy missed bacon …and salt and vinegar crisps … so when he was asked what he would miss, he was right! There isn’t a lot of bacon in Asia, and the only packet of his favourite flavoured crisps costs more than both our dinners!
However these are small things, and what I do love about being a nomad, is the freedom that comes with it. We have embraced the pace of life we have chosen to set for ourselves. We have seen and done so many amazing things so far and have met some wonderful people, life is pretty darn good and we are only at the beginning of our journey.
What an amazing adventures as a full-time traveller - seeing orangutans in the wild in Tanjung Puting
I also love the sunshine, as a sun-worshipper, I get to pray to that glowing ball of fire as much as I like! With the sun comes sunsets – I adore sunsets, especially from a beach with a cold drink – heaven! A beach … yes, that’s my happy place.
I definitely do not miss the UK weather – no way Jose!
So what I love about being a nomad far outweighs the tiny things I miss, and every day is a new adventure. I believe this is called “living the dream”.
I definitely do not miss the UK weather – no way Jose!
So what I love about being a nomad far outweighs the tiny things I miss, and every day is a new adventure. I believe this is called “living the dream”.
David Johnston - Travelsewhere
I'm David from Australian and right now I'm off exploring Malaysia, still on the road almost three years after I left. My decision to leave Australia was part the constant urge to travel and part dissatisfaction with my job. My original plan was to spend a year travelling eventually to Germany to find work there. When work didn’t happen and I still wasn't sick of travel, I decided to keep travelling around Europe and try to make a living as I go.
I'm David from Australian and right now I'm off exploring Malaysia, still on the road almost three years after I left. My decision to leave Australia was part the constant urge to travel and part dissatisfaction with my job. My original plan was to spend a year travelling eventually to Germany to find work there. When work didn’t happen and I still wasn't sick of travel, I decided to keep travelling around Europe and try to make a living as I go.
I'm not sure I gave much thought to what I might miss beyond family, friends and income. However, the difficulties did dawn on me. I was leaving behind a comfortable and stable life and trading it in for a sea of uncertainty, instability and insecurity. I had fears that I'd be broke, sick, robbed, unemployed - you name it. Only unemployment happened but I've slowly found my way around that.
It's surprising the things that I've actually come to miss. One is guilt-free relaxation, like sitting on the couch playing video games or seeing a movie. When I'm travelling relaxing feels like I’m missing out or a missed opportunity to work or blog. For the same reason, I miss the idea of a weekend. Nowadays, travel and work are whenever they need to be. Another is the idea of carefree spending on things like clothes, tech and books that came with a fixed income. Oh and good coffee!
It's surprising the things that I've actually come to miss. One is guilt-free relaxation, like sitting on the couch playing video games or seeing a movie. When I'm travelling relaxing feels like I’m missing out or a missed opportunity to work or blog. For the same reason, I miss the idea of a weekend. Nowadays, travel and work are whenever they need to be. Another is the idea of carefree spending on things like clothes, tech and books that came with a fixed income. Oh and good coffee!
Leaving Australia has taught me loads about myself. Travel like this helps you evaluate what you want in life, your skills and interests, and then allows you to live a life tailored to it all. It’s also been a great way to identify my personal weaknesses and get out of my comfort zone. As for what's keeping me from going back? None of the urges to settle back into an "ordinary" life have overwhelmed my desire to keep seeing new places or have new experiences. That may change, but this chapter in my life has already been truly remarkable and a decision without regret.
Kreete – Adventurous Trails
Hi! It’s Kreete. Born in Estonia, residing in Australia. It all started with a gap year in Spain, followed by a summer job placement in Greece that eventually led me to live in London. This is where I met my partner in crime, Michael from Australia. We moved to Oz two years ago and haven’t looked back since.
Surprisingly, I never found it to be difficult to leave home, especially when I knew I had an adventure ahead of me. I was actually counting the years I had left before I could move out on my own since I was eight years old! Yes, the hardest part was leaving my pets and I will always miss my family, but nothing compares to the growth and experiences one gets to live through when pushing the limits of their comfort zone.
I do miss most of the food from back home, but even for that I have found alternatives. It’s surprisingly hard to get rye bread and quark, let alone black pudding and proper Estonian candies. Australia, however, delivers with its incredible nature, warm people, and amazing weather and not to mention the BBQ’s! A new group of friends and my partner’s family has made me feel like home. I am so blessed to live where I live and hope that one day when I bring my family over, they will see what the fuss is about! I bet they will never want to leave. If I could give you one piece of advice, it’s: do not be afraid to leave, be afraid of never leaving!
Are you thinking of travelling for an extended period of time? Are you planning to travel the world looking for a new place to call home? Has this post and our experiences helped you at all? Tell us your thoughts in the comments section below!
Surprisingly, I never found it to be difficult to leave home, especially when I knew I had an adventure ahead of me. I was actually counting the years I had left before I could move out on my own since I was eight years old! Yes, the hardest part was leaving my pets and I will always miss my family, but nothing compares to the growth and experiences one gets to live through when pushing the limits of their comfort zone.
I do miss most of the food from back home, but even for that I have found alternatives. It’s surprisingly hard to get rye bread and quark, let alone black pudding and proper Estonian candies. Australia, however, delivers with its incredible nature, warm people, and amazing weather and not to mention the BBQ’s! A new group of friends and my partner’s family has made me feel like home. I am so blessed to live where I live and hope that one day when I bring my family over, they will see what the fuss is about! I bet they will never want to leave. If I could give you one piece of advice, it’s: do not be afraid to leave, be afraid of never leaving!
Are you thinking of travelling for an extended period of time? Are you planning to travel the world looking for a new place to call home? Has this post and our experiences helped you at all? Tell us your thoughts in the comments section below!
