By Ricardo

Imagine walking across the United States (yes, I said “walking”) with only the essentials to live and get the job done, and the mission to teach others that nomading need not require an airline ticket and foreign itinerary. Having myself been involved with The Great Peace March back in 1980s, I was happy to find that some people are trying to make it easier for others to venture off by foot in the near future. Moreover, I was happy to learn that they’ve gotten on board with kickstarter.com, a project and funding showcase that many nu nomads can take advantage of as well.

Starting on July 1st, two budding nomads, Evan Burchard and Jade Applegate, are going to make walking from coast-to-coast much easier for others by blazing a trail and producing a guide book called “The Adventure Access Guide: How to Walk Across America.”

In their words, “A cross-country walk is difficult enough without having to worry about every last detail or unknown variable. The Adventure Access Trail enables adventurers to be informed about these logistical aspects so that they can focus on the fun and interesting challenges of walking across America.”

The book will be based on their 3,400-mile journey from Boston to San Francisco. They are walking an average of 20 miles per day. Along the way, they’ll blaze the trail by placing stickers every 10 miles to create checkpoints, and they’ll even rate each checkpoint based on climate, walkability, provisions, mobile phone coverage and Internet service, and how friendly the locals are.  All of these ratings will be posted online as they explore each area.

Besides typical camping and hiking gear they’ll be packing a bit of technology with them as well, namely, a laptop, a smart phone, a solar charger, and a Spot GPS emergency beacon. They will be in touch via their blog, twitter, facebook, and email whenever they have a serviceable cell phone signal. In the more remote places where they won’t, their GPS will be there to send out an SOS if they need it.

Their decision to go off the main grid for 6 months didn’t come easily. There is a lot of preparation before hand, and ensuring that you have the funds necessary is one of the hardest parts. As many nu nomads know, making money on the road can be difficult. Savings will work great for shorter trips, but if you want to do something really long term, or travel indefinitely, having a source of revenue in place before you travel is essential. This can mean establishing specific clients ahead of time or even get your project funded as you nomad (more on this is available in the Nu Nomad).

While you’re off the grid and away from home, there are many types of work that you may be able to do in a location-independent way. Writing or other artistic pursuits such as photography, et cetera are all viable choices.  If there is some possibility to create a product during your time, then you could consider crowd-funding the project ahead of time. There are a few online platforms for this, kickstarter.com, where Evan and Jade are raising funds and awareness about their project, being the most popular. These platforms are great because they genuinely attract a crowd of people who like to see amazing things happen in the world and are willing to put their own money behind it.  Through kickstarter, backers can can pre-order a signed copy of their guidebook or even lay claim to a checkpoint along the route.

For more info on Evan and Jade’s adventure across America, visit their website at http://adventureaccess.org/. For updates during their journey, follow @adventureaccess on Twitter or on facebook.

Photo by: Milosh Zorica

Milosh Zorica is an old friend of NuNomad. We have featured him in one of our Meet the Nomads interviews here on the blog and have received guest contributions from him including, “You Know You’re a Third Culture Kid When…” .  Milosh is a graphic designer by trade and has lived a location independent lifestyle for many years now.  Here he shares his thoughts and information accumulated during his recent stay in Buenos Aires, Argentina.  Milosh is not one to hold back his opinion of a place.  You may or may not agree with some of it but we thought the abundance of great tips makes the piece worth bringing to you.

by Milosh Zorica

Renowned for its unique mixture of European and North American influences while being  true to it’s South American heritage, Buenos Aires is 1^st world cosmopolitan.  With amazing cultural offerings, Buenos Aires makes an excellent choice for a NuNomad to spend some time or even make it home base, though there are few down sides.

Excellent infrastructure, a friendly environment, open-minded people, vibrant atmosphere and a great lifestyle at a fraction of the price found in similar North American or European cities are among reasons why some NuNomads opt for Buenos Aires.

Even though mentioned everywhere, low cost of living is not the main advantage of Buenos Aires. Yes, it’s still cheap, even though not as it used to be just a few years ago. Your Euros, Quids or Bucks will certainly go a lot farther than in London, Paris or New York. What makes Buenos Aires stand out from the crowd among low-cost cities is its truly 1^st world cosmopolitan status. It’s not a kind of place where locals will see you as a tourist even after living in the town for 15 years and speaking the local language fluently, as in Bangkok, for example. Nothing against Bangkok, really. Actually, Bangkok is one of my favorite cities, where I’ve spent a lot of time and keep returning any time an opportunity arises. Providing you speak Spanish and are an easy-going open-minded person, immersion into local society here in Buenos Aires is fairly easy, even though Argentines and Porteños (Buenos Aires locals) are not  famous for being the friendliest South Americans. I mean, they are great people and they are mostly friendly and easygoing. But, definitely don’t expect the open-armed warmth of Mexico, Brazil or Colombia.

1st World Culture

When it comes to the culture Buenos Aires has much more to offer than Tango. Yes, you can see Tango dancers everywhere, especially in San Telmo (Tango’s place of birth and one of BsAs’ nightlife and arts hotspots) as well as neighboring Boca and Boedo or even Almagro and Abasto (Carlos Gardel‘s native neighbourhood). Museums are also numerous and mainly of great quality. Should you be living in Recoleta (the area popular among expats and well to do locals), Museum of Latinoamerican Arts Buenos Aires (MALBA) makes a great place to pop by! Besides great, regularly held exhibitions, the place has got a great cafeteria with free wifi included!

Corrientes Avenue (between 9 de Julio Avenue and Obelisco) is equivalent to London’s West End and New York’s Broadway. You will find equally great plays, concerts and places to dine out at a fraction of what it would cost in either other city. The cafeterias Los Inmortales and La Paz are among those traditional porteño places where you can feel the city’s soul. They serve decent coffee (except for Starbucks and a few other cafeterias, finding a coffee we Europeans and Yanks are used to is a sort of difficult task in Argentina. Unlike their northern neighbors, they don’t seem to drink a lot of coffee. They prefer coffee-like sugared water) and have free wifi.

Connectivity

Working from cafes is not yet popular in Argentina. Many places offer  wifi hotspots, but don’t expect to find available power outlets. And although you may see an occasional outlet, don’t be surprised if you’re told it is not for customer use. Argentines could use some work on their service skills. It could be irritating if you also happen to roam around Asia a lot, where the service is mostly great.

In your home, getting 3G connectivity if you don’t have a DNI (Argentine ID card) can be pricey and difficult. Both Claro and Movistar seem to offer Pay-as-You-Go 3G Internet with a reasonably priced 3G modems. Getting Claro 3G Internet to work on the devices other than a modem they provide might be difficult. Movistar is similar. Though I have managed to get certain devices working, more often than not, the experience is nothing to write home about. Cable, ADSL, Wi-Fi connectivity without a DNI is something you can forget about unless already provided at the place where you live. McDonald’s seems to be a decent place to get online. The one in front of Obelisco is my favorite. They have more than one power outlet, the connection seems to be fine and they do really serve coffee. Normally, I’m definitely not one of those that look out for a McDonald’s while abroad. However, while getting a wifi hotspot doesn’t seem to be difficult, finding a place where you can actually work from can be tricky.

Accommodations

Even though rental prices seem to be attractive and it seems there are plenty of rental places, getting a place to live and not be charged an arm and a leg is definitely not an easy task. Gringo tax included places are mostly what you find. Even the most basic places could be as high as US$ 1500 a month, 4 times what locals pay. There are ways around. You can either live in a hotel or find someone renting to the gringos at local rates. Hotels are numerous, in just about every part of the city. From 30 peso a night dumps to the major chains, charging like their counterparts elsewhere. Hoteles familiares rent rooms on a monthly basis. But pay attention to their location and who you are going to live with. Many are in dodgy areas and residents are mostly immigrants from the other Latin nations. Shared apartments are another option. The local classified websites such as olx.com.ar are a place to start. Craigslist Argentina might be an option too. But, it’s a lot of hit and miss thing. I have seen prices as ridiculous as US$600 a month for a tiny room. Should you decide to stay in a hotel, some decent, or better said, half decent places to be found are in San Telmo as well as in the Congreso area, actually Alsina street. Real Estate agencies are to be avoided with a few exceptions. One of them is Erika Meurer. Her contact phone is +54 11 48144205 – Ext. 110. She is a nice person and doesn’t charge the Gringo rates. The flats are mostly around AR$ 1500 a month for a studio or one bedroom place. If you are able to pay 6 months up front or can get a garantia (guarantee on someone’s property), then there are the landlords willing to negotiate. Buying a garantia is not as difficult as it might seem. The guys from www.garantiasparaalquilar.com.ar are selling them at reasonable rates. Expat community websites like www.baexpats.org, www.goodmorningba.com and www.expat-connection.com are worth trying as well, not only for rentals. Martin of Expat Connection and Sam of Good Morning Buenos Aires, who is also internations.org Buenos Aires Ambassador are well-known characters to the local expat scene and both of them are friendly and resourceful guys. The online expat scene is fairly limited, especially when compared to Bangkok.

Transportation

Traffic seems to be chaotic, though not asmuch as in Lima, Hanoi or Cairo. The public transit system is decent. It’s probably the best in South America, after Santiago de Chile. The buses (colectivos) operate 24h a day. The subway system (subte) closes at 10:45 pm mostly and strikes are common. Buses are a lot slower, but offer greater coverage and operate 24/7/365.  The colectiveros (bus drivers) drive like maniacs and traffic jams could make your journey a lot longer. Public transport is generally on time, safe and cheap. Buenos Aires Subte seems to be a lot more reliable than the London Underground. Don’t mind the strikes, but in Buenos Aires a “minor delay” doesn’t mean you have to wait for 20min. or more like you do in London. Buenos Aires’ metropolitan area is covered by trains, buses and shared minivan taxi service, similar to Dolmus in Istanbul, the service is the most widely used. Most stop around Obelisco.

Safety

Petty crime in Buenos Aires is rampant. Luckily, violent crime is at a fairly low level. Of course, there are kidnappings and murders. But, it’s more likely you’ll get stabbed in London or shot in Los Angeles than in Buenos Aires. Mugging and pick-pocketing are the most common petty crime forms. Kidnappings are usually very organized and the victim is well known. They don’t kidnap gringos randomly. Never flash off your belongings. Avoid carrying gold and expensive watches. Buenos Aires is not Caracas, where they might cut your hand to take a Rolex off, but it’s better to keep a low profile. Take care of your backpack/bag/briefcase in public places, streets included.

Buenos Aires has got a lot to offer for a few months stay to a NuNomad and certainly is worth checking out. But its geographic location doesn’t make a great travel hub. Plane tickets are too pricey. However, long distance buses are really comfortable and reasonably priced. They make a great way to explore Argentina and neighboring countries. Nevertheless, overall Buenos Aires is a great place if you are location-independent.

You can connect with Milosh at any of the following places:

Linked In

http://www.linkedin.com/in/miloshzorica

Coroflot

Milosh is a Co-Founder of Loana Technology, a media streaming and digital assets protection startup

For many people who want to become location independent the most burning question is, “How will I make money while I’m on the road?”  A career in writing is often one of the first that comes to mind.  I mean, writing is obviously portable, doesn’t usually have to be done at a specific hour, and can be easily sent via electronic means.  If you’re at all active in social media you have probably seen many people who claim to be traveling the world while they write.  Some are travel writers, others are writing on other subjects.

But what does it take to become a career writer?  Does it require a special background or is it something that can be jumped into from a variety of directions?  And what are the chances you could make enough money to support yourself on the road writing?  Finally, what would it take to become a “travel writer” and get free hotel stays or vacations in exchange for your work?

I’m proud today to present to you four writers who are location independent.  They’re here to answer some of the questions I just posed, share their experiences and tell us whether we could do what they do.

Let’s start with Sharon Hurley Hall.  Sharon is currently living in Barbados with her family. She has written for numerous entities including Ms. Ileane Speaks, Park Ride Fly USA, and PiggyBankPie.  You can see her full list of publications and services at Sharon Hurley Hall.

A lot of people who would like to become location independent consider writing as a career.  You have made that happen.  Can you tell us how you got your start in writing and whether you had educational or professional experience that helped you in the beginning?

Before moving to an island, I first went freelance, but I must admit to having an ace in the hole. You see, I’d already had about 17 years’ experience as a writer, sub-editor, editor and journalist, including about five years teaching journalism, so I didn’t have much to learn in the way of basic writing skills. When I decided to freelance it was a matter of learning to write for the web (my friend Suzanne James of Inspired Author helped with that) and toughing it out till I got some clients.

How did you go about getting your first writing assignment?

It was a case of ‘throw everything and see what sticks’. I started blogging, I signed up for Guru, Ifreelance and Rentacoder, I scoured Craigslist and Deb Ng’s Freelance Writing Jobs site and took any opportunity that came my way. Although all of these contributed to building my writing career, my first paid writing gig as a freelancer came from a personal contact – one of my former students who was promoting a band for a charity. He didn’t feel confident enough to write the story himself (he was still at university), so he asked me to do it.

How long were you writing before you became location independent?

It was just about a year, but the plan had been in place for about four years. We’d chosen our dream location and were in the process of sorting out somewhere to live. Once that was done, we moved to the Caribbean. Ironically, this was just about the time my writing career really took off, so when we moved I had to sit in an room using two empty suitcases as a desk while we waited for furniture to arrive.

What are the issues for people who would like to travel while they maintain a writing career?

The key issues are connectivity and reliability. Although it’s nice to think you can go anywhere, if you have a thriving career, you’ll need to go somewhere where you can guarantee having good internet access. Having a decent laptop or computer and a reliable backup solution is also a must as you need to be able to access your files wherever you are. But reliability is also about buckling down and doing the work you need to do to fund your lifestyle – sometimes that means putting a day trip on hold to meet a client deadline, but it’s worth it for the peace of mind it brings.

Many people dream of being a “travel writer”.  What I mean by that is getting trips, hotel stays, or cruises paid for as part of their writing profession.  What does it take to make this happen?

I’m not really a full-time travel writer (more a writer who travels), but I’ve managed to get trips to interesting places through an unusual route – working as a journalist for a trade magazine, which I did for about 18 months. Trade magazines mean trade shows – and someone’s got to cover the news. That gig took me to Mexico, Chicago, London and Bahrain. And because I’m location-independent, I have been able to visit family and friends in other places while carrying on with my writing career.

Do you have any advice for someone who would like to write professionally and travel the world?

It is possible to write and travel and make a success of both. All you need are self-belief and sound planning.

Next, please meet Thursday Bram.  Thursday not only writes but also advises freelancers on how to earn money and be successful in their careers.  She’s had a variety of writing gigs including travel writing.  See more about Thursday at ThursdayBram.com.

A lot of people who would like to become location independent consider writing as a career.  You have made that happen.  Can you tell us how you got your start in writing and whether you had educational or professional experience that helped you in the beginning?

I started freelancing in high school and continued in college due to the fact that writing was not too hard to fit around my class schedule. It wasn’t difficult to just pick up and move my computer across two states, which got me started thinking about how I could write anywhere. In fact, I did exactly that and studied abroad for a semester, continuing to freelance all the while. My degree was in communications, but I could have continued writing with or without the degree.

How did you go about getting your first writing assignment?

My first writing assignment actually came from my mother, who ran a small magazine. I could either write for her or do the dishes — easy choice in my opinion! After that, I picked up writing for local newsletters and other small publications and worked my way up to some bigger gigs.

How long were you writing before you became location independent?

I pretty much considered myself location independent after I graduated from college. I’m back in school right now (working on my master’s degree), so I’m only location independent between classes. But my husband’s job requires quite a bit of travel (for months at a time, at points) and I generally go along when I’m not in school.

What are the issues for people who would like to travel while they maintain a writing career?

Be prepared for everything. I’ve submitted work by typing it out on my cell phone before because I couldn’t get internet any other way. Just making sure that you can fulfill your contracts can be the biggest problem — and it’s one that is crucial. That means preparing for anything that might get in the way of your ability to work.

Many people dream of being a “travel writer”.  What I mean by that is getting trips, hotel stays, or cruises paid for as part of their writing profession.  What does it take to make this happen?

I’ve done some travel writing — and mostly it requires being willing to work harder than in a lot of other freelance writing gigs. There are so many freelance writers who want to be travel writers that you have to find some way to set yourself out from the crowd. It can be done (I know several freelance writers who earn a full-time income from travel writing), but it’s hard work.

Do you have any advice for someone who would like to write professionally and travel the world?

Make a budget and stick to it! Freelancing has its ups and downs in terms of income and when you combine that with your travel schedule, you have to have a good grip on your money. Your budget doesn’t have to be particularly frugal, provided you’re pulling in enough income to cover it, but it needs to include building up savings — what if you get stranded somewhere you can’t get a good internet connection to send out work over? You have to have enough money available to get you to the next place you want to go.

JoAnna Haugen is an avid writer/traveler.  One of her goals is to visit all seven continents.  She writes about her travels at Kaleidoscopic Wandering and also keeps a site for her professional writing at JoAnnaHaugen.com.  She has been published in Copia Magazine, Bootsnall and National Geographic Traveler among others.

A lot of people who would like to become location independent consider writing as a career.  You have made that happen.  Can you tell us how you got your start in writing and whether you had educational or professional experience that helped you in the beginning?

I have a degree in public relations and jumped into a marketing career right after college, both of which incorporated a great deal of writing. I joined the Peace Corps shortly thereafter and when I returned, I found another job and also took a class through the mail on how to write for children. It was through that class that I learned how the magazine industry worked and how to pitch articles. I applied what I learned in that class and sold an article on a college-related issue to a publication I still write for today. From there, I branched out to other publications, writing styles and genres. I had a full-time job up until about a year ago, but one of the reasons why I was able to become a full-time freelance writer is because I did freelancing on the side for a few years before that. While I was working at a “real” job, I built relationships with several editors, started a blog and a website, became active on social media, learned more about the industry and then, once I was making a small side income, I quit my job altogether to focus on writing.

How did you go about getting your first writing assignment?

I wrote web copy when I was a marketing specialist right out of college, and my very first paying magazine article was for $.10 a word for one of my alma mater’s college-specific magazines, which I did right before I left for the Peace Corps. My first job once I returned stateside gave me the opportunity to write a column for the company’s newsletter, and I wrote for a local arts and culture publication for no pay, but by then I’d built up a nice portfolio of clips. It wasn’t until I learned about queries and the editorial process through my mail order class, however, that I finally figured out how freelancing actually worked. I landed my first traditional freelancing gig with a hard copy query letter (the only job I’ve gotten via hard copy query to this day). The article was about how college students could take advantage of their resident advisers in the dorms for College Outlook. It was published in the fall of 2007.

How long were you writing before you became location independent?

I’ve been writing practically forever. I’ve kept a journal since the third grade (yes, I haul around a heavy trunk filled with hand-written journals). I originally wanted to pursue journalism in college but went the public relations route because I thought it was more practical. I made a little bit of money off of a few articles in the fall of 2003 but didn’t actively try to sell anything else until 2006. My first sale of my current freelancing life happened in late 2007, and from there I began to take freelancing seriously. I juggled freelance writing and a full-time job until October 2009, when I began working for myself full time.

It’s important that people realize that I don’t only pursue travel writing. I write for many different industries on several different topics including athletics, health, business, writing, animals, the environment and philanthropic topics. I am a ghost blogger and copy writer. I’ve edited books, and I hold editing roles for two different publications. I do all of this in addition to writing about travel for print and online publications.

What are the issues for people who would like to travel while they maintain a writing career?

One of the things that I find most convenient is that most places are wired, which means I can stay in touch with my editors and clients regardless of where in the world I am. But this also means that it is very hard to take a real vacation for two reasons. The first is that I really can’t be unplugged. When just about every hotel and hostel has internet connection, there’s no good reason why I can’t check my email, but that also means I can continue to work and make money, so that’s also a good thing. Also, as a travel writer, I always have my eyes and ears open for a potential story. I’m always snapping photos to accompany those stories. The downside to that is that it’s easy to miss what’s going on around me as a result. Sometimes I have to remind myself that it’s okay to put the notepad and camera away and just absorb a place. But let’s be honest, they’re never too far away.

Many people dream of being a “travel writer”.  What I mean by that is getting trips, hotel stays, or cruises paid for as part of their writing profession.  What does it take to make this happen?

It takes a lot of work, time and perseverance. If I ever figured out how much I make per hour on my travel writing, I’m sure I’d cry. Being a travel writer is not a get-rich-quick scheme. It requires writing for publications that pay below what you’d like to be making so that you can build a portfolio and credibility. It means spending time on social media and at conferences making connections and getting to know people in the industry. It means underpromising and overdelivering. It requires work at weird hours in weird places when you’d rather be sitting by the pool or sleeping on an airplane. You have to talk yourself up honestly, but also help to promote others when it’s not your time to shine. It also means you should say thank you, because there are a lot of people who help travel writers get where they are, and a small token of appreciation goes a long way.

Do you have any advice for someone who would like to write professionally and travel the world?

Become a travel writer because you love to travel and you love to write, not because you might get press trips and it’s glamorous. And don’t feel like travel writing is your only option. With global connectivity, you can write about just about any topic from almost anywhere in the world.

Serena Makofsky is a woman whose blog, Have You Seen the Dog Lately? sealed the deal on my decision to choose Oaxaca, Mexico, as our second destination last year.  Her description of her son’s first day of school along with her subsequent warm responses to my questions made it clear that Oaxaca would have viable educational alternatives for the kids if we went there.  Serena developed her writing career unexpectedly after arriving in Oaxaca.  She has since become very active and created a viable income source for her family.

A lot of people who would like to become location independent consider writing as a career.  You have made that happen.  Can you tell us how you got your start in writing and whether you had educational or professional experience that helped you in the beginning?

I’ve always written, and started my career writing friends’ essays in high school for cash, I’m sorry to say.  While the ghost writing industry has flourished in the meantime, I’ve worked my way into other niches.

How did you go about getting your first writing assignment?

I landed a staff writer job for a fake travel magazine in 1990.  We used computers like typewriters, printing out everything and sending pamphlets to clients.  I doubt the magazine ever made a dime, but rounds of investors came through like clockwork, until the dot.bomb of 2000 hit.

How long were you writing before you became location independent?

I’ve written on and off all my adult life (a couple decades now), but moved abroad, to Oaxaca, with the intent of teaching English, not writing.  When the teaching job fell apart, due to the school owner deciding not to pay for my work papers, I scrambled quickly to revive my writing career as I had only one ongoing client.  I landed a great new client within a week, and had a six-month stint writing pop culture articles before securing a long-term contract to write curriculum for English language-learners.

What are the issues for people who would like to travel while they maintain a writing career?

I think being location independent helps me as a freelance writer.  “On assignment in Oaxaca for xx magazine” catches editors’ attention.  Writers should have a lightweight laptop and excellent online and print clips.  Oh, and learn to live ever-so-cheaply.  I can support my family of four in Oaxaca purely on my freelance income, but I would have to work many more hours to accomplish the same feat in Oakland, California, my home town.  I also recommend people on a long-term expatriate plan consider selling their homes and possessions stateside to simplify their finances.  I think that real estate and cars are what hold back a lot of people from making the leap to the expat lifestyle.

Many people dream of being a “travel writer”.  What I mean by that is getting trips, hotel stays, or cruises paid for as part of their writing profession.  What does it take to make this happen?

I’m not a travel writer per se, though travel, culture, language, and expatriate issues show up in many of my articles.  I think the freebies are the easiest part of the gig to get, and the hardest part is persevering with daily marketing to attract good, ongoing clients who pay fairly and on time.  To score the swag, polish your clips and send them to the Convention and Visitors Bureau, press board, tourist authority or other association of the locale of your choice.  These entities often run fam trips–familiarization trips–for travel journalists.  Other potential sources include airlines, cruise lines, luxury hotel chains, and high-end spas.

Do you have any advice for someone who would like to write professionally and travel the world?

The two go together famously!  Roll in marketing and pitching as part of your work day, read up on professional sites such as Media Bistro, and endeavor to write and travel with style.

Many thanks to all four women who graciously agreed to do this interview with us.  We appreciate you taking time from your busy schedules!

If you’d like to meet these women on a more personal level, join our NuNomad Tribe and “friend” them. The majority are members!

Featured photo: Tnarik

Ricardo recently made a connection with a member of Lonely Planet’s Long Haul who had written a post that seemed to strike a chord with the readers there.  He kindly agreed to adapt it for our blog and we’re pleased to present it to you here.

Most of the time on lifestyle design and travel enthusiast blogs you’ll find a lot of cheer leading for stuffing your 3 shirts in a backpack and taking off to never look back.  This is very different and comes from someone who has lived the life so many of us are interested in.  It’s something to think about and we feel it’s only right to present as many different experiences to you as possible.  Many thanks to Trespassers W for allowing us to use his post.

[adapted from a post by the author on the Lonely Planet’s ‘The Long Haul’ forum]

I used to find The Long Haul’s tagline ‘Don’t know if you’ll ever make it home?’ rather romantic sounding. Actually, I still do. Images of being a citoyen du monde, or a devil-may-care drifter, or member of the jet set, what have you, it’s all exciting sounding. But after just a few years of living overseas, doubts about those rosy interpretations are beginning to creep in. Like many that post on this forum, asking how they too can flee their current lifestyle, I idealized life abroad. But reality is more complicated than I anticipated.

This post is not a complaint, more of a growing realization of what I’ve got myself in to. I’m the equivalent of someone who goes out for a twenty mile hike wearing wingtips and is surprised to find that they have foot issues at the end of the day. Certainly I don’t want to grumble; we are here because we want to be. We still have a house back ‘home’ and two cars (well, more like 1.5 cars by now) are stored in the garage. We could easily return if we wanted to. What’s keeping us here is simply that we want to stay more than we want to move back. So is there a problem?

China (where we live) is not an easy place for a foreigner to make into a permanent home; the difference between cultures is large, it’s hard to integrate, the environment can be demanding. We’re making good progress, studying the language, the children are in public schools, we’ve got driver licenses… but it’s unlikely to match the sense of belonging we would have in more western environs for quite a while. On the one hand, the challenge of living here is part of the appeal. Every day is an adventure. However, I’m finding that the cost of losing a home doesn’t go away just because the benefit of life here is so great. The cost and the profit, the gain and the loss, sit there next to each other, each to be felt in their own ways. I’m sure in time this place can become a home, the path towards that is clear: make friends, become a part of the community, and so on. But the more exhilarating the cultural leap, the hard those steps are to make.

The key word in the forum’s tag line is ‘home’. That question, ‘Don’t know if you’ll ever make it home?’ Does this mean: Will I make this place a home? Will I ever return to my original home? Would it still be home if I did? ‘Home’ at the heart of how most of us define themselves, but moving half-way around the world makes the question ‘what is home?’ difficult to answer.

These are good questions to be confronted with, but they weren’t on my agenda when we moved overseas. Obviously the only answer is, home is where I hang my hat (if I had a hat). But that’s a different type of ‘home’ than the one I left behind. I mentioned that one reason to live here is the desire to face new challenges, to extend ourselves beyond what the old home would allow. But ‘challenging’ isn’t part of how I define ‘home’. Maybe it should be. I’m coming to see that ‘home’ is a concept I need to make for myself, rather than trying to see if this place meets some standard definition of what is a home. Some days that’s easier to say than to do, of course. Hence the post here, I suppose.

Is there any point to this post? I don’t think so, maybe I should delete it. Life is good, and if Allah wills and the levy holds, it may even get better. What I am sure of is that I don’t mean this post to dissuade those looking for a path away of their current homes. It’s human nature: the costs of harboring an unrealized dream are almost always higher than the costs of making that dream come true. It’s not logical, but there it is, it’s part of what makes us human. So come on in, the water is fine (just don’t drink it). And be ready to face some questions you haven’t even envisioned yet.

Photo by: My Hourglass