Jonno

Has travelling changed our lives?

Seems like a ridiculous question doesn’t it but we have been asked exactly that on several occasions. The answer seems obvious. Of course travelling has changed our lives. There is nothing more to say really, or is there? When we started thinking a little deeper we began to realise just how many aspects of our lives had been affected.

Is it a silly question?

‘Has travelling changed our lives‘ probably is a bit daft, perhaps it needs to be re-phrased as ‘How has travelling changed our lives‘. That question seriously makes you think doesn’t it? There are a lot of very obvious ways in which travelling has affected us of course.

  • We don’t have a home
  • We don’t own a car
  • We don’t go to work

These are actual facts about what we do or rather don’t do and although they are all pretty major points they aren’t exactly what people are referring to when they ask about our lives. What they really mean is ‘Has travelling changed you as a person‘. The answer to that is an emphatic YES.

Has travelling changed us as people?

We haven’t seen the light or had some sort of life-changing epiphany but have both changed over the past three years of our nomadic vagabonding life. More than anything we have completely jettisoned all stress and tension from our lives and although some of our friends would not have thought it possible, we are very relaxed and chilled about life in general now. In fact we’re so laid back we’re almost horizontal.

Why so stress-free now?

I think it’s the lack of responsibility that has made all of the difference. Full-time employment brings a lot of pressure and stress to everyone and you never fully appreciate the build-up of that stress until you step away. Neither of us have ever been particularly stressful people but my health was seriously affected by it during my last couple of years at work. Less responsibility too when our boys grew up into fine young men and flew the nest. Also, having no bills to pay or house to run relieves so much pressure.

We actually felt ourselves chilling more with every step away from our old lives. Cancelling that Sky Wifi contract, stopping the house insurance, no more TV licence, every single thing felt like a weight being lifted from our shoulders.

We still have bills to pay of course, I’m not sure anyone can completely drop off the grid. There are mobile phone charges, travel insurance, and travelling costs to look after but they are so easy to organise being such a small number of things.

Are we more organised?

Definitely. We have always been forward-planners and looked after our earnings sensibly but we now record every penny we spend and budget for every eventuality. Our thinking is that the better we control our money the longer we will be able to sustain this lifestyle so it’s completely worth it. Planning where we go and how we get there is now an important part of our lives so we have to be organised about it and we are constantly researching housesitting, holidays, transport, helpx, and accommodation. It helps that we enjoy that research but we do need to keep our eyes on the ball.

Isn’t planning travel stressful?

From our point of view it’s a different feeling and we love the excitement we get around planning and booking new trips. Every new housesit we apply for is a thrilling challenge and every train journey that we research and book is part of a new exhilarating adventure. So although there is so much to do we feel that they are all positive tasks. It does help that we love planning and researching though.

How has travelling affected your relationship?

The question we get asked more than any other is ‘how do you spend SO much time together’. Some couples just can’t get their heads around the fact that we are together virtually 24 hours a day. It wouldn’t work for everyone of course but we seem to have become even closer throughout this experience, it’s like we’re back to our teenage dating years somehow when it was just the two of us.

So travelling has changed our relationship bigtime in that we have become so much closer after many years of being Mum and Dad. A lot of people unfortunately seem to grow apart but we’ve grown together more than ever thanks goodness.

Have your family and friends relationships changed?

Now that’s a tough one because I would love to say that they haven’t changed but in truth they really have. We work extremely hard to keep in touch with family and friends back home via Email, WhatsApp, Skype, texting, phone calls, etc but it hasn’t always worked. We don’t really know why several of our old friends and some family don’t keep in touch anymore but it’s very disappointing. Perhaps they feel as if we have nothing in common anymore, have just become bored with our vagabonding life, or even struggle as we don’t have a home base to visit. Whatever the reasons it has been the biggest surprise of our change of life and the saddest consequence.

Any new friends?

Are you kidding? Probably the major shock and surprise was the number of people we have met and become good friends with. We never envisaged this at all and it continues to be an absolute delight. So many housesitting and Helpx hosts and even more surprisingly so many Airbnb hosts. We are delighted to be able to call so many of them our friends now.

Talking of friends however, we have been mindblown by the number of people we’ve hooked up with online due to our blog. Something we never ever expected but are constantly humbled and surprised by. Brilliant.

So has travelling changed our lives?

It certainly has and for the better. The experiences we have had over the past three years and continue to enjoy have made our lives far richer and the new friends we’ve made along the way is the icing on the cake. We wouldn’t say that we have changed as people but perhaps we’ve grown a little and begun to appreciate the world around us even more.

What do you think? Has it changed us? Be nice ……

42 comments

  1. What a lovely post! It’s nice to take time to really think how travel has changed your life. I did house sitting when I first returned to NZ and it would have been great to continue if you can match up house to house or have somewhere to go in between. The friends thing is true for me both ways -when you leave and come back. Hard one!

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    • Thanks Ngaire. Housesitting has become a big part of our lives now and we love living in different places for a few weeks at a time. The friends issue is just part of life I suppose, relationships change and you have to move on. But it is tough like you say.

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  2. Our house free time on the road meant so much of what you’ve written here was easy to relate too. Especially so the sad realisation that the relationship with some family and friends seems to suffer. I kept our blog so as keeping up with our travels could be optional, and sent emails frequently that were personalised. Most emails were several paragraphs long – and I’d receive back two lines, or nothing at all. It was disheartening. I mentioned it one day at a gathering and was interested by a comment, “but not everyone is as good at writing as you are”. After discussing the irrelevance of proper grammar, spelling etc, and pointing out my own failings in these areas, she agreed to write more often. Sadly she never has though.
    Perhaps you’re gumption to do what you’re doing, with all of itge resulting positive affects makes their life feel to drab to be worthy of mention.
    And now I feel depressed that I’m tied down in a house and not still living that carefree life on the road. It’ll pass!

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    • We have exactly the same issues with emails Chris. Send long multi-para mails and get a short 3 liner back. When we’ve mentioned it to a couple of friends they just say they haven’t got much to say compared to us. We try so hard not to appear ‘showy’ and go on about what we’re doing or where we’ve been but it doesn’t always make a lot of difference. Friendships change don’t they and sometimes you just have to move on.

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  7. The lives that you lead have changed but I don’t think the people leading those lives has changed. Yes, you have less to stress over and the pressures that you encounter are more positive but does that really alter character? I think not.

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  9. Fab questions and I love your answers! I don’t think it’s possible not to change you. You are certainly making the most of your vagabonding lifestyle and good on you! Maybe your old friends are envious of your new freedom and adventures. Keep on enjoying it all is my advice. 😊

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    • Thanks Deb. We’re trying to make the most of every day and just roll with it. Not sure what the friendship thing is all about really, you may be right about a little envy I suppose.

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  10. What a great post that answers so many questions. Even though we’re not on the road permanently I can relate to so much of this post. When it comes to planning, that’s a ‘pink job’ in our family, hubby just wants to know the destination and for the rest he says ‘surprise me’. You reckon that doesn’t keep me on my toes! Like so many of your followers our only down side is losing some friends. Perhaps we see life differently now. I just don’t know. But on the up side we have met so many wonderful, amazing people and in fact one from Far North Qld is visiting us tomorrow. How lucky we all are to have discovered this way of life.

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    • Love the idea of it being a ‘pink job’. We tend to share the planning although I guess there are a few ‘blue’ and ‘pink’ tasks (sounds like a blog post in the making). Losing friends must just be an unfortunate consequence of the lifestyle then I suppose. Such a shame but life goes on doesn’t it and we seem to be making new friends as we travel.

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  11. I think it’s inevitable that relationships will change because the terms and conditions have changed, so to speak. Not always a bad thing – sometimes we keep up relationships through a sense of duty alone, and perhaps your travelling has given one or two of those relationships the opportunity to ease back. I don’t know, of course. But we all lose and gain friends as the years go by – perhaps, also, your changing circumstances simply make it seem that’s the reason.

    p.s. it’s been good to meet you!

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  13. You two are living the dream. I love reading about where you are and what you are getting up to. One day hopefully Steve and I will be able travel a lot more, annual leave stands in our way – oh and not winning Lotto – yet!

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    • Hey Liz, thanks so much for following us. One of the best things about our life is meeting people like you and Steve and keeping in touch. So good.

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  14. Jonno that home, car and work statement is dead on. Ditto for my wife and I. We are digital nomads. We own our clothes, suitcases and computer stuff. Not a more freeing feeling on earth. All because we hit the road 7 years ago. I love this post. Fabulous.

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  15. Ditto Jonno and Jo, we are in the same situation as you know. A similar post I have had in my draft folder for a while! Keep enjoying your lifestyle it’s a grand one. 🙂

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  16. How long have you been traveling full time for? We feel the same way in terms of our relationship maturing through travel! We hope to be living the full time traveler lifestyle one days😊 If you have a second I’d love your thoughts on our travel blog😊

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  17. I didn’t know you before but what I know of you now is great. I so admire your courage to make that leap into relatively unknown waters. Your sense of freedom overwhelms me and your enthusiasm, warmth, humour along with the natural way you write about your travels, makes your blogposts so sincere and very interesting. The nomad life must be so exhilarating for you and I am so envious🤢 but I get to visit these places through your blog so that’s the next best thing. Long may it continue and I look forward to reading more about your travels in 2019. I am currently thinking about making a six month trip in 2021 that hopefully will co-inside with the Ashes. I just have to let my husband know though😜

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