Nomadtopia Radio

Ever thought about your relationship with the places you visit and whether you’re doing more harm than good? Are you aware of the incredible privilege inherent in the lifestyles we live (or aspire to live) as nomads?   I invite you to listen in as I discuss this topic with guest Amanda Machado. This particular episode has more questions than answers, but they’re questions I think more of us need to be asking. They can help inform how we travel and where, the ways in which we can try to avoid inflicting harm on others and their communities, and lots more.    In this episode: How Amanda got into her work around privilege and travel What people can do to break barriers of privilege The steps you can take for genuine action vs. performative action Inherent privileges that people don’t realize they have How to take part in justice-oriented travel Questions she sat with to examine and acknowledge her privilege   For full show notes, resources, and links go to www.nomadtopia.com/184.   Ready to get more ideas, inspi

Raise your hand if you’ve ever said, “That’s it, I’m moving to Canada.” I’ve heard this phrase a time or two before!  If you’re anything like me, you’ve probably spent a fair amount of time thinking, daydreaming, and brainstorming about where in the world you’d like to live, get residency, and even a second passport. There are certain places that tend to come up regularly as an option for many people, but I’ll admit I’d always discounted Canada as being too complicated or something. Turns out, it might not be!  In this episode, I talk with Brandon Miller of My Second Passport and author of Second Passport: Your Guide To Have a Secure Alternative Home for You and Your Family, Just in Case…. all about what it takes to move to Canada. In this episode: Barriers that stop people from moving to Canada Reasons to consider making Canada your home What you need to know about the Canadian immigration process  Factors to consider for self-employed and digital workers  How to navigate border patrol How the immigration s

It’s been a year since our Grounded Nomads series about nomads who were scrambling to get home or to find a safe place to land as the world was shutting down.  Here we are a year later, and I felt it was time for an update on what being a nomad during the pandemic has looked like. It’s different for everyone of course, but are people still creating and living their own Nomadtopia during the pandemic? For nomads, this past year brought many disruptions. Some were grounded in one place, some are just starting their journey, while others have changed how they travel to different locations all while navigating travel restrictions.  The specifics are unique, but the determination to create and live our own version of Nomadtopia remains. In this episode, I’m sharing my own updated journey and how other nomads are shifting their plans as we navigate this unique time.  In this episode: The shifts nomads have made during the pandemic Some of the disruptions nomads have experienced An update on my own Nomadtopia How t

If you’ve stumbled upon this episode, you’re probably already part of a distanced family or you will be as your life as a nomad unfolds. Leaving behind your family can be one of the hardest parts of setting off on your nomadic journey.   In this episode, my guest is Helen Ellis, founder of DistanceFamilies.com and author of Being a Distance Grandparent. Helen discusses some of the common challenges and emotions for distance families (as well as the benefits!), why it’s so important for each generation to understand the others’ perspectives, and lots more.  In this episode: Helen’s journey as a long-distance parent and grandparent Why she did her thesis on distance grandparenting The fear people have around this topic What a rich encounter is and some of the different ways to create them How to address the guilt that happens with distance  The 3 H’s of progressive acceptance How to set the stage for a successful distance family experience The benefits of this family dynamic   For full show notes, resources,

Do you have your legal ducks in a row for your nomadic lifestyle? As an online entrepreneur, freelancer, or even an employee living a nomad life, you need to know about the legal concerns that come along with being a digital nomad. In this episode, my guest is Layne Lyons JD, U.S. lawyer, business protector for women entrepreneurs, and creator of The Legal UMBRELLA Method™. Layne explains legal issues you need to know about including trademarking, domicile, tourist visas, and other laws you should be aware of when traveling in foreign countries. In this episode: Layne’s experience of being nomadic for the past 19 years Mistakes to avoid as an online entrepreneur What domicile is and what you need to know about it What you need to know about contracts and domicile How to navigate trademarks globally  The best practices for trademarking What you need to know about working on a tourist visa The importance of knowing the laws in the countries you visit For full show notes, resources, and links go to www.nomadto

Are you a parent that is dreaming about going nomadic with your family? Or are you a current nomad that is thinking about starting a family? If these relate to you then you might be wondering HOW you can become a digital nomad family.  In this episode, I was joined by Julia Jerg and we both shared our experiences of having children abroad. We also explore the topics of balancing work and family while traveling, what childcare looks like for nomads, and much more.  In this episode: Julia’s trajectory of taking on jobs while nomading to freelancing to building and scaling her own business Her family’s typical nomad travel schedule pre-pandemic How to get residency through your child’s birth in various countries Why Julia ended up choosing to give birth in the Canary Islands Her story of finding a way to give birth on the island Why you have to focus on mindset for your birthing process How her lifestyle empowered her to do a home birth Why you have to take control over your life and go after your desires How sh

Should you eliminate the word “goal” from your vocabulary? This idea may sound a little outlandish or may come as a surprise to you but as you’ll learn from my guest in this episode, it could be a gamechanger in your goal-setting practices. In this episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with Erin Elizabeth Wells. I met Erin through a mutual online connection and I resonated so much with what I was learning in her course that I knew I had to invite her to share her incredible insights with you. In this episode: How Erin got into organizing by helping a professor The realization that led her to sell her organizing business and get into productivity The unique challenges of organizing and goal setting for digital nomads Her unconventional take on goal setting and why she doesn’t use the word “goal” Why SMART goals can be unhelpful How to approach deadlines with action Her intentional approach to seasonal planning One of the biggest problems people create with productivity The false narratives of what success l

As a current or aspiring nomad, you have probably thought about or tried to learn a new language. If so, this is for you! In this episode, my guest is Ray Blakney, a serial expat and co-founder of an online language school. Ray grew up as a TCK (third-culture kid) which has significantly shaped his worldview and how he approaches life. During our conversation he walks us through his experiences living abroad, joining the Peace Corps, and starting his company Live Lingua.   In this episode: The TV commercial that changed his life How nomads can approach languages when traveling  How you know it’s time to take your language learning to the next level How to replicate the experience of living in another country for learning a new language His 3 tips on approaching language learning   For full show notes, resources, and links go to http://www.nomadtopia.com/177.   Ready to get more ideas, inspiration, and strategies for location-independent living? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite platforms so you’ll g

Nomadtopia Radio is not going away! Tune in for some updates on the podcast, the Facebook group, the Collective, and my own personal Nomadtopia. Go to www.nomadtopia.com/radio for more information and resources, and stay tuned for much more to come.

Since 2010, Heather has lived and traveled all over the world while running two businesses (one of them a polar expedition company!). She joined me from her home base in rural Sweden to talk about getting over what other people think, building resilience, what it means to have “no Plan B” and why it matters, and more. Get a free chapter of Heather's book, No Plan B, at www.HeatherThorkelson.com/NoPlanB To join the conversation, connect with other current and aspiring nomads, and access additional resources for building and living your Nomadtopia, go to www.nomadtopia.com/radio.

Not every grounded nomad has been willing or able to stay put, sign a longer-term lease somewhere, or otherwise take a break from their nomadic lifestyle to wait out the pandemic. Eager to get back to their low-cost lifestyle as housesitters, Eden and her husband were able to take on a last-minute sit in Hawaii after their extended sit in Egypt this summer was canceled. In this episode we talk about how six months of travel plans unraveled due to the pandemic, why and how they got back to housesitting, their experience with the mandatory 14-day quarantine on arrival in Hawaii, and lots more. To join the conversation, connect with other current and aspiring nomads, and access additional resources for building and living your Nomadtopia, go to www.nomadtopia.com/radio and get links to the Nomadtopia Facebook group, the Nomadtopia Collective, and more.

After retiring early, Laura and her husband decided to leave the US and find a country where they would feel welcome to be themselves as a mixed-race couple (which hadn’t always been their experience back home). They’re now enjoying life in Mexico and Laura joined me to share her experience at home and abroad, how and why she’s speaking up about racial injustice, and lots more. To join the conversation, connect with other current and aspiring nomads, and access additional resources for building and living your Nomadtopia, go to www.nomadtopia.com/radio.

Tune in for a brief update on the Grounded Nomads series and the latest from Nomadtopia. To join the conversation, connect with other current and aspiring nomads, and access additional resources for building and living your Nomadtopia, go to www.nomadtopia.com/radio and get links to the Nomadtopia Facebook group, the Nomadtopia Collective, and more.

Naomi is a full-time housesitter who has made some big shifts in her lifestyle as a result of the pandemic. (Spoiler alert: she's decided to settle down in Sydney, Australia, for the next year!) We talked about how she made that decision and weighed its financial impact, mourning the loss of her identity as a nomad and feeling excited about new possibilities, her goals and plans during this time, and lots more. To join the conversation, connect with other current and aspiring nomads, and access additional resources for building and living your Nomadtopia, go to www.nomadtopia.com/radio and get links to the Nomadtopia Facebook group, the Nomadtopia Collective, and more.

Catch up with yours truly, the founder of Nomadtopia! How has becoming a mom of twins and living through the pandemic shifted my perspective on my own Nomadtopia—and lots more? Find out in this episode with the fabulous Jill Sessa returning to interview me once again. To join the conversation, connect with other current and aspiring nomads, and access additional resources for building and living your Nomadtopia, go to www.nomadtopia.com/radio and get links to the Nomadtopia Facebook group, the Nomadtopia Collective, and more.

Sam and her partner are full-time housesitters who had to scramble to find a place to stay when their next sit was canceled due to the pandemic. We cover a lot of ground in this episode including where they ended up, the importance of backup plans, the future of housesitting (in general and for them personally), and how new/aspiring housesitters can take advantage of the current situation to get housesitting experience. There’s a lot that’s relevant to all of us, so give it a listen even if you’re not interested in housesitting! See www.nomadtopia.com/groundednomads for more episodes + resources and join the Nomadtopia Collective to be part of the conversation & connect with a welcoming community who knows what you're going through.

Sam and I started out talking about how his Nomadtopia was affected by the pandemic… and quickly found ourselves fumbling through a conversation about black lives matter, freedom, white privilege, the privilege of the nomadic lifestyle, and so much more. This episode is part of the #podcastersforjustice campaign created by the #WoCPodcasters network. We are podcasters united to condemn the tragic murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor and many many others at the hands of police. This is a continuation of the systemic racism pervasive in the United States since its inception and we are committed to standing against racism in all its forms.   We believe that to be silent is to be complicit.   We believe that Black lives matter.   We believe that Black lives are more important than property.   We believe that we have a responsibility to use our platforms to speak out against this injustice whenever and wherever we are witness to it.   In creating digital media we have built audiences that return week after w

Sarah has been living in a rural lakeside town in Guatemala, writing for the local paper and teaching yoga. When all her in-person work dried up overnight, she had to think quickly and learn how to bring her business online. In this episode we talk about what she's discovered in the process, the unexpected benefits of doing something she'd been resisting and of the pandemic in general, and lots more.

Norm and his girlfriend were back in the U.S. for a visit and as the pandemic escalated they made the quick decision to leave the country again. Norm shares how he's keeping himself busy and, for the first time on Grounded Nomads, we spend much of the episode talking about the future of travel—practically and emotionally, for ourselves and in general.

Seven years in Shanghai came to an abrupt end when Shannon and her husband left for a few weeks of travel in February—and couldn't return. Tune in to find out where they ended up, what it was like to pack up their apartment via video chat, the pros and cons of their current situation, and lots more.