Here's the Easiest & Cheapest Thing I Did to Start My Nomadic Journey
You'll pay in willpower, not money.
In my last two posts, I talked about what it was like to start off as a digital nomad from a Third World Country.
My greatest inspiration came from the adventurous expatriates who chose my island for work. I met dozens of them and was most fascinated by the nomads. These were the foreigners who hadn’t moved to Jamaica, per se. The island was only “home” for the moment.
When I asked how they managed to do it, they all mentioned the economic aspects—how to pay for it. It sounded great, but it also felt impossible on my four-dollar-per-hour salary.
Then, I met a Spaniard who had chosen Jamaica for work. He did so after hearing about a secret kite-surfing location on the island. Unlike the places he had surfed in Spain, it was rarely crowded, and he would have the chance to roam the open waters by himself.
Before Jamaica, he lived in Germany, the United Kingdom, and various parts of Spain. In addition to work assignments, he had taken backpacking trips through Europe and South America.
“How do you do it?” I asked him. How do you pack up your life and go wherever you want?”
He laughed. “Easy! Own fewer things!”
The Journey to Minimalism
He never used the word minimalism itself, but he had planted a seed. In fact, it wasn’t long after this that I decided I would quit my job and try the nomad life on a small scale—maybe a mere month later.
Everyone else had given me advice that takes some working up to. Things that seemed unreachable to me from my tiny island. Like getting a high-paying remote job or providing scarce skills I didn’t yet have in a niche market I didn’t understand.
But owning fewer things? I could do that immediately! And it wouldn’t cost me a penny. Over the next five months, I went through my things every Sunday and decided what I could give away, throw away, or sell.
Friends and strangers traipsed through my yard, taking everything from old textbooks to the bed and the TV. Every time something else left my apartment in a black bag or the back of a car, I felt this weight lifted from me.
Finally, the day came when I had nothing but my three suitcases and a laptop bag.
I was finally free.
Downsizing Isn’t Easy for Everyone
I enjoyed downsizing the most during my nomadic journey. I called it the Great Purge, and it felt like it. I saw my possessions now as an impediment to the life I wanted, and I knew that the fewer I had, the better. It was such a relief to see that number dwindle.
But I know many RVers and other nomads who still struggle with this. Some pay hundreds of dollars per month to keep furniture and sentimental items from their old homes, while others tow a cargo trailer full of junk around with them.
People who collect things seem to struggle the most with this. Whether it’s the person with a shelf full of action figures or a closet full of shoes, parting ways with those things can feel like a nightmare.
The More Stuff, the Higher the Costs
There’s nothing wrong with holding on to a few things that matter most to you—especially if there’s a family home, parent, or friends you can leave things with. A small storage unit isn’t a bad idea either. But the more things you keep, the higher the cost and the restrictions.
For example, in Arizona, I had a neighbor who started his RV journey in the state and never left. He had a motorhome, a car, a boat, and an off-roader. He was mobile but, by his own account, only within a 50-mile radius. Moving everything cost too much and took too much work.
“Why don’t you just sell some of it?” I asked him.
He shrugged and laughed. “I don’t know. I guess I’m a hoarder.”
Believe it or not, I’ve heard those words often while RVing in the US. Even with much smaller living spaces, some people just can’t part ways with their things.
Minimalism is Relative
To be fair, what looks like hoarding in the nomadic world would make for sparse belongings in a house. The things I’ve sold or given away to lighten up the RV for the journey east would fit perfectly in most motorhomes. And my four suitcases and a laptop bag look like a nightmare to a backpacker.
Ultimately, it’s up to you to decide what going tiny will look like—and, by extension, what minimalism will look like for you. Whether you need a 45-foot motorhome or a carry-on suitcase to fit all your things, downsizing is one step you’ll need to master before getting on the road.
Since starting my nomadic journey in 2015, I’ve had to do a major purge thrice. The first time was when I left Jamaica, and that was, by far, the most drastic. The second time was when I bought the RV and took off during the pandemic in 2020. The third time was recently while lightening the RV and emptying out my California storage unit for the ~2,000-mile journey east.
I’ll need to do a fourth round for Spain, which will be the most difficult one I’ve tackled. I left Jamaica with three suitcases full of things for myself. I’ll be moving to Spain with one carry-on suitcase that must also fit things for work and my cat.
If you’re a paid subscriber, look for a post next week on how to tackle the enormous task of downsizing. I’ll share what I’ve tried, what other nomad friends have done, and some newer tricks on my to-do list for Spain.
See you then!