An exploration of today’s “modern day nomads”.

In this episode includes Lainie & Miro take a look at what it means to be a “nomad”. The term is commonly used among modern day travelers who find themselves in the midst of long-term travel. This episode explores how travelers define the word “nomad” and address the  reasons why we travel. Episode #6 also includes an interview with Joe, who has been traveling for the last 17 years. He talks about his experiences and shares his thoughts about some of the places he’s been.

“A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving.”

~Lao Tzu

If you’ve listed to the Raising Miro podcasts before, you’ve heard  Lainie and Miro’s philosophy on their travels and the concepts that keep them motivated to continue.  They are slow traveling around the world, with no real place they have to be, no real destination in mind and no big picture plans other than, living in the moment and experiencing the world as a global citizen.

They are taking their time, living in communities they like as “citizens” rather than a tourist.  It’s one way of experiencing the world. They participate in the rituals of daily life and exercise their freedom to change the location as often as they like in order to broaden their experiences. “People” and “connecting to” are at the heart of their motivations and exchanging their thoughts, feelings, breaking bread and cooking together is one of the ways they create amazing bonds on the road.
Both Miro and Lainie  have connected with locals and travelers alike on their journey and because of their close to 400 days of travels to date, they have had the opportunity to meet  many amazing people.

But is this being a nomad? Some people say yes, others say no.

Episode #6 is all about exploring the idea of being a “nomad”. How is the term identified? What does it mean?

According to Wikipedia:

Nomad comes from the Greek word nomádes, meaning: “those who let pasture herds”. Nomads are communities of people who move from one place to another, rather than settling permanently in one location. There are an estimated 30-40 million nomads in the world. Many cultures have traditionally been nomadic, but traditional nomadic behavior is increasingly rare in industrialized countries. Nomadic cultures are discussed in three categories according to economic specialization: hunter-gatherers, pastoral nomads, and “peripatetic nomads”.

Next, Lainie and Miro asked the online travel community what “being a Nomad” means to them.

Here’s what they had to say:

Miro from RaisingMiro.com says:

“I think being a nomad means: having complete freedom. Freedom to explore and not bound by rules. Before my mom and I left on our travels, I thought the word nomad, meant something else. I thought it meant: just a traveler. Now I know its not just about traveling to places, it’s about the lifestyle.”

Christine from AlmostFearless.com writes:

“It means satisfying that restless feeling I always had but never knew what it was.  I thought maybe it was ambition or excitement for the future… but really it was just an appetite for more.  Being a nomad means I get to experience new places all the time.  It means learning about other cultures and languages.  It means making friends with people that I would never encounter in my old life.  It feels like I get to devour the world… but really I find myself consumed more often than not.  People talk about being addicted to travel, but that’s not quite right.  It’s like having your eyes opened.  You’re not addicted so much as really seeing for the first time.  Its hard to give that up.”

Dave from The Longest Way Home.com

“The best example of a nomad I’ve ever met was a nomadic Berber man on the Algerian border. He told me of his walk from a war torn Niger to Morocco trying find a better life. He’s a nomad by culture, but also one by necessity.

I’ll put myself in the latter. Do I want to be a nomad? No. But, it’s a means to an end for me. Hopefully.

Do I look upon it as a cool phrase bounced around what has become the “travel blogging” industry these days, no chance.

A traditional nomadic lifestyle is a wandering one. But these wanderers actually retrace their steps on a yearly basis. Fulani cattle herders as an example move with the seasons. They retrace their yearly routes in cycles to do with rainfall, pastureland and rearing seasons.

I try to always move forward, explore new territory and learn about society’s, people, culture and life. When this is done, then maybe I can retrace my footsteps and become a real nomad.”

Gary from Everything-Everywhere.com said:

“Being a nomad means being free. It means going where you want, when you want, with no one to tell you what to do.”

Jeannie from NomadicChick.com says:

“Being a nomad to me is having the option of freedom, that could mean physical room to move from place to place.  Or the freedom to be unconventional, not because it’s fashionable or hip, but because it’s who I really am, what I really want to do.  Ultimately, nomad-ism isn’t being tied to a place, but to ideas and the community of the entire planet.”

Nicky from 2 Nomads. 1 Narrative.com

starts off with a quote from James Hetfied, of Metallica, from the song “Wherever I may roam”

“Where I lay my head is home”

She continues:

“Being a nomad is having the courage to not know what tomorrow brings, to pack up and leave for the unknown, and live life for what it is live it off the wall. The book Into the Wild describes life as a traveling nomad perfectly,

‘When you want something in life, you just gotta reach out and grab it.’

For me living nomadically is all about making each day a new horizon.”

Jodi from Legal Nomads.com writes:

“Being a nomad means keeping an open mind about what ‘home’ truly is, and continuing to be receptive to new things and new places. It doesn’t mean that I am searching for a home. Instead, it signifies to me that during my many months of travel, any place can become home in an instant. With the right combination of new-found friends, great food and insight into local culture, a nomadic way of life can be extremely fulfilling. Being a nomad also implies a thirst to keep learning by doing, which is an important part of my life on the road.”

Finally, Kyle from Kyle The Vagabond.com says:

“While there are so many things that I could say about being nomadic, I believe that one universal truth is simply that nomads tell better stories.

While money and time are both aspects of life that are fleeting, your stories are sometimes all you may have left, yet they are timeless and more valuable than gold…

without good stories you really are nothing, for what have you done with all that time you call your life?

This is somewhat vague I guess, but I think it sits somewhere near the root of why we all travel and live the life we choose.”

Next, Lainie and Miro chat with long time traveler, Joe Scarangella from the blog Joe’s Tripping. He’s been moving around the world for the last 17 years.

Listen to this fascinating interview with a true world nomad. Joe has been traveling around the world,working to support his travel lust. He is clear about what keeps him motivated to expore the world. Find out just what this is, in Podcast Episode #6 – Modern Day Nomads, Nomadic People and a World of Travelers.

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Special Thanks

To those of you who have supported us so far on this journey, the donations we’ve received (yes, thank you so much Sonia Kim!!!) and the wonderful words of encouragement. Thank you all for your comments and feedback, and please keep them coming.

Thank you Hanna for giving us a wonderful professional boost with the intro & outro, engineered by Hanna Jakobson, music “Multilayered Timbres” by Dr. Pimp courtesy of CC (creative commons) license.