The Reality of Being a Digital Nomad

AR: For me, I would say one of the biggest struggles is kind of the interpersonal things, like the birthdays that you miss or the baby showers of your best friends that you miss, or the weddings that you miss being abroad and being, thousands and thousands of hundreds of thousands of miles away. There’s lots of life moments in your friends’ and family’s lives that you’re not there for. And sometimes you feel like, did I make the right choice? Or am I being selfish, doing what I want to do for my life, even though I’m feeling disconnected from people whose lives have been a part of mine for so long? And so that is always one of the battles with this lifestyle. It seems very glamorous, it definitely is a hustle. It’s also a struggle, specifically emotionally. Outside of the financial stuff, once you can get all that stuff sorted, Cherae also mentioned creating relationships and building lasting bonds. That can be really difficult when you are only in a place for 30 days at a time—and that’s generally how I was moving through Asia because of the visas there, you could only stay in the country 30 days before you had to leave. So forming any relationships or dating any of those types of things can be difficult. I’ve been on the road for over four years now. And, yeah I’ve dated casually, but you know, I am also 35 now, and I am thinking about starting a family and settling down and having a home base. And so those are all the things that you have to consider.

You know, I definitely, maybe a decade ago, was thinking that I wanted this picket fence with the kids and the dog and the cars and all that stuff. And quickly that went away when I decided to live this outside of the lines kind of lifestyle. But part of me also is hanging on to that kind of traditional dream of the family, and you know what I mean, the home and all of that stuff. So it’s also adjusting your expectations of your life. You know what I mean? And I’m at that age in my mid 30s where it’s like, “All right girl, what are we going to do? We’re going to have a family or not?” We got to start making these decisions, and living this lifestyle as a digital nomad can be counterproductive in those directions.

CR: Unless you find someone that’s like, about it, which is my goal. If someone tells me we have to live in the same place forever, then it’s not my person. I’ve just decided. I’ve left relationships for that very reason. Oh no, that’s not going to work. Hard to find, hence being single, but…

LA: They are there, they’re just moving too much.

CR: Touche.

MC: If anyone would like to set Annette and Cheraé up on dates, please contact them on Instagram. I’m going to ask one last question before we get to your handles so that people can set you up, which is, what is your biggest piece of advice for people who are just now thinking, “Huh, well, if I don’t have to go back to the office, maybe I should hop around”?