For the foreseeable future, I'm steering clear of the Middle East airline hubs. It sucks because I love to fly Qatar and Emirates. Instead, I'm flying Turkish Airlines through Istanbul for any upcoming flights I have between Europe and Asia. You bring up an important point, that you live a nomad life. You're not traveling for vacation, this is your life. You don't have a home, the world is your home. So you have a need to travel and live in various places. I think you should definitely go to India, Sri Lanka, Bali. Life is too short.
I just bought a ticket from Asia to Europe via Instabul. Turkish airlines is one if my favorite and locked in a great price of ~$250 (before airline / fuel prices rise).
Also, if that's a US State Dept map, it's so inaccurate it's dangerous. It shows Qatar as green and Saudi as yellow. These days, I usually check UK and Canada government country risk assessments.
I’m a retired Financial logistican for a multiNational Intermodal company Intermodal; guess you’ll know Reason #1 for my ‘so-called Early Retirement back in 2025 . . (To be Honest: it’s frighteningly, basically a monopoly) your assessment is accurate. It’s Wack! But we only have TIME, Experiences, and Opportunities in Front of Us! Weather, Acts of God and our Social Climate is unpredictable. I’d go to India and hunker down. I love this Group because we know True Freedom (and Liberty, ‘she pirouettes,’ her Sister) is Quiet. Find some Second, Third, Fourth Cities, and Hunker Down in Freedom. I’d avoid the Urban areas which you mostly already do. . it’s time to find those “Off-the-Grid” Spots (even for Nomads. And use our purposeful Priviledges in those communities. I can’t Wait to See What you Come Up With! In Coming, Following! (I was specifically, thinkin’ Kerala and all of Sri Lanka, too, so hopefully. . )
I travel every year for the last few years, mostly to Europe. But I am very uneasy about air space and possible “accidental” attacks on planes right now and frankly, until Trump is gone. I was a little concerned about entering back into the US last year in Oct.bc of ICE. I will need to really think about travel this year.
We are adjusting our planning to take a step back from making longer-term commitments like buying a cruise or arranging a housesit six months from now. Example: We want to take a cruise from Venice to Durban, South Africa, on Nov 1. The itinerary goes thru the Suez Canal and the Red Sea, then around the Horn of Africa. We suspect it may be canceled or rerouted so we’re not tying up our $$ just yet.
We are indeed lucky and privileged to have all the choices this lifestyle affords. So we wait. Pretty sure Durban (or in your case, India) will be there next year……
That actually was our original plan; the cruise on Nov 1 that you’re on. But alas, like you said, I’m sure it’s going to cancel, and thus the pivot to India. Let’s keep in touch though. It’d be great to cruise with you.
As of May 7 we noticed it was back on VTG as open to book. We have also moved on. A week in France with Vicki Webb in July, then MSC to Norway and Svalbard in August, Virgin to Iceland, Greenland and Canada arriving in NYC in Nov. Can’t decide if winter will be the Caribbean or southern Mexico.Still so many choices. Cabo looks good on you.
The aspect of this lifestyle that is poking at my conscience is the CO2 emissions from flying. We eat a primarily plant-based diet, but from what I've read, it doesn't offset the emissions from 2 long haul flights a year. don't even look up the impact per person on a repositioning cruise, ugh.
Renting and using other people's things goes in the pro column. But what about all of our household items that no one wants. We will donate them and hope they get used. But we have a lot of stuff and some of it will be waste.
We are still going to try the nomad lifestyle on and see how it feels but we will be mindful of how often we take intercontinental flights and cruises.
Perhaps the saying should be "With great privilege comes great responsibility."
(Please read my comments as something I am thinking about in my own life. I am not judging anyone else's choices.)
I think a lot about those repo cruise emmissions, actually, and I've looked into a lot of the data. The problem is the data don't tell the whole story of a nomad. In the 18 days I'm on a ship, I have no other pollution going on. I don't own a house I'm not paying for, a car, etc. Then it's 18 days of pollution on the ship compared to the combo on a one-way ticket, 18 hotels, 54 meals (plus snacks), entertainment's pollution, a gym's polution, and any transit I would take in a "normal" life. Add that all up, and is it more or less than an 18 day cruise's carbon footprint divided by number of passengers (plus crew?). I
There are a lot of factors for sure. If I were really going to go for the lowest footprint, I suppose I'd have to stay in one spot, grow my own food, and never travel anywhere. Perhaps live in a commune. Not the life I want for myself, but probably best for the planet. I am not willing to do that.
I recognize this dilemma. I write about our beautiful world a lot and how it’s endangered but I don’t stop traveling. I just try my best under all sorts of circumstances.
I appreciate your comment, Claire. I think that in sharing your experiences, you show the wonder to others that aren't able to wander. And that is wonderful!
On an unrelated topic, I couldn't help but think of an alternative route (Sorry, just the way my optimizing brain works). Bali is not the best destination in January, It starts to get better in April. On the other hand, India (especially south) and Sri Lanka are perfect in January and February. I loved my time in Kerala in January but found it too hot in March.
If you were to start with India that would mean an 8-9h flight from Europe, instead of 14.
Of course you're just kicking the middle-east connection can down the road but hey, it gives the situation another 4 months to improve. And you'll be doing the right weather arbitrage
These are great tips. The funny thing is, I ran both itineraries through AI with the criteria you mention, and it spit back to start at Indonesia first. But there’s nothing like local knowledge. I’ll rethink this.
I have been using this site for the last 20 years to plan my travel. Very spot on for Asia. You can filter through month or country. I sort of feel bad never having used their services, just the tool. Will correct that one day
I'm traveling. There are places that I didn't want to go before this stupid game of “mine is bigger than yours”. It's my planet too, and the people, places and things I want to do? I'm doing. 🤨
Thank you for a good, balanced, nuanced conversation on an important topic. I’ve been rethinking this year’s plans too, and it all has me feeling a bit more like returning to familiar places than exploring new ones.
PS I love that you included “honour elders” on your list of ways to be a good visitor.
I treat it like any of the crazy times we've had over the past 40 years. There have been a few! You are right to carefully analyze the restrictions and risks, and pick your way forward anyway. It may not be all that comfortable, but it will be interesting.
Chris, this feels like the real version of nomad life — not the aesthetic, but the constant negotiation underneath it.
What stood out is how clearly you hold both sides at once: the freedom to design your life this way and the reality that the conditions enabling it are shifting in real time. That tension you describe — safety, access, privilege — isn’t something to solve once. It’s something you have to keep recalibrating against.
I keep thinking this is less about “should we travel” and more about capacity again. Not just financial or logistical, but moral and cognitive. How much uncertainty can you hold? How many conflicting signals can you process before decision-making itself becomes the strain? That contraction you’re noticing globally… it doesn’t just limit movement, it reduces margin.
And the way you travel — trying to localize your impact, to participate rather than just pass through — feels like an attempt to rebalance that equation rather than ignore it.
Curious how you’re thinking about thresholds now — is there a point where the cognitive load or uncertainty tips from “part of the lifestyle” into “not worth it”?
I'm actually grateful that my husband and I are apart right now on our solo trips for a month. Otherwise, we'd be talking and analyzing this to death. I don't think I could seperate the "part of the lifestyle" from "it's not worth it." This is my life and travel is most of it by design. A truck driver can't abandon her truck because a flat tire is a hassle, right? But she can find a different road with fewer potholes. Right now I think it's about finding the smoother roads.
D and I have only booked until September now. (From NZ to Japan and then via Istanbul back to Europe).
We want to go to South Africa in the fall and will need to decide that soon. I think we will book things as usual with an extra option in mind of what to do if things cannot go as planned.
.I have a flight to Kenya booked in September. It’s on Qatar Airways with a layover in Doha. I’m sure the war will still be going on, but I’m not letting that stop me unless the flight is cancelled.
No. Just passing through on the way there and back. But the airport has been hit and is right there in the crosshairs. So we'll just see if things are still interrupted in September.
For the foreseeable future, I'm steering clear of the Middle East airline hubs. It sucks because I love to fly Qatar and Emirates. Instead, I'm flying Turkish Airlines through Istanbul for any upcoming flights I have between Europe and Asia. You bring up an important point, that you live a nomad life. You're not traveling for vacation, this is your life. You don't have a home, the world is your home. So you have a need to travel and live in various places. I think you should definitely go to India, Sri Lanka, Bali. Life is too short.
Turkish through Istanbul is a good idea. I always forget that Turkey is part of NATO, so that’s a win in theTurkey column.
I just bought a ticket from Asia to Europe via Instabul. Turkish airlines is one if my favorite and locked in a great price of ~$250 (before airline / fuel prices rise).
Also, if that's a US State Dept map, it's so inaccurate it's dangerous. It shows Qatar as green and Saudi as yellow. These days, I usually check UK and Canada government country risk assessments.
I’m a retired Financial logistican for a multiNational Intermodal company Intermodal; guess you’ll know Reason #1 for my ‘so-called Early Retirement back in 2025 . . (To be Honest: it’s frighteningly, basically a monopoly) your assessment is accurate. It’s Wack! But we only have TIME, Experiences, and Opportunities in Front of Us! Weather, Acts of God and our Social Climate is unpredictable. I’d go to India and hunker down. I love this Group because we know True Freedom (and Liberty, ‘she pirouettes,’ her Sister) is Quiet. Find some Second, Third, Fourth Cities, and Hunker Down in Freedom. I’d avoid the Urban areas which you mostly already do. . it’s time to find those “Off-the-Grid” Spots (even for Nomads. And use our purposeful Priviledges in those communities. I can’t Wait to See What you Come Up With! In Coming, Following! (I was specifically, thinkin’ Kerala and all of Sri Lanka, too, so hopefully. . )
Yes, I think we're definitely going to keep traveling. The question, though, is where?
I travel every year for the last few years, mostly to Europe. But I am very uneasy about air space and possible “accidental” attacks on planes right now and frankly, until Trump is gone. I was a little concerned about entering back into the US last year in Oct.bc of ICE. I will need to really think about travel this year.
You and me both
We are adjusting our planning to take a step back from making longer-term commitments like buying a cruise or arranging a housesit six months from now. Example: We want to take a cruise from Venice to Durban, South Africa, on Nov 1. The itinerary goes thru the Suez Canal and the Red Sea, then around the Horn of Africa. We suspect it may be canceled or rerouted so we’re not tying up our $$ just yet.
We are indeed lucky and privileged to have all the choices this lifestyle affords. So we wait. Pretty sure Durban (or in your case, India) will be there next year……
Just checked VTG. That Nov 1 cruise is listed as “Sold Out”. Hmmmm. I wager they will pull it altogether soon.
It’ll be interesting to see the pivot.
That actually was our original plan; the cruise on Nov 1 that you’re on. But alas, like you said, I’m sure it’s going to cancel, and thus the pivot to India. Let’s keep in touch though. It’d be great to cruise with you.
As of May 7 we noticed it was back on VTG as open to book. We have also moved on. A week in France with Vicki Webb in July, then MSC to Norway and Svalbard in August, Virgin to Iceland, Greenland and Canada arriving in NYC in Nov. Can’t decide if winter will be the Caribbean or southern Mexico.Still so many choices. Cabo looks good on you.
thanks!!
The aspect of this lifestyle that is poking at my conscience is the CO2 emissions from flying. We eat a primarily plant-based diet, but from what I've read, it doesn't offset the emissions from 2 long haul flights a year. don't even look up the impact per person on a repositioning cruise, ugh.
Renting and using other people's things goes in the pro column. But what about all of our household items that no one wants. We will donate them and hope they get used. But we have a lot of stuff and some of it will be waste.
We are still going to try the nomad lifestyle on and see how it feels but we will be mindful of how often we take intercontinental flights and cruises.
Perhaps the saying should be "With great privilege comes great responsibility."
(Please read my comments as something I am thinking about in my own life. I am not judging anyone else's choices.)
I think a lot about those repo cruise emmissions, actually, and I've looked into a lot of the data. The problem is the data don't tell the whole story of a nomad. In the 18 days I'm on a ship, I have no other pollution going on. I don't own a house I'm not paying for, a car, etc. Then it's 18 days of pollution on the ship compared to the combo on a one-way ticket, 18 hotels, 54 meals (plus snacks), entertainment's pollution, a gym's polution, and any transit I would take in a "normal" life. Add that all up, and is it more or less than an 18 day cruise's carbon footprint divided by number of passengers (plus crew?). I
There are a lot of factors for sure. If I were really going to go for the lowest footprint, I suppose I'd have to stay in one spot, grow my own food, and never travel anywhere. Perhaps live in a commune. Not the life I want for myself, but probably best for the planet. I am not willing to do that.
Same.
I recognize this dilemma. I write about our beautiful world a lot and how it’s endangered but I don’t stop traveling. I just try my best under all sorts of circumstances.
I appreciate your comment, Claire. I think that in sharing your experiences, you show the wonder to others that aren't able to wander. And that is wonderful!
Well, the poll is pretty clear.
On an unrelated topic, I couldn't help but think of an alternative route (Sorry, just the way my optimizing brain works). Bali is not the best destination in January, It starts to get better in April. On the other hand, India (especially south) and Sri Lanka are perfect in January and February. I loved my time in Kerala in January but found it too hot in March.
If you were to start with India that would mean an 8-9h flight from Europe, instead of 14.
Of course you're just kicking the middle-east connection can down the road but hey, it gives the situation another 4 months to improve. And you'll be doing the right weather arbitrage
Just my unsolicited opinion.
These are great tips. The funny thing is, I ran both itineraries through AI with the criteria you mention, and it spit back to start at Indonesia first. But there’s nothing like local knowledge. I’ll rethink this.
I have been using this site for the last 20 years to plan my travel. Very spot on for Asia. You can filter through month or country. I sort of feel bad never having used their services, just the tool. Will correct that one day
https://www.selectiveasia.com/indonesia-holidays/weather/january
Wow, what a great tool! Thank you. Bookmarked.
I'm traveling. There are places that I didn't want to go before this stupid game of “mine is bigger than yours”. It's my planet too, and the people, places and things I want to do? I'm doing. 🤨
Thank you for a good, balanced, nuanced conversation on an important topic. I’ve been rethinking this year’s plans too, and it all has me feeling a bit more like returning to familiar places than exploring new ones.
PS I love that you included “honour elders” on your list of ways to be a good visitor.
Thank you. I think lots of us are a bit up in the air.
I treat it like any of the crazy times we've had over the past 40 years. There have been a few! You are right to carefully analyze the restrictions and risks, and pick your way forward anyway. It may not be all that comfortable, but it will be interesting.
You are very fortunate to have this problem associated with your privilege. At least you noted it. I believe the saying is “Good for you”.
Groan.
Chris, this feels like the real version of nomad life — not the aesthetic, but the constant negotiation underneath it.
What stood out is how clearly you hold both sides at once: the freedom to design your life this way and the reality that the conditions enabling it are shifting in real time. That tension you describe — safety, access, privilege — isn’t something to solve once. It’s something you have to keep recalibrating against.
I keep thinking this is less about “should we travel” and more about capacity again. Not just financial or logistical, but moral and cognitive. How much uncertainty can you hold? How many conflicting signals can you process before decision-making itself becomes the strain? That contraction you’re noticing globally… it doesn’t just limit movement, it reduces margin.
And the way you travel — trying to localize your impact, to participate rather than just pass through — feels like an attempt to rebalance that equation rather than ignore it.
Curious how you’re thinking about thresholds now — is there a point where the cognitive load or uncertainty tips from “part of the lifestyle” into “not worth it”?
– Kelly
I'm actually grateful that my husband and I are apart right now on our solo trips for a month. Otherwise, we'd be talking and analyzing this to death. I don't think I could seperate the "part of the lifestyle" from "it's not worth it." This is my life and travel is most of it by design. A truck driver can't abandon her truck because a flat tire is a hassle, right? But she can find a different road with fewer potholes. Right now I think it's about finding the smoother roads.
I love this framing — not abandoning the road, just choosing one with fewer potholes.
That’s such a clear way to separate identity from friction. The life still fits… it just needs better conditions to be lived well!
💛 Kelly
I put a trip to Iceland (for Aurora Borealis tour) on hold. Just too chaotic.
It’s definitely getting challenging to make travel decisions.
I recognize all your evaluations.
D and I have only booked until September now. (From NZ to Japan and then via Istanbul back to Europe).
We want to go to South Africa in the fall and will need to decide that soon. I think we will book things as usual with an extra option in mind of what to do if things cannot go as planned.
I was eyeing a repo from Europe to South Afica in Nov, but I'm pretty sure that'll cancel.
I think things can change on a dime. If you are fine pivoting then yes
.I have a flight to Kenya booked in September. It’s on Qatar Airways with a layover in Doha. I’m sure the war will still be going on, but I’m not letting that stop me unless the flight is cancelled.
Do you have plans after Doha?
No. Just passing through on the way there and back. But the airport has been hit and is right there in the crosshairs. So we'll just see if things are still interrupted in September.
Right. That's the crux. I'll be there for 3-4 months. Can I get there, and of course, will I be able to move on?
Really enjoyed this! Love the lifestyle.
Thank you