A New Model of Nomadism

A practical guide to “Rotational Nomadism” — an untethered lifestyle for the 21st century. Written by a nomad.

Most people have a place where they live. Even people who are technically homeless often have something of a home base. Nomads are different. They are defined as people who have no permanent abode and who travel from place to place. The Bedouins provide one of the more classic examples of the nomadic lifestyle. Hobos and train hoppers are more recent incarnations. Backpackers get a brief taste of this lifestyle while they’re on the road, as do traveling musicians and carney folk. But true nomads are in for the long-haul. It is a lifestyle they are married to, for better and for worse.

There are numerous pros and cons to nomadism. The advantage is that you aren’t saddled with the responsibility of things like maintaining a home and all of the stuff that comes with it. In some ways, nomadism is the quintessence of the minimalist lifestyle.

But this does not mean that nomadism is a worry-free life, and in many ways it can be more stressful. The responsibility of maintaining a home on a daily basis is replaced with the responsibility of finding and/or creating a home every day or every few days. And you still have to worry about your stuff, even if you don’t have much of it…