I’ve Spent 1 Month as a Slow-Mad, and I Already Hate It
To all the 20-somethings dreaming of the nomadic lifestyle
Only a week before heading to my next travel destination of Lisbon, I got this message from our Airbnb hosts:
“…We’re sending this message to let you know that construction works started on the neighbor building during the day (from 8 am until 7 pm)…that will disturb you if you’ll be working remotely from the apartment.
Because of this inconvenience, we have canceled your reservation and can give you a full refund because your stay will be very affected by the noise of the construction works…”
After receiving this anxiety-surging message, I spent the rest of the day trying to find a new place. One that would host me and my boyfriend for a full month with only days to go before check-in.
Oh, and also the Airbnb where we were staying in Porto started leaking rainwater through the roof, so we were already in the midst of planning to move for the last week of our Porto stay.
Somehow we managed to find a decent apartment in the overcrowded city of Lisbon. Well, we did settle for a place pretty far out the centre and ended up spending more than double the price of our initial booking.
These travel hiccups didn’t only cost more money (although that was a pretty sore subject for a while). This hectic travel [re-]planning day had given me an excuse to stop working.
It made me realise, trying to balance both work and travel means you end up doing both miserably.
As I started looking back on my time already spent travelling, I had been in full-blown holiday mode.
We put a lot of pressure on our 20s. Like a lot a lot.
We’re told to optimise for experiences, these are our last years to have fun. But also badgered with the advice to spend our 20’s hustling away and building careers so our future selves can reap the rewards.
I tried to get the best of both worlds — hustle while travelling.
Here’s what I learned.
“Our 20s are the defining decade of adulthood. 80% of life’s most defining moments take place by about age 35” — Meg Jay, The Defining Decade
Routines & Systems
Having a routine goes against the natural spontaneity, freedom, and flexibility of nomadism. All the initial enticements to the lifestyle.
But I finally understand the hype surrounding successful figures’ morning routines and daily rituals.
Not sticking with my routine or any of my habits is why I’ve been failing at juggling both work and travel.
Without my routine, there’s friction to doing all the mundane tasks I’d rather not do. And plucking up the motivation to work is even harder when your instincts are screaming to explore your new surroundings.
“Success is the sum of small efforts repeated day in day out.” — Robert Collier
This is why I’ve come to the conclusion you should build first, then travel.
Build First, Then Travel
Building a career as a freelancer requires going through many phases of personal development.
Optimising for growth, health and better performance is tricky when you’re:
a) Not the one designing your environment.
Rental places are designed to be universal and provide the basics for short stays. You can’t curate an environment specifically for you and your needs.
b) Living with uncertainty, constantly thinking and planning where to go and what to do next.
This is why a lot of nomads opt for staying in the same place for a couple of months, to get rid of some of the uncertainty. Only trouble is, this is when you start getting into visa restriction territory.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve had career wins, reached milestones, and managed to get into the groove of deep-focused work at times. But on these days I locked myself away in the Airbnb and had to force myself away from my laptop screen.
On the flip side, the days where I’ve had the most fun and explored were the days where I didn’t look at my screen once.
Changing your environment is a great way to find what you truly value and give a new perspective ~ (am I trying to say travel helps you find yourself?).
Yet most nomads are travelling out of FOMO. They see the nomadic life as the be-all and end-all.
“Travel and change of place impart new vigor to the mind.” — Seneca
If you’re solely chasing the dream of ultimate freedom and being your own boss, the novelty will eventually wear off. Especially if you have to be a slave to your screen.
You’ll end up having to sacrifice the best parts of travel if you’re stressed about money coming in to keep funding your travels. Or if you’re trying to land your first client while building a freelance career from the ground up.
Being able to work from anywhere is a huge privilege, but it doesn’t mean you should.
By first setting roots somewhere, you can have an environment and build systems that allow you to be productive and hustle away. You can then take mini-breaks and afford to be unproductive to truly enjoy your travel time.
Your 20s are a great time to travel and optimise for new experiences. Chances are you’ll have fewer responsibilities at this time in your life than any other.
However, there are a couple of psychological drawbacks to nomad-style travel that are not talked about.
My first look into nomadism has left me yearning for more travel and experiences, but I want to travel in a different way.
Unless you figure out a way to not do work every day, you’ll be doing the same amount of work as you would living in one place, but feeling like you’re missing out on more.
Living nomadically you leave behind hobbies, community and the luxury of a space designed by you for you.
There are definitely many positives to stepping out of your comfort zone and being exposed to different cultures.
You can still be spontaneous by booking off the cuff vacations. You can still have the freedom of being your own boss by building something of your own, allowing you to travel whenever.
But build first, then travel.
