Wednesday, September 14, 2022

Pros and Cons of Digital Nomad Lifestyle (with a Cat)

I have done a ton of research when I decided to start the digital nomad lifestyle. Multiple articles showed the marvelous pictures of the beaches and beautiful landscapes in the background of a happy person with their fully charged laptop. It looked idyllic, to say the least. The daily routine of living in one place, especially not knowing that this was the place I wanted to be in, was depressing, so anything better than that suited me just fine. I didn't have high expectations beyond living in different places and experiencing different environments, hence, I am not disappointed.

Here are the pros that I found to be most significant in this lifestyle for me:

  1. New Airbnb = new places to explore. I am a creature of habit and tend to stick to routines that eventually shrink my comfort zone making me feeling stuck. The ability to have new places to visit, new trails to hike, new vistas to see has been very beneficial. I've also learned to use the local resources instead of sticking to my routine shops, stores, restaurants...
  2. Being able to live in nice homes. I've been able to rent nicer places with prior planning. While they may be more isolated and rural (some), they are also affordable, something I have not been able to afford had I lived in a larger city with higher cost of living. I hardly saw myself living there long term, but for a short period of time it was great to enjoy the luxury (or what I consider luxury).
  3. More peaceful lifestyle. This is probably because I've chosen remote places, not apartments for the most parts. I don't have to share walls with anyone and listen to the neighbor's music. While the remoteness might be somewhat isolating from a social perspective, I've enjoyed it quite a bit because of my introverted personality. I don't need hustle and bustle and am rather happy just watching a movie or reading a book. I realize that there might not be many people like me, but I might be wrong.
  4. The ability to move freely. I still struggle with stuff cluttering my life to an extent, but I've enjoyed living with what I need vs. nice to have items. I scaled back on that recently and have gotten a few "unnecessary" items, but I almost feel guilty using something that I truly don't need, something that could easily be substituted with what I already have.
Here are the cons:
  1. Loneliness and isolation. I listed it in the "Pros" section, but it also belongs here. While I can meet new people via the Meetup, the connections are very temporary unless they live the same lifestyle. Dating is also pretty challenging as those who are interested in long term relationships probably don't want their partner to be traveling around as much. Friendships are rare, if not established previously.
  2. Cost. The short term rentals are more expensive than long term. You can argue that they come with some sort of commitment, such as a lease and utilities, but overall it is more expensive to live in the Airbnb in the US.
  3. Medical care. I mentioned that I had some GI issues, so getting medical care is pretty challenging for consistency reasons. If something urgent comes up, I would go to the Urgent Care center, but for continuity of care it is not effective. I tend to schedule all my appointments back in Tennessee in my homebase town.
  4. Anxiety about the level of unknown. Every time I change places, I am anxious. What if the Internet is non-existent? What if it's noisy? What if Kitty does not like it? What if the hosts are not great? Where would I go if something does not work out? I have been able to manage it thus far, but it is certainly not the level of comfort I'd want to sustain long term. I would either have to get used to the unknown and release part of my controlling of the outcomes tendency or transition to a long-term rental. Interestingly enough, a long-term rental also gives me anxiety as the level of commitment is much higher. In an Airbnb, I could say that it's only for a month, so any issue is temporary until I move one somewhere else, but in a long-term lease I can't do that.
  5. Personal issues don't go away. You can hide but you don't run away. Being at peace with myself has been a challenging road with multiple bumps, but I am so much further along than many others.
  6. Kitty does not like to travel. He's gotten much better with car rides and getting used to the new places, but I know deeply that he does not like it. It also limits my ability to travel for work as it's often challenging to find a pet sitter.
So I guess it's up to you to decide if pros outweigh the cons. For me right now they do, but I am wondering how much I will change my mind now that we are slowly moving into the fall and winter seasons.

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