WELCOME!
Who are these two crazy travelers?
Prior to nomadic life, our home airport code was FAR (Fargo, ND, USA). We're Jenn & Brad and we are FAR from FAR. Our first 10 years of marriage, we lived a very conventional life: got married, built a house, blended our families, worked 40+ hr/week office jobs in the corporate world, and spent weekends planning our next vacation.
Travel has always ENERGIZED us. We've taken some epic trips, but never felt fully satisfied and longed for more. Sometime in 2017, we started planning an extended trip - possibly a year or more. Over the course of the next 5 years, we went through multiple drafts of our plan. We scoured travel websites, learned more about travel hacking, collected miles & points, and read as much as possible about others who live nomadically. During this time, we also stumbled upon minimalism and it changed our lives. We downsized three times and sold most of our belongings. We stuck to our plan, said goodbye (for now) to our family and friends and left the USA in November of 2022.
We are slowly traveling the world, staying between 1-3 months in each location. We seem to find interesting things to do & meet amazing people every place we visit. By sharing our authentic experiences, we hope to expand your own view of the world one country at a time. We love meeting locals and making new friends along the way. We especially love sharing the unexpected experiences we get by doing things out of the ordinary.
Count on us to include our travel blunders, epic fails, embarrassing moments and misadventures too. We promise to always keep it real! No matter where or what we're up to, we intend to make marvelous memories along the way. We hope to motivate you to pack your bags and find your own next, life-changing adventure.
Current Location
Italy
Our Travel Style
Travel is not one size fits all and there is absolutely no right or wrong way to nomad. In order to better understand our recommendations, advice, and travel tips, it will be helpful for you to understand how we approach travel. There were times in our lives where 'budget' everything was a necessity, however, we tend to prioritize comfort these days. Below is our basic approach. We know ourselves well, but are also willing to change or learn as we go or when circumstances call for it.
LODGING
While we don't require luxury accommodations, we do however like certain comforts. No tent camping and no shared bathrooms/bedrooms. We prefer a kitchen to cook our own meals, comfortable furniture to chill, decent work spaces, and at least a queen-size bed. Laundry is a huge plus and we seek this in our accommodations when possible. Hotels are ok for short-term stays but we prefer a home for anything longer than a week, which is one of the many reasons we love to pet/housesit! Air conditioning is much preferred in places where temps exceed 85F. Excellent wifi is a must.
TRANSPORTATION
We no longer own vehicles and rely solely on public transportation. We love trains and prefer this mode of transport when possible. We take flights when necessary, but try to limit these. We don't love bus travel but will manage if it's the only option. We rent vehicles only when necessary. For example, when we travel to our home state of North Dakota since public transportation there is not ideal. One indulgence? We spring for private transportation (Uber/Taxi/etc.) on travel days to get our luggage from point A to point B. It saves our sanity!
SIGHTSEEING
As typical for anyone visiting a new place, we love to check out the well-known attractions. We don't spend hours at museums but love highlights. We're not fans of long lines for anything, don't love group tours, and generally won't stand in a long line for any activity. Moreso, we love to get lost and just wander. We could stroll the back streets for hours stopping for a coffee here, a wine there, and hopefully meeting some locals along the way. Interesting architecture, parks, and outdoor activities like short hikes or bike rides are top choices for us.
FOOD + DRINK
We thoroughly enjoy sampling local food and drinks, especially regional wines. We are casual people/diners but enjoy a "fancy" meal now and then, though typically not "Michelin Star" level. I cook most of our meals at home, and love shopping for groceries in new countries. We seek out healthy options but also squeeze in a great burger or pizza now and then. Food tours are one of the only group-type tours we don't mind! We rarely give restaurant recommendations because we feel food is too subjective.
BUDGET
We don't have a budget per se, but we do want to stretch our money as far as we can. We are savers by nature and have a good grasp of how we spend. We don't live like royalty but we're also not budget backpackers. We will splurge for once-in-a-lifetime experiences or special events. We believe making memories is more important than physical possessions. We're constantly searching for good deals, which is why we tend to book many of our larger expenses like transportation & accommodations well into the future.
PLANNING & LUGGAGE
I'm a planner through and through. We know approximately where we will be about a year out. While the details can and do change, we have definite plans booked about 3-5 months out. We are a great team, but I plan all of our lodging, house/petsits, and transportation. I get GIDDY when I can score a good deal, especially with points or miles, so this sometimes drives our travel choices.
We are NOT carry-on only travelers and at this point in our nomading lives we have no desire to be. Brad's electronics and my haircare products alone take up nearly one suitcase! We stay in most places a month or more, so moving days, while stressful with luggage, are few & far between.
