Generation nomad

We all talk about quitting our jobs and travelling the world. But a growing number of women are actually living the dream. Meet the roamers.

Meet the roamers

My brother tells everyone I’m homeless, and he’s not wrong. I make a good income, but I work on a laptop and live out of a suitcase, moving from town to town, country to country, wherever I’m in the mood to land for a while. It started in October 2014. I was going through a rough period in New York, US – roommate problems, feeling stuck at work, a terrible breakup (bad things seem to come in threes). The plan was to take a breather and explore the world for a few months. But the break from my life turned into my actual life. Through a guy I met in Malaysia, I ended up joining an online group for nomads, and just like that, I discovered a whole subculture of women who choose to be ‘location independent’, work remotely and call no single place home.

One of them, Eunji Choi, was earning a ton and having the time of her life. The way that she had put what’s right for her ahead of what society thinks she should do really inspired me. So after I figured out how to support myself remotely, I took to the road. There are definitely more male nomads than female, but there are more of us every day. It does take self-motivation to work when your office is a coffee shop looking out over a gorgeous beach in Varadero, Cuba, which is where I’m writing this. But minutes after I’m done, I’ll be splashing around in that crystal turquoise water. That’s a happy hour that was hard to come by in my former city life. As I’ve roamed – 21 countries and counting – I’ve asked and answered many questions about this lifestyle, so let me cover some of the most popular:

Do you have A home BASE?

No. I’ve learnt that my home isn’t a place (although I do use my mom’s address for bills and voting) or the objects inside – I just can’t bear the thought of having more stuff to drag around!

how much Stuff Do you have?

All my belongings fit into a single suitcase and a backpack.

Do you work?

Yes. The same is true of all my nomad friends. We pay our own way, and some of us are even saving money.

IS It DANGEROUS?

I feel as safe travelling alone as I would back home. I’m just careful, like not walking on dark streets by myself at night. My family has access to my itinerary so they can keep an eye on me. I’m only home about 20% of the time. I was born in Detroit, US, to Ugandan parents and we often travelled during my childhood. By the time I decided to embark on my journey, I had already visited 60 countries. My goal to be the first black woman to visit every country in the world came about after I discovered that less than 200 people had ever done it, and of the group, most of them were Northern European men. No black woman has yet achieved this feat. So far, I’ve been to 142 out of 195.

Before embarking on this journey, I started a boutique luxury travel agency called Jet Black. Now I have other people who are helping to keep it up and running. The biggest advantage of this lifestyle is the freedom – freedom of location, freedom of time, freedom of everything – no one expects me to be anywhere unless I want to be there or I’m being paid to be there. However, I have found that personal relationships can suffer when you’re not spending much physical time with people. I don’t have a car, nor do I have many material possessions. I rarely sleep in my own bed. A lot of sacrifice goes into it – more than people will ever realise.

I don’t have a single place that I think is the best, but my top five countries are Kenya, Uzbekistan, Colombia, Japan and Italy. I won’t say what the worst place is, because I don’t want to give people negative thoughts about any country. But honestly, you can find a positive experience in any country that you visit. And sadly, one negative experience can make you write off a whole country.

My work days are never typical, but I always start with coffee and a hydrating mask while checking my emails from a spot with a view of the city. No day is the same, which is perfect because I hate routine work. I’ve always loved travel. I started when I was 17, and have already visited 50 countries.

I’m based in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, but SA will always be my home. I’m originally from King William’s Town, Eastern Cape, and worked in broadcasting for nine years before starting my own business as an artist manager and producer while travelling in the US for business. In 2015, I joined Uber, and moved to their EMEA headquarters in Amsterdam in 2017. And since we operate in over 80 countries, I get to travel a lot.

Before travelling, I never knew just how truly fearless I was. I never shy away from adventure, and I’ve taken on some of the most challenging expeditions to remote and little known places – just for the thrill of it. Even the worst places teach you something about yourself, and about others around the world.

I remember, when I was travelling in Casablanca, Morocco, I got such a culture shock. Morocco is an incredibly patriarchal country with a confusing infrastructure. And trying to navigate the transport system while in the stifling heat, hungry, overwhelmed and painfully out of place was awful enough. Throw in the men’s sense of entitlement, combined with the fact that you’ll stand out no matter what you do, and you have unwanted attention for days.

Strangely enough, I recently visited Northern Ireland and found it so similar to my beloved Eastern Cape. The rugged mountains that dominate the skyline, the 40 shades of green of its rolling hills and underground caves just calling out to be explored – it was home. I do what we call ‘ slow travel’. At the moment, I’m working for the goalsetting website Bucketlist ( bucketlistrewards. com). I’ll spend more than a month in one place and take weekend trips to explore other parts of the country. I’ve lived in five countries over the year and a half that I’ve been a nomad.

I definitely have a thing for Latin cultures – top of my list being Seville, a beautiful Spanish city with great old architecture, delicious restaurants and awesome weather. I’ll often stay in a hotel first, make friends with locals and find someone with a room to rent. That’s much cheaper than a hotel or Airbnb, which I’ll do for many of my short trips.

Here’s my one horror story: I went out for a few beers with a nomad meetup group in Thailand. People joined us, somehow I got separated – I think my drink was drugged because I blacked out – and ended up on the side of a street. Luckily, a tourist found me. My credit cards were stolen and money withdrawn from my bank account, but otherwise I was perfectly safe. A relative wired me funds until the bank reimbursed me. I’m a lot more cautious now.

It’s easy for me to make friends. I’ve had a few relationships on the road. Now I’m going out with a guy I met in Spain. (I hope I can show him around my hometown, Toronto, Canada, this year.) I may want a family someday, but I also want to keep exploring the world while I still can.

“I may want a family someday, but I also want to keep exploring the world while I still can.” “Even the worst places teach you something about yourself.”