+18MO of Tripping... Travel Tech & Tips

OK, here's a look at the Nomadic Game Board that we decided to play with for the next few years:

1) We house/pet sit across the country utilizing TrustedHousesitters.com to book all our stays.

2) We drive across the country utilizing our trusted Audi Allroad - a great four wheel drive vehicle to address the varied terrain and weather.  

3) +90% of our client work is done online via Zoom/Teams-hence the "Digital Nomad" moniker.

4) Seek out our "Forever Home" - identify the community we want to settle down and nest (either buy or build)... 'cause we don't plan on nomad-ing forever!

Sooo... the first consideration we had when we made the decision to sell our home back in 2021 was to determine how we would live while traversing the country on a full time basis, knowing that we would be "houseless!"  We quickly determined that we didn't want to 'RV-IT'... we knew of the maintenance issues (much like keeping a house) and we also knew that an RV would hinder our mobility. We also wanted to "live like a local" and Airbnb and resorts don't offer that authentic embedded vibe that you get when the neighbors welcome you and give tips regarding the area's dining and venue recommendations.  

We were fortunate to have found Trustedhousesitters.com which is an excellent site to learn about sits across the country and now that we're garnered our creds (reviews from our hosts), we are fortunate to have an opportunity to sit for extended periods of time (often one to two months). 

Our decision to drive across the country was also intentional because we wanted the opportunity to soak in the local sites, culture and unique folk that one can only encounter while taking it slow and easy - it truly is about the journey, not the destination. An excellent resource that we carry with us is the book 1,000 Places to See in the United States and Canada Before You Die.  It lists all sorts of interesting natural and man made items (like the 10 year vintage cheese that you can only get at the Tillamook Creamery in Oregon) 

Consider and select what type of vehicle to drive for an adventure like this... it's sort of like packing for clothes that need to cover all types of weather conditions. Hence we highly recommend  a 4x4 wheel drive car or SUV as you will surely encounter deserts, mountains, gravel, wind, snow, sleet & an occasional dirt road should you decide to follow the "blue highways"!  In these 18 months on the road we have never taken a plane, bus or train to any of our destinations - we truly are road warriors!  We believe traveling this way has contributed to the depth of our knowledge as we literally experience first hand every mile of the distances between the destinations. 

Other vehicle accessories to consider... Because we pass through various states with tollways, we purchased a subscription to an automated toll payment system (Payviam) that is integrated into our Audi Allroad (i.e. no need for an external transponder).  This is VERY convenient as we don't need to pay tolls manually moving from state to state. Another handy subscription is AAA Premier road assistance insurance (200 mile towing radius). We were grateful to have it when we got a flat tire in the middle of the California desert.  Newer vehicles often don't have full sized spare tires - many are emergency 50 mile max distance tires - and in our case, we were 150 miles away from any service station that could replace our tire. As our vehicle is our only "wheel estate" at the moment, we currently carry all pertinent personal and professional documents with us... so we also installed 3M's  Scotchshield™ Automotive Security Film.  Besides providing the regular tint benefits it's also shatter proof.  And while costly to install, it's provided us with a sense of comfort and safety in the event that someone attempts to break into our vehicle. 

There is much more we will be sharing in future blogs regarding our "DIY" travel tips we have gained along our nomadic path... but for now, we'll leave you with following quote from street artist Mark Jenkins:

"Adventure is a path. Real adventure – self-determined, self-motivated, often risky – forces you to have firsthand encounters with the world. The world the way it is, not the way you imagine it."