Things You Miss Being Able To Do While Traveling
If the word "digital nomad" make you cringe a little, I'm sorry, because I'm about to say it for lack of a better term.
I was talking with other digital nomads recently about the downsides of longterm travel.
One girl made a list of things she missed, so I wanted to come up with my own.
Things I miss while living overseas
1. Not being able to have a garden
This is straight from the ex-garden. This is the part where I refrain from making inappropriate jokes about how I'm proud about how big that zucchini is.
2. Not being able to do crafty things.
Some of you said you wanted to see some of my art, so here's a sneak peak!
Sometimes, I want to paint!
(who knows what that says...I used some rando translator and that was most definitely a mistake haha)
Or make an ugly dresser look still ugly:
Or make clay creatures for no reason:
It's kind of hard to find the art supplies I need sometimes, and there's not really a point to buying a bunch of them when I'm just going to have to leave them behind anyway.
3. Seeing Family And Friends
Most important one! Friends come and go so often when you're traveling that you don't really get to form very many deep relationships. If you do happen to do it, they tend to leave.
I tried to combat this by making friends with locals, and in Guatemala my best local friend moved away and then the same thing happened in Indonesia (I knew I should have showered more)!
4. Staying Super Healthy
So this is a long story, but I've been on a super long health journey and every time I travel, it all goes out the window for the most part.
I get excited to try ALL the things, and ALL the things usually have sugar or something bad in them...so oops.
Because of this 8 year long search I did to try fix some health issues I had, I kind of like taking certain supplements or using the near infrared sauna that I made with my mom (ok let's be honest, she did most of the work. I kept getting distracted).
I like being able to use my portable sauna and things like that.
I can't find pics but I promise it's real!
5. My Big Stack Of Books
I have a lot of books about business, investing, psychology, religion, fiction stuff just for fun. You name it. I love being able to reference my books when I'm working, especially because some of them have TONS of knowledge that is really good to look back on from time to time.
I highlight the crap out of them so I can find important things I learned again.
By the way, I say none of this as a complaint. Just an interesting topic that came up today that got me thinking.
6. My Workout DVD
Who even uses DVDs anymore? Apparently Jillian Michaels does. I wish she would get with the program and let me pay for lifetime access of streaming her workouts.
If you live overseas, what do you miss when you're away?
My friend said driving her own car, which I don't miss at all actually. I like not having one. She also said decorating her own space and being surrounded by her own things. I kind of like that part of having a home base, too.
Anyway. Random thoughts.
I agree with you on trying to stay healthy while traveling. I always find it very difficult because you're out of your environment, and it's ok to say screw it, I'll be healthy when I get home. It's definitely a mindset thing and I'm working on overcoming it. Difficult though because it's so easy to blame circumstances.
lol yeah I'm trying too. I'm pretty good once I've been in a place for at least over a month. Then I get really back on it.
But man, at the beginning I just want to try everything and I don't care what it is!
Well, actually, I don't want to try SOME things, because I saw dog in the market once and I didn't want to try that, lol. But you know what I mean.
Sometimes it's genuinely hard to find healthy food though depending on where you're staying. I tend to not stay in those places for too long though if I can't find something healthy.
Just imagine if that zucchini was made out of Vang
😆 gardening would be the best job in the world if you could grow Vang zucchinis. Why are there no Vang zucchini seeds? That's genius
Vang Zucchini = Name of my next band
Can I join? I'll make us mini guitars out of giant Vang zucchinis.
I already grew a Vang pumpkin! This shouldn't be too difficult.
Mene may even want to sell them.
WHOA!
Haha, the clay creatures are so adorbs. I think I have a weird sense of taste? :D I would probably miss the comfort of my own home, my bed and my computer cause that's where I'll be most of the time. Would also miss my friends who I always hang out with.
Miss ya @nomadicsoul!
Yeah! Beds! I'm getting used to sleeping in random beds (does that sound weird?) but the thought of just one bed makes me smile.
I miss you!!!
Hahaha, random beds...as long no cat's pee huh? :) I await ur good news to come back here everyday!
hahaha you know I can deal with cat pee!
The first thing we do when I come back is eat TONS of food!
Oh definitely :) And you'll take me to places I never even know existed. Haha
I'll missing eating my own mum's food if I travel. Hahahahahah
😆 very good point!
For us, it's different, but the same. We're expats (sort of for Sam) and not long-term "on-the-road" travellers like yourself. Family and friends is definitely up there! And although, we've been in Thailand for a year and a half now (and we should have adjusted), but the old lifestyle and routine. It's strange as we left that as we wanted to explore and find a new adventure whilst we can (being commitment-free), but there are just things that we miss like after working a long week having a deserved pint with your colleagues or being able to run in a park without sweating buckets after 5 minutes due to the mixture of the heat and humidity.
And of course, the food, but then when we are back in Europe we miss authentic Thai food. So, there's no winning that one unless you are willing to pay big time for small comforts.
That's so true!!! I miss food everywhere I go, so I can never list that one!! When I leave Costa Rica, I miss their food. When I leave India, I miss their food. It never ends with the food lol.
And yes to the hanging out with colleagues! I miss that too actually. Fall weather. Fall is my favorite and so is Halloween. I may go home for that lol but that could be dumb.
I feel you on all of these!
We guess with you there is no planning, huh? Just go where your heart desires, so if that's back home in the Fall then that could be an option.
The "drinks in the pub on a Friday with colleague" thing became more striking when we started working in Thailand. The culture is different, but that can also differ from organisation to organisation and not only nations. We get the sense that it's do your work and head home afterwards. And even the other foreign teachers (as we teach) want to head home or out with their other friend group. It's all understandable, but just a different vibe to what we are used to.
Keeping close the people you relate to. I always have to end up saying goodbye to those that I find the best connections with.
That's the hardest part. At home at least they sorta tend to stay put. But then again, at home, people don't really relate on a traveling level for the most part. Or a steemit level. Or a trying to start business levels. Omg maybe I'm un-relatable haha
That's exactly what I go through. Can't relate to anyone at home and can't stay with those I do relate to.
Yes to everything mentioned above, and also missing the feeling of knowing a group of people well enough that you can just show up on their doorstep at anytime, or walk into your Cheers bar, where everybody knows your name...
Yep!!! It must be worth it because I still keep going...or maybe it's just because I can't sit still hehe
Yeah, I feel like there is a point when perpetual motion becomes a compulsion. . . it's honestly harder for me to hold still in one place than to keep moving :D
Haha I get that way! And then I want to settle for 6 months and then I'm ready to go again lol it's a cycle
Even while traveling I miss my friends and my food cooked by myself.
Sure, I miss my #Beer, but this is a total different story . ;-)
Haha yeah because in Belgium/Germany das Bier ist besser!!! hahaha traveling beer is awesome, too though!
Love not having a car too. Car free since '06 I think?
Family and friends, that's pretty much it. Maybe some random food (Trader Joe's and In 'n Out is hard to come by in Bangkok - although they had a pop up stand come through town last month!) but it's fine, just makes you appreciate it more when you're back in the States. Although @suitcasemama and I are cheating a bit - been here for years, likely be in the region for a while longer. It's home for us :)
Wow I think I saw that pop up stand thing, but for some reason just assumed it was in Cali. That's awesome!
Family and friends are my main thing too. The rest is extra. But if my list was only one thing I guess it wouldn't be a list anymore haha.
Do you guys have to do visa runs a lot? I feel like I've asked this already so I'm sorry
Nope, you haven't asked before :) No runs for us, we're all set visa-wise. That way can be home to host visitors (hint, hint).
Sorry for the delay, @suitcasemama and I try our best to unplug on Sundays :)
That's good! I try to unplug on Sundays, too! I want to know how the heck you get all-set visa wise!
It's a short story, happy to share! Um, but probably not immutably on the blockchain lol Where else works? Are you a discorder, messengerer, carrier pigeoner?
Sometimes I missed being able to understand what everyone was saying. Especially when someone was yelling or if there was an announcement.
Also, Mexican food. I was gone for 10 years and I spent more time thinking about Mexican food than anything else back home.
I was living and working in one city for most of my time overseas, but while traveling I really missed my desktop computer and my washer and dryer. I still miss my washer and dryer :(
Oh yeah, I don't blame you on the Mexican food OR the washer and dryer! When I lived in Mexico I kid you not I had to wash my clothes in a bucket.
I was VERY bad at rinsing properly.... I'm sure I did everything all wrong. I just rinsed my clothes in the shower lol.
But also understanding what people are saying...you don't realize how important that is until suddenly it's gone!
Where were you gone for 10 years at?
I was living in Germany for 8 years, then I quit my job and went traveling for 2 years.
Whoa that's pretty cool that you could do it for 2 whole years! I just met a guy from Germany who is doing the same!