Tag: minimalism

Obsessed with Minimalism


July 3, 2023


My recent obsession with minimalism has become excessive.


Last year, I took an epic, life-changing trip to Europe, my first as a nomad. In fact, it was during that trip that I decided to live a nomadic life.


But my suitcase was too heavy. It was also too cheap, and I replaced it halfway through the journey. (The boots were an unnecessary purchase, but they’re pretty cute!) Lots of lessons learned.


I’m currently in my home state, Washington, enjoying the best house-sitting gig ever. My duties include watering plans and…well, that’s it. No pets. My friend is off on his own European adventure for a while, and I get to enjoy his beautiful home as a zero-cost Airbnb.


It’s good to have some time to unpack and assess my travel wardrobe. I am determined to take at least seven pounds out of my suitcase.


In eight weeks, I’ll embark on my longest nomad adventure yet. I’ll start in England and then head to Croatia, Greece, and the Canary Islands. The journey will end in mainland Spain in December, my favorite place to be at Christmastime. In total, I will be living out of my suitcase and daypack for 105 days. I expect to experience primarily warm weather and plan to use layers and my treasured down coat to cover the cooler days.


Thanks to the open closet design of my friend’s modern, eco-friendly house, I have been staring at this space a little too much.


The good news is that I have a couple of shorter trips, one this month and another next, where I can try out the wardrobe before committing to the long journey.


As far as toiletries and accessories go, I’m losing some weight there, too. I’m testing out laundry sheets and have decided that shampoo and conditioner bars will work for backup when staying at places where they are not provided.

Leave a comment if you have a great packing tip to share! I’ll let you know how it goes.

UPDATE: I’ve been back for a few weeks, so I guess I’d better confess that I am still no packing expert.

I intentionally decided to bring a few pieces of clothing that were getting a bit worn with the intention of discarding them as I traveled to lighten my load. That part did work out. I even discarded a pair of boots to make room for Christmas gifts.

I’ve decided on some favorite items and will replace them as needed before my next overseas journey.

And, as you would guess, my load got lighter as I used up certain items like disposable contact lenses and lotions.

The laundry sheets were adequate. I’m not a big fan of the shampoo and conditioner bars, though.

Nomad Life: How Did I Get Here?

June 20, 2023

Do you ever stop and wonder about the twists and turns of your life?

Mine has taken many in the past five years.

If you had told me in June 2018 that in five years, I would be homeless by choice and changing doggie diapers, I don’t know if I would have laughed, freaked out, or broken down in tears.

But here I am.

You see, I was one of those Type A people who liked to be in control and lead a tidy, secure life. I was a lifelong educator, and although I always found it challenging, I figured I would segway into a new career at some point.

In fact, I did make a change in 2018. I sold my condo in the Seattle area and moved to Montana’s Flathead Valley.

This is it! I thought. But it wasn’t.

Don’t get me wrong—there were a lot of wonderful outcomes from that move. I enjoyed a year of outdoor recreation and made tons of new friends. What I didn’t do was plan for a source of income. I was overly optimistic about finding a suitable job that would give me some income but still allow for ample time in the great outdoors. It just didn’t work out.

I have an old friend who firmly believes life is all about timing. I guess I didn’t time that one right.

After a year, I returned to my home state, Washington, and returned to my safe but stressful career teaching high school. I took a position in Eastern Washington, thinking that changing to a smaller rural school would be better and keep me closer to new friends in Montana.

Then, you know what happened: Pandemic. There’s nothing like being in a new job in a new location and then being locked up alone in your isolated home in the country.  

A couple of months into the pandemic, a friend and colleague stopped by for an on-the-porch visit. She encouraged me to head back to the west side of the state to be closer to friends and family. It was May, and we still didn’t know what the following months and years would bring.

I got online, found an appropriate open position, arranged for a nontraditional interview, and got the job.

It was time to move again.

I bought a “fixer-upper” to have something to do. Ha! I would not recommend remodeling a house during a pandemic. Supply shortages, inflated prices…it was not a fun experience.

That’s the short version of what led me to my current lifestyle.

If you or someone close to you works in public education, you know how tough the past few years have been. We teachers have been dropping like flies.

A year ago, I decided to sell that newly remodeled house, got rid of most of my possessions, and quit my job. Another teacher down.

My initial plan was to retire in Spain, at least for a year or two. I had traveled there about a dozen times over the years, and two involved longer stays in educational programs. I had always loved Spain. Why not live the Spanish ex-pat life for a while?

After traveling around the Western US in the summer of 2022, I set out for a three-month trip to Europe in September. I had an apartment reserved in Valencia, Spain, for the month of October. It would be an excellent trial period to see if I wanted to live there for a year or two.

In the end, I realized that traveling was what gave me the most joy. Exploring new places fed my soul like nothing else in life.

I had been following the blog of a nomadic couple from Seattle for several months. Initially, I thought there was no way I would ever do it. Nine months later, I realized it was exactly what I wanted to do.

So here I am. My nomadic lifestyle continues to evolve.

Last December, I returned from Europe to find my sister in a poor state physically and emotionally. I instantly put the brakes on my life to take care of her. I rented a house for three months (negotiated an Airbnb) to allow us time to assess her health and make a plan. I was ready to go back to work, at least part-time.

Sadly, my sister passed away from pancreatic cancer in January.

I decided to keep the short-term rental through March, as planned, to grieve and help sort out my sister’s affairs. Looking back, it was the right move. I spent more time with my adult children than I had in years, and there were numerous visits with family and friends. I also bonded further with my niece and her husband and kids.

That experience made me realize that I needed a hybrid plan. I wanted to spend a chunk of the year in Western Washington near family and friends. In other words, this is still home. I don’t want to lose that.

After traveling throughout the western states again this spring, I arrived “home” on June first. I was able to arrange pet-sitting and house-sitting gigs in the area through mid-July.

One of the most important things I have learned over the past few years is to be flexible because changes will always arise.

And there are no rules to the nomadic lifestyle. You can make it what you want.

Who knows? I may go back to work one of these days. For now, I appreciate the freedom and joy that come with simplifying.