Posted: 8/30/18 | August 30th, 2018

Years ago, when I made my first attempt to slow down and travel less, I wrote a post on my new “non-nomadic” life.

It didn’t stick — and I was swiftly back on the road.

I have a restless soul and the pull of the road was too strong.

It was a pattern that lasted for years.

I’d come home, proclaim to my pals was I’m going to clear up down for real this time only to leave again a few months later.

It became a sort of running joke between my pals and me.

(And here too, with all my “no, for real!” blog posts.)

But, after lots of false starts, I finally became genuinely “non-nomadic” last year.

This year, I’ve only spent a combined two and a half months on the road. While that’s a lot by “real world” standards, it’s not a lot for a person who spent a decade moving every few days/weeks/months and named his blog after his being a nomad.

I don’t even have another trip planned until October — and, ideal now, it’s only 50/50 that it will happen.

This is the least I’ve ever traveled considering that I went on the road in 2006.

My pals had grown accustomed to me popping in and out of their lives. now they are getting used to the weirdness of having me around. It’s been great to finally get texts asking what I’m doing and if I’m complimentary again.

وتعلم ماذا؟

I love my non-nomadic life.

I think settling down has stuck this time around because I’m ready to finally do so. As I said in a blog post earlier this year, I finally became ok with the fact that life changes, situations change, and your desires change.

Moving on doesn’t indicate abandoning who you were.

I kept traveling as a way to hold on to the past. I couldn’t let go of the image I had in my head of life on the road and all it symbolized: freedom, adventure, meeting new people, and a lack of responsibilities.

It was all very fun — and I didn’t want to grow up. I had made a life around traveling and, in a case of irony, I couldn’t leave my comfort zone.

To me, doing so would negate all the hard work I had done. It would be admitting defeat. It would be like death.

But trees don’t grow because they blow in the wind; they grow because they have roots.

And accepting that if I really wanted to lead the life I wanted — one of routine and presence — that I would need roots was a substantial shift in my mindset.

I love my routine: the daily writing, working on this website, sleeping in my own bed, cooking breakfast, going to the gym, seeing pals regularly, dating, and just being in one place and not worn out all the time.

Don’t get me wrong: My love for travel hasn’t gone anywhere and still want to see many places around the world. I roam the guidebook aisle in my local bookstore, dreaming of where I might go next. I search flight deals each day. I think of myself in far-off tropical lands and picture the people I’d meet there.

But now I’m ok with “going tomorrow.”

After so lots of years on the road, these last few months at home have taught me that my nomadic ways are genuinely over.

As I sip tea at a café where the barista knows what I want when I walk in the door, I’m perfectly content where I am.

I’ve seen a lot of the world.

I’ve had extraordinary experiences.

But, ideal now, it’s time to just take pleasure in the simplicity and pleasure that comes with staying in one place for a lot more than a few days.

The rest of the world can wait a bit longer.

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Book Your Trip: Logistical ideas and Tricks
احجز رحلتك
Find a low-cost flight by using Skyscanner. It’s my favorite search engine because it searches web sites and airlines around the globe so you always know no stone is left unturned.

احجز مكان إقامتك
يمكنك حجز بيت الشباب الخاص بك مع HostelWorld. If you want to stay somewhere other than a hostel, use Booking.com as they consistently return the least expensive rates for guesthouses and hotels.

لا تنس التأمين على السفر
Travel insurance will secure you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. It’s detailed protection in case anything goes wrong. لم أذهب أبدًا في رحلة بدونها لأنني اضطررت إلى استخدامها عدة مرات في الماضي. شركاتي المفضلة التي تقدم أفضل خدمة وقيمة هي:

SafetyWing (الأفضل للجميع)

تأمين رحلتي (لأولئك الذين تزيد أعمارهم عن 70)

Medjet (for additional evacuation coverage)

هل أنت مستعد لحجز رحلتك؟
تحقق من صفحة الموارد الخاصة بي للحصول على أفضل الشركات لاستخدامها عند السفر. I list all the ones I use when I travel. They are the best in class and you can’t go wrong using them on your trip.