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Traveling And The Gig Economy
Traveling And The Gig Economy
We have been asked many times, âHow do we make money while on the road?â
And, from time to time we have shared this information in interviews we have done. Today we have a guest author, Jeff Smith, that specifically looks at this question through the lens of the Gig Economy.
Are you one of the 57 million American workers who has left the traditional workforce to venture off as a freelancer orâŚ
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Becoming A Digital Nomad
Becoming A Digital Nomad
As we traveled around the United States, we were asked a plethora of questions such as:
1) How do you support yourself?
2) How do you find places to stay?
3) What am I going to need?
And so, so, so much more.
We did our best to answer the questions as they arose in a âone-offâ fashion, at times, we would write posts (which can be found in How We Do It) and we created a Get Started Guidewith theâŚ
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Guess what? The Nomad Family just grew by one! Thatâs right. We added a new member to the Nomad Family. Her name is Zoey Belle.
Before you continue to read and think a baby was added to the family, let me say that Zoey is a 2 year old Rottweiler. However, she is Mama Nomadâs baby, for sure.
We have all really wanted to have a dog in our family. However, with us being on the road, it was too difficult to make that happen. So, now that we are settling down with a stationary homebase, we made this a priority.
Mama Nomad volunteers at a wonderful animal refuge called Alaqua. One day she saw Zoey come in and she fell in love with her. You see, when Mama Nomad and I were first married we had a Rottweiler named Gator. But he left this world prematurely and it broke our hearts. When she saw Zoey, she reminder her of Gator.
So, I went out to Alaqua to see her. I was a little apprehensive. But, as soon as I spent a few minutes with her, I was smitten. So, we put in an application and we were fortunate enough to be approved. We were absolutely thrilled! As were the boys!
Zoey Belle has been with us 3 days now and she has settled in like she has always been with us. She picks up on commands quickly, is house trained and just seems to love us. Which is great because we love her. She is now a loved member of this Nomad Family. At long last, we have the family dog we have all wanted and it is wonderful. Safe Travels.
Zoey Belle Guess what? The Nomad Family just grew by one! That's right. We added a new member to the Nomad Family.
Happy 20th Birthday Noah
Today is a landmark day for The Nomad household. Our eldest Nomad Son turned 20. Happy 20th Birthday Noah! Why is it a landmark day? Because our eldest son is no longer a teenager. No longer a teenager. It is hard to believe that Mama Nomad and I have a 20 year old son! In typical fashion, we celebrate birthdays as the birthday person wants. It all started out with monkey bread and breakfastâŚ
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Happy 17th Birthday Ethan
For many of you avid readers and fans of LivingNomadStyle.com, you know that our middle son, Ethan, was born on January 1st. So, while the rest of the world is celebrating New Yearâs, we are saying âHappy 17th Birthday Ethan!â Thatâs right. Our middle son is now legally able to go to an R rated movie. As is typical on Nomad Birthdays, the birthday person gets to pick what we do and eat. As manyâŚ
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Merry Christmas 2017 We are back in Florida and these wandering Nomads are enjoying a White Christmas (sugar sand...not snow).
1000 Mile Challenge
How many miles do you think you walked this year? I do not mean how many steps you walked throughout the house, strolling around the grocery store or jaunting to the car and back. I am referring to the amount of miles you purposely walked specifically for exercise. Well, at the beginning of 2017 Mama Nomad issued a 1000 mile challenge to herself. She wanted to walk 1000 miles for the year. ThatâŚ
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It is the holiday season. As such, parades are a de facto part of the holiday season celebrations. Most are accustomed to the Main Street type parades with firetrucks, floats, cars and people throwing candy. However, 2 years ago, we went to our first boat parade in Mystic, Connecticut. This year, we went to our second one called the HarborWalk Boat Parade.
As many of you know, we are in the Florida Panhandle along the Emerald Coast. The City of Destin, considered by many to be the heart of the Emerald Coast, is the location where the HarborWalk Boat Parade took place.
We decided to go early because you never know about parking or how many people will show up to a parade event. Also, before the parade, a local dance class was putting on a performance for parts of The Nutcracker. Mama Nomad and I had attended a production of The Nutcracker Ballet before. But, the boys hadnât. So we decided to check it out.
We arrived at HarborWalk Village (10 Harbor Village, Destin, Florida) at 3pm. As we walked down through the eateries, stores and attractions, we passed some people playing street band music. Quite entertaining.
When we got to the stage area, Santa Claus was still taking pix with kids. So we found a bench and plopped down to wait for the performance. The description said they would be right after Santa and Santa would be finished at 4pm. Santa and Mrs. Claus finished up and left.
We waited but no performers showed up. After 10 minutes or so, we figured that they were not coming on until later. So, I scouted out some Hot Cocoa and brought it back. Before you ask, yes, it was chilly. It does get cool in the panhandle. And, to Floridians, it gets cold, like break out heavy jackets and beanie hats cold. Then we see someone from up north walk by in shorts, flip-flops and a polo shirt. It is interesting to see all of the different regions and cultures mix in one place like this.
At 5pm, The Nutcracker performance started. The dance class looked to be made up of young ladies from teenagers to little tykes. As I stated above, they were not there to put on the whole performance (which was a surprise to us). They performed select pieces from the ballet.
I have to admit something. There was a part where the soldiers, the mouse king and the mice were all dancing. One of the mice was a little girl who could not have been more than 3 or 4. Seeing her jump around the stage was so cute and entertaining that her performance was worth the wait. After this dance, we decided to go and try to find a good place to see the parade.
We thought about going into one of the waterfront restaurants, eating and watching the parade from inside, where it was warm. All of the restaurants were filled to capacity with zero seating. So, we continued to walk down the edge of the water along the wooden walkway and saw a few boat preparing to head out into the harbor. So we were able to see a couple of them close up.
We finally came to a corner that wrapped around a restaurant where no one was and we had a clear view of the harbor. So, we put our stake in the ground and decided to stay here.
I looked around and about 10 feet away I saw a bench against a wall. It was not attached to the ground, so we picked it up, brought it over to the edge of the dock and viola we had waterfront seating.
The parade started at about 6pm, after it was dark. One boat after another came down the harbor. They came in all size, shape and decoration level. Some were quite elaborate. Others were very simple, yet elegant. And a few looked like they did not even really try. Dozens and dozens of boats floated by filled with lights. This went on for about 30 minutes before the last boat floated by.
The HarborWalk Boat Parade was quite an enjoyable experience. It was different from the Mystic Boat Parade, but still fun. If you are in the Destin area around Christmas, the parade is worth checking out. Just find a bench, pull it up to the edge of the dock and enjoy. Safe Travels.
HarborWalk Boat Parade It is the holiday season. As such, parades are a de facto part of the holiday season celebrations.
What Is Inside Your Kids' Luggage?
What Is Inside Your Kidsâ Luggage?
As Nomads, travel is in the fiber of who you are. And, when you consider travel, you need something to keep your gear in. Of course, different types of trips require different gear and different gear requires different bags or luggage. A writer from the Philippines, Carolette Alcoran, wrote an article specifically for LivingNomadStyle.com to address a specific sector of travel, gear and bagsâŚ
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American Adventurer
Look who was featured on the front page of an international travel and adventure website! You guessed it! Daddy Nomad an American Adventurer. Now, we all know that I did not commit to this Nomad Life alone. I could not have done this without my family, the most awesome team I could have asked for. But, they chose to interview me as I am commonly the unofficial âspokespersonâ for The Nomads. I wasâŚ
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How many of you have heard of The Truman Show. It was a movie produced in 1998 that starred Jim Carrey. In the movie, Truman Burbank worked in a quaint little town that looked perfect. Well, in real life, his work area was filmed in Seaside, Florida and that is where Mama Nomad and I were this year to experience the Seaside Christmas Parade.
Seaside is on 30A between Santa Rosa Beach and Panama City Beach. It is a small, unincorporated town with a great little plaza that has restaurants, food trucks, a small post office and stores.
Although the town is small in population, it seems to draw quite a few people when events occur. And with minimal parking options, finding a spot can be problematic. So, what we did was to drive through Seaside and head north on County Road 395. About 1.5 miles from the plaza, there is a Publix grocery store. We parked there and walked back to the parade.
From Publix, it was only 1 mile to County Road 30A, where the parade was going to be. We parked, walked to 30A and found an uncrowded area of the road to wait for the parade to start. We did not have to wait long, about 10 minutes, until the parade started. Firetrucks, floats, cars and trucks with trailers went by. They threw beads and candy as they passed.
The whole parade was not very long and only lasted about 10 minutes or so. Then Mama Nomad and I walked to the plaza because they were going to have a lighting ceremony where they lit the big Christmas Tree and all the other trees in the plaza.
We got there and I was hungry. So I grabbed some BBQ from a food truck. After eating my food, it was about another 10 minutes and the countdown began. Santa Claus led the countdown. 3âŚ2âŚ1 and the town lit up. It was wonderful to see.
The Seaside Parade was definitely worth attending. Mama Nomad and I had a great evening. The parade and lighting are worth checking out, once, if you are in the area. It did definitely help kick off the Christmas Season. Safe Travels.
Seaside Christmas Parade How many of you have heard of The Truman Show. It was a movie produced in 1998 that starred Jim Carrey.
Thanksgiving 2017
Thanksgiving 2017 is our 4th year celebrating Thanksgiving as Nomads. The first year we were in Georgia and spent Thanksgiving with our family in the area. The second year we were in Connecticut. The third year we were in Oregon. And this year, we are on the Emerald Coast on the Panhandle of Florida. Taking lessons from last year, we went shopping for ingredients for our feast early. About a weekâŚ
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Happy 13th Birthday Trevor! On Thursday our youngest Nomad turned 13! Thatâs right. Our youngest Nomad is a teenager. This marks the day that we now have all 3 Nomad sons as teenagers (19, 16 and 13).
It is really hard to believe that the last Nomad son is a teenager now. Mama Nomad and I are no longer the parents of a non-teenage son. It is a landmark birthday for him and a landmark day for us, as parents. And it was a greatly celebrated one, as all Nomad Birthdays are.
It seems as though Trevor is beginning to form a pattern in his celebratory breakfasts. Last year he requested bacon, eggs and cinnamon rolls. Guess what he asked for this year? Yep. You guessed it, bacon, eggs and cinnamon rolls.
After breakfast, at 11am (more like brunch), Trevor read cards from family and opened presents. It is a tradition that each of us make handmade cards. Even down to the youngest Nomad, it really seems like the effort is appreciated.
We waited a few hours to let brunch settle and it was cake time. I joked that with 13 candles, we may want to disable the smoke alarm. But, Trevor was able to take care of them all in one breath, no problem.
Once we ate cake, we waited around for another few hours and Trevor wanted to go to the movies. Movie requested? Daddyâs Home 2. We took in a matinĂŠe at Grand Boulevard. The theater was great and the movie was hilarious. Good thing there was only one other person in the theater besides us. I laugh loud when I laugh and this movie had me rolling!
After the movie we adjourned to the house for a bit. Then, hunger sat in and decided to head to our final destination. Dinner. Place of choice? Fuji Sushi and Seafood Buffet. Thatâs right. All you can eat sushi. Bonus surpriseâŚthey had made to order hibachi. I think we all devoured 3 to 4 plates each. Worth it!
After dinner we returned home where the boys spent the rest of the evening playing video games. I do not know if there could have been a more perfect birthday for Trevor: breakfast with cinnamon rolls, presents, cake, movies, sushi buffet and video games. What a great day.
Happy 13th Birthday Trevor!!!
Happy 13th Birthday Trevor Happy 13th Birthday Trevor! On Thursday our youngest Nomad turned 13! That's right. Our youngest Nomad is a teenager.
What is The 30A Life? Glad you asked. As many of you know, The Nomads have decided to settle in the Florida Panhandle. This stretches from around Tallahassee to Pensacola. In that area there is a section where County Road 30A runs along the coast line from just outside of Panama City Beach to the Western Edge of Santa Rosa Beach, about 30 miles or so.
Since this stretch is along County Road 30A, it is more affectionately referred to by the locals as simply 30A. From this simple county road name, many companies have been founded with 30A in the name. One well-known one is actually called the 30A Company. Although there are others.
Since we have located here, I have noticed a few things about the lifestyle in this area. We are in between Panama City Beach and Destin. Both are very popular vacation destinations with a lot of tourists. When I say âa lotâ I am referring to a few million coming to the area each year. So, by in large, both areas cater to tourism related activities. And they should since a significant amount of their annual revenue is derived from tourism.
However, in the stretch along County Road 30A, we do experience tourists. You canât drive down 30A, in Santa Rosa Beach, without seeing a plethora of vacation rental signs. However, the area simply does not seem âtouristyâ, to borrow a word from Mama Nomad. Yes we have tourists. Yes there are vacation rentals. However, much of the area is still relatively undeveloped. There are many neighborhoods and developments. But, there are very few tourist related activities along 30A.
It seems to me, and this is just my opinion, that the general reason that people come to 30A as a destination is not to party or go out to water slides and mini golf. But, rather, they come here to be able to unwind and relax. The 30A Life is real laid back. No one gets in a big hurry. Cars are respectful of pedestrians crossing the road because they have time to let them cross. It is, what I perceive to be, what a vacation is supposed to be, a time to relax and recoup from every day responsibilities.
And my family and I are actually blessed enough to live this every day. 3 to 4 times a week I actually walk down to the beach to do nothing more than sit, relax, look out over the horizon and listen to the waves. In the evening, the sunsets are absolutely wonderful. Within 30 minutes to an hour, I have been able to achieve a completely relaxed state of mind.
A state of mind that says, just take things one step at a time. Breathe in. Breathe out. Relax and rejuvenate. It is like hitting a home run in baseball, bowling the perfect game or laying down a royal straight flush to finish a winner take call game. It cannot be adequately explained. It has to be felt to be known and appreciated.
I write this post as a conflicted person. I want to share my joy about the area while at the same time not wanting people to flood the area and slowly change it over to a typical beach party scene. It has endured thus far and anticipate it will continue to maintain the 30A Life. All I ask is that if you visit the area, that you respect and support the 30A Life.
If you want wild partying or even sport fishing, there are a ton of other places that will happily accommodate you. However, if you want to kick off your shoes, put on some shorts and flip flops and relax, the 30A Life is the way to go. I am grateful for this place. Safe Travels.
The 30A Life What is The 30A Life? Glad you asked. As many of you know, The Nomads have decided to settle in the Florida Panhandle.
It is the first week of November and Halloween just happened. In our Nomad household, Halloween is a holiday celebrated by our sons about as much as Christmas is. So, check out what we did on Halloween 2017.
This year we were in the panhandle of Florida. For the previous 2 years, we were in areas where the climate was quite cool. Last year we were in Idaho Falls, Idaho and the year before that we were in Niantic, Connecticut. What both of those had in common were that they were in the norther parts of the United States. This year we were in the south.
Northern Florida does have its cool days. Sometimes it gets into the lower 60s to upper 50s. Then, it bounces back up into the 70s. So, it is not as cool as the New England area or Idaho Falls. But, it does get cooler than, say, Southern Florida.
The Nomad Boys did an ensemble costume this year. They were 3 characters from the TV Show (cartoon) Gravity Falls. They were Dipper (Trevor), Soos (Ethan) and Wenden (Noah) the male version of Wendy.
We went Trick Or Treating in a great family area called Driftwood Estates. A true family area is hard to find in this area due to so many vacationers to the region. But, Driftwood Estates is all family and great for Trick Or Treating.
While walking around the neighborhoods, 2 different people recognized the Nomad Boysâ costumes. We did not actually think that anyone would recognize who they were. So, having 2 people was a bonus.
We had a great time. And it was refreshing to know that an area dominated by tourism actually has pockets of reprieve with families. The Trick Or Treating was great and the neighborhood was very laid back and welcoming. Looks like we found a great home and place to continue the practice of one of our favorite holidays. Safe Travels.
Halloween 2017 It is the first week of November and Halloween just happened. In our Nomad household, Halloween is a holiday celebrated by our sons about as much as Christmas is.
As Nomads, we have traveled extensively all over the United States. And, whether we were in the city or wilderness, the Nomad Guys are required to carry 3 things: pocket knife, mobile phone and wallet.
Thousands of miles of hikes and multiple climates in varying weather, combined together with the constant rubbing of our pockets on our wallets has caused a few of them to fall apart, namely mine and Trevorâs. So, when we were approached by Kinzd to review their wallets, we jumped at the chance.
Kinzd is a unique wallet company founded and operated out of Hong Kong. Their founding story is unique and includes a puppy. You can read it here â .https://www.kinzd.com/about/.
I asked Trevor if he would like a new wallet? He emphatically said, âYes!â But, I told him he had to write a review about it. His wallet was in such poor shape, he could hardly say âNo.â
Trevorâs Review of the AS161-B.
My old wallet was falling apart and I really needed a new wallet. My dad came to me and said âDo you want a new wallet?â So I jumped at the opportunity to get a new wallet.
This wallet is amazing. It has just enough space to put your credit cards, cash, pictures everything you want, without being supper clunky. It took hardly any time to get here.
My personal favorite thing about this wallet, is that it doesnât bulge out of my pocket saying âLook at me I am a wallet!â It fits just perfect in my pockets. It flips right open perfectly and you donât have to dig through a huge wallet, and take 10-15 seconds just to get your card.
This is absolutely the best wallet I have ever had. In conclusion, it will fit everything I need, opens perfectly and fits in my pocket perfectly. It is an amazing wallet. I just know that I will have this wallet for a very, very long time.
As you can tell, this young man loves this wallet. And he should. It works exactly as advertised for him.
Daddy Nomadâs Review of the AS177-B
I am quite particular about my wallet. I do not like to carry it in my back pocket. That can upset posture and cause back problems. Also, it is a security risk. So, I am a front pocket kind of guy. And this wallet fits in my front pocket without an issue. I have tried it in shorts and jeans from multiple manufacturers and it fit well in all.
And, my wallet must easily show my ID, have easy access to my cards and a place for some cash. This wallet managed all of those and kept a slim form factor. My ID easily slips into a see through pocket. Opposite of it, is a place to hold two cards. And behind the cards, you can easily fold a few bucks and put it in the pocket. Behind the ID is another pocket for misc receipts or another card.
I also have a concern for theft through RFID. Thatâs right. You can actually have the chips on your cards read by RFID readers. Some crooks have put these in bags and try to get up close in public places. Within a few seconds, they can hijack your info. So, I carried a card made by Signal Vault in my wallet. After moving to this wallet, I do not need it any longer. This wallet has RFID protection built-in.
Finally, as stated, we wore our other wallets out. They were made of leather and held up pretty well. But, our new wallets are made of carbon fiber. This is a material that is well-known for its durability. We have been testing these wallets for a month now and they look brand new still.
As you can see, we are both fans of these wallets. And, if you are looking for a slim, durable wallet that also protects you from electronic snooping, you may want to take a look at these as they accommodate all of those features at a reasonable price. So, you can see why it is easy for us to recommend them. Safe Travels.
Kinzd Wallets As Nomads, we have traveled extensively all over the United States. And, whether we were in the city or wilderness, the Nomad Guys are required to carry 3 things: pocket knife, mobile phone and wallet.
As of September of 2017, The Nomads halted their travels. We have traveled to, lived in and had adventures in the 48 contiguous United States. We will still visit Alaska and Hawaii as well as travel back to states and visit foreign countries. But, we are setting a permanent home base, in the Florida Panhandle, to operate out of.
One thing that we learned along the way was the Nomad Lifestyle, which is why we call it Living Nomad Style.
The Nomad Lifestyle is a mentality of emphasizing value and minimizing waste.
While on the road, we had limited space in Ebony and The Mule. If one of us wanted something new and had no room for it, we had to decide to get rid of something or forgo the new item. This made us carefully consider getting new things just for the sake of new things.
Also, when we looked at acquisition of something, we examined its utility, durability, weight and cost to determine the overall value. Something had to have an overall high value for us to acquire it.
We became largely detached from âjust having stuff.â At one time our stuff owned us, we did not own our stuff. After our travels, we have reversed this behavior. We are in clear ownership of our stuff, continue to emphasize value and minimize wasteâŚthe Nomad Lifestyle.
So, we will continue to write about our journeys and life events because Living Nomad Style has transformed into more than a chronicle of travel. It has become a way of life. One we are fond of and will continue to practice.
So we invite you to continue to follow our adventures and join us in a Nomad Lifestyle type of mentality. Normal Rejected. Adventure Accepted. Safe Travels.
The Nomad Lifestyle As of September of 2017, The Nomads halted their travels. We have traveled to, lived in and had adventures in the 48 contiguous United States.