nomadic lifestyle essay

Same Same, But Different: Life for the Nomads of Mongolia Today

Many recognise Mongolia as the abode of nomads.

But the term ‘nomad’ often brings to mind images of a certain kind. And many a time, these mental snapshots portray a life seemingly detached from the broader world. Could this be because of the way the media tends to portray these nomads? Maybe. Or perhaps it's the classic scenario of "you won't know until you see it for yourself."

Yet, your mental image may not be entirely off the mark. Nomadic culture in Mongolia still thrives in gers , as they hunt with eagles and wear traditional deels . But amid these enduring traditions and rituals, a wave of modernity is sweeping across the region. Gender norms are evolving, and technology is reshaping lifestyles.

In the last five years, Nomadic Road has explored some of the remotest parts of Mongolia on numerous expeditions. Each visit has shattered preconceived notions for travellers, revealing the intricate dance between modernity and tradition.

Here’s a photo essay—a curated selection from our archives, celebrating the intricate yet straightforward, ancient yet contemporary, and traditional yet modern nomads of Mongolia.

Adaptability is second nature to the nomads. Faced with sudden sandstorms or unexpected rains, they seamlessly shift gears ( and gers ) to navigate nature's unpredictability—a trait unchanged over time. In the contemporary world, they've embraced horsepower over horses to shepherd their cattle.

A common scene in the countryside, a semblance of Mongolian nomadic life: as you overland through the expansive landlocked country, you encounter small hamlets providing access to fuel and essential supplies. During one such encounter, we met an elderly local riding his bike to purchase groceries for his family. 

In a local nomadic family's ger near Orkhon Valley, Nomadic Road travellers witness a timeless gesture. Men exchange small snuff bottles, inhale their contents, and pass them back. This was, is, and perhaps always will be a symbol of mutual respect in the Mongolian nomad culture.

As natural horse riders, Mongols, as young as this kid right here, excel at rearing these mighty animals and learning to hold their reins. In an attempt to recreate Naadam, Mongolia’s national festival, we engaged local villagers in various sports such as horse riding, archery, and wrestling—markers of Mongolian nomadic lifestyle even today.

Mongolia’s nomadic life holds no bar for age. This young talent appeared during our local horse race event, insisting on showcasing his riding prowess. Who were we to deny the budding maestro?

Wrestling has a rich history deeply ingrained in the Mongolian nomadic culture, transcending sport to become a way of life—a test of strength, courage, and skill. This cultural gem was also part of the private Naadam festival we organised.

The locals united to assist us in organizing the exclusive Naadam festival, many of them hailing from nearby villages. While some arrived on bikes instead of horseback, their presence was a testament to the joy these festivities continue to bring to the pastoral Mongols.

Offering a glimpse into the Mongolian nomadic lifestyle, this image captures the quintessential scene of nomads in the countryside. Amidst a dusty open road, the shepherd finds moments of bliss with cattle as companions.

Getting to know people is often best done over a hearty meal and a campfire. During our 2023 winter expedition, we lodged in log cabins near a village. A local family hosted a Mongolian barbecue dinner around a campfire, offering a warm welcome from kids and adults alike.

The Kazakh eagle hunters of Western Mongolia inhabit one of the country's most secluded regions. For centuries, they've employed golden eagles for winter prey hunting. While supermarkets are now nearby, their way of life preserves fragments from the past. Eagle hunting continues to thrive as a vital tradition in Sagsai village, home to many skilled hunters.

Yet another thrilling aspect of the eagle hunting tradition unfolds as men vie for the coveted prize—in this case, a silk scarf belonging to a local woman.

Mongolian tradition is incomplete without archery, a cherished sport of the nomads. They are some of the finest archers in the world—adept at hitting the bullseye even on horseback.

An archer’s bow no longer discriminates. While traditionally practised by men, the current generation encourages young girls to take up archery and eagle hunting and carry the tradition forward. Who knows? Changes like these may ensure the survival of these ancient practices in the Mongolian nomadic culture.

Mongolia's throat singing is a captivating art form that’s weathered bans and Soviet-era suppression. But it resurged in the 1980s, reclaiming its place as a cherished national tradition. To commemorate the last day of our Mongolian adventure, we treated our travellers to an unforgettable sonic experience with some of the country's finest throat singers and musicians.

Preparing to hit the road after a restful night at a local ger , a gracious woman in the Mongolian national costume, deel , sprinkled milk water on our tires and vehicles. In Mongolian nomadic culture, milk and milk tea hold sacred significance. Traditionally carried out by women, this ceremony bid us a safe adieu.

Perhaps soon, men will start performing this ceremony too. Who knows?

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The World on my Necklace

A Travel Blog by Katie Chavez

Living a Nomadic Life: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

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Traveling through over 30 countries, not paying rent anywhere, and never in one place for more than a couple of months at most – being nomadic is an exciting life of true freedom. Although it isn’t always easy, it makes me feel alive every day.

I know a lot of you may be reading this and thinking why the hell would you willingly choose to be homeless? Don’t you miss being surrounded by mountains of your own stuff? Having your own bed/routines/a constant friend group etc?

Well, not really. Not enough to stop anyway.

I understand that living a nomadic lifestyle isn’t for everyone. Hell, it’s not for most people. But this life is for me, for now at least. I don’t want to stop living this nomadic life any time soon, at least not completely. Being a Digital Nomad really suits me.

But I know that if I re-enter that world for too long then it will become my norm again, and those feelings of anxiety, depression and being trapped will most probably raise their ugly heads: That is what has happened in the past.

One day we do want our own place. A tiny home somewhere in Colorado or the Southwest and a piece of land in my home country of New Zealand is the dream. And I do believe it is an attainable one. It is a dream we have already started working towards.

But even in this more ‘stable’ dream of a future life, we would only plan to live in our tiny dream home for around half the year, traveling or living overseas for the other half.

I don’t want what’s normal in society to become my normal, it’s better for me if it stays a novelty. That way I won’t come to hate it.

Maybe you have toyed around with giving this life a try too? For those of you out there who are thinking that the carefree life of a nomad sounds right up your alley, read on to find out what this life is really like: The good, the bad, and the ugly.

The Truth About Living a Nomadic Lifestyle

The good of living a nomadic life.

I don’t want to scare you off so I am going to start with the good things that come with this lifestyle.

The most obvious positive point of living a nomadic lifestyle is the sheer freedom you have. The countless possibilities of where you can go and what you can do can be overwhelming – but I think in a good way. The world truly is your oyster.

Knowing that I am not chained down to one place by a mortgage, car payments, a career, or even kids, is the best feeling for me. It excites me. I feel excited to wake up every day.

I get a deep sense of connection with the world as a whole from travel and a big part of that is the freedom it gives me.

Disclaimer: I do understand that some people live nomadic or semi-nomadic lives with a career, a mortgage, and kids, but it is certainly easier when you have nothing holding you back, and a lot less stressful.

It’s Inexpensive

You may be surprised to hear that living a nomadic lifestyle can actually be much more affordable than living a regular life in one place.

What I was paying just for rent for my half of a two-bedroom apartment in Sydney , is the same as my total living costs on most months these days. And that was just my rent! No bills, transport costs, food shopping, money for entertainment….

There are a number of ways we choose to travel cheaply some small and some large – like house sitting , staying in affordable Airbnb and other vacation rentals, motels, and hostels , sleeping in our van (when we are in the US), staying with generous family and friends, traveling through cheaper countries , living within our means in regards to food and drink, traveling with a re-usable water bottle with a built-in filter so we don’t have to buy bottled water in countries where you can’t drink from the tap, not spending like crazy on gadgets, clothing, shoes etc.

We are minimalists and don’t have or want a lot of stuff. And we also try to travel as eco-consciously as possible.

Honestly, I don’t need a lot of money or things to be happy – just having my freedom and the ability to go out and enjoy life is priceless.

Experiencing the World

I have learned so much about people and different cultures through my 20 years of traveling and living abroad – and these experiences have been even more ramped up since I started living a nomadic way of life.

Being exposed to different countries and their cultures has made me a more empathetic and open person, it has made me see that most people are good and that we are all essentially the same.

So much of the hate that is put out into the world is from ignorant people who are scared of anyone and anything that is different – if they went out into the world and really experienced it, I believe that a lot of hateful views would be changed.

Getting to travel the world, experiencing its natural beauty and its affronting poverty, the good and the bad, it changes you. I am a different person than I was before I started traveling and I like myself so much better now.

It Builds Character

You face a lot of challenges living a nomadic lifestyle – challenges you wouldn’t necessarily face if you are living in a bubble of work/home/sleep repeat.

There are times when I am constantly out of my comfort zone, like traveling through countries where I don’t speak the language, dealing with cultural differences, and navigating an unfamiliar city in an unfamiliar country to name but a few.

You learn how to think on your feet, to stay calm in difficult situations, and to problem-solve as you have never problem-solved before.

Sometimes it is tough, but it makes the sweet taste even sweeter. Living a nomadic lifestyle builds both character and confidence – both of which are so very important to any kind of lifestyle.

You Learn so Much

Being immersed in a place is an amazing way to learn about its history, but it’s also an amazing way to see how other people live: what’s important to them, and what they hold true.

It is easier to learn a different language if you are surrounded by it every day, if you are interested in Parisian cuisine – then take cooking classes in Paris, if you want to know more about the wildlife of Africa – then do a safari in Tanzania or Kenya, if you want to learn how to salsa – then take lessons in Cali, Colombia, the salsa capital of the world.

The best place to learn about something is at its source, and if you are nomadic – you can go to a lot more places and learn a lot more than if you only have two weeks to travel a year.

Happiness. Some say this is the meaning of life and the purpose for our being here, at least the Dalai Lama and Aristotle think so. Who am I to disagree?

Living this life has made me happier than I ever could have imagined. I am not saying that my life is perfect – it certainly isn’t – but the fact that I am living a life that is true to myself means more to me than I can say.

I used to push against a nomadic lifestyle, trying to convince myself that it wasn’t really what I wanted, that just traveling for a few weeks a year would be enough, but for me, it isn’t.

I never thought a nomadic lifestyle would be possible for me as my ex wasn’t interested in living like this and that was the man I was going to marry.

Even though it hurt like hell, I freed us both and now we are both living the lives that we always dreamed of.

The Bad of Living a Nomadic Life

But the good always comes with the bad…

Uncertainty

Bad internet connections so you can’t get your work done (a digital nomad horror story if there ever was one), horrible hotel rooms that looked lovely in the pictures, a client dropping you at the last minute, being robbed in a faraway country , civil unrest in the country you are planning to visit next – there is so much uncertainty in a nomadic lifestyle, some things small and some not so much.

There will be anxiety and disappointment – maybe more so than in an everyday existence – and it can get you down sometimes.

I do think that the good does outweigh the bad in the end though, and you really need to learn quickly to just go with the flow and take things as they come.

Missing Friends and Family

One of the worst things about the nomadic lifestyle is the lack of community. If you are used to being surrounded by family and friends, then suddenly not having them right there will feel like a shock, and you will feel lonely at times.

While meeting people on the road is a lot of fun, sometimes you just want to see a person who knows you well and has been in your life for a long time. Luckily you can get around this by living a nomadic life only part of the time, or by making regular trips back home.

The fact that I have been prioritizing my time by spending at least a month of the year in New Zealand and another few weeks a year popping in and out of Colorado where Toby’s family lives for the past few years has made this a nonissue for me, most of the time.

You Can’t Have Pets

One of the things I miss the most from having a more traditional life is having a cat. I am a cat-less crazy cat lady and it just ain’t right.

Luckily with all the housesitting we do, I do get a good dose of kitty (and doggy/bunny/gerbil/bearded lizard/chicken etc) love, but I am dreaming of the day when I can have my own kitty again.

UPDATE 2024: We now have a kitty we rescued called Joni! We’re managing to make it work by taking her with us when we can and getting Rover sitters when we can’t. Isn’t she the cutest?!

Your Health Can Suffer

Exhaustion, weight gain, anxiety, depression, allergies – all kinds of health issues can crop up if you are moving too fast or for too long. I actually have a lot more issues with anxiety and depression when I am not on the road, but weight gain has been a very real problem for me.

A couple of years ago I was the heaviest I have been since I lived in London nearly ten years ago (damn Heathrow injection), and even though I know I wasn’t overweight, I felt uncomfortable in my own skin.

There are good fitness apps and websites these days that help with keeping your health on track when you are traveling, and I am definitely keen to try them in the future.

I have since lost some of the weight I had been stockpiling but my weight is very up and down. It is difficult to maintain a healthy weight when you are traveling all the time – wanting to try new dishes and not finding the time to exercise.

And I love food – including lots of delicious things that are definitely not good for me – so it is a struggle to be good when you can’t click your brain off I’m on holiday! I can eat whatever I want! mode. The struggle is real.

Exhaustion is definitely another health issue that has reared its ugly head at times when I have been moving too fast, and I have had a couple of mini-breakdowns because of it.

I’m starting to learn that I can only do fast trips for short amounts of time otherwise it will not be fun for anyone (poor Toby has been known to take the brunt of my frustrations in the past – luckily he is the most chilled guy ever).

Financial Woes

The biggest worry in my life since becoming a nomad has been money – although it seems like that is a lot of people’s biggest worry, nomadic or not.

Over the past eight years, I have made my money from working as a Virtual Assistant , Pinterest Manager, doing short-term contracts when I was back home in New Zealand or in the U.S., working event and hospitality jobs, as well as a modest income from this blog.

There are actually so many ways you can make money while traveling or living abroad , one of the most popular is  teaching English abroad , and I have only tried a few of them so far – it definitely helps the worrying to know there are other options.

I never know how much I am going to receive each month so it does worry me that I will run out of money and have to sleep in my van down by the river – oh wait, I’m already living that lifestyle. Nevermind.

It Can Feel Like you are Always Taking

I hate feeling like I am not giving back as much as I am taking, and that’s how it feels sometimes when we stay with friends and family a lot.

Both Toby and I are very lucky to have such incredible families that are so supportive of our lifestyles, and I love that we get to spend a lot of quality time with these special people by staying with them, but I am also looking forward to when we can give back.

Once we build it, the door to our tiny home will always be open to visitors, especially to the people who have done so much for us.

The Ugly of a Nomadic Life

You may never want to go back to an ordinary life.

OK, so I couldn’t think of anything really ugly about this lifestyle so I copped out. It’s true though, if you really take to this lifestyle, it will be hard to slot back into regular life. Once you know what is out there, how can you turn your back on the whole world and just live in one small part of it?

I know a lot of travelers will disagree with me here and that’s fine – to each their own. One day I may want to settle down but I sincerely doubt that will be in a full-time capacity – although part-time would be just fine.

I plan to travel for the rest of my life. It is one of my reasons for living, my one true passion, my calling, and my everything. There is more in my life than just travel, but it is a massive part of who I am and I won’t apologize for that.

Some people feel the need and the want to have babies, or work hard climbing the corporate ladder, or own ten cars and a gigantic house – my need and want is to continue traveling, learning, and experiencing the world itself. I don’t care if I am broke forever, this lifestyle is worth so much more than money.

And living like this – nothing makes me happier.

So do you think a nomadic lifestyle would be a good fit for you?

My Digital Nomad Packing List

I highly recommend a 40L women’s travel bag – it is carry-on size, it’s comfortable and durable, and it has lots of pockets to organize your stuff. Use packing cubes for further organization. If you are more of a suitcase person, this Pro Carry-On With Laptop Pocket 20”  is a fantastic option.

I love my Birkenstocks , which are great for walking long distances as they have great foot support, and they look stylish.

Another must-have for me when I am traveling through countries where I can’t drink the tap water, is this GRAYL Re-usable Water Bottle with Built-in Filter. It will end up saving you so much money and it is better for the planet.

I now also have a LARQ self-cleaning and purifying water bottle to drink tap water in foreign countries – it’s a more attractive and light-weight option to the GRAYL but doesn’t eradicate metal or other particles in water.

I also swear by these  silicone earplugs which are a million times better than any other earplugs I have ever tried, and if you have small ear canals like me, you can pull them apart easily to make them the perfect size for you.

For more ideas for what I pack for this lifestyle, check out my Sri Lanka Packing Post and these tips for carry-on stylish travel . For multi-day hiking trips, check out my Annapurna Circuit Packing List .

The Best Travel Insurance for Digital Nomads

If you are a Digital Nomad, it is so important to get travel and health insurance that will suit your needs. If you plan on driving an automobile during your travels, you’ll also need car insurance .

Safety Wing is my go-to for travel insurance and they are cheap, easy to claim with, and it auto-renews every month so you don’t have to think about it. I love that I didn’t have to pay a giant lump sum at the start of my travels for a policy, and that I didn’t have to try and figure out how long I would need it for – the auto-renewal is so great!

Safety Wing also allows you to sign up when you are already traveling, unlike a lot of other travel insurance providers.

If you are planning to live in other countries for more than a couple of months and want more comprehensive medical insurance, then Safety Wing also has a Remote Health plan that is perfect for nomads and remote workers.

There is also full coverage in your home country (at an extra cost for the US and a couple of other countries), and no exclusions for pandemics.

If you liked this post, check out my yearly recap posts to find out what my nomadic life looks like, and what it costs:

• My Life in Travel: 18 Years Since I Left New Zealand
• Digital Nomad Life: 2017 in Review
• Digital Nomad Life: 2018 in Review
• Digital Nomad Life: 2019 in Review
• Digital Nomad Life: 2020 in Review
• Digital Nomad Life: 2021 in Review
• Digital Nomad Life: 2022 in Review
• Digital Nomad Life: 2023 in Review

91 Comments on Living a Nomadic Life: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

This post is spot on! I’ve been living a nomadic life for a few years now, and I can definitely attest to the ups and downs. The freedom and adventure are absolutely worth it, but it’s not all sunshine and rainbows. The constant change and lack of stability can be challenging at times. I’m glad to see someone else acknowledging the difficult aspects of nomadic living and offering realistic insights. Keep up the great work!

Thanks for your kind comment and glad it resonated with you as a fellow nomad.

This post is spot on! I’ve been living a nomadic life for a few years now and I can definitely attest to the ups and downs. The freedom and adventure are definitely worth it, but it’s not all sunshine and rainbows. The constant change and lack of stability can be difficult at times. I’m glad to see someone else acknowledging the ugly sides of nomadic living and offering realistic insights. Keep up the great work!

This post is amazing. I am 14 an had to write a page on what the benefits and fallbacks of a nomadic lifestyle would be and this was PERFECT. Thank you!!!

Thanks Natalie, I am glad it was helpful!

What a great content. While reading it, it feels like you are verbalising my thoughts and feelings about living like a nomad I certainly know its the life that my husband and I wanted. We love the freedom and learnings we get everywhere we go. I am so in tune with nature, everywhere I go I notice every single plant, trees, animals etc Now I make Content on Facebook Reels all about nature. Thanks for sharing this article. Enjoy Life ❤️

Thanks for your comment Claire, glad to hear you love the nomadic life too.

I admire your bravery. The sort of thing I dreamed of when I was younger. It is great to read about someone who has made it work for them.

Thanks Phil, that’s nice of you to say.

i backpacked through the mid east- far asia from 1970-1976 have bok coming out by 2025 i,m 78 now.bottom line most you are under50. for back then i was in my 20s. super fit rugged road hardened spent only 5000$ in 6 years got it back in 2 months. some guys back them traveld up to 10-15 years. but a florence hostel cost but 1.50$ a night not 45-50$ a night and now 3rd word country are too modwern like the usa to bother but the big differnece now is our ages a seniors. one finds our umbilcal cord to our doctor, our need for percription refills shortens. “on a short leash ” as the saying goes. the small aches pains of your 20s now magnified many times over. the one out of three nights sleepless now to wearing . ultimitly its a younger persons dream however if all we are is our memory then in pretrospect i,m very wealthy in soul and spirit half of my highschool class of 1964 are dead now 3040 years at boeing. only to die shorlty after retirement outsmarted by their acuarists.wise up reverse it travel now when young for your health is your passport.nomadic world travel while young the wisest decision i ever made.

I love that Sterling and completely agree about traveling while you are young enough to really enjoy it. It sounds like you had an incredible adventure

I have done a lot of solo travelling when over the age of 60 – mostly for scuba in the South Pacific but also No. Europe – and have loved it. Now, however, I’m 76 and after a recent surgery that had complications I no longer want to go zooming around. I’d love to find info about living in nice weather places for 2-3 months at a time. An older residential hotel with services and a restaurant to live in sounds better than 2-4 weeks isolated in an Airbnb. Do such hotels exist?

Hi Lin, I’m not sure about residential hotels but they probably exist. I definitely understand wanting to slow down, I am getting to the point now when I would like to do that more.

I have grounded myself for 2 years now but the wanderlust itch is now becoming unbearable.

I also have no desire to find myself stuck in accommodation with no amenities.

I am seriously now considering the condo lifestyle in Thailand… they are state of the art , very affordable & Thailand is an amazing country full of non-judgemental, friendly people where you will get the best massages.

That’s my next go to & hopping in and out to Vietnam, Bali & Indonesia, etc….

Thailand is an excellent choice – it’s somewhere I always return to and would love to spend an extended amount of time. I hope it works out for you.

Wonderful website you have here but I was curious about if you knew of any community forums that cover the same topics talked about here? I’d really love to be a part of community where I can get opinions from other knowledgeable people that share the same interest. If you have any suggestions, please let me know. Bless you!

Hiya, I am really glad I’ve found this info. Nowadays bloggers publish just about gossips and net and this is actually annoying. A good blog with exciting content, this is what I need. Thank you for keeping this web site, I’ll be visiting it. Do you do newsletters? Can’t find it.

I am looking at moving toward this lifestyle when I hit my 70s! Am I crazy to think I can do this while I am still in very good health and physically active? Are there any good resources for renting furnished places for 4-6 months at a time – less expensive than Airbnb etc. I’m not sure where to begin looking for resources so any suggestions would be super helpful! Does it make more sense to have a van? I don’t really want to have to deal with something bigger than a car to move around, but am open to suggestions and would definitely love to hear about older folks doing this kind of thing! Thanks!

Hi Cyndi, you aren’t crazy to do it in your 70s and there are so many ways you can live a nomadic lifestyle. I highly recommend housesitting, you are usually looking after people’s pets too but you have a home to stay in for free – I love it and I got my 70-year-old mother into it now too. I know a lot of people show up in a place they want to live for a few months and ask around for furnished rentals once they get there. I usually housesit, stay in my RV or van, and stay in hostels and hotels when I travel internationally. You should look into a small RV or van, maybe rent one for a week and see if you can see yourself living in one. Then break up time in the van/RV with housesits. Hope this helps!

Taking the flying leap of faith! Just sold the house, but we are moving most of our ‘stuff’ into storage for 6 months while we test this out. We’re fully retired and, as remote workers the last 20 years, have spent extended ( up to 6 weeks ) in other countries. Now we are stretching that out to 6 to 12 months. We’ll be taking our 5 year old husky mix with us, so lots of patience is needed to deal with paperwork, paperwork paperwork!! I appreciate your tips, particularly the refillable water bottle with filter. Thanks! I would add just one item and that would be a reusable grocery bag. They are super light and with (thank heavens) the global trend to reduce or eliminate single use plastics, some countries no longer provide grocery bags.

That’s so exciting Kim! Good tip on the reusable shopping bag – I carry one with me and it always comes in handy.

Interested in more on living situations.My dreams of becoming location independent often get halted in housing. I welcome having a conversation about what is possible. My concerns are (astronomical) costs. An RV style is the same as a home mortgage. I daydream of the tesla camper van-also may be an excuse anymore to why I have yet to begin. Other styles are hostels, air bnb, hotels. Is there anything between a hostel and a condo? I would like ability to cook and travel with only luggage (no car).

This is for a lifestyle change to be nomadic full-time. So spending $100s a night seems too much. maneuvering the void and upleveling my nervous system to make the leap.

If you are planning to stay a month or more in a place, you can book a hotel or Airbnb for a couple of nights then look for a short term apartment once you arrive – you can get great deals depending on where you are going. Another option is housesitting which is something I do a lot. You get free accommodation in exchange for looking after someone’s home and pets while they are away. I also have an RV but we bought it second hand for only $3000 and put about another $3000 work into it – it is a lot cheaper to do this than buy brand new.

here’s my technique that’s been working for 12 years of Nomadic lifestyle. If you’re in places such as India, Nepal, Thailand , Sri lanka, Vietnam, Taiwan, Japan, Korea etc You can easily find a great airbnb (4.7 stars or more), for $300 – $800 U.S in the big cities. If you want the Islands or the remote places, you can also find a room or a bungalow You won’t be able to cook, but the food you’ll eat outside will hardly affect your budget.

Japan is NOT expensive as they make it seem. (ate out EVERY day never cooked once) Yoshinoya, Coco ichibanya, these fast food places best value for money . $5 for a super healthy meal, the kitchen is polished, everything is done to perfection, tea or water are included in the price too! ) You can get by like a king in Osaka on $1800 a month. Then you can just jump to Thailand and cut the budget down to $1500 (while still never cooking once) or to India and cut it down to $900 – $1000

Then you got western europe, where it’s easier to find some caravan to rent rather than buy one, that will give you a LOT of freedom, but forget about 4.7 star Airbnbs under $1500. Eastern europe is quite similar to Asia in prices, and you can pretty much get by on $1000 – $1500 (depends on location, ofcourse)

Eating out in western europe is a different game for some, me included, the final bills in restaurants in Italy or Germany are harder to afford 3 times a day every day. So thats when cooking becomes very practical and fun too, as a single person, You have to adapt to situations and make the most of them, you develop a connection with cooking. You pick your veggies wisely, your plan the sauce strategy, you clean the dishes when you’re done… There’s something incredibly meditative about it. Eastern europe is pretty much heaven in terms of budgets. Albania-Bosnia-Serbia-Bulgaria-Macedonia-Romania-Czech Republic-Hungary You can find great airbnbs for $350 – $1200 (Czech and Hungary are similar to the Taiwan and Japan of Asia, a bit higher on the numbers, still very doable without slaving at the corporate plantations)

In Saranda Albania, off season, you can get a beach front condo, with 5 star reviews for $350 USD, the same place will be about $2000 in the high season which is Mid june to mid September

Bulgaria Serbia and Romania are also dirt cheap, however,you can play with a small budget, cook whenever you’re in the mood (the veggies are incredible in those countries!! they know how to grow !)

All of these ways are personal tactics, but over the years things a lot more younger people live this life style differently, by using workaway. Workaway basically gives them a little job (5 hours 5 days a week) in exchange for food , shelter or sometimes. So some of those young ones will do some extra laptop work in their free time, end up getting richer experiences and bank accounts.

(Popular hostels save up on staff by paying with food and shelter, Young ones don’t have to slave their life away, it’s a win win)

Then there’s a lot of people that travel around US / Australia / Europe / Eastern europe with Caravans. However, they’re not so common around Asia or South America.

Thanks for your tips James. I managed to travel through Canada for 5 months on $30 a day by using Work Away, ridesharing, hitchhiking, and subletting an apartment for cheap in Vancouver off a student for a month. Even in expensive countries there are always ways to save money and live cheaply. We have a van and an RV and have been spending months every year roadtripping around the US in them – cooking is something I do a lot of when I am in more expensive countries too.

Hello! I’ve been following your web site for some time now and finally got the bravery to go ahead and give you a shout out from New Caney Texas!

Just wanted to tell you keep up the good work!

From a metaphysical perspective: A plant cannot move at all, it is at the whim of fate and where it happens to germinate. If conditions are not ideal it can wither and die.

When humans are living and working somewhere with less than ideal conditions, in a similar way a part of them can wither and death may get closer. Many folk do not understand geopathic stress,. Daoists call something similar fung shui.

Being mobile allows humans and animals to move to more favourable conditions.

ie: a gypsy is not sucked into the gossip and stresses a community may endure, the gypsy simply moves to the next ideal county

Unfortunately most modern urban environments are harmful.

Wi-Fi can kill a houseplant

Rather than thinking over there is a paradise while over there is a hell hole, quite often micro climates of ideal living conditions exist just next door to less than ideal spots.

Modern campervans can be toxic, best to create your own with natural interiors.

I’m so proud of you! We are considering this life style. What would be your first guide or reading to get started? I love to travel and I am so done with ice and snow. I’d really appreciate any advice you can provide. Take care, and God Bless. Joe N

Hi Joe, there’s lots of blogs out there have more info about how to get started. Where in the World is Nina? has lots of great content if you are looking to work online or abroad https://whereintheworldisnina.com/work-to-wander/ and if you are looking to retire and travel then, Travel Past 50 https://travelpast50.com/ and https://alisonanddon.com/ are great for inspiration and practical tips.

very true! Also important to try avoid plastic, if you can. It’s almost impossible to cross borders today without a smart phone, Since they wanna see some “papers” on your “plastics”

Opt to buy GLASS bottled drinks rather than PLASTIC bottled ones, Opt to eat in with ceramic plates rather than take aways or deliveries (they generate so much crap) Opt to wipe your butt with water instead of toilet papers. Bum guns and Water buckets can be your best friend in terms of your God-Karma accounting department ( Also, mentally Very very liberating move for westerns like myself, Dhanyabad India!!! ) Surround yourself with as much WOOD as you can, if you have to be in a plastic environment for circumstances beyond your control, Try to integrate nature, as OP said. Great post by the way, Thank you crazy cat lady, I love your work, However, women are way more social beings than men, So your whole notion of “not having community” because you travel is flawed. You know how many men have turned out to have certain families around? Me neither, However, it’s a common story that a wife finds out her husband had another family he took care of on the side. (Arnold Schwarzenegger etc) It doesn’t work vice versa. You as a woman (it’s nature, before you call me a misogynist , don’t shoot the messenger) You can only get pregnant one child every 9-10 months. A man can get about 270 children in those 9-10 months, if he has a %100 success rate every day with a different one.

Us men can venture out and have many communities and families around. Biologically, and because of it emotionally and physically too. It’s much easier to be a male nomad and very impressive you’ve managed to pull through 6 years!!! GOOD JOB! GOOD POST! THANK YOU!

Agree that we should avoid plastic as much as possible. Not really sure what you are saying about women and babies etc – I don’t think communities have to involve blood family members.

If biology is what determines your life you might want to do some serious soul searching. Anyway, your comment is non sequiteur: she did not even mention babies and breeding.

Hi It’s been more than three years now that I am experiencing this feeling of rush within me of traveling and living a life of freedom. Thank you for sharing your own experience.

Glad you are loving the lifestyle too Allen!

Hi and thank you for sharing your experiences.

I am currently part way through a sticky divorce and at the end, although rather sadly, I will be in many ways ‘free’ and with somewhere between £50-100k in my pocket.

I haven’t a job, nor anything Epping me where I am anymore. I have had an horrific life but more so in the last 2-3 years and come next year I will be essentially free and without restraint and a few coins in my pocket.

I toy with settling AGAIN, but this just doesn’t seem to be right, that life doesn’t want me and frankly my freedom that I’ll sadly have been given by losing my wife, kids and home just makes me think “I’m 43 years old and I’m still able” so I think stuff it, wing it and see where it all takes me.

1 year, 10 years or rest of my life, do I just go for it and say sod it?!

I’ve tried it the conventional way, twice now and neither worked at all and to be honest it’s kinda defecated on me from a great height and I’ve tried so damn hard to make it work and worked all my life, been a good man and good dad and now I have nothing. Maybe bows the time to be totally selfish?!

Do I buy somewhere abroad? Do I just hop on a train? I hold a driving licence and motorcycle licence; do I buy a van or a decent bike and see where it takes me? Do I lose my eyes, point at the map and get a flight (I don’t like flying)?

Do I do all this but here in the UK, or further afield? I don’t much like this country or a lot about it anymore and I just think time away, however long that be, might either finally make my mind up and lead me the right way.

Iv partially accepted the new found freedom I sort of have just now, and come next year that freedom will be no greater than it will be on completion of the sale of my home. So if tried and tried the usual ‘normal’ route, now I just want to keep being free. I’ve always struggled being alone and feeling lonely, but 2 years ago she left and took my babies, I’ve been alone mostly in that time and I’ve learnt to be at one with myself and sort of accept and kinda love being n my own a fair bit. So I’m not in fear of that anymore and it’s liberating.

So I guess for a while I can self fund and won’t have to work as such, if I did then great, but what would you do in my situation?

Hi, thanks for your comment. I would say test the waters first – do a trip for a couple of months in Europe either in a van or staying in Airbnbs – whatever makes you comfortable. See if you like it before delving in fully. Housesitting is also a good option for free accommodation with some minor responsibilities.

Good way of describing, and nice article to obtain information about my presentation topic, which i am going to convey in college.

One of my questions to you is doing this alone just to dangerous? In certain countries I assume it would be. do you know which ones to avoid? I have sometimes thought of this kind of life mainly because I’ve always enjoyed traveling and felt I just never fit in anywhere anyway. I pretty much have the means to do this easily for about 3 years at which time I could retire and continue. I also do a kind of work that could be done remotely to generate some income. I’ve never married, no kids and some family that is kind of breaking up due to differences in political beliefs. My biggest problem is leaving my mother. Her health is starting to fail and I’m afraid if I were to tell her I’m going away it would devastate her and I don’t want to hurt her. I already live about 5 hrs away but do see her 1-2 times every 2 months. I have 2 brothers and 2 sisters though that are near her so its not her care I’m worried about. I’m torn that my decision to do this is a selfish one and I’ll regret leaving family/friends behind and become more distant from them therefore figure I’ll just hold off another 3 years then retire at 60 and make a decision then.

That is definitely a hard decision JD. Perhaps until you retire you could do a few long trips to places – maybe rent your place out for six months or do a home exchange. This way you can make sure that you like the lifestyle before commiting.

very interesting !!!

Im here in bed reading this article and wanting to leave my 65000 a year job that gave me anxiety, panic attacks, a lot of visits to doctors, taking xanax, irrational fears, depression and more. Im 38, male, inmigrant and never feared anything before. Now im leaving in a expensive rent with a amazing view to my city skyline, the best view I have ever had, with the best spouse ever, with the best cat, now we got a dog, beautiful Australian Shepherd…but im not happy! Is the sad truth. We are planning on buying a house but i now question if that lifestyle is for me after this dark chapter with anxiety. I feel depressed working from home. I wake up everyday and is the same thing over and over! I wish to be traveling always, never in the same place for too long. My main concern is uncertainty, i need to find a way to make an income to live during traveling and save something to stop for a few months and recharge. I love nature, i have camera equipment to blog and more, love camping and stargaze, i love adventure, the solitude, the mountains, the wilderness, the peace. I need that peace back in my life. Thanks and wish you all well in life.

Hi, sorry to hear that you aren’t happy. Is there a possibility that you could take a sabbatical from your job? That way you could try out living a nomadic life and see if it is for you.

Thank you for the very well penned comment to theworldonmynecklace blog. I am at a crossroad right now, wondering what I should do with my life now that I’m retired. Sure, being retired was what I had originally planned on being, but after a while of just plain staying at home and occasionally jumping in my car to drive around or do some shopping and all that stuff, I realized that I was really born to travel. Have always had this urge to travel, and I’m thinking now of just taking off and being somewhere for two months at a time, because I am convinced that I will enjoy this lifestyle. And I think I will just go ahead and see what happens.

Hi Flo, you should definitely give it a try and see if you like it. You could always get a housesitter if you have pets/need plants watered and then hit the road.

Lovely article and insights. I’ve lived the nomadic life in the us for many years. At 46 and now a remote work option, I’m planning Costa Rica for my first international adventure. I can absolutely relate to everything you mentioned with living the “norm” life. I begin to feel very unsettled after a bit. I do love how you spoke about part time nomad living as it may be more suiting for me at this point in my life.

Any experience in Costa Rica?

Hi Antoinette, thanks for your comment. I actually haven’t been to Costa Rica but I know it’s popular with digital nomads and I would love to go in the future. I hope it works out for you there.

This was a fantastic read and it gave me many things to about before I start my nomadic lifestyle. I really appreciate you writing this and especially reading the insightful feedback you gave to each commenter. Safe travels!

Thanks so much Lisa, I’m glad it helped you.

Excellent post! I’m Victor and I’m literally trying to start this like within the next year. Just trying to figure out the best way to start. I have a few grand saved and just need a sure fire way to make money online immediately and I’m going. I think I’ll start with Thailand or Latin America. Only thing stopping me it’s consistent money once I leave to start my journey. I have no home. And I can liquidate EVERYTHING I own. Any suggestions??

Congrats Victor! Thailand is a fantastic place to start. Have you considered teaching English? That is how a lot of people start living abroad – you can do it in person in Thailand or online. My friend Nina has lots of resources on her website about working online, teaching English, and living abroad – I highly recommend you check her site out https://whereintheworldisnina.com/work-to-wander/

I deal with major stress that I believe has caused me extensive anxiety and major depressive disorder. I am a single 44-year old man. I have no debt and do not own a home. I do, however, have too much clutter in life–things I can sell to make plenty of cash. I have come to realize, at my age, I really do not foresee myself getting married; therefore, I see no reason to amass so much “stuff”, as when all is said and done, it might all get thrown away when I am dead and long gone. I love travelling, but have only been to a few countries. Seeing the world has been a life-long dream, but I have spent my last 23 years at a job that is just too stressful and emotionally draining. The money is good, but I recently have been pondering whether it is really worth it.

Questions: How did you get rid of your “stuff”? It sounds like you are pretty happy, but do you ever look back and wonder what could have been? Once you began your journey, where was your first stop? How did you find a place to live? So many more questions, but I will stop. Thanks.

Hi Richard, I honestly don’t wonder what could have been in regards to living a “regular” life – I have done that but just in different countries as an expat. My first stop in my nomadic life was actually the US and Canada for three months, then I went to Southeast Asia and I think that is an excellent first stop to keep costs down. I would recommend either booking an apartment through Airbnb or VRBO and maybe even negotiate a monthly rate, or book a hotel for a couple of nights then look for a place once you arrive – facebook groups are good for this. Good luck!

I hope one day this kind of life style will work out for me. I cant imagine myself ever being tied down to one place my whole life, while I’m still young at least. I’m only 15 right now so I still have a long way to go. I’m planning on going to college, and maybe doing a study abroad program for a semester or two, then pursuing a nomadic lifestyle right out of college. Do you think that’s a good idea?

Hi Sarah, I think that things are changing rapidly, even more so due to COVID, in regards to the availability of jobs that are remote so I think that by the time you are finished with college, that will be a very viable option for you. Good luck!

Thanks for sharing your view on living a nomadic life. Personally I feel that I’m at a crossroad in my life. The point where decisions need to be taken, setting out out my future path. However I’m starting to realize more and more that I don’t want to life the ‘regular’ life. It feels as a drag and it feels ‘trapped’ to me, as you mention as well. At the the same time I’m afraid to end up living a life with no true ‘purpose’.

How do you experience this as living a nomadic life, do you consider your ‘purpose’ or is it not something that occupies your mind?

Kind regards, Fry

Hi Fry, I guess my purpose is to help people live a life full of travel and to realize that it is OK to want to live a different life. Having this website is my purpose but I understand that may change and evolve. If you are someone that feels like your career is your purpose, then are you able to continue doing this remotely? That way you can have your career and also live nomadically and experience the world.

Thanks for the incredible insight it was a pleasure to hear of your travels. It’s great to see a different perspective in life and wish you well in your journeys. Thank you again for sharing your unique experience with us.

Thanks Joe, I am glad to hear you enjoyed it and I wish you well too.

I’ve been wanting to be able to live and work in other countries but I don’t know how to get past the red tape to get the documentation that a person needs. Apparently after 30yrs old you can’t get a work visa, so I don’t know how people move freely within these other places…

I have done working holiday visas in a couple of countries but these days I work online so I can work anywhere, but my main base is the US where I have a green card.

Love your comments about the Nomadic Lifestyle. So many of the pros and cons echo my experiences of two years on the road living in a VW microbus in the early 1970s. . . . though we never worried about poor internet connections. My memoir, Wherever the Road Leads, a a Memoir of Love, Travel, and a Van, is perfect for travel adicts and armchair travelers.

WHEREVER THE ROAD LEADS A wedding, a VW microbus, and two years on the road. Newlyweds (an artist and an engineer) meet the rigors of travel and the ups and downs of married life in a Volkswagen microbus that continually needs repair. Surrounded by exotic backdrops from Panama to India and beset by mechanical problems, Tom and Katie drive 40,000 miles across four continents in a world before the internet or cell phones. Everything from engine trouble to personal sanitation, from running out of funds to primitive roads, affects their journey. Will their beloved green van make it to the end of the trip? Will their relationship thrive or will it crumble under the pressure of living together 24/7 in a van?

For more information about the author and her memoir you can go to http://www.klangslattery.com .

Contact K. Lang-Slattery at: [email protected] [email protected] 949-499-2574

Beautiful article, I am a semi-retired divorcee, who now has lived the nomadic lifestyle for 2 1/2 years. Just me, my part pittbull/part bullmastiff and part rottwieller Named Ras, and our home on wheels, a 1980 Glendale motorhome. A motorhome which I have converted to being able to live full time off the grid, with a generator and solar pannels. I love the fact that all together I can live quite comfortably on less than $1000.00/mnth Canadian.Currently planning a trip across country this winter, once I finnish installing the insulation in my rig.

I spent half my life tied down to “the Normnal Lifestyle”, and now I have NO DESIRE to ever return to a stick and brick lifestyle.

That sounds fantastic! We have a small campervan but it doesn’t have a bathroom or kitchen – I would love to have a larger van or trailer one day where we can be fully self-sufficient. I hope you have an amazing winter traveling across country 🙂

Hi I’m Jake and I’m a 14 year old boy from New Zealand, and for the past few months I have been looking into this lifestyle and I think that it is the one for me (once I have finished school). I have been trying to figure out the different parts of it such as how to make money while I am out in the world traveling (I am thinking that I might vlog it and put it up on youtube). I am thinking that I want to get a university degree before I head out and travel so that I have something to fall back onto if things don’t work out well. Do you think that sounds good? Also, what is the best way for me to prepare for this while i am still young?

Hi Jake, getting a University Degree or Polytech Diploma first would be a good idea, studying something that you can take on the road with you perhaps? If you do go to University you could look into doing a semester abroad, that would be a great way to get a feel for living in another country.

That sounds like a good idea. And thanks for replying so fast lol, I’m writing a speech on it at the moment.

No problem Jake, good luck with your speech

I have been pinned down for my entire adult life with kids. On my second marriage and with teenagers still i wont see freedom till 60. I manage to travel plenty by joing the navy. But i am ready with my retirement money to just keep moving until my strength gives out. Which comes to the one questions that acares me. Is it too late to do this at 60 i have kept my self strong and health for the most part.

Julio, if you have your health, I honestly think it is never too late! There is a couple that I follow that started their nomadic journey over the age of 60, their blog is https://alisonanddon.com/ – check them out and hopefully they can inspire you even more to take the leap!

Great article. I saved for ten years to be able to live the life you’re living then started dating a woman whose career and daughter make this life impossible. It’s also just not something she wants. I am terribly torn by this situation. I feel like I’m conforming and not honoring my values. At the same time the thought of ending my relationship devastates me. Nonetheless, your comments about your own relationship were helpful. Thanks again for a great article.

Thanks for your comment Carter. I know how hard it is to be torn between love and lifestyle – that was me when I was with my ex and it is a very hard decision to make. I hope everything works out for you.

Oh boy. Exactly the same happened to me. I’ve lived in multiple countries, I’ve backpacked for months on end, and I’ve always found this lifestyle to be fantastic.

I even figured out a way to make money on the go, and could have probably gone on forever, but then…

I met a wonderful girl, and she want’s nothing of this lifestyle. She wants babies, a house, job security, close proximity to her family and all of that…

But it’s tearing me apart. My values are out the window, but she makes me “happy” in many different ways. I guess I’ve got untill babies are happening – to figure shit out. Anyway, long story short, very relateable article with FOOD FOR THOUGHT. Thanks.

Thanks Jay, that is a hard situation – I know because I was in it too. A lot of people make it work but ultimately it didn’t work out for me. I went on a one year solo trip with my then fiance meeting up with me along the way, but we ended up breaking up during that trip because we both realised we couldn’t compromise anymore. I really hope it works out for you, whichever way it goes.

I love reading posts on full-time nomadic lifestyles. It’s so inspiring! I do have a job, mortgage and kids — things you mention that make nomadic lifestyles a little harder, ha! — but still think about going semi-nomadic when my littles are a bit older. Congrats on your anniversary!

Thanks Catherine, there is definitely different levels of nomadism so you can find the lifestyle that suits you and your family best.

As someone who was just about to go and travel full time and do the whole digital nomad thing, this is a very interesting and honest read. There’s pros and cons, highs and lows but you’ve summarised your personal experience brilliantly. Thank you for sharing.

Thanks Tammy, I hope you can proceed with the Digital Nomad lifestyle once things start getting back to normal.

Whoop, whoop – congrats on your 3 year anniversary Katie!! Very admirable, but nice to hear both the pros an cons.

Hey Liz – it’s actually four years now, this was a post I wrote for my three years. Pretty crazy that it has been so long!

beautiful experience you’have shared. I never thought about being nomadic but it seems full of joy and enticement. you can do whatever you want in your life. missing family and friends for a long time.

I just want to say good luck for your life and wish you more happiness.

Thanks Monica, it is definitely not for everyone and like any lifestyle there are bad points too but it is the right lifestyle for me – at the moment at least!

It was so interesting to read this – I have what I consider a “flexible” lifestyle, in that I can work remotely when I want to which allows a lot more time for travel. However, I definitely love coming home to somewhere cozy, and I enjoy having friends and family around – plus my boyfriend’s job doesn’t allow for a truly nomadic experience! I guess I think I’ve got a nice happy medium, but I do love living vicariously through other people’s experience. Cheers, this was fun to think about!

Thanks for your comment Allyson. That sounds like a great medium, in the future I imagine my life will look more like yours – living nomadically part of the time and having a base for part of the time. I am glad you have found a lifestyle that fits you

This hits home. I’ve been living abroad for four years and these are all so true! Well written and nice read 🙂

Thanks Alexandra. I’m glad that you can relate – I know that it isn’t for everyone but for some of us, we couldn’t imagine anything else

All of this. Always eating like you’re on holiday. Worrying about money (should I be, like, paying off student loans or saving for retirement when I really just want to stockpile all the extra cash I make?). And not knowing if I can ever go back to a “normal” life. But yeah, the freedom, the happiness, and the travel – it’s WORTH IT. Can you imagine going back to the “Can I please take some time off?” life? No way.

Extra cash always equalled travel for me when I was working in a regular job so it’s so hard for me to save for anything else now haha. A life with only two weeks of vacation would be so rough after having so much freedome

Thank you for sharing! Especially the ugly. I am slowly on my way out of my 9 to 5 as I am craving to travel even more and have a less routine life. Any tips on how I should just get over the hump and just do it without all the fears?

Hi Mao, my tip would be to not overthink it. Save enough money to be able to travel cheaply for a year and give it a shot. Do you have a plan for how you are going to make money while you are traveling?

Such a wonderful post!

After being a nomad for one year soon, I share most of the thoughts that you have put on paper here. Couldn’t imagine returning to “normal” life anymore, leaving it all behind to travel the world has been probably the best decision I’ve made in my life.

All the best for you and happy travels!

Thanks Anne! I definitely think that it’s worth suffering the bad because the good is so good, congrats on nearly making it to one year!

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Writing From Nowhere

• Content Marketing Manager
• Freelance Writing
• Testimonials

What The Nomad Lifestyle Is Really Like & How To Live It

• April 4, 2021

The nomad lifestyle is seductive for those of us who easily grow apathetic to life’s routine. The excitement of chasing a never-ending horizon calls to many, but what does it really mean to live the nomad lifestyle today?

Before diving into the history of the nomad lifestyle and questions like how modern nomads pay for things, let’s first lay out the terms.

Glossary Of Terms

Before diving deep into the nomad lifestyle, let’s make sure we understand each other. Here’s a rundown of common terms you’ll see thrown around in the discussions about the nomad lifestyle:

Location independence : the state of not being anchored to a specific geographic location, usually referring to employment. A person who is location independent may simply work from home, or they may travel the world. That leads us to the next term.

Digital nomad : a person who works online and is free to travel wherever they please. A digital nomad usually lives a lifestyle with an emphasis on travel. They live what is referred to as the “ laptop lifestyle .”

Nomad lifestyle : the nomad lifestyle is centuries old, and refers to people who do not live attached to a specific geographic area.

Origins Of The Nomad Lifestyle

Although the digital nomad lifestyle seems like a recent phenomenon, it is in fact part of a much older movement.

The nomadic way of life has existed since the dawn of time . For a long time, humans wandered around in search of greener pastures for their livestock or depended on hunting and gathering for subsistence.

During medieval times, wandering groups of traders and tinkers traveled across Europe while trying to make a living selling their wares. Modern-day groups like the Romany can be seen as part of the same tradition.

Modern nomadism has strayed very far; international travel is a privilege not afforded by many. A quick glance at any pre-organized digital nomad trip will reveal this further. Many of these groups are very expensive, very white and very detached from the communities they grace.

Is the modern nomad lifestyle connected to these roots at all? Let’s examine how digital nomadism began and turned into such a well-known movement.

The Beginning Of The Digital Nomad Movement

Before the term digital nomad, and even before WiFi, there was Rob Palmer, who is perhaps the world’s first digital nomad.

He began his journey in the late 90s when the first online affiliate programs began appearing. After building a few affiliate websites, he eventually started a membership site and was able to support himself and his family online, all before the millennium.

He loaded up into the family campervan in the UK and hit the road. On their first trip, they drove to Ireland and knocked on doors, asking strangers if they had the internet; about half did at the time. Rob would make them an offer: 10 Irish pounds in exchange for one hour of internet usage.

If they said yes, the kids would pile out of the car and he would go tend to his websites for 1 hour.

This was in 1999, and while a lot has changed, Rob Palmer is still online; now at GoFreelance.com .

This information about Rob was taken from his interview on the Extra Pack Of Peanuts podcast in 2019.

The ah-ha moment that you want to leave normalcy behind and pursue the digital nomad lifestyle may feel like a strike of lightning.

If you don’t know anyone living the lifestyle, you may feel like the first ever to feel this way, or to feel so strongly. Rob’s story is a humbling reminder that those of us who hear the siren’s call aren’t idiosyncratic: we are just the latest to walk down a well-tread path.

With all that said about the backstory of the nomad lifestyle, both historic and digital, that leaves one big hanging in the air: how does one make the nomadic lifestyle their reality?

Funding The Nomad Lifestyle: How Do Nomads Make Money?

Some people will embark on their nomadic lifestyle very comfortably. They’ll set sail with a bank account comfortably digesting a big payout from selling their startup (these people are more common than you think), enjoying luxury travel while shopping for their dream yacht .

Then on the other end of the very same bar, you’ll meet grungy backpackers who will choose a cheaper hostel, meal or bus ride even if it saves them just $1.

You’ll meet people from all walks of life while you travel, which is one of the great gifts that the nomad lifestyle gives us. For this conversation, let’s zoom in on the budget folks and the 4 more mainstream forms of funding your modern nomad lifestyle.

Option 1: Coasting On Savings

At the beginning of my digital nomad lifestyle in 2017, I met a man in Guatemala who had spent his 20s building a very successful business and then sold it in his early 30s along with everything he owned. He set off on years of the nomad lifestyle on his motorcycle.

At the beginning of my own journey, this sounded extraordinary and unique. But after time treading the same road, you meet people with this trajectory surprisingly often. This path to the nomad lifestyle is not uncommon at all.

It’s not unlike the F.I.R.E. movements, which stands for financial independence / retire early. Many people pursuing fire will dedicate their 20s or 30s to F.I.R.E. and then retire before even having kids.

One of my personal business role models spent 4 years saving for his nomad lifestyle. If that sounds intense, that’s because, frankly, it is: he bought a sailboat and left his land life behind. His savings didn’t last forever, but it did launch his journey (and ultimately his business) sailing around the world.

I’m referring to Brian Trautman, one of the sailors behind the famous YouTube channel Sailing SV Delos .

This option for funding the nomad lifestyle is unsustainable in the truest sense of the word: it can’t be sustained forever. It would take an immense amount of savings to live this way for years.

People who choose to save up money and travel long-term and pursuing more of a travel lifestyle than a truly nomadic lifestyle.

Option 2: Reducing The Need For Income As Much As Possible

One common way that backpackers and travelers living the nomad lifestyle minimize costs as much as possible is by leveraging agorism.

Agorism is defined a “a social philosophy that advocates creating a society in which all relations between people are voluntary exchanges by means of counter-economics.” ( source )

Hitchhiking instead of taking a bus, working in exchange for room and board and volunteering on a farm in exchange for meals are all examples of agorism. Let’s see how these play out on the road in the nomad lifestyle.

Minimizing Transportation Costs

Most of these ways of reducing transportation costs revolve around slow travel, which always makes for better travel anyway.

In the air, your best way to minimize transportation costs is to hack frequent flyer miles to squeeze out super cheap flights. I’m talking international flights as cheap as $10 sometimes.

But, given that the aviation industry is a substantial contributor to global warming , nomads likely avoid flying unless it’s unavoidable. With enough time to slow travel, it’s almost always avoidable.

You don’t need to have a boat to travel by one. It’s possible to arrange cheap or free travel by boat in exchange for working as crew .

I’ve never personally met anyone who had stories of crewing ships with strangers and crossing oceans together, but it’s not as uncommon as it sounds. Personally, this is on my bucket list.

On land, free travel is more accessible. While not always legal, safe or smart, some nomads occasionally propellor forward via ridesharing, hitchhiking or train-hopping.

Then, there’s manual transportation, such as walking, cycling, etc.

This may sound unrealistic, but before you shrug your shoulders, dive into one of these amazing stories of traveling the world via elbow grease as your fuel:

• The adventure of Göran Kropp, a man who journeyed from his home in Sweden manually all the way to the highest point on Earth: Mount Everest. You can read about it in his memoir Ultimate High: My Everest Odyssey
• The unexpected journey across the Pacific Ocean by Torre DeRoche, a young Australian woman who lets a steamy love affair take her across the ocean in a sailboat. One of my favorite travel memoirs of all time, be prepared to chuckle out loud reading Love With A Chance Of Drowning
• If cycling and sailing are too fast-paced, what about a journey that’s “just a walk?” You can draw inspiration from Ffyona Campbell’s story of walking across Africa in the early 90s. Disclaimer, Campbell has fallen under criticism for having lied about parts of her other journey walking across the US, but it’s still a book to stir your imagination: On Foot Through Africa

Manual forms of transportation such as these are, of course, never free. There’s a large upfront buy-in and maintenance costs, but those vary.

Minimizing Accommodation Costs

No nomad stays in hotels every night, and most don’t always rely on renting apartments, either. There’s a lot of options in between that you might not think of.

Free Camping

Many countries have government-held space that allows for free camping, such as Canada’s crown land and the US’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM land) and so on.

Sponsored Trips

This requires an audience that you can use as leverage. This is most common for travel bloggers and influencers; anyone with their own brand .

Couch Surfing

This concept has been around for a long time, and has been formalized by websites dedicated to this very exchange.

Work Exchanges For Accommodation

In 2017, I volunteered at a hostel on an island in the Mexican Caribbean in exchange for room and board. Finding these arrangements doesn’t have to hard. You can do either do it in-person or on platforms such as Workaway.

Option 3: Your Own Online Business

This is the absolute best way to make money as a nomad.

The spirit of nomading is being free. The ultimate form of freedom is being able to make money from anywhere in the world, whenever you want to, however you want to.

The income solution most in-line with the nomad lifestyle is having your own online business. It’s not only the most aligned solution, but there’s also never been a better time than now.

There are lower financial buy-ins, more online resources and more robust online industries than ever before.

On top of just making sense financially, it’s also a growth opportunity to discover how exactly you want to show up in the world and what you want to contribute.

Some aspects of the online business career path pose risks, but the benefits far outweigh them

3 Big Drawbacks Of the Nomad Lifestyle

Every decision has consequences, including this one. Even if the nomad lifestyle is your dream, it won’t be without compromises.

1. You’ll Have To Constantly Rebalance

What brought you abundance and satisfaction the first 6 months of your nomad lifestyle won’t work forever. You’ll have to rebalance constantly to

There are some questions you’ll never stop asking yourself:

• Where am I finding fulfillment?
• In what ways and I making meaningful contributions to the world right now?
• Where are my current habits and patterns leading me?

This is particularly challenging for digital nomads , where you carry your work with you everywhere you go. Balance, mental wellness and fulfillment are almost guaranteed to be harder victories to win.

2. You’ll Miss Major Milestones (Both For Yourself, And For Friends)

Like we covered earlier, not everyone living the nomad lifestyle will be broke. But, having unlimited funds is not the norm, so I’m going to assume that you will have to watch your money too.

That affects your ability to travel home for every baby shower, wedding and surgery. Likewise, when it comes your time for such life events, you may very well be financially inflexible.

Big weddings will need savings to fund, and relationships are difficult to maintain after missing years of milestones, nights at the bar and, breakups, and so on.

3. Most People Won’t Understand Why You’re Living The Nomadic Lifestyle

If you feel out of place in the pond you’re currently swimming in, this may not sound concerning. But living without community isn’t realistic forever. Finding other people who understand why you live the way you live will be a great resource, a source of companionship and provide an emotional shelter if the people already in your life reject your change from the norm.

Nomad Lifestyle Summary

Modern nomads have a lot to learn from the origins of the nomadic lifestyle.

There’s a clear and imminent takeaway from this understanding of the nomad lifestyle for modern nomads: the core of the modern nomad lifestyle *must* be ethical tourism .

If you’re going to pursue the nomad lifestyle for yourself, make an honest attempt to be a sustainable traveler and actively minimize harm to the human and ecological communities you visit.

4 Comments on What The Nomad Lifestyle Is Really Like & How To Live It

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thank you for this page. i will order your book. Keep in touch

So nice of you to share Paul! I really hope my book helps you 🙂

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Nomads and the search for meaning: a philosophical exploration.

There’s a profound beauty in the life of a nomad. A life that’s freed from the shackles of permanence, where the journey is as important, if not more, than the destination.

But what drives a nomad? What is the search for meaning in their unanchored existence?

Is it simply wanderlust, or is there a deeper philosophical underpinning to their way of life?

In this exploration, we’ll delve into the psyche of the nomad. We’ll try to understand what motivates them, what they seek and how their philosophy can teach us about our own search for meaning.

So, come with me as we embark on this journey. Let’s unravel the philosophical musings that lie at the heart of the nomadic lifestyle.

1) Embracing impermanence

In the fixed, predictable patterns of life, we often find comfort. We like to know what’s coming next, and we build our lives around routines and consistency.

But for a nomad, impermanence is the only constant.

From shifting landscapes to transient relationships, a nomad’s life is a testament to the beauty of fleeting moments. They embrace change, not just as an inevitable part of life, but as the very essence of existence.

This philosophy is a stark contrast to our societal norm of clinging to stability. Yet, there’s a profound wisdom in it. It teaches us about the transient nature of life and pushes us to live in the moment.

In our quest for meaning, perhaps we too can learn from the nomad’s philosophy. We can learn to let go of our fear of change and embrace the unpredictable journey that is life.

But remember, this doesn’t mean we should all abandon our homes and become nomads. It’s about adopting a mindset of adaptability and appreciating the fleeting beauty of every moment.

After all, isn’t life itself a journey?

2) The value of minimalism

As a teenager, I was consumed by the desire to own the latest gadgets, the trendiest clothes, and all the things that were deemed ‘cool’. It was a mad scramble to acquire more and more.

Then I met Tom, a modern-day nomad.

Tom owned nothing more than what fit in his backpack. Yet, he seemed happier and more content than most people I knew. This was my first encounter with the nomadic philosophy of minimalism.

Minimalism isn’t about deprivation. It’s about valuing experiences over possessions. It’s about realizing that the best things in life aren’t things at all.

Living with less meant that Tom was free from the burdens of maintaining and worrying about possessions. It meant he had more time and energy for experiences, relationships, and the pursuit of his passions.

This encounter with Tom altered my own perspective on possessions and their role in my life. I realized that accumulating stuff was not synonymous with happiness or fulfillment.

Today, while I may not be a nomad living out of a backpack, I’ve embraced a more minimalist lifestyle. I try to focus on experiences over possessions, and it’s enriched my life in ways I’d never imagined.

Through this lens of minimalism, we can perhaps gain a fresh perspective on our own search for meaning. Is it possible that we too are weighed down by our possessions? Can simplifying our lives bring us closer to finding true happiness?

3) Freedom through detachment

In the Bhagavad Gita, one of the holy scriptures of Hinduism, Lord Krishna speaks about the philosophy of Nishkama Karma, or desireless action. This philosophy advocates for performing one’s duty without attachment to the fruits of their actions.

For a nomad, this philosophy is a way of life.

Detached from material possessions, societal expectations, and even geographical ties, nomads embody the essence of freedom. They aren’t bound by the outcomes of their actions or decisions. They simply live in the present and take each day as it comes.

This detachment doesn’t imply indifference. Instead, it’s a conscious choice to remain unaffected by external circumstances, ensuring their inner peace remains undisturbed.

In our own search for meaning, perhaps there’s a lesson to be learned from the nomadic practice of detachment . Could letting go of our attachment to outcomes lead us to a more liberated and satisfying existence?

4) Connection with nature

Nomads have a unique and profound connection with nature. Their lifestyle is intricately woven into the rhythms of the natural world – the changing seasons, the shifting tides, the migration of animals.

Being constantly on the move, they experience nature in its rawest form. This constant exposure fosters a deep respect and understanding of the environment.

The nomadic way of life teaches us to value our natural surroundings, reminding us that we are a part of the ecosystem, not separate from it. It encourages us to live in harmony with nature, rather than trying to conquer or control it.

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In a world where we are increasingly disconnected from our natural environment, this aspect of nomadic philosophy holds special relevance. Perhaps our search for meaning could benefit from a deeper connection with the world around us. How might our lives change if we aligned ourselves more closely with nature’s rhythms?

5) The power of community

Nomadic tribes across the world, despite their varying cultures and traditions, share a common value – the importance of community. These tribes often travel in groups, depending on each other for survival.

In a nomadic society, every member plays a vital role. There’s a deep sense of belonging and interdependence. Individual success is not as important as the well-being of the entire group.

This sense of community extends beyond human interaction. Nomads often view themselves as part of a larger ecosystem, respecting all forms of life and understanding their place within it.

In our often individual-centric societies, this nomadic principle can offer a fresh perspective. Could fostering a stronger sense of community bring greater meaning and fulfillment to our lives? Is there wisdom to be found in prioritizing collective well-being over individual success?

6) The beauty of solitude

In the heart of a nomad’s journey, there lies solitude. It’s not about loneliness, but about finding comfort within oneself amidst the vast expanse of nature.

Solitude offers a chance for reflection, for introspection, for self-discovery. It’s in these quiet moments that a nomad truly connects with their inner self and finds peace.

This solitude doesn’t come with isolation. It comes with an understanding of one’s place in the world and a deep connection to the universe.

In our fast-paced, always-connected world, we rarely get the chance to truly be alone with our thoughts. The nomadic philosophy reminds us of the importance of solitude in understanding ourselves and finding our purpose.

Perhaps, in our search for meaning, we need to carve out spaces for solitude. Maybe it’s time to slow down, disconnect from the noise, and truly listen to what our inner self has to say.

7) The courage to explore

Exploring the unknown has always been a challenge for me. Venturing into unfamiliar territory, be it a new city or a new career path, often filled me with apprehension.

But then, I reflected on the nomadic spirit.

The nomad’s life is one of perpetual exploration. They don’t fear the unknown; they embrace it. They see each new journey as an opportunity for growth and learning.

This courageous exploration isn’t limited to geographical boundaries. It extends to their approach towards life, their openness to new ideas and experiences, their willingness to step out of their comfort zones.

This nomadic trait made me reconsider my own fears. I realized that exploration isn’t just about discovering new places or things; it’s about discovering oneself.

As we navigate our own quest for meaning, the courage to explore – both externally and internally – can be a powerful guide. Can we find the bravery within ourselves to step into the unknown and see where it takes us?

8) Embracing diversity

As nomads traverse different landscapes, they encounter various cultures, customs, and people along their journey. This exposure to diversity cultivates a sense of acceptance and broadens their perspective.

Nomads learn to appreciate the differences that make each culture unique without losing their own identity. They understand that diversity is not a threat but an enriching experience that fosters mutual respect and understanding.

This acceptance and celebration of diversity can be a guiding principle in our own search for meaning. In a world where division and prejudice often overshadow unity, can embracing diversity lead to a more enriched and empathetic existence?

9) Living authentically

The nomadic lifestyle is a testament to authenticity. Nomads live their truth, guided by their instincts and passions rather than societal norms or expectations.

They don’t conform for the sake of fitting in; they embrace who they are and live life on their own terms. This authenticity translates into a life lived fully, deeply, and meaningfully.

In our quest for meaning, living authentically – being true to ourselves, honoring our passions, and living in alignment with our values – might be the most significant lesson we can learn from the nomads.

Final thoughts: A nomadic perspective

The life of a nomad is a testament to the power of adaptability, the beauty of simplicity, and the freedom that comes from detachment. It’s a life that values experiences over possessions, community over individualism, and authenticity over conformity.

As we navigate our own quests for meaning, these principles can serve as guiding lights. They challenge us to question our societal norms, reevaluate our priorities, and rethink our definitions of success and fulfillment.

The nomadic philosophy doesn’t dictate a singular path to meaning. Instead, it presents a perspective, an approach towards life that encourages exploration, embraces diversity, and fosters a deep connection with ourselves and the world around us.

Whether you’re standing still or traversing the globe, the essence of the nomadic spirit can find a home within us all. It’s not about where you are; it’s about who you are and how you choose to live.

As we part ways on this exploration, I leave you with a quote from the acclaimed writer and lifelong traveler, Pico Iyer: “We travel, initially, to lose ourselves; and we travel, next to find ourselves.”

Reflect on this. Who are you? And how is your journey shaping you?

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The New Nomads of #VanLife Reflect an Enduring Divide

A distinctly American restlessness is inspiring some to abandon the idea of a permanent home, while others are displaced by harsh realities.

In 2017, 40 million Americans packed their bags and moved house. Although this figure sounds high, it is only a fraction of what it was seventy years ago. In 1946, one in five Americans moved during the year; now that figure is more like one in nine.

The idea of the quest, of seeking reinvention, of escaping persecution or fleeing poverty has been the subject of essays and novels since Europeans began colonizing America. As far back as 1893, Frederick Jackson Turner penned his essay “The Significance of the Frontier in American History.” According to Turner, those heading West in search of land, freedom, and the promise of a better life were “ restless ” and full of “nervous energy.”

Twentieth Century American Restlessness

The fifty years between 1910 and 1960 saw the U.S.’s largest internal migration. Nine million Americans left the South in an effort to escape racial oppression, low wages, and crops devastated by the boll weevil. An article by the late historian Jack Temple Kirby in the Journal of Southern History points out that over a third of the entire population of the South migrated north and west during the “Southern Exodus.”

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But migration has not always occurred out of a practical necessity. The historians Patricia Kelly Hall and Steven Ruggles, writing in the Journal of American History , make the case that migration can be interpreted as a signifier of American-ness. Their essay ‘“Restless in the Midst of Their Prosperity” takes its title from Alexis de Tocqueville’s Democracy in America (1835), an important early text that identified migration as being absolutely integral to the American character .

For many of us, the most vivid images of American migration were created between 1935 and 1943. Dusty barren landscapes, derelict homesteads, and the gaunt faces of laborers were captured by photographers—like Dorothea Lange, Gordon Parks, and Walker Evans—who were sent by Franklin D. Roosevelt to document migrant workers during the Great Depression. The mission of Roosevelt’s Farm Security Administration was to bring the country’s attention to “rural poverty, especially that of the most destitute portion of the farm population—people displaced by mechanization, drought, and the unintended consequences of the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1933, which… forced many small farmers, renters, and share-croppers off the land,” as the photographer and scholar David Wharton wrote in the New Encyclopedia of Southern Culture .

Literary Views of Migration

Like the photographers of the Farm Security Administration, John Steinbeck created an equally enduring portrait of Depression-era migration with his novel The Grapes of Wrath (1939). Via the fictional Joad family, who travelled to California from Oklahoma’s Dust Bowl in search of work, Steinbeck portrayed the gruelling reality of itinerant laborers—and the fragility of their hardscrabble existence. The book became, according to one critic , “a cultural phenomenon of important dimensions.” So important, in fact, that The Grapes of Wrath was banned in Kern County, California—the Joads’ final destination.

For Depression-era migrants, wandering was a way of seeking better fortune. For the Beat generation of the 1950s and 60s, however, wandering took on a spiritual dimension, as artists like Allen Ginsberg and Gary Snyder saw themselves as seekers of truth. The movement’s most famous incarnation, Jack Kerouac’s On The Road (1957), “transformed a time into a period,” writes the poet and scholar J. T. Bararese in The Sewanee Review . Kerouac’s novel “turned a particular national habit of mind—in our case, our American rootlessness—into an emblem of national consciousness.”

Five years after Kerouac’s On The Road , Steinbeck published his own iconic road book Travels with Charley: In Search of America (1962). Driving across the United States with his French poodle Charley, Steinbeck, using those familiar words, described the “restlessness and rootlessness” of his fellow Americans, as noted by the scholar Barbara Reitt in the Southwest Review .

Along with the artists and photographers, writers and visionaries, the subject of migration has been documented in government surveys. A year after the publication of Travels with Charley , the U.S. Census Bureau rolled out a questionnaire about the migration patterns of those living in the United States. What might seem odd to us today—at a time when real estate prices keep low- or middle-income earners out of cities like New York, San Francisco, or Seattle—is the fact that the 1963 survey was the first to mention housing as a reason for relocating. In the following decade Americans listed many more reasons for moving house: They were wealthier and more physically and economically mobile—and perhaps a bit more hopeful—than previous generations. People were moving not just because they had to, but because they wanted to.

Surveys from the 1970s saw the first mention of retirement as a reason for someone’s choice to move. While this might conjure images of suntanned retirees playing tennis or reading chunky novels by the pool, the reality today of those whose working lives have ended or are drawing to a close is far from this idyll. After the 2008 financial crisis, many Americans lost houses, jobs, health insurance, and pensions. Many over the age of sixty simply can’t afford to retire, leading to a new kind of nomad.

On CamperForce and #VanLife

The journalist Jessica Bruder book Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century (2017) takes a closer look at the new migratory demographic. Bruder follows retirees living in RVs, cars, and vans who are pulling ten-hour shifts in Amazon storage facilities and fulfillment centers. They move from one seasonal job to the next, most often as Amazon CamperForce employees—a job without age restrictions. The timing of the CamperForce program is telling: It began in 2008, just as evictions and foreclosures were spreading like wildfire across the country.

Bruder’s subjects describe the exhaustion, the physical demands of walking for miles on concrete floors, the toll of boredom, and repetitive strain injuries—all for fifteen dollars an hour. Yet many of these Amazon CamperForce workers, in what can only be described as making the best of a difficult situation, talk fondly of their nomadism: How it allows them a chance to see the country and provides a camaraderie with other working septuagenarians. According to Bruder, nearly one in five Americans over the age of sixty-five is working—almost double the number from 1986.

Alongside the CamperForce workers whose nomadic lives are the direct result of economic factors outside their control, another, younger demographic of nomads is emerging. These are the twenty- and thirty-somethings who have replaced the search for seasonal work with the act of transforming their lives into a year-round sellable product. Like so many contemporary social movements, the new digital nomadism has spawned an industry and a hashtag.

Enter #vanlife, a term first used by Foster Huntington, a designer who, in 2011, ditched his job in New York and moved into a 1987 Volkswagen Syncro. By documenting his surfer life on the coast of California, Huntington chalked up more than a million viewers on Instagram and coined another catchy hashtag: #homeiswhereyouparkit.

This is not the stuff of ten-hour day shifts in airless Amazon fulfillment centers, followed by evenings nursing bad knees. Nor is it an attempt to flee failed crops and starvation. It is the hashtag for an aspirational lifestyle centering yoga, steaming cups of coffee, campfires, cute dogs, acoustic guitars, and retro-tinted photos of vintage campervans parked on deserted beaches. A quick glance on Instagram will take you to variations of #vanlife. There is #breakawaytribe, #furryvanlifers, #thevannation, and dozens more.

In a 2017 article in the New Yorker , the journalist Rachel Monroe writes: “‘vanlife’ is… a one-word life-style signifier that has come to evoke a number of contemporary trends: a renewed interest in the American road trip, a culture of hippie-inflected outdoorsiness, and a life free from the tyranny of a nine-to-five office job.” The young couple profiled in her piece, Emily King and Corey Smith, have turned their wandering into a product, or what they call a “project,” and have given it a name: Where’s My Office Now? They fund their nomadic lifestyle with sponsorships: Their first one was for an automotive parts shop called GoWesty. In exchange for social media mentions, King and Smith get discounts on repairs for their van. Then came sponsorships from the water bottle company Hydro Flask, from Kettle Brand potato chips, from Clif Bars, from Synergy Organic Clothing, and from the tourism board of Saskatchewan, in Canada.

The Restless Uncertain Future

How different these digital nomads are from the Joad family—and from the itinerant laborers photographed by Lange in their threadbare cotton dresses, clutching their hungry children. The #vanlifers bring another element to migration: Choice. They aren’t forced to live in a van; they want to. They also add a somewhat postmodern twist by capitalizing on the very things that preyed on Depression-era migrant laborers: Their nomadism is not desperate, but romantic; their uncertainty is framed as freedom; and their unorthodox lifestyle is transformed into a marketable brand.

It is easy to be cynical about a life lived online and advertised with Instagram-worthy photos, but these new digital nomads are also dealing with an added existential threat: Climate uncertainty. At the heart of the new nomadism is a sense that a fluid and flexible life might be more able to withstand the coming storms, both environmental and economic.

Maybe, when all around us feels so unsettled, movement goes some way to quell the anxiety. Maybe with environmental issues becoming more of a presence in our lives, with job insecurity more prevalent, and sky-rocketing rents becoming the norm, the idea of staying in one place feels like something from a bygone era. Maybe chasing dollars, good weather, and dreams—whatever form they may take—will soon become more of a necessity than a choice. The reasons behind this American restlessness have changed over time, but one thing is certain: The rootless American is here to stay.

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• Thomas Shacklock
• Apr 18, 2023

Nomadic Lives Series: Threats to Nomadic People in Focus

Author: Thomas Shacklock

April 18, 2023

Nomadic communities face discrimination, stigmatisation, and persecution worldwide, while the nomadic way of life is structurally and normatively marginalised in multiple contexts. The experiences of nomadic Gypsies, Roma and Travellers in Europe differ from those of Fulani, Tutsi, Maasai, and other traditionally nomadic pastoralists across Africa. Yet, from insecure countries like Nigeria to peaceful developed states like the United Kingdom, nomadic people face violence, hostile laws and policies, hate speech, and structural challenges. This article opens HRRC’s Nomadic Lives Series , which invites contributions exploring these human rights struggles from the perspectives of nomadic communities and with a view to challenging societal norms affecting the communities.

Introduction

Nomadism is an ancient way of life. However, nomadic populations face hostilities globally. Though certain nomadic people have held powerful roles in various societies throughout history , anti-nomadic prejudices prevail today. Nomadism is structurally and normatively marginalised in societies that respect the superiority of property rights and nation-state boundaries. The nomadic way of life challenges norms that have historically conditioned rights entitlements on people settling in a territory with some certainty in many contexts. Despite some efforts to enshrine and protect the rights of nomadic communities in different societies, the precariousness of these rights has recently been highlighted in the United Kingdom (UK). In 2022, the UK parliament passed a new law, the Policing Act, posing a new threat to the traditionally nomadic Gypsy, Roma and Traveller (GRT) community.

The Policing Act includes measures criminalising trespass and “unauthorised encampments” along with other measures that have been widely considered draconian, including attacks on protest rights. The ruling Conservative party included these measures as manifesto pledges during the 2019 elections, albeit overlooked in national debates at the time. Hence, Parliament’s upper house, the House of Lords, could not reject these measures, since it is prevented from opposing government bills mentioned in manifestos. The law threatens nomadic GRT people as private landowners can interpret their movements as amounting to trespass, which had only ever been a civil matter. Furthermore, GRT vehicles can be classed as “unauthorised encampments,” which refers to people occupying land without permission. Moreover, the law represents an attack on the GRT community’s nomadic culture , identity, and enshrined rights.

Securitised Communities

The implications of the UK’s anti-nomadic law are specific to a European context. Yet, its socio-political undertones display similarities with legislation passed in an entirely different context. In Nigeria, a country experiencing extreme insecurity, certain states in the country’s Middle Belt and southern regions have passed anti-grazing laws targeting nomadic pastoralists (or herders). These laws have been passed in response to ongoing " farmer-herder " conflicts between mainly Muslim Fulani pastoralists and mainly Christian settled farmers. Across Africa, farmer-herder violence can be triggered by frustrations over various issues. For example, herders’ cattle may trample over farmers’ crops during transhumance (cattle migration). Such incidents are not intentionally malicious but reflect the structural challenges affecting many communities, notably environmental degradation. These challenges, combined with ethnic marginalisation, have driven Fulani militias to resort to particularly extreme violence in Nigeria.

Though the situations in Britain and Nigeria are overall incomparable, they both exemplify the underlying dynamics of anti-nomadism. Whether in peaceful contexts like Britain or contexts of extreme insecurity like Nigeria, anti-nomadic laws have been presented as solutions to some form of perceived or real conflict between settled (or “sedentary”) and nomadic communities. Even in countries like Nigeria, where farmers suffer from violence, the dynamics of such intercommunity tensions tend to normatively favour settled communities over nomadic people, who are often portrayed collectively as threats. The UK Conservatives’ proposals came in response to intolerance towards GRT people among settled communities, who often complain about the presence of Travellers. Former Home Secretary (interior minister) Priti Patel claimed the measures would “ protect ” communities. Politicians and media outlets frequently reinforce unevidenced associations of GRT people with criminality and disorder.

Demonisation with Consequences

Nigerian media outlets and Western Christian organisations report on Fulani-related violence in ways that reinforce stereotypes of the “ nomad savage .” Nigeria’s violence has been explained through conspiracy theories about an “ Islamisation ” or “jihadisation” agenda. When the government of outgoing president Muhammadu Buhari, himself a Fulani, suggested establishing designated grazing spaces to prevent farmer-herder clashes, Middle Belt leaders rejected the idea as a "Fulanisation" policy. Pastoralists face similar suspicions across Africa. In Democratic Republic of Congo, traditionally pastoralist Tutsi groups have faced persecution and attacks on their nationality and have been implicated in a conspiracy theory accusing neighbouring Rwanda of “ balkanising ” the country. This theory is rooted in the colonial-era Hamitic Hypothesis that constructed pastoralists as “invaders” and contributed to the 1994 genocide of the Tutsi in Rwanda.

Closer comparisons can be drawn between European and more peaceful African countries as well as various other contexts. Ghana has run campaigns labelled “ Operation Cow Leg ” expelling Fulani herders in reaction to farmer-herder tensions . Similarly, in 2010, France came under scrutiny for deporting large numbers of Roma from Romania and Bulgaria, grouping them with " illegal immigrants ". In Britain, local-level evictions targeting GRT people can be violent . In Tanzania, Maasai pastoralists have faced local-level evictions from their homelands for conservation purposes. In Israel/Palestine, the experience of evictions among semi-nomadic Bedouins intersects with the broader dispossession of Palestinians. The belief that nomadic people do not belong to territories renders their expulsion by states an acceptable form of treatment, even without passing explicitly anti-nomadic laws. Such laws explicitly banished Gypsies and Roma from countries in early modern Europe, including England in 1530.

Persecution from the Past in the Present

British police have demonstrated an understanding of the dangers of criminalising unauthorised encampments. Most officers oppose their new powers and call for more official encampment sites instead. Nevertheless, though only a small percentage of encampments are usually unauthorised, site shortages could force many GRT people onto the wrong side of the law, threatening them with jail and having their vehicles seized or destroyed. Prosecution also risks causing family separations, which would be reminiscent of the “ Tinker Experiment '' (1940-80), an assimilationist sedentarisation programme that targeted GRT people in Scotland and entailed family separations. Furthermore, the existential fears the Policing Act raises culturally evoke memories of various genocidal processes targeting Europe’s Roma throughout history . Such processes have ranged from forced sterilisation and sedentarisation in multiple countries to the extermination of the Roma in the Holocaust (Porrajmos).

Human Rights Research Center is welcoming contributions to discuss research and policies addressing the rights and experiences of nomadic people in different contexts for its Nomadic Lives Series . The needs, challenges, and threats facing different nomadic communities worldwide vary significantly. Yet, all contexts demonstrate the need to rethink norms and structures in approaches to tackling the marginalisation of nomadic people and attacks on their rights. States need to better accommodate nomadism structurally. Meanwhile, prejudices need to be tackled within settled communities to build acceptance of nomadic people and tackle perceptions of nomadism as territorial encroachment. The Nomadic Lives Series seeks to explore these issues from the perspective of nomadic communities and with the approach of challenging norms placed at the heart of the conversation.

Glossary of terms

Assimilation: The cultural absorption of a minority group into the main cultural body. [Source: Collins Online Dictionary ]

Climate Change: Long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns. [Source: United Nations ]

Conspiracy Theory: A belief that an event or situation is the result of a secret plan made by powerful people. [Source: Cambridge Dictionary online ]

Conservation: The protection of plants and animals, natural areas, and interesting and important structures and buildings, especially from the damaging effects of human activity. [Source: Cambridge Dictionary online ]

Deportation: To force someone to leave a country, especially someone who has no legal right to be there or who has broken the law. [Source: Cambridge Dictionary online ]

Dispossession: The fact of having property, especially buildings or land, taken away from you, or the act of taking property away from a person or group. [Source: Cambridge Dictionary online ]

Draconian: Draconian laws, government actions, etc. are extremely severe, or go further than what is right or necessary. [Source: Cambridge Dictionary online ]

Encampment: A group of tents or other shelters in a particular place, especially when they are used by soldiers, refugees, or Gypsies. [Source: Collins Online Dictionary ]

Encroach: To enter by gradual steps or by stealth into the possessions or rights of another. [Source: Merriam-Webster Dictionary online ]

Enshrine: If something such as an idea or a right is enshrined in something such as a constitution or law, it is protected by it. [Source: Collins Online Dictionary ]

Environmental Degradation: A process through which the natural environment is compromised in some way, reducing biological diversity and the general health of the environment. [Source: European Environment Information and Observation Network ]

Eviction: The act or process of officially forcing someone to leave a house or piece of land. [Source: Collins Online Dictionary ]

Expulsion: The act of forcing someone, or being forced, to leave a school, organisation, or country. [Source: Cambridge Dictionary online ]

Farmer: A person who farms; person who operates a farm or cultivates land. [Source: Collins Online Dictionary ]

Genocide: An internationally recognised crime where acts are committed with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group. [Source: US Holocaust Memorial Museum ]

Grazing: Land where farm animals feed on grass. [Source: Cambridge Dictionary online ]

GRT Community: Gypsies, Roma and Travellers are often categorised together under the “Roma” definition in Europe and under the acronym “GRT” in Britain. [Source: Traveller Movement ]

Gypsy: The term Gypsy comes from “Egyptian” which is what the settled population perceived them to be because of their dark complexion.* In reality, linguistic analysis of the Romani language proves that Romany Gypsies, like the European Roma, originally came from Northern India, probably around the 12th century. [Source: Traveller Movement ]

Gypsies, Roma and Travellers: The umbrella term ‘Gypsies, Roma and Travellers’ includes many different and distinct groups. For example, Irish Travellers, Scottish Gypsy/Travellers and Romani people who are recognised ethnic groups. In addition, this can include New Travellers, Showpeople and Boaters who are often included under this umbrella term because they practise nomadism. [Source: Friends, Families and Travellers ]

Herder: A person who takes care of a large group of animals of the same type. [Source: Cambridge Dictionary online ]

Immigrant: A person who has come to live in a country from some other country. [Source: Collins Online Dictionary ]

Malicious: Having or showing a desire to cause harm to someone. [Source: Merriam-Webster Dictionary online ]

Marginalisation: The act of treating someone or something as if they are not important. [Source: Cambridge Dictionary online ]

Middle Belt: A long belt region stretching across central Nigeria between the country’s northern and southern regions.

Militia: An organisation that operates like an army but whose members are not professional soldiers. [Source: Collins Online Dictionary ]

Nomadic: Moving from one place to another rather than living in one place all of the time. [Source: Cambridge Dictionary online ]

Norm: An accepted standard or a way of behaving or doing things that most people agree with. [Source: Cambridge Dictionary online ]

Normative: Of or pertaining to a norm, esp. an assumed norm regarded as the standard of correctness in behaviour, speech, writing, etc. [Source: Collins Online Dictionary ]

Porrajmos: Also know as Baro Porrajmos (Great Devouring), this is the term used to refer to the Roma genocide during the Holocaust. [Source: Open Society Foundation ]

Pastoralist: A person who raises livestock, esp. a nomadic herder. [Source: Collins Online Dictionary ]

Persecution: Cruel and unfair treatment of a person or group, especially because of their religious or political beliefs, or their race. [Source: Collins Online Dictionary ]

Property rights: The rights of people and companies to own and use land, capital, etc. and to receive a profit from it. [Source: Cambridge Dictionary online ]

Roma: The umbrella-term ‘Roma’ encompasses diverse groups, including Roma, Sinti, Kale, Romanichels, Boyash/Rudari, Ashkali, Egyptians, Yenish, Dom, Lom, Rom and Abdal, as well as Traveller populations (gens du voyage, Gypsies, Camminanti, etc.). [Source: European Commission ]

Sedentary: Not migratory (settled). [Source: Merriam-Webster Dictionary online ]

Transhumance: The seasonal migration of livestock to suitable grazing grounds. [Source: Collins Online Dictionary ]

*NB: ‘Gypsy’ is sometimes seen as offensive or as a racial slur. However, there are several Romani groups in Europe who have claimed this word and use it with pride. [Source: Friends, Families and Travellers ]

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Nomads in a Wider Society

Nomadism is found mostly in marginal areas which support only relatively sparse populations, particularly in the arid and semi-arid regions of Africa and Asia. It is a traditional form of society that allows the mobility and flexibility necessary for relatively even use of vegetation over large areas of low quality rangeland. It also facilitates more social interaction than would be possible among people living in small scattered settlements. Since nomads cope successfully with both social and ecological problems in areas where other people don't want to live, their way of life deserves careful attention. Nomadism involves ways of thinking about space and people which may be important for successful economic development in marginal areas.

The Baluchistan Case

Baluchistan is a sparsely populated area comprising some 350,000 km² of western Pakistan and a further 400,000 km² in southeastern Iran and southwestern Afghanistan. It is probably the poorest and least developed area of each of the three countries. In Pakistan it comprises 44% of the country, but its population is less than 5 % of the national total. These figures - combined with the fact that it is largely barren mountain and desert, has no large rivers or other economically significant renewable natural resources, suffers from severe climatic extremes, and is populated by tribes which are culturally and linguistically distinct from the rest of Pakistan - are largely responsible for its past failure to attract development.

This situation has changed since the Russian move into Afghanistan. Pakistani Baluchistan has become a focus of attention for a number of bilateral and international agencies, as well as the Government of Pakistan. Unfortunately, project design is still in most respects conventional and unimaginative. Now the nomads of Baluchistan are likely to suffer more from development than they did from neglect, since the new effort is mostly focused (as it would be in more densely populated areas) on irrigation - albeit small-scale - in the scattered settled communities. This strategy will further disrupt the economic, social, and political balance between the pastoral and agricultural, the nomadic and settled sectors of the society - which has already been disturbed by the combined effects of national policies and outside economic forces. While development also originates from the outside, its effects can be more controlled and constructive. Unfortunately, the idea of supporting nomadic activity offends the professional conscience of the applied ecologists, agricultural economists, and national politicians who dominate development thinking. In the case of Baluchistan this professional position may lead to unfortunate results.

The role of nomads in Baluchistan is similar to that of nomads in other parts of the Middle East. Only 1.2 million ha. of Baluchistan are cultivated annually. Investment in irrigation will probably be more effective in improving the quality of this cultivation than in increasing the proportion of cultivated to noncultivated land in the province as a whole. Uncultivated land is considered rangeland, but it is mostly of very poor quality. It is used by an uncounted number of nomads, probably less than half a million, or less than ten percent of the population of the Pakistan province excluding the provincial capital, Quetta.

Despite its economic marginality, this large territory between Afghanistan and the Gulf has been continuously inhabited since prehistoric times. The great majority of the population are Baluch. They speak various dialects of an Iranian language, Baluchi, and they have been the dominant ethnic-tribal group in the area for several centuries. However, little was known about them outside the area until the British began to direct attention to their colonial North West Frontier in the 1830s. At that time Baluch society was already conspicuously heterogeneous. Different tribal groups claimed different - many of them non-Baluch - origins, and were politically and occupationally stratified. Most of the area contained small pockets suitable for cultivation, separated by vast expanses of mountain and desert with only very scanty vegetation. The agricultural land was cultivated by smallholders, helots and serfs (most of whom were of pre-Baluch or otherwise non-Baluch origins). Chiefs (mostly of known non-Baluch origin) intermarried with their own kind from other settlements and wove alliances with the intervening nomads (whose ancestors probably all entered the area as Baluch), whom they needed as henchmen and militia. All these groups went under the name of Baluch and identified themselves as Baluch to outsiders, but among themselves they used baluch exclusively for the nomadic pastoralists. The fact that the settled of all classes, both earlier and later arrivals, assimilated to the nomadic identity and language and became Baluch (though never baluch) is particularly significant for an understanding of the meaning of life in Baluchistan both then and now.

The contribution of the nomads to Baluch society cannot be quantified as it is not so much economic as cultural. The nomads generate the Baluch view of the world, which is the cultural basis of the whole society, nomadic and settled. Without the nomads, Baluch society as a whole will lose the cultural glue that holds it together.

The Cultural Contribution of Nomads

In Makran especially (the southwestern Division of the Province, approximately 38,000 km², continuing westward across the border into Iran), but to some extent throughout Baluchistan and even beyond, these baluch nomads are considered a people apart. It was they who somewhere between 500 and 1,000 years ago brought into the area the language, the identity and - most importantly - the values which have come to constitute the culture of Baluchistan.

Since at least as early as 1800 many baluch have migrated as mercenaries and adventurers, both northward into the Turkmen area either side of the modern border between Afghanistan and the Soviet Union, where they developed the Baluchi rugs that are now collectors' items in the West, and south to the ports of the Persian Gulf and East Africa as far as Zanzibar.

In the 1972 census of Pakistan, the population of Makran was listed as 304,000. Of these, 74,000 are settled in the two major agricultural centers of Turbat and Panjgur, and the port settlement of Gwadar. There are no reliable figures to indicate how many of the remaining 230,000 were baluch or nomadic, nor how many still spend most of their year in tents or other temporary dwellings with their families and flocks rather than opting for jobs in the booming Gulf Emirates. We may estimate, conservatively, well over 50,000. But as in the larger society their significance for the future development of Makran far outweighs their numbers or their own economic contribution.

The baluch are important for the economy of the area. They provide valuable milk products and are an indispensable source of labor for the date harvest which coincides with the slack season in the pastoral cycle. They are also agricultural producers themselves: much of the agricultural production of the area depends on unpredictable river flow and runoff, which only the baluch understand. Small pockets of soil scattered throughout the area produce crops when a downpour happens to bring water, but only if a nomad is there to apply it.

In addition to their economic role, the nomads are even more important for the morale of the total population. Their way of life embodies the values to which the rest of the population subscribes. Baluch values derive from the conditions of the nomadic life. Their moral code encompasses the major rules of honor, hospitality, asylum and compensation for homicide, governing relations with strangers, refugees and criminals, and between men and women. Their poetry and songs celebrate exploits and conditions that are either nomadic and pastoral or are difficult to reconcile with a settled agricultural life. The most celebrated of their poems, which they use as a national anthem, begins:

The Baluch forts are their mountains

Their storehouses are in pathless rock faces

Their peaks are better than an army

The lofty heights are their friends

Their refreshment is from flowing springs

The leaf of the dwarf palm, their cup

The thorny brush their bed

The hard ground their pillow…

Even when confronted with poor, undernourished, uneducated nomads in the new centers of local government, the Baluch still hold to the values of the good nomadic life.

Prospects for a Nomadic Future

The baluch are the only people who use or are likely to use some 90% of the territory of Makran. Without them the greater part of the population would be marooned in isolated oases, which do not have the resources to be economically independent. With increasing dependence on outside subsidies, many would gradually migrate to take advantage of the more attractive economic and cultural opportunities outside the province. The presence of baluch weaves them into an interdependent social, economic, political, geographic, and cultural whole.

The decline of the baluch, which now threatens Baluch society, is due to a syndrome familiar in other pastoral areas of the world. Changes in the larger political economy as well as changes in dominant values in the larger consumer-oriented society have altered the day-to-day economic and political balance between farmers and nomads.

Despite the economic importance of the baluch in the traditional economy of Makran, development programs here as elsewhere favor industry and agriculture. The reason is simple: estimated return on investment. Development experts who observe the meager natural resources of Baluchistan, the non-existent infrastructure, and the unpromising quality of the labor pool, conclude that there is no economic justification for investment.

Odds are heavily stacked against the nomads. Many influential members of the larger society would rather move to national cities than endorse the traditional lifestyle. The baluch are losing the will to argue their own case. Moreover, powerful arguments have evolved against any policy encouraging nomadism. Apart from governments' distrust of nomads, who are difficult both to tax and to provide with facilities, another, often strident, argument maintains that nomads are responsible for over-grazing, which has reduced the vegetation cover to levels where it is economically useless and often beyond recovery. To support nomads, it is argued, would be to work against ecology. This argument should be carefully examined. Ecologist's' assessments are based on the assumption that what they see in the vegetation now is a long-term trend and the direct consequence of nomadic activity. There is in fact no convincing evidence for this. We simply do not know whether baluch herding strategies are responsible for environmental degradation or whether economic incentives at national and international levels have temporarily caused them to overgraze. Furthermore, there is no proof that disturbing the nomadic basis of baluch society would alleviate this problem.

If nomadic pastoralism as a way of life has survived so long, it would seem to have proved itself viable both ecologically and culturally. If the Baluch were left now to their own devices, their future, and especially the future of the baluch, would be uncertain. It would largely depend, as much of their history has, on what foreign interests various entrepreneurs among them managed to attract. Historically, when there was no foreign interest and no great economic attraction outside, there seems to have been a balance within the area between agriculture and pastoralism, between settled and nomadic populations, and between natural population growth and emigration. Since Baluch society appears to have worked best under these conditions it makes sense to design development in such a way as to edge the society back toward that balance. The way to do this is not to invest exclusively in roads, power, irrigation works, and agricultural extension, but to set about systematically restoring the balance between the pastoral and the agricultural sectors of the internal economy, and between the nomadic and the settled constituencies of the local polity; to distribute the investment more evenly between the settlements and areas of nomadic activity; to rebuild the morale of the baluch in order to rebuild the morale of the Baluch.

Nomadism, as a way of life, is rarely explicable simply as ecological adaptation. In modern conditions, seasonal movement could in many cases be accomplished by commuting shepherds as well as by migrating families. But the intimacy and commitment nomadism forges between the family and the range in marginal conditions is probably unattainable by any other means and more promising ecologically in the long run than any other feasible use strategy. Moreover, the nomads' knowledge and understanding of the total territory is an important support for other sectors of the economy and for the society's general conception of nature, the relationship between the total society and its environment.

The natural conditions and the historical experience of Makran are sufficiently similar to vast areas elsewhere in Southwest Asia and North Africa to suggest the possibility that these considerations may apply beyond Baluchistan. Despite their apparent ecological and political drawbacks, nomads' ideological contributions may be indispensable for the future use and development of vast areas of desert and steppe throughout the Middle East and beyond.

Article copyright Cultural Survival, Inc.

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Life as a nomad: the good, the bad and the frustrating

As Nomadland shines a light on those who live on the road, one writer talks about her nomadic way of life

After Nomadland came away with a clutch of awards at this year’s Oscars , the topic of nomadism was thrown into the spotlight. In a year when many people have stayed at home, it was interesting to see a torch shone on a different way of living that doesn’t involve four walls and a fixed address - something that ordinarily dominates the collective consciousness and media headlines.

Nomadic living is often greatly misunderstood by those who’ve never tried it, and can, like most things, take many forms. I speak from a place of experience. It’s something I’ve done on and off on many occasions - taking my computer with me on the road and working from different locations. I originally set off on a three-month stint in Africa, but the travel bug bit me hard, and I’ve found it hard to ‘put down roots’ ever since. Especially now that digital nomadding has become so much more common, and a darn sight easier. These days there are myriad websites, apps and Facebook groups that help nomads share knowledge and find work and community. Airbnb and co-living spaces to provide short-term accommodation, Zoom a way of connecting with friends and colleagues, meet-ups and dating apps for social life.

The travel bug bit me hard, and I’ve found it hard to ‘put down roots’ ever since

Some people are nomadic for a short time, some for years. Some out of choice, some out of necessity, and some a combination of both. It’s rarely the same for two people. And rarely the rosy image of a person on a laptop sipping a piña colada that you so often see on social media. The reality, as the film so poignantly shows, is a lot more varied and complex.

Being nomadic often means navigating visas and bureaucracy, regularly organising accommodation and travel, making new friends, saying goodbye to new friends, finding basic necessities and services in new places and often in foreign languages, carrying your belongings around with you, and finding or maintaining work. It can be wonderful and exhausting in equal measure. For me, its been very challenging, but it has also meant I’ve met incredible people, seen incredible things, and had experiences I never in a million years would have had if I’d stayed in one place for all that time. I’ve also done the stable home, working the nine-to-five office thing many times in my life, so I know the advantages and disadvantages of both sides of the coin.

Sociologically speaking, human beings have always been nomadic

Some nomads keep a permanent home base, others give it up completely or rent it out while they're away. Others were never able to afford one in the first place, and instead use geographical and economic leverage to enjoy a better quality of life in other countries or locations where the cost of living is lower.

Living a nomadic or semi-nomadic life not only frees you up to see the world, it also gives you a more global mindset. It forces you to rethink assumptions and stereotypes, gets you out of your comfort zone and allows you to question inherited political and cultural beliefs, biases and prejudices. In an age of increasing polarisation, nationalism and group-think, this is as important as ever. Being nomadic also allows you to vote with your feet. If the country or jurisdiction you're in does something untoward, or no longer suits you, you can up sticks and leave for somewhere better.

Sociologically speaking, human beings have always been nomadic. We've always migrated and emigrated, gone to where the work is, where the resources are, sought pastures new. It's in our DNA. So in this sense, it’s completely natural.

Nomadland shone a light on RV living in America, but there are other kinds of nomadding. Recently, technology has enabled some people to work from their laptops from anywhere, something that wasn’t even possible 20 years ago. These ‘digital nomads’ live for short periods of time in cheaper locations, and combine work with travel to enjoy the best of both worlds, a choice that has become increasingly popular over the last 10 years. The pandemic, for all its many, many shortcomings, has shown us that there are many roles that can be done remotely, from anywhere.

Instead of fixed borders, I see more open and flexible ones

Of course, not everyone wants to or can work from their laptop. Lots of people do more hands-on jobs, roaming around the world volunteering on farms and in hostels, using sites such as Workaway, Help X and Wwoof to help them find hosts. They work for around four hours a day in exchange for bed and board, and can be away for longer periods of time because they're saving on expenses. The idea is to share skills and learn from each other, but also to mix with other volunteers from around the world.

Then there are the ‘van lifers’ - those who live in their vehicles full time or part time, and enjoy independence and freedom by taking their home with them. I’ve met many people who travel in a van, of all ages, nationalities and walks of life, some out of choice, some out of necessity.

I see a future where more and more people choose this lifestyle. Where it’s the norm not the exception. Instead of fixed borders, I see more open and flexible ones, allowing talent and skill to ebb and flow when and where it needs to. Technology will play an even bigger role in facilitating this movement of people, and help create a world where they’ll be happiest and able to fulfil their potential the most.

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Near the northernmost border of Mongolia, the Tsaatan—nomadic reindeer herders—thrive in the country’s remote taiga.

Where reindeer roam: Life among Mongolia’s nomadic herders

Searching for a “magical experience” among the Tsaatan people leads to a cultural reality check.

I needed out of Ulaanbaatar. Mongolia’s capital city, the coldest national capital on Earth, is choked with coal dust in winter and construction debris in every other season. It was the summer of 2016, and I’d just spent a year there teaching English and chasing stories as a freelance writer. When my fellow teacher Anudari suggested a trip to the taiga, I jumped in her car, no questions asked.

The taiga refers to a vast Siberian forest that spills over the Russian border into Mongolia . The most famous part lies beyond Lake Hövsgöl at the country’s northernmost point. This is where the Tsaatan live. A remote minority group of nomadic reindeer herders, they are often problematically characterized as “mystical,” “untouched,” and even a “lost tribe.” Not to mention “highly photogenic.”

Anudari steered us expertly through Ulaanbaatar ’s motionless traffic and onto a rare paved highway. The sky unfurled as we turned west, the landscape falling open in all directions. Anudari chatted excitedly. A Mongolian American, she frequently traveled into the countryside with her family, but she’d always wanted to visit the Tsaatan. This would be a magical experience. The trip of a lifetime.

I was the cynic in the car. The Tsaatan are among Mongolia’s staple travel stories (along with the Altai eagle hunters) because, frankly, herding reindeer through a starry wilderness sounds irresistibly romantic. Plus, the landscape they roam is so inaccessible that any visitor is automatically upgraded to an adventurer. I was uncomfortable with the whole narrative package—the aggrandizement, the paternalism, the implied exploitation. Worst of all, I was secretly thrilled to be going.

The Chuya River winds beneath Mongolia’s Altai Mountains.

Into the taiga

The Tsaatan have herded reindeer through the taiga for centuries, first in their native Tuva—a Russian republic—and then, when borders were redrawn under Soviet influence in 1944, in Mongolia. Only a few hundred still follow the traditional lifestyle, and with search engines opening up the hidden corners of our world, they have become an attraction. Tour companies offer adventure packages to the taiga, where visitors can experience Tsaatan daily life: milking reindeer, making cheese, harvesting pine nuts, and sleeping in traditional teepee-shaped tents, called ortz.

That’s not to say it’s an easy trip. The taiga is remote, even by Mongolian standards. The country is largely roadless and overland travel is time-consuming. The forest itself can be navigated only on horseback. This is one trip where the journey really does outweigh the destination—we would spend eight days, traveling for two days, with the Tsaatan.

A few days of driving brought us to the dust-and-plywood town of Mörön, where we secured a driver, a guide, and provisions and arranged for horses to meet us at the forest’s edge, all for $150 per person. We were not asked if we knew how to ride. Most questions concerned weight—our own and our overpacked bags. Mongolian horses are small and can carry only around 200 pounds. They’re half wild from fending for themselves on the steppe. They respond to one command: tchoo. It means “go faster.”

Leaving their seasonal campsite, three boys and a man head out on the backs of reindeer in the East Taiga, Mongolia.

I had another two days to ponder my minimal riding experience as we drove north from Mörön. It was pouring rain, and our battered van sloshed over waves of mud while I huddled in the back, pretending not to be seasick.

The sky cleared to blue as we lurched up to the taiga. The forest began abruptly, a wall of pine and larch. Our Tsaatan host, Delgermagnai Enkhbaatar, was waiting with the horses.

Although there was snow on the nearby mountains, our route was mostly swamp. The horses staggered through the bog like drunks. After hours negotiating mud slicks and churning rivers, we arrived at camp in darkness.

A lake mirrored the rising moon. Reindeer stood spindly-legged around the family’s ortz. The sky was streaked with shooting stars.

Rats, I thought. This just might be a little bit magical.

( Related: Discover what it’s like to live as a reindeer herder in Russia. )

At home with the Tsaatan

“The Tsaatan are not an ‘undiscovered tribe,’” admonished the herding community’s website. Yes, they know of websites (though theirs is currently off-line). And Tsaatan means “people with reindeer” in Mongolian—not their native language. The herders call themselves Dukha.

“You will not be the first or last person they have hosted,” the website continued. “They are a modern people who have welcomed visitors from all over the world.”

We had passed a few of these visitors on our ride to Enkhbaatar’s camp, their nylon jackets vivid against the darkening forest. Our guides greeted each other warmly. The foreigners exchanged tight little nods, each regarding the other as interlopers. Then we rode on, pretending the encounter hadn’t happened.

( Related: Can travel transform cultural attitudes? )

Once at camp, it became apparent that the only lost tribe in the taiga was us tourists. We had armed ourselves against physical remoteness with maps and GPS, but there was no app for cultural dislocation.

This wasn’t just embarrassing but potentially dangerous. The taiga is not a forgiving landscape. Hypothermia was a real possibility, even in August. Enkhbaatar had bear and wolf teeth among his carved trinkets, and the Russian border police stopped by looking for escaped convicts. The sheer scale of the wilderness felt threatening; the only way in or out was on horseback through trackless marsh. I became uncomfortably aware that, for all my travel knowledge, I brought nothing useful to the experience besides a can-do attitude.

A Tsaatan woman feeds a reindeer. Roughly a third of Mongolians are nomadic herders.

Meanwhile Enkhbaatar’s family was clearly at home with both their ways and ours. The kids knew how to swipe through smartphone apps and shake a Polaroid until the image emerged. They were delighted with the toy cars we brought and made vroom vroom noises while pushing them up the poles of the family ortz. Most of their play, however, mimicked the adults’ work—making fires, fetching water, tending the animals.

On the second day, Enkhbaatar offered to take us riding into the eastern Sayan Mountains. He prepped the reindeer while his toddler attempted to saddle up the family dog with an old blanket.

I hoisted myself clumsily onto my mount, and Enkhbaatar demonstrated how to steer with the single guide rope. We were interrupted by a strange sound: a “Für Elise” ring tone. Without a word, Enkhbaatar handed the rope to his child and disappeared into the ortz.

“Baina uu?” I heard him answer the phone. My own cell hadn’t picked up a signal for days.

Abruptly I realized I had no clue how to ride this reindeer. If it bolted, I’d be halfway to Siberia before Enkhbaatar returned. I looked down at the 18-month-old holding my reins.

“You’ve got this, right?”

( Related: Looking for room to roam? Try a “pack trip.” )

Myth and memories

Storytelling is reflective. The words we choose to describe the Tsaatan—mystical, lost, exploited, endangered—imply our own roles in the story as well. Are we bold adventurers, self-righteous skeptics, or maybe just the comic relief? I returned from the taiga with this conundrum on my mind. Several years on, I still think about it every time I write a story.

Lately, though, I’ve been remembering that trip for other reasons—reasons related to claustrophobia. The coronavirus pandemic has compressed life to fit inside walls and screens, and I’m longing for the boundless space of the Mongolian countryside. Right now that’s an impossible dream: In an effort to keep out the virus, Mongolia has been closed to international travel since March. I’m glad. Roughly a third of Mongolians are nomadic herders like Enkhbaatar. They’re a long ride from medical care.

I admit my memories of the trip are romantic, maybe even magical. I remember the taste of reindeer-milk tea, and the pale, chilled mornings when camel-wool long johns weren’t enough to keep me from shivering. The slidey-wobbly feel of riding a saddled reindeer. The night sky shimmering yellow as a full moon rose. I remember Enkhbaatar’s wife laughing at my knife skills as we cooked and the kids dogpiling me for piggyback rides. Enkhbaatar’s smile as we parted, telling us to come back again sometime.

That toddler at the end of my rope must be nearly old enough to start school now. She won’t remember me or any of the travelers who visited her family that summer. Yet I wonder how she would have described us, the mysterious here-and-gone strangers so out of touch that we didn’t know how the bathroom worked. Possibly she would choose some of the same words we used, ahead of our trip, for her family. I’m reasonably sure one of them would be “lost.”

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Mongolia: Nomads in Transition

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New technology is helping to keep a traditional lifestyle alive on the Mongolian steppes.

A young man from Ulaanbaatar poses with a falcon used by eagle hunters. Nomadic eagle hunters put the birds on display for passing tourists who want to interact with them, as a side business.

A ger on the steppe at night.

Young nomad boys ride horses without a saddle. In the summer, nomad children leave boarding school and urban life, and come back to their families in the steppe.

A man builds the skeleton of his Mongolian ger, the traditional nomadic shelter. Today, both nomads and a number of the population living in urban areas still use gers are their main housing.

A nomad man rests inside his Mongolian ger. The furnishing inside his ger is comprised of both Mongolian patterned rugs, and furniture from modern shops.

A young girl helps her mother build their ger. In the summer, children who are educated in the city’s boarding schools come back to the steppe to help their parents with their herd.

A flat screen television set is seen inside a traditional Mongolian ger. Today, many nomads use solar panels to power modern conveniences such as television sets and cellphones.

A herd of horses is seen on the road in the Mongolian countryside. Horses, a national symbol, are an important part of Mongol culture, as they are used for travel, herding, hunting, and sport.

Buddhist sacred areas line the steppe, where the spirituality is geared towards respect for nature.

Solar panels are seen outside traditional Mongolian gers. Today, nomads use solar energy for electricity in their home.

A nomad man in traditional Mongolian dress is seen on a motorbike. Though nomads traditionally use horses to herd, today he uses the motorbike to manage his horses, sheep and cattle.

A young girl watches as her mother milks their cow. In the summer, nomad children leave boarding school and urban life, and come back to their families in the steppe.

Mongolia’s vast steppe is home to one of the world’s last surviving nomadic cultures. Situated between China and Russia, the Mongolian steppe remains mostly intact, and its nomadic way of life has been largely unchanged for generations. Some herding customs alive today pre-date the era of Genghis Khan. Slowly, however, the steppe’s landscape is changing, as more and more of its nomadic population move to urban areas in search of education, employment, and modern conveniences. Indeed, modernity attracts not only those Mongolians who have moved to the city, but also those who have chosen to continue with their nomadic lifestyle.

Today the nomads who remain on the steppe combine old traditions with new means. They continue their lifestyle as pastoral herders, but many use motorbikes to herd cattle and horses. To move their homes, trucks have taken the place of ox carts. With the growing use of motorbikes and trucks, gas stations now begin to dot the landscape. Solar panels are becoming an addition to the traditional Mongolian home, the ger. The panels are a way for them to gain access to electricity without being confined to one place. The nomads use solar energy to power television sets, and to maintain the use of mobile phones, which, for parents, are the only way to stay in touch with their children attending boarding schools in the city. Mongolian children, whether from urban or rural backgrounds, conventionally study in the city. During the summer, children with rural family backgrounds return to the steppe to help their families maintain the herds, and some come back to live in the steppe after finishing their education.

With the rise of accessible technology, changes in lifestyle are almost inevitable. But these changes also help longstanding traditions thrive. Rather than abandoning their lives on the steppes, Mongolia’s nomads are adapting to modernization in their own way. This culture in transition reaps the conveniences of modern society, while keeping an ancient and fascinating lifestyle alive.

Hannah Reyes is a photojournalist based in Phnom Penh.

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Nomadic lifestyle…. Its advantages but also its disadvantages

Living the nomadic life may sound like a dream life. For us it is a dream since we've chosen this lifestyle... but still... everything is not perfect!

Last Update: 19/01/2024 0 COMMENT

It has been a little over 15 months now that we don’t have a place we call home, that we have (re)become nomads. I say “re” because, during our round the world trip we lived more than 18 months without a house, even if at that time it was clearly more of a travel project than a real lifestyle.

In other words, after a little over a year of this “nomadic life” I thought it was the time to give you a brief feedback about the new way of life that we’ve adopted.

Note: If you stumble upon this blog post now, just know that we wrote it at the end of 2017. A lot happened since and if you want to have more up to date infos about our digital nomad lifestyle and our latest posts on this topic, you can check out this page of our blog .

The less glamorous sides of the nomadic life

Nomadic life is an alternative lifestyle and not a dream life

These pretty words is not from us. It was written by Corinne from the blog vie-nomade.com. In fact, we recommend you to read her magnificent post on the demystification of nomadic life (in french… or use google translate 😉 ). We do not all face the same challenges, but it is true that the vast majority of people who have a nomadic lifestyle agree that they would not change their lifestyle for anything in the world, but that it is not perfect every day either. And we agree with that…

After 15 months on the roads here are some of the difficulties we encountered

Financial “insecurity”

I don’t have anything to wear

Warning, this is the girly and superficial minute… But it’s true that, for me (Fabienne), it’s sometimes a little frustrating to live with the “same stuff” all the time. Our life fits more or less in a 15kg backpack and even if we have the essentials, there are sometimes little things missing… Our belongings are divided between our parents / friends places (this is not true anymore as we have a home base now ), and our bags.

Last week I went for a clubbing night with my best friend. When I was getting ready, I clearly didn’t have any “outfits” in my bag. I would have liked to put some nail polish, but I didn’t have any either, the mascara? Shit, he’s at my father’s house… In the end it all turned out fine since I have a golden friend and it is without any trouble that I was able to get ready at her house by borrowing what I was missing, but you see the idea?

A rhythm shift

To give you an idea, the picture on the side is us at the precise moment when I write these lines… not glamorous every day uhhh! (And yes, we are relatively messy on our workspace)

Nomadic life as a couple: the challenges ahead

For our part, the nomadic way of life is combined with the fact that we have embarked together on the adventure of entrepreneurship in parallel. So we certainly already had the habit of spending 24/7 together during our round the world trip, but this time the situation is slightly different. Because despite the clichés posted on the social medias, a large part of our time is spent working together.

We sleep together, we get up (almost) together, we work together, we eat together, we still work together, we have dinner together, then we usually end the evening either working or talking about projects.

Keeping time for our couple and not our “colleague” is sometimes complicated, or let’s say challenging . When we were working for someone else and a co-worker was annoying, we could release the pressure at home in the evening by talking or doing something together… The situation is more complicated, because now the “colleague” is the one who snores next to you at night (And no, I won’t tell you which one of us snores…)

The sometimes complicated thing is that our job is also a passion and sometimes we tend to get a little sucked into what we do. We “just” want to finish this project before taking a day off, and suddenly “Oh no, but there’s that to do too” .

As for the kids, maybe we should start thinking about setting us a quota of hours in front of the computer every week … To meditate on! In fact, if other entrepreneurs couples read us and have any advice, we are interested!

To nomadic happiness

I realize that this article has taken a turn to the little “inconveniences” , so I reassure you right away it is far from being a disaster! In fact in this article I’m just trying to put on paper the challenges we face in order to keep a record for ourselves (so we can laugh about it in a few months) but also to help some of you who are getting started or would like to get started.

In the “bad” days, it is usually enough for me to think about the frustration and the feeling of being “imprisoned” and killing myself at work for someone else that I sometimes often had when we were working in Zurich.

We work more than before, but now we do it for ourselves! Moreover, since the beginning of our entrepreneurial adventure we have delivered many sites to customers, each time they were cool projects! We have worked for golden people for whom we just wanted to give the best of ourselves and so far (let’s hope it goes on like this), all our professional projects have gone extremely well.

Financially speaking, we clearly earn less than before, but we have reached a level where we can live off what we do without anyone’s help. And that, my friends, I’ll tell you, is F* awesome! (all proportions kept eh…). Our “salary” has been divided by 5 compared to before, but independence, contacts and especially freedom are compensating… So we don’t complain!

But if there is one thing that we LOVE more than anything in the world it is flexibility ! Of course we have obligations, but we also have a crazy freedom that allows us to venture out on many new projects. Some may not succeed, but others may be promising… And above all, we LEARN! Never in our lives have we experienced such a stimulating and enriching time on a “professional” level.

Being your own boss requires a certain discipline, but it is also a crazy luxury to be able to enjoy a beautiful sunny day on weekdays to go out for a walk and then work in the evening…

If you want to know a little more about our motivations from here, we invite you to discover the article I wrote the day before my last day of work. A very personal article but which may also give you more explanations about our motivations. The article is called Today I’m turning 30 years old .

A brief look back at our last 15 months

Officially, we no longer have a home since August 31, 2016 …. Date on which we left our small apartment in Zurich by selling absolutely all our stuff to the new tenant. (When I say everything, it’s everything… all the furniture, but also the coffee machine, sheets, dishes, TV, etc.)

September 2016 : One month in Switzerland at our parents place to take care of the administration

October 2016 to end of March 2017: Chiang Mai, Thailand We have spent almost 6 months in the small town of Chiang Mai in northern Thailand. A magnificent experience that we had reviewed here. To find all our articles about Thailand, it’s this way .

April 2017: Brittany…. Pfiouuuu a breeezzzeee! We had planned to spend 10 days there and finally stayed there for 5 weeks. Magnificent encounters, crazy landscapes, nice weather… we stayed stuck for longer than expected.

End of May 2017 to July 2017: Lausanne, Switzerland We came back to live with my dad in Switzerland. The reasons for this were that we had finally decided to set up an official structure for our website development company. In short, a few weeks between notaries, paperwork, insurers, more paperwork, accountants and re-paperwork, all interspersed with a few escapades

August 2017: Hiking across Switzerland through the alps 1 month hiking through Switzerland. A heart project that we had for a while already… An extraordinary experience that we will remember for a long time! Find out more about the via alpina here .

September 2017: Zurich, Switzerland Staying in Switzerland was initially not planned in the program but after my grandmother’s health problems we decided to stay with her in Zurich for 1 month to help her regain her independence after an accident.

October-November 2017: Menorca , Spain Not necessarily ideal from a nomadic point of view, Menorca is nevertheless an excellent memory and above all an island that is highly recommended for lovers of nature and sublime landscapes in Europe.

A month of December in Switzerland and Austria

We have now been back in Switzerland for a good ten days and will stay here until the end of the year. The reason for this is that Benoit has been called up for military service and will have to go to the army for three weeks. Yes, in Switzerland the army is compulsory for the men even if we tried to explain them our way of living is not really compatible with that…

While my man is serving the country, I will take the opportunity to go back to my father for a few weeks and see a little more of my childhood friends than I have not had the chance to see in recent years.

I will also go for a short solo getaway to Vienna to visit friends. This city where we lived almost 2 years before our world tour, I love it more than anything… especially in winter! I can’t wait to spend a week there enjoying the good time with people I love and also strolling around the Christmas markets. 😉

Choice of our nomad destinations: what we will remember

This year we spent “too much” time in Switzerland. Administrative reasons, family reasons, military reasons, many good reasons, I grant you, but strangely enough it is when we are in Switzerland that we feel the least “at home” . Not having the means to rent an apartment here, we spend our time here between our parents’ houses, with relatives or in the family’s holiday apartment. Certainly we are lucky to have a golden family that supports us in our projects, but for the future we will try to be a little less at home.

We must absolutely ensure that we maintain a balance between “sedentariness” and movement. In Chiang Mai we probably stayed a little too long and started going “in circles” and above all we were working too hard. In Brittany we enjoyed it, we took advantage of it, but we probably didn’t work hard enough…

We will try to choose destinations where we can meet other people who do the same thing as us. Chiang Mai was perfect for that…. Menorca was more complicated. We loved Menorca, but as we told you in our review , the combination of our work rhythm and the “low season” meant that we were quite isolated.

January: we’re back on the road with new projects!

On January 4th we will take the road again towards the north this time! For this escapade we have booked a flight to Tallinn in Estonia. We will stay 2 weeks in the Estonian capital before heading to Finland where we will attend a bloggers’ conference.

What happens next? The goal is to return from Finland without taking a flight… For the moment we don’t have a precise itinerary, or even a real timing, but we will probably go through Estonia , Latvia , Lithuania , Poland, then the Czech Republic or Germany. In short, a new adventure with more traveling involved! (We did all of that now so just click on the links to read our experiences in those countries)

This period will probably be a period full of surprises, twists and turns…. But what I can already tell you is that some great projects are coming up and that you might have some reading from us (and not necessarily on computer or mobile) in the coming months…. #spoileralert

Update 2021

Well a lot happened since we wrote this blog post. Since then we also spent 6 months in a coliving in Tenerife , we traveled in Turkey, tried the coworking Bansko in Bulgaria , went back to Tenerife and tried the island of Grand Canaria , tried another coliving in the french alps … and then Covid happened. When the world stopped we decided to buy a place in Switzerland to have a home base when we don’t travel 🙂 . After a few months in the Swiss Alps, we traveled to Galicia in the north of Spain to spend a few months at Anceu Coliving .

If you want to know more about colivings and why we love this kind of places so much, you can also read this blog post about colivings .

That’s it, I think, for this first little “nomadic” review. Do you like these kind of blog posts? If so, we will try to write some more regularly! And if it’s not the case… well…. we’ll keep our moodswings to ourselves (or not);)

About Fabienne

I'm the female part of the pair. A little stubborn, spontaneous and passionate about the digital world and the tourism industry, I am also the one addicted to numbers and practical information in our couple. I carefully keep all our travel budgets . Then we are reassured, sometimes I drop my Excels sheets for a nice hike! With the well-deserved artesanal beer at the end... of course!

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Nomads, Tribes, and the State in the Ancient Near East: Cross-Disciplinary Perspectives

Organized by jeffrey szuchman the oriental institute of the university of chicago 1155 east 58th street chicago, il 60637 march 7–8, 2008.

Conference Abstract and Participants

What was the relationship between pastoral nomadic tribes and sedentary peoples in the ancient Near East? After decades of research, scholars are more aware than ever of the challenges posed by this deceptively simple question. Textual biases, poor archaeological visibility of nomadic remains, and tenuous ethnographic parallels all pose obstacles to reconstructing the complex dynamics of tribe-state interactions in antiquity. This conference brings together a diverse group of archaeologists, historians, and anthropologists to explore new ways of approaching the study of nomadic populations and encounters between tribes and states. Although great strides have recently been made in the study of these issues, new approaches have called into question the very categories we use to describe tribe-state interactions. Furthermore, archaeologists, anthropologists, and historians have been addressing these issues in relative isolation. This conference thus offers a unique opportunity to set an agenda for the study of ancient Near Eastern nomadism from a cross-disciplinary perspective. The first steps will be to assess the current state of research on ancient pastoral nomadism, tribes and the state, and to reach a consensus about the use and misuse of data and terminology. Once a common framework is established, we can begin to address new theoretical and methodological approaches to the lingering questions of tribe-state interactions. A central aim of the conference is to equip attendees to apply the diverse techniques of various fields and various regions of the Near East to their own work. The two-day conference is organized with those goals in mind. The emphasis of the conference will be as much on discussion and debate as on the presentations themselves. Papers will be circulated among participants in advance of the conference and there will be ample opportunity for response and discussion. Publication of the proceedings of this conference is made possible through the generous support of the Arthur and Lee Herbst Research Fund.

Participants

Abbas alizadeh (oriental institute, university of chicago), thomas barfield (department of anthropology, boston university), hans barnard (cotsen institute of archaeology, ucla), daniel fleming (department of hebrew and judaic studies, nyu), frank hole (department of anthropology, yale university), anatoly khazanov (department of anthropology, university of wisconsin, madison).

• Thomas Levy (Department of Anthropology, University of California, San Diego)

Bertille Lyonnet (Centre National de Recherches Scientifiques, Paris)

Anne porter (school of religion, university of southern california), robert ritner (oriental institute, university of chicago).

• Steven A. Rosen (Department of Bible, Archaeology, and Ancient Near East, Ben-Gurion University)

Benjamin Saidel (Department of Anthropology, East Carolina University)

• Eveline van der Steen (Department of Archaeology, Classics and Egyptology, University of Liverpool)

Donald Whitcomb (Oriental Institute, University of Chicago)

Detailed description, introduction.

What was the relationship between pastoral nomadic tribes and sedentary peoples in the ancient Near East? After decades of research, scholars are more aware than ever of the challenges posed by this deceptively simple question. Although the attitude of early Mesopotamian states was overwhelmingly negative toward tribal groups, their textual record often hints that mobile populations played an important role in the rise and fall of early states. In Late Antiquity and the Islamic period, despite the fact that nomads made up a relatively small portion of Near Eastern society, their impact on the social and political trajectory of Near Eastern history was substantial (Donner 1989). The conflicting evidence on Near Eastern nomadism makes it exceptionally difficult to describe the complex socio-political relationship between nomadic and sedentary peoples in the ancient Near East.

Textual biases that are a product of the urban setting in which the ancient sources were composed are only one source of difficulty for the modern researcher. Problematic ethnographic parallels and the generally poor archaeological preservation of the remains of mobile peoples present additional challenges to the study of ancient nomadism. In many cases, we are left to reconstruct tribe-state interactions based only on the ephemera of excavated nomadic encampments, tantalizing implications gleaned from the context of primary documents, and tenuous analogies with modern tribes. Nevertheless, the spate of recent research in the field suggests that new techniques and nuanced analytical frameworks are helping researchers make strides towards a more comprehensive understanding of tribe-state interactions in the ancient Near East. This conference brings together a diverse group of archaeologists, historians, and anthropologists to explore new ways of approaching the study of nomadic populations and tribe-state interactions in antiquity.

Those who study ancient mobile peoples must contend with historic biases against sheep- and goat-herding nomads. Texts that touch on nomads were composed by urban elite, whose wealth and power were rooted in their control over agricultural resources and labor. The fundamentally negative attitude toward nomads was maintained over centuries and worked its way into scholarship well into the 20th century. By the 1950s researchers continued to assume that the primary role of nomads throughout history was as agents of destabilization (Kupper 1957; Dossin 1959). Kupper (1957:ix), for example, was convinced that “une conflit permanent” existed between sedentary and nomadic societies, a clash which resulted in waves of nomadic invasions from the Syrian desert into the otherwise bucolic rural and urban centers of Mesopotamia and the Levant.

By the 1960s, it had become clear that despite intermittent antagonism, farmers and mobile pastoralists in fact participate in a symbiotic relationship. Furthermore, communities alternate between nomadism and sedentism, depending in part on the strength of the central authority (Barth 1961; Bates 1973; Khazanov 1994; Salzman 1980). In the 1970s, Rowton (1973a; 1973b; 1974; 1976) used the terms “enclosed nomadism” and “dimorphic chiefdom” to describe the type of social organization characteristic of ancient Mari, “which represents a curious blend of city-state, tribe, and nomadism” (Rowton 1973b:201). This broader understanding of nomadic adaptations to sedentary society was applied in the following years by archaeologists, Assyriologists, and historians to the study of the origins of specialized pastoral nomadism (Adams 1974; Gilbert 1983; Lees and Bates 1974), the Amorites at Mari and in the Levant (Kamp and Yoffee 1980; Matthews 1978), Arameans of the late second millennium (Schwartz 1989), and later pre-Islamic periods (Donner 1981:16–49). The 1970s and 1980s saw the emergence of a more integrated view of nomadic and sedentary encounters in the ancient world.

Archaeological Approaches

It was not until the past two decades that archaeologists have challenged the view that pastoral nomadic remains were unrecoverable (Childe 1951; Finkelstein 1992). Ethnoarchaeological studies show that nomads do indeed leave behind distinct traces based on domestic patterns that are both unique to a nomadic lifestyle and relatively universal among nomads of different tribes (Cribb 1991). Pastoral nomadic sites have been identified and excavated in the Levant, especially in areas where vegetation and erosion are unlikely to affect the visibility of archaeological sites. There, pastoral nomadic sites are identified based on their location outside the zone of agriculture, the absence of grains or grain-processing equipment, limited and characteristic architecture, a predominance of sheep and goat bones, and ethnographic analogy (Rosen and Avni 1989; Banning and Köhler-Rollefson 1992; Rosen 1992). The pottery assemblage of those sites may also reflect a pastoral nomadic lifestyle (Rosen and Avni 1997; Saidel 2002–2004). Outside of the Levant, evidence of early specialized pastoralism has appeared in the valleys of the rugged landscape of Khuzestan in southwest Iran (Abdi 2003; Alizadeh 2006; Hole 1974). However, in the Mesopotamian plain and in the cultivated fields of rainfed Upper Mesopotamia, alluviation, vegetation, and erosion reduce archaeological visibility to a much greater degree, which makes it difficult to identify pastoral nomadic sites. Nevertheless, it may be possible to identify the effects of pastoral nomadism on settlement patterns (Abdi 2003; Lyonnet 1998; Szuchman 2007).

Recent Trends and Challenges

Recently, scholars of both texts and archaeology have moved away from Rowton’s dimorphic chiefdom, and towards an acknowledgment of an even greater integration between urban and pastoral sectors (Fleming 2004; McClellan 2004; Porter 2002; 2004). Although this approach appears to capture more accurately the complexity of ancient tribe-state interactions, it also introduces questions about the very categories we use to describe pastoral nomadic tribes. The term “tribe,” itself, and many of the attributes associated with it, such as segmentary lineages and egalitarianism, have troubled anthropologists for some time. Did such bounded categories exist in antiquity, or are they fabrications or idealizations created by modern ethnographers (Abu-Lughod 1989; Marx 1992; Salzman 1999)? If so, should they be applied to mobile and sedentary communities in the past? If tribal leaders can also be urban rulers, does it make sense to discuss tribe and state as separate social, political, or economic sectors?

As the division between tribe and state in antiquity continues to blur, we may seem hyperaware of the inadequacy of terms such as “nomad,” “pastoralist,” “tribe,” or “bedouin.” The use of these may also be problematic because they tend to create dichotomies between tribe and state or nomad and sedentary that may not represent ancient realities. One is often compelled to define or defend their use at the outset of a publication (Abdi 2003:398; Bar Yosef and Khazanov 1992:2; Leder 2004; Saidel and van der Steen 2007:2). Additional complications arise from the fact that despite calls for the integration of archaeology, anthropology, and history in the study of ancient pastoral nomadism (LaBianca and Witzel 2007:63), each discipline has been addressing these issues in relative isolation. Although great strides have been made thus far, there remains a pressing need for cross-disciplinary dialogue to establish a common framework for the study of pastoral nomadism and tribe-state interactions in the ancient Near East.

The Conference Goals

Recent conferences have addressed ancient nomadism, but the chronological and regional scope of the 2008 Oriental Institute Symposium will be much more specific. This conference therefore offers a unique opportunity to set an agenda for the study of ancient Near Eastern nomadism from an integrated archaeological, historical, and anthropological perspective. The first step will be to assess the current state of research on ancient pastoral nomadic and tribal interactions, and reach a consensus about the use and misuse of data and terminology in discussing and studying ancient pastoral nomadism. Once a common framework is established, we can begin to address new theoretical and methodological approaches to the lingering questions of tribe-state interactions: How do economic, social, ecological, or political factors intersect and feed back to determine or alter mechanisms of tribe-state interactions? How do encounters between tribes and rural villagers differ from the confrontation of tribes and urban authorities? Under what circumstances are the social and political organization of tribes and states compatible or incompatible? What role does nomadization/sedentarization play in the growth and collapse of states? Can our analysis accommodate individual agency in addition to braoder factors influencing tribe-state dynamics? What’s the best way to interpret references (or the absence of references) by urban sources to tribes or nomads?

A central aim of the conference is thus to equip scholars to apply the diverse techniques of various fields and various regions of the Near East to their own work. This will also be a forum in which participants can gather feedback on research from peers in their own discipline and from an outside perspective. The publication of the conference volume in the Oriental Institute Seminar Series will proceed according to the same goals: to advance a broad interdisciplinary approach to issues of nomadism and tribe-state encounters in the ancient Near East.

The 2-day conference will be organized with those goals in mind. To facilitate cross-disciplinary exchange, sessions will cover broad theoretical issues, rather than matters of specific methodology or chronology. Thematic sessions will explore the characteristics of ancient pastoral nomadism, tribes, and tribe-state relations in terms of the economy of pastoralism; the social impact of mobility; the mechanisms of interaction and integration between nomads and sedentary urban or rural communities; the unique political and social circumstances of tribes, and how tribes differed from early states or other communal entities. Additional sessions on methods will focus on how best to tease out information about ancient nomads and nomadism from the material, textual, and ethnographic record. These theoretical/methodological discussions will alternate with case studies from various periods and regions.

The emphasis of the conference will be as much on discussion and debate as on the presentations themselves. Papers will be circulated among participants in advance of the conference and there will be ample opportunity for response to and discussion. Those discussions should inform the final versions of the papers that will be published in the Oriental Institute Seminar Series.

Paper Titles & Abstracts

Abbas alizadeh (oriental institute, university of chicago) prehistoric mobile pastoralism in southwestern iran: “enclosed” or enclosing nomadism.

Archaeological reconstructions and interpretations of the origins and development of early state organizations and nomadic-sedentary relations during the 5th to the 3rd millennia B.C. in southwestern Iran have primarily been viewed and discussed from the perspective of sedentary farmers and urban centers. Implicit in such models are assumptions of asymmetric power relationships in which nomads are subservient, as exemplified in Lattimore’s and especially Rowton’s concept of “enclosed nomadism,” where pastoralists were encapsulated within the sphere of urban civilization. This unidirectional view of political economy also derives from an over-dependence on the skewed and biased ancient literature and 20th century ethnographic views of nomads in relation to powerful nation states.

Two case studies, one from the highlands and the other from the lowlands may shed light on this problem. The Bakun A (ca. 4500–4200 B.C.) case study is an appropriate example of how drastically socioeconomic and cultural reconstruction of a site may differ from the conventional view if we consider ancient nomads of southwestern Iran not as dependents of the settled farmers, but as a discrete, yet integrated part of a fluid society that includes both the mobile and the sedentary segments, and that whose ruling elite might be drawn from both. The second case study is the model proposed for the formation of the early state in Susiana during the 4th millennium B.C., where mobile pastoralists’ role is considered marginal.

Undoubtedly, the sedentary, urban approach in reconstructing cultural developments and trajectory of regions with substantial nomadic population has generated significant insights into the life of late prehistoric communities in southwestern Iran. Nevertheless, minimizing the role of nomadic agency in southwestern Iran has left some outstanding questions that either resist resolution or satisfactory answers, such as the major shifting settlement patterns, periodic settlement abandonment, the complete “breakdown” of the settlement system at the end of the 4th millennium B.C., the relation between periodic settlement changes in the lowlands and the appearance and disappearance of the isolated nomadic cemeteries in the highlands, and the Proto-Elamite characteristics of the 3rd millennium B.C., to name a few.

This is a tall order and much specific research needs to be done to address the present disconnect between the lowlands and highlands of southwestern Iran during the crucial 5th to 3rd millennia B.C. The value of this approach can be seen in its ability to generate, if not a fuller picture of the long-term trends in change and continuity in southwestern Iran, but perhaps an alternative view that can lead to further research.

Hans Barnard (Cotsen Institute of Archaeology, UCLA) The Archaeology of the Pastoral Nomads between the Nile and the Red Sea

The archaeology of Egypt has long been overshadowed by the wealth of textual sources, both monumental and informal, further augmented by the early translation of hieroglyphic Egyptian, and the initial emphasis on finds of museum quality. Initially, Egyptian archaeology was perceived as a technique to find more texts and objects, while archaeological observations were readily explained from the textual data. Only recently has the archaeology of Egypt become a specialism in its own right, generating its own specific data, although often still haunted by legacies of the past. The latter also concern the study of the pastoral nomads that regularly occur in the Egyptian textual records, most famously the Medjay during the Middle Kingdom (1975–640 BCE) and the Blemmyes in Graeco-Roman times (332 BCE–641 CE). These groups are often associated with specific archaeological phenomena; the Medjay with the pan-graves, so called because they are shaped like a frying pan; the Blemmyes with Eastern Desert Ware, well-burnished hand-made cups and bowls with incised decorations.

A recent study of Eastern Desert Ware, which included chemical analysis of the ceramic matrix and the organic residues in the vessels, as well as ethnography and experimental archaeology, indicated that Eastern Desert Ware was probably made and used by a group of pastoral nomads, but did not provide any evidence towards their identification or association with any specific group mentioned in the textual sources. Such is also hampered by the scholarly interest in the remains left in the Eastern Desert, between the Nile Valley and the Red Sea, by outsiders while little research has been done on the pastoral nomads living in that area. The archaeological study of the latter requires a specialized approach, combining the study of ephemeral campsites and low-density surface scatters with data on the environment, the available resources and the routes of the nomads. This methodology will be very similar for the study of pastoral nomads, mobile groups of hunter-gatherers or sections of a settled population that have temporarily been displaced. Specialists in these fields should work together to come to an archaeology of mobility to increase our understanding of people on the move.

Daniel Fleming (Department of Hebrew and Judaic Studies, NYU) Kingship of City and Tribe Conjoined: Zimri-Lim at Mari

The cuneiform archives of early second-millennium Mari have provided a frequent point of reference for understanding mobile pastoralism in the entire ancient Near East. Any reconstruction must take account of Mari’s palace correspondence, in which shepherds, their activities, and their affiliates make regular appearances. Interpretation of the Mari evidence has evolved in part with changing understanding of nomadism, pastoralism, and tribal organization. At the same time, understanding of the society manifest in the Mari texts has changed substantially with the past twenty-five years of French publication and analysis. This change has only begun to be digested by those beyond the immediate circle of Mari research.

Perhaps the biggest surprise is the conclusion that Zimri-Lim, the king whose palaces contained the overwhelming majority of cuneiform tablets found at Mari, was identified with the Binu Sim’al tribal association. Mari was the center of a substantial kingdom, with its core territory divided into districts with governors and palaces, all secondary versions of the central administration. According to most analyses, the kingdom based at Mari would qualify as an archaic state. With or without this terminology, this sort of multi-tiered administration is not generally associated with tribal social organization in the ancient world. In fact, Zimri-Lim ruled his kingdom by two parallel structures, aside from his core leadership circle. District governors administered towns and their lands, while his Binu Sim’al tribal kinsmen led by two “chiefs of pasture.”

In my previous work, I focused on the collective aspect of political life in each main dimension of the Mari kingdom. For this event, I will explore the royal center in this dual system. In particular, I am interested in how Zimri-Lim managed the tribal chiefs of pasture, whose authority did not entirely depend on royal appointment and support. In this political framework mobile herding groups and their tribal social units were inseparable from the rule of states, integrated as equal political players, with settled and mobile communities woven together into one social fabric.

Anatoly Khazanov (Department of Anthropology, University of Wisconsin, Madison) Specific Characteristics of Chalcolithic and Bronze Age Pastoralism in the Near East

Archaeologists studying the pastoralists of the Chalcolithic and Bronze Ages in the Near East (and in the Eurasian steppes as well) sometimes perceive them in the image of the pastoral nomads of the Iron Age and later historical periods. This is a certain anachronism that does not take into account significant differences between those pastoralisms which can not be reduced to chronology. Specialized forms of pastoral nomadism based on mounted animals (camels and horses) that serve simultaneously as beasts of burden for transportation of household belongings and other goods, and as additional sources of milk and meat products emerged only in the first millennium BCE. Horses and camels drastically increased the pastoralist’s mobility, opened new avenues of communication and resource exploitation, and allowed utilization of remote pastures, especially in the desert and semi-desert areas. Grazing territories available to the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age pastoralists were more limited and, therefore, the composition and size of their herds was also more limited. I would also add that without riding animals and mounted warfare, they would lack a military advantage over their settled neighbors.

For these reasons, I suspect that there had been few, if any, pure pastoralists in the Near East until the first millennium BCE. The majority had to supplement stock-raising with cultivation, trade, or other occupations. In any case their dependence on sedentary agricultural and urban groups and societies had been even greater than in the later periods. These circumstances made early pastoralism even less self-sustained than its latter varieties. It is possible that in many cases those pastoralists did not constitute separate societies, but rather were a specialized but integrated part of the larger agrarian-urban societies within a kinship idiom, sociopolitical organization, or other institutions.

Thomas Levy (Department of Anthropology, University of California, San Diego) Pastoral Nomads and Iron Age Metal Production in Ancient Edom

Research on ancient pastoral nomadic and tribal interactions in the Middle East have been both helped and hindered by reliance on ethnohistorical and anthropological data. The rich ethnographies of the 19th and early 20th centuries concerning the nomads of the southern Levant have colored our perceptions of the structure and nature of pastoral nomadic societies in antiquity. These data have often influenced researchers to create false dichotomies between tribes and ‘the state’ in the ancient Near East. New archaeological data from southern Jordan are forcing researchers to confront some of these assumptions. Iron Age excavations in Jordan’s copper ore rich Faynan district, located in the Saharo-Arabian desert zone bordering the Arabah valley that separates modern Jordan and Israel, have revealed two seemingly anomalous discoveries dating to the 10th century BCE. These include an unusually large cemetery containing an estimated 3,000 tombs attributed to a pastoral nomadic population on the one hand, and the southern Levant’s largest Iron Age copper ore smelting factory site on the other. This paper explores the relationship between the nomadic population (attribute to the Shasu nomads known from ancient Egyptian sources) buried in the cemetery at Wadi Fidan 40 with the nearby industrial scale copper production site of Khirbat en-Nahas. The results help shed light on the role of nomadic tribal societies and the multiple pathways to secondary state formation in ancient southern Levant.

Bertille Lyonnet (Centre National de Recherches Scientifiques, Paris) Urban Sites or Central Places for Mobile Groups? Questions about the Circular ”Cities” of Northern Mesopotamia

If agreement is easy concerning the identification of mobile groups when architecture is almost non-existent, the debate is harsh and uneasy to solve when we are dealing with standing houses, public buildings and ramparts. The discussion will mainly concern the so-called Kranzhügel (Tell Beydar, Tell Chuera, Mari, etc.) and round small sites (Umm el Marra, Al Rawda) of 3rd millennium northern Syria. The idea is: to list and analyze the different arguments given by both sides, those who defend the idea of sedentaries on the one hand, and those who defend the idea of mobile groups on the other, to raise questions about the basis of these arguments.

Hopefully, this study will help in banishing all the impressionist and “common sense” ideas, and establishing a better definition of these strange settlements and of the population living there.

Anne Porter (School of Religion, University of Southern California) Beyond dimorphism: how mobility shapes, and has shaped, the ancient Near East

This paper focuses on the profound socio-psychological separation that is thought to distinguish mobile populations from sedentary ones and its relationship to the ancient world, both in terms of how the idea of separateness colors our understanding of the interaction of pastoralist and farmer, and how separate these two groups actually were in the past. I will argue that evidence from the third and second millennia BCE suggest that this was not an original, or innate, condition, but one created at certain points in time for various reasons, usually political ones. This however has been obscured by the influence contemporary experience has had on the formulation of models of antiquity.

Robert Ritner (Oriental Institute, University of Chicago) Egypt and the Vanishing Libyan: Institutional Responses to a Nomadic People

As the world’s first nation state, Egypt by the beginning of the Dynasty 1 had suppressed whatever internal tribes may once have existed. Later Egyptian contacts with tribal societies, and nomadic groups in particular, were marked by sometimes tortured efforts to comprehend social and territorial organization that defied Egyptian standards and expectations. Mirroring the ancient society it studies, the modern discipline of Egyptology has devoted little interest to “alien” notions of tribalism or pastoral nomadism, yet these features had continued impact on the intellectual and political history of Egypt, especially with regard to its often ignored western border.

In this lecture, the evolving relationship between Egypt and Libya will be traced from the Predynastic era into the New Kingdom to illustrate the varying strategies employed by the Egyptian state to incorporate Libya within official ideology and thereby control its restive western neighbors. Within this process, and as a result of the nature of Libyan society, pattern-book victory scenes replace specific historical depictions, “Execration texts” ignore all specifics of Libyan rulership, costumed “mummers” are substituted for obligatory Libyans in religious festivals, and failed attempts are made to impose an Egyptianized state.

Steven A. Rosen (Department of Bible, Archaeology, and Ancient Near East, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev) History Does Not Repeat Itself: Cyclicity and Particularism in Nomad-Sedentary Relations in the Negev in the Long Term

Examination of the long term record of basic relations between sedentary societies and their desert nomadic cousins suggests complexities whose explanations lie both in the explication of general patterns of state-tribal relations and in the specifics of the historical circumstances. General patterns can be seen most clearly in the development of economic asymmetries between the desert regions and the agricultural zone, primarily a function of basic ecological contrasts. Historically contingent factors lie in the political exigencies of relations between states, impacting also on relations with tribal groups, and in social and technological developments effecting differential change on these respective societies.

Three realms of evidence can be used in the examination of nomad-sedentary relations through long term history: ethnographic and ethnohistoric studies of present day relations, analysis of ancient texts, and archaeological study of nomadic societies. None provide a complete picture and all must be read critically, cross-referenced one against the other.

Focusing on the Negev as a case study, shifting patterns of relations between nomadic and sedentary groups can be traced over the long term, beginning with the origins of the phenomenon in the Late Neolithic and extending through classical and indeed recent times. These are reflected in fluctuating demographic patterns, changes in desert subsistence systems, changing patterns of trade relations, shifting settlement systems (including movement of the border between desert and sown), and evolving material culture systems. Archaeologically I suggest that the long span may be divided into four basic complexes, the earliest Timnian complex, the early historical complex (second millennium and early first millennium BC), the Classical complex (beginning with the Nabateans and extending through the Early Islamic period), and the recent Bedouin. Each complex shows a specific package of social, economic, technological, and ecological adaptations.

Benjamin Saidel (Department of Anthropology, East Carolina University) Pitching Tent: Variations in the Layout of Tentcamps in the Southern Levant from the mid 1940s to the Present

Using a variety of archival and contemporary sources this paper surveys of the size and layout of tentcamps from selected portions of the southern Levant. The purpose of this paper is to provide a broader understanding of the nature of tentcamps in this region.

Eveline van der Steen (Department of Archaeology, Classics and Egyptology, University of Liverpool) Tribal Societies in the 19th Century: A Model

Considering the broad and diversified expertise that has come together in this seminar, I would like to focus on the basic questions of my research, and put them before the experts. My research focuses on tribes and tribal politics in the 18th and early 20th century. The reason for focusing on this period, is on the one hand the extensive sources we have from western travelers, and their elaborate descriptions of tribes and their idiosyncrasies, on the other hand the developments within the Ottoman empire and the impact this had on the local tribal societies. This offers a unique window on a period and a society that may offer clues for the understanding of tribal societies in the past, within the context of ancient world systems. I shall illustrate these research questions using several case studies from the 19th century sources.

Donald Whitcomb (Oriental Institute, University of Chicago) Arab Tribes and the Foundation of the Islamic State

The popular image of bedouin tribes erupting out of Arabia, conquering two mighty empires, and founding a sophisticated state of lasting duration has always posed a problem for historians. The crux of this momentous change seems to be a matter of interpretation, specifically the nature of the Banu Umayya dynasty during the late seventh century.

Recently two popular biographies have appeared: that of the Caliph Mu’awiya ibn Abi Sufyan by R. Stephen Humphries, and that of ‘Abd al-Malik by Chase F. Robinson. The former book assembles in great detail the tribal background and maneuverings which allowed Mu’awiya to behave as an amir in Syria, first as governor and then as Caliph in Damascus. Only a few years thereafter, ‘Abd al-Malik seems to have successfully shifted this tribal structure into that of a state, one that would be symbolized in his Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem.

Neither of these historians has utilized the rapidly increasing corpus of archaeological information for the Umayyad period. This involves evidence of the settlement of large numbers of immigrants from the Hijaz and southern Arabia. While the explanation of the amsar, the so-called garrison towns such as Basra, Kufa, Fustat, does not seem to pertain to Syria, the phenomenon of the “desert castles” has been interpreted as sedentism in peripheral meeting places by authorities with the tribal affiliates. As an example, the identification of Sinnabra near Tabariya offers a tangible manifestation as a seasonal governmental center for the above-mentioned Caliphs and their peripatetic court. New evidence of sedentization in this period has been adduced at Qinnasrin and several other archaeological sites.

This historical development of this tribal state should be seen in the context of a Christian population and governmental structures adopted from the former Byzantine state. The incorporation of archaeological information brings the possibility of economic interpretations as well as political and social organization to this important and highly relevant example of “tribes as states” in the Middle East.

Respondents

• Frank Hole (Department of Anthropology, Yale University

Conference Schedule

• Nomads, Tribes, and The State In the Ancient Near East: Cross-Disciplinary Perspectives—Conference Schedule

Participant Bios

Abbas Alizadeh received his PhD from the University of Chicago, and as director of the Oriental Institute’s Iranian Prehistoric Project he has led surveys and excavations in Khuzestan and the Marv Dasht plain. His recent publications include Excavations at the Prehistoric Mound of Chogha Bonut, Khuzestan, Iran, Seasons 1976/77, 1977/78, and 1996 (Oriental Institute 2003); The Origins of State Organizations in Prehistoric Highland Fars, Southern Iran: Excavations at Tall-e Bakun (Oriental Institute 2006); Alizadeh A., N. Kouchoukos, T. J. Wilkinson, A. M. Bauer, M. Mashkour, “Human-Environment Interactions on the Upper Khuzestan Plains, Southwest Iran. Recent investigations,” Paléorient 30 (2004); and “Some Observations Based on the Nomadic Character of Fars Prehistoric Cultural Development,” in N. F. Miller, and K. Abdi (eds.), Yeki Bud, Yeki Nabud: Essays on the Archaeology of Iran in Honor of William M. Sumner (2003).

Thomas Barfield is a social anthropologist who has done extensive research on contemporary and historical pastoral nomadism in Central and Inner Asia over the past thirty years. His works include an ethnography of a pastoral society in northern Afghanistan ( The Central Asian Arabs of Afghanistan: Pastoral Nomadism in Transition [1981]), a historical analysis of state formation by nomads in Mongolia and Manchuria ( The Perilous Frontier: Nomadic Empires and China , [1989]), a cross-cultural study of nomadic pastoralism ( The Nomadic Alternative [1993]), and a coauthored book that documented the varieties of nomadic dwellings found in Afghanistan (A. Szabo & Barfield, Afghanistan: An Atlas of Indigenous Domestic Architecture [1992]). He has also published on Middle Eastern tribes (“Turk, Persian, and Arab: Changing Relationships Between Tribes and State in Iran and Along its Frontiers,” in N. R. Keddie and R. Matthee [eds.] Iran and the Surrounding World: Interactions in Culture and Cultural Politics [2002]; “Tribe and state relations: The Inner Asian perspective,” in P. Khoury and J. Kostiner [eds.] Tribes and State Formation in the Middle East [1991], and on the use of anthropological models in archaeology (“Archaeology as Anthropology of the Long Term,” in Archaeology is Anthropology , S. Gillespie and D. Nichols (eds.) [2003]).

Hans Barnard has participated as ceramicist, photographer, physical anthropologist, and surveyor in archaeological projects in Armenia, Chile, Egypt, Iceland, Panama, and Yemen. He is the editor of Theory and Practice of Archaeological Residue Analysis (with Jelmer Eerkens) (Archaeopress 2007) and The Archaeology of Mobility: Old World and New World Nomadism (with Willeke Wendrich) (Cotsen Institute of Archaeology 2007), and the author of several articles on ceramic analysis and the relation between Eastern Desert Ware and the pastoral nomads of the desert between the Nile and the Red Sea, including: H. Barnard et al., “Mixed Results of Seven Methods for Organic Residue Analysis Applied to One Vessel With the Residue of a Known Foodstuff,” Journal of Archaeological Science 34/1 (2007); H. Barnard and A. A. Magid, ” Eastern Desert Ware from Tabot (Sudan): More Links to the North,” Archéologie du Nil Moyen 10 (2006); and H. Barnard, “Additional Remarks on Blemmyes, Beja and Eastern Desert Ware,” Ägypten und Levante 17 (2007).

Daniel Fleming has written extensively on society and religion in the ancient Near East, with particular interest in cuneiform evidence from second-millennium Syria and in the Bible. In his recent book, Democracy’s Ancient Ancestors: Mari and Early Collective Governance (Cambridge 2004), he considers the political landscape of ancient Mesopotamia from the vantage of the royal correspondence of Mari, where tribal kings ruled from an established urban center. Fleming has also worked extensively on the Late Bronze town of Emar in western Syria, with study of its ritual traditions in The Installation of Baal’s High Priestess at Emar (Eisenbrauns 1992) and Time at Emar (Eisenbrauns 2000).

Frank Hole received his Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of Chicago in 1961. He has taught at Rice University, served as head of the Anthropology Division of the Yale Peabody Museum and as C. J. MacCurdy Professor of Anthropology at Yale. He has carried out archaeological, ethnographic and land use research in the Near East in Iran and Syria, focusing primarily on the origins of agriculture and the subsequent development of agrarian societies in the Near East. His extremely influential publications concerning ancient pastoral nomadism include The Archaeology of Western Iran: Settlement and Society from Prehistory to the Islamic Conquest (Smithsonian 1987); “Pastoral Nomadism in Western Iran,” in R. A. Gould (ed.) Explorations in Ethnoarchaeology (1978); “Rediscovering the Past in the Present: Ethnoarchaeology in Luristan, Iran,” in C. Kramer, (ed.), Ethnoarchaeology: Implications of Ethnography for Archaeology (1979); “The Prehistory of Herding: Some Suggestions from Ethnography,” in M-Th Barrelet, et al. (eds.), L’archéologie de l’Iraq: du début de l’époque néolithique à 333 avant notre ère (1980); and “Campsites of the Seasonally Mobile in Western Iran,” in K. von Folsach K., H. Thrane, and H. Thuesen (eds), From Handaxe to Khan. Essays Presented to Peder Mortensen on the Occasion of His 70th Birthday (2004). More recently he has been a member of an interdisciplinary team in the Center for Earth Observation at Yale and has carried out a number of land-use change studies using time-series satellite image analysis and ground truth observations in the Kabur region of northeast Syria.

Anatoly Khazanov is the Ernest Gellner Professor of Anthropology at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. In addition to pastoral nomadism, his research has spanned the fields of historical anthropology, cultural change and globalization, ethnicity and nationalism, collective memory and public symbolism, transitions from authoritarian/totalitarian rule, anthropology of world religions, and Jewish studies. He has conducted research in Russia, Central Asia, including Khazakstan and Uzbekistan, and Israel. He is the author and editor of several influential books and articles including Nomads and the Outside World (Wisconsin 2nd edition 1994); Pastoralism in the Levant: Archaeological Materials in Anthropological Perspectives (co-edited with Ofer Bar-Yosef) (Prehistory Press 1992); and Nomads in the Sedentary World (co-edited with André Wink) (Routledge 2001). He is a member of the UNESCO International Institute for the Study of Nomadic Civilizations, and a Fellow of the British Academy.

Thomas E. Levy (Department of Anthropology, University of California, San Diego)

Thomas Levy’s research focuses primarily on the evolution of complex societies, especially chiefdoms, in the southern Levant and deep-time studies of the role of technology on the evolution of societies from the Neolithic (ca. 7,500 BCE) to the Iron Age (ca. 1200 to 500 BCE). He has directed excavations at Shiqmim, Gilat, and Nahal Tillah in Israel, and the Jabal Hamrat Fidan and the Edom Lowlands Regional Archaeology Projects in Jordan. His publications include: Archaeology, Anthropology and Cult: The Sanctuary at Gilat, Israel (editor, 2006, London: Equinox Publishing Ltd); T. E. Levy et al, “Archaeology and the Shasu Nomads: Recent Excavations in the Jabal Hamrat Fidan, Jordan,” in R. E. Friedman and W. H. Propp (eds.), Le-David Maskil: A Birthday Tribute for David Noel Freedman (2004); T. E. Levy et al 2005; “Lowland Edom and the High and Low Chronologies: Edomite State Formation, the Bible and Recent Archaeological Research in Southern Jordan,” in The Bible and Radiocarbon Dating - Archaeology, Text and Science , pp. 129-163, (T. E. Levy and T. Higham, Eds., London: Equinox Publishing Ltd); “Transhumance, Subsistence, and Social Evolution in the Northern Negev Desert,” in O. Bar Yosef and A. Khazanov (eds.) Pastoralism in the Levant: Archaeological Material in Anthropological Perspectives , (1992); Crossing Jordan: North American Contributions to the Archaeology of Jordan (2007, co-edited with P. M. Michèle Daviau, R. W. Younker, and M. Shaer; London: Equinox), and most recently, Journey to the Copper Age – Archaeology in the Holy Land (2007, San Diego Museum of Man).

Bertille Lyonnet has conducted archaeological surveys and excavations in Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Syria, the North-West Caucasus and most recently in Azerbaijan. She has a longstanding interest in pastoral nomadism in a variety of periods and regions ranging from post-Hellenistic Bactria to Syria in the third millennium BCE. She is the editor of Prospection archéologique du Haut-Khabur occidental (Syria du N.E.) Volume 1 (2000) and the author of “Le peuplement de la Djéziré occidentale au début du 3e millénaire, villes circulaires et pastoralisme: questions et hypotheses”, in M. Lebeau (ed.) About Subartu (1998); “L’occupation des marges arides de la Djéziré: pastoralisme et nomadisme aux débuts de 3e et du 2e millénaire,” in B. Geyer (ed.) Conquête de la steppe et appropriation des terres sur les marges arides du Croissant Fertile (2001); “Le nomadisme et l’archéologie: problèmes d’identification. Le cas de la partie Occidentale de la Djéziré aux 3ème et début du 2ème millénaire avant notre ère,” in C. Nicolle (ed.) Nomades et sédentaires dans le Proche-Orient ancien (2004). She is also the editor of Les cultures du Caucase, VIe-IIIe millénaires avant notre ère, leurs relations avec le Proche-Orient (CNRS Editions, ERC 2007).

Anne Porter received her PhD from the University of Chicago, and specializes in the complex societies of Mesopotamia from the fourth to mid-second millennium BCE. As co-director of the Euphrates Archaeology Project, she has been excavating at the Tell Banat settlement complex in Syria. She is the author of “The Dynamics of Death: Ancestors, Pastoralism and the Origins of a Third Millennium City in Syria” Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research 325 (2002) and “Communities in Conflict: Death and the Contest for Social Order in the Euphrates River Valley” Near Eastern Archaeology 65/3 (2002); “You say Potato, I say…Typology, Chronology and the Origin of the Amorites,” in C. Marro and C. Kuzucuoglu (eds.), Sociétés humaines et changement climatique à la fin du Troisième Millénaire: une crise a-t-elle eu lieu en Haute-Mésopotamie? (in press). She is currently working a book provisionally titled Mobilizing the Past .

Robert Ritner specializes in Roman, Hellenistic, Late and Third Intermediate Period (Libyan and Nubian) Egypt. He is currently working on a study of Libyan dynastic rule in Egypt, tracing cross-cultural interactions from Predynastic through Saite eras, entitled Libya in Egypt: the Impact of Tribalism on Dynasties 19 through 26 . A portion of this work was presented in “Fragmentation and Re-integration in the Third intermediate Period,” paper given at a conference on The Libyan Period in Egypt: Historical and Chronological Problems of the Third Intermediate Period, Leiden, 2007. He has also published over 100 works on Egyptian religion, magic, medicine, language and literature, and social and political history, including recently, “The Cardiovascular System in Egyptian Thought,” Journal of Near Eastern Studies 65 (2006), and “‘And Each Staff Transformed into a Snake’: The Serpent Wand in Ancient Egypt,” in K. Szpakowska (ed.), Through a Glass Darkly: Magic, dreams and prophecy in Ancient Egypt , (2006). He has also served as academic advisor to two recent British Museum exhibits “Cleopatra of Egypt: From History to Myth,” and “Eternal Egypt,” and he has served as consultant and lecturer for the traveling Cairo Museum exhibit “Quest for Immortality: Treasures of Ancient Egypt.”

Steven A. Rosen (Department of Bible, Archaeology, and Ancient Near East, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev)

Steve Rosen received his PhD from the University of Chicago, and has excavated a number of sites in Israel and Turkey, most recently at Ramat Saharonim (“Investigations at Ramat Saharonim: A Desert Neolithic Sacred Precinct in the Central Negev” Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research , 346 [2007]). He is the editor of the Journal of the Israel Prehistoric Society , and his interests and expertise are apparent in his publications, among them Lithics after the Stone Age: A handbook of Stone Tools from the Levant (AltaMira 1997); The ‘Oded Sites: Investigations at Two Early Islamic Pastoral Encampments in the South Central Negev (with Gideon Avni) (Ben Gurion 1997); “The Tyranny of Texts: A Rebellion against the Primacy of Written Documents in Defining Archaeological Agendas,” in A. M. Maeir, and P. De Miroschedji (eds.), “I Will Speak the Riddles of Ancient Times” Archaeological and Historical Studies in Honor of Amihai Mazar on the Occasion on His Sixtieth Birthday ; and “The Nabateans as Pastoral Nomads: An Archaeological Perspective,” in K. D. Politis (ed.), The World of the Nabataeans (2007).

Benjamin Saidel’s research focuses on tribe-state interactions in the southern Levant during proto-historical and historical periods. He is the co-editor with Eveline van der Steen of On the Fringe of Society: Archaeological and Ethnoarchaeological Perspectives on Pastoral and Agricultural Societies (Archeopress 2007). His recent publications include “Test Excavations at Rogem Be’erotayim in Western Negev,” Journal of the Israel Prehistoric Society 36 (2006), “On the Periphery of an Agricultural Hinterland in the Negev Highlands: Rekhes Nafha 396 in the Sixth through the Eighth Centuries C.E.,” Journal of Near Eastern Studies 64 (2005), and “The Bedouin Tent. An Ethno-archaeological Portal to Antiquity or a Modern Construct?” in H. Barnard and W. Wendrich (eds.), The Archaeology of Mobility: Old World and New World Nomadism (2007). He is working with Mordechai Haiman to publish Haiman’s excavations of ten Early Bronze Age sites in the Negev from 1980 to 1983.

Jeffrey Szuchman (Oriental Institute, University of Chicago)

Jeffrey Szuchman is an archaeologist who has excavated at sites in Turkey and Israel. He is currently a Postdoctoral Scholar at the Oriental Institute. His research focuses on the consequences of Middle Assyrian (ca. 1400–1050 BCE) expansion and administration for the sedentarization and ultimate state formation of Late Bronze Age pastoral nomadic tribes in north Syria and southeast Turkey. He is working on a book entitled The End of the Bronze Age in Northern Mesopotamia: Middle Assyrian Hanigalbat and the Rise of the Arameans , and is the author of “Mobility and Sedentarization in Late Bronze Age Syria,” in H. Barnard and W. Wendrich (eds.), The Archaeology of Mobility: Old World and New World Nomadism (2008).

Eveline van der Steen (School of Archaeology, Classics and Egyptology, University of Liverpool)

Eveline van der Steen’s work focuses on the development of tribal societies in Israel/Palestine and Transjordan, and the phenomenon of tribal state formation in various archaeological periods, using ethnohistorical models based on Late Ottoman (18th to early 20th century AD) developments in the region. She is also involved with the Wadi Arabah Project, which aims to study the Wadi Arabah as a historically dynamic area linking southern Jordan with the Negev. The is the author of Tribes and Territories in Transition: the Central East Jordan Valley in the Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Ages: a Study of the Sources (Peeters 2004); “Nineteenth-Century Travellers in the Wadi Arabah,” in P. Bienkowski and K. Galor (eds.), Crossing the Rift: Resources, Routes, Settlement Patterns and Interaction in the Wadi Arabah (2006); “The Sanctuaries of Early Bronze Age Ib Megiddo: Evidence of a Tribal Polity?,” American Journal of Archaeology 109 (2004); and co-editor with Benjamin Saidel of On the Fringe of Society: Archaeological and Ethnoarchaeological Perspectives on Pastoral and Agricultural Societies (Archaeopress 2007). She is also preparing the excavation report of Tell el-Mazar, a Late Iron/Persian site in the east Jordan Valley.

Donald Whitcomb is an Islamic archaeologist who has excavated in Syria, Egypt, Jordan, and Iran. He has served as the director of the Islamic Project at Aqaba and member of the Wadi Arabah project. His recent work has focused on sedentarization, urbanization, and interregional trade. He is the editor of Changing Social Identity with the Spread of Islam, Archaeological Perspectives (Oriental Institute 2004), and author of “Archaeological Evidence of Sedentarization: Bilad al-Sham in the Early Islamic Period,” in S. Hauser (ed.) Die Sichtbarkeit von Nomaden und saisonaler Besiedlung in der Archäologie: Multidisziplinäre Annährerungen an ein methodisches Problem (2006); “Islamic Archaeology and the “Land behind Baghdad” in E. Stone (ed.) Settlement and Society. Essays Dedicated to Robert McCormick Adams (2007); and “Land behind Aqaba: The Wadi Arabah during the Early Islamic Period” in P. Bienkowski and K. Galor (eds.), Crossing the Rift: Resources, Routes, Settlement Patterns and Interaction in the Wadi Arabah (2006).

For information and free registration, contact

Jeffrey Szuchman (Organizer) Post-Doctoral Scholar Oriental Institute, University of Chicago 1155 E. 58th St. Chicago, IL 60637 USA [email protected] Tel. +1 (773) 702-7497

Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures The University of Chicago 1155 E 58th St. Chicago, IL 60637

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pastoral nomadism

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• Encyclopedia Iranica - Nomadism

pastoral nomadism , one of the three general types of nomadism , a way of life of peoples who do not live continually in the same place but move cyclically or periodically. Pastoral nomads, who depend on domesticated livestock, migrate in an established territory to find pasturage for their animals.

Most nomadic groups have focal sites that they occupy for considerable periods of the year. Pastoralists may depend entirely on their herds or may also hunt or gather, practice some agriculture, or trade with agricultural peoples for grain and other goods. Some seminomadic groups in Southwest Asia and North Africa cultivate crops between seasonal moves. The Kazakhs , an Asiatic Turkic-speaking people who inhabit mainly Kazakhstan and the adjacent parts of the Uighur Autonomous Region of Xinkiang in China, were traditionally pastoral nomads, dwelling year-round in portable dome-shaped tents (called gers , or yurts ) constructed of dismountable wooden frames covered with felt. A few continue to migrate seasonally to find pasturage for their livestock, including horses, sheep, goats, cattle, and a few camels. The Maasai , on the other hand, are fully nomadic. They travel in bands in East Africa throughout the year and subsist almost entirely on the meat, blood, and milk of their herds. The patterns of pastoral nomadism are many, often depending on the type of livestock, the topography , and the climate. ( See also transhumance .)

BecomeNomad

Long Term Travel and Digital Nomad Lifestyle.

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Living a Nomadic Lifestyle

A nomadic lifestyle may seem like heaven to some of us, but it can also be unrewarding and bitter. Just like everything else in life, being a nomad has some wonderful advantages  and a few substantial disadvantages . In this article, we will discuss some of the main characteristics of the nomadic life. But first, we start with a short discussion of the current status and trends of the nomadic lifestyle.

The single major factor which affects nomads is technology which has two related impacts. On the one hand, the rapid pace of technological advance is decreasing the number of ancient nomadic people, since it produces more reasons to settle down. On the other hand, the internet allows people to work remotely and become  Digital Nomads , a way of life which allows anyone to work online while enjoying the flexibility to constantly change locations.

Here are some of the major characteristics of a nomadic lifestyle.

• A nomad constantly changes locations, switching from one place to another. Most nomads have some kind of place that they can call home, which is usually where their family or childhood friends are located, but they wouldn’t spend more than a few months a year there. Nor would they settle down in a new home. For nomads “Change is home”. Not many people can stick to this lifestyle on the long term, since most of us need a little stability and a private  comfort zone . Nomads have no real home they can feel comfortable in, and spend most of their time in  someone’s else accommodation  (i.e. a hostel, short rental, a friend’s place, or couchsurfing ).
• The nomadic lifestyle is more important than anything else, including career, relationship, or assets. A nomad will avoid any attachment which forces her/him to be tied to a specific location. Once you have decided that your nomadic lifestyle is first priority, you will have to sacrifice to make sure it stays sustainable. Many nomads find the Buddhist religion as a good fit, since it focuses on non-attachment and letting go of everything you have. A nomad lets go and clicks an imaginary “reset button” as they move between locations.
• Avoiding attachments- A nomad breaks away from her/his attachments before taking the nomadic path, and stays away from attachments while living as a nomad. What is an attachment? Anything that keeps you away from realizing a nomadic life. It is anything you have (or actually, think that you have) and can’t give up on.  The perfect job that is impossible to get once you quit it, the dog you love so much and can’t be left behind, the amazing girlfriend/boyfriend that will not agree to become a nomad. A quick interesting insight- if you have those, and feel happy, keep them. But if they are not perfect and don’t really make you happy, say goodbye to all your fake attachments and either find better ones, or choose the nomadic path instead.
• Nomads usually become quite smart, easy going and interesting people. The reason for that is clear, they are exposed to many lifestyles, cultures and constantly changing situations. This constant process of change is your teacher. If you are ready for it, it will make you a better person.
• Nomads don’t take life very seriously. Think about it. If you keep losing everything you had (friends, home) every time you change a location, then the basic understanding dawns on you: “everything is temporary and nothing is yours”. After you understand that, you can’t really take life too seriously, there is nothing to defend.
• Nomads travel light and have a minimalist mindset . It means that they consume experiences instead of accumulating Stuff. Life is short, and the only thing we are guaranteed not to lose is great moments experienced. Those of us who keep on over consuming and increasing their possessions will find it very frustrating to carry on their backs while constantly changing locations.
• Nomads usually travel slow . Even for the rare few who can live life without having a home, it is important to create emotional stability by staying longer in each location (usually 1-3 months) in order to establish routines and make meaningful friendships.
• Nomads are respectful, smiley and above all curious. If this is not the case, why would you choose a path of a constant change? Being positive also helps to mitigate one of the greatest disadvantages of the nomadic life, which is loneliness. We are all social animals, which means that without company, we wither and disconnect from ourselves. Since nomads have to keep on rebuilding their social circle wherever they go, being happy and positive is crucial. Regardless, one of my favorite nomadic quotes is “If you are lonely when you are alone, you are in bad company”. Nomads spend a lot of their time alone, and should enjoy it as well.
• Digital Nomads are trying to deal with the issue of lack of social life by choosing global locations that are  Digital nomad hubs.  This greatly increase the chance of meeting like-minded people.
• Nomad think and adjust fast. As a nomad constantly changing locations, everything is always new.  You have to put effort in finding what you need, and probably can’t speak the native language. It means that you must learn to trust your intuition and make quick decisions.

There are many different types of nomadic lifestyles  and each of us better customize their own. For example, with time, I have developed a set of nomadic routines and rules which I follow and adjust. Now it’s time for you to decide if the nomadic life is a beneficial experiment to you, and if so, just make it happen.

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Hi there friends, nice piece of writing and nice arguments commented at this place, I am really enjoying by these.

Means a lot, Reece! Really glad this stuff is hitting home with you 🙂

& Just want to echo my comment above – check out our BecomeNomad pod if you haven’t! Eli and I are really working to up the content frequency there.

Thanks again!

40 years old, have lived a somewhat divided life between Nomadic and “normal” I moved 9 times in 7 years back between 2004 and 2011, but since then have been on one spot. I feel my wife is willing of living Nomadic, but we have a 6 year old and he is our everything, i feel the right thing to do is raise him in one spot and let him have his social group and wait and go back to the nomadic life after he is on his own…. does anyone have any advice on this? would prefer advice from people with actually experience with some situation similar to this

Hi there. I’ve been looking to begin such a lifestyle for a while now, I’m just not too sure on how/where to start. Any tips besides the obvious (quit job. End rental accommodation. Prepare/be aware before committing etc…)?

Hey Chelsea! Thanks for reading. Check out our “Getting Started” section: https://becomenomad.com/category/nomad-knowledge/getting-started/ –> Has a bunch of articles on what you might be looking for as well as some useful external resources

Hope it helps!

Snow is my name jam wanting to do this too

I got seperated this year, lost my joband have moved twice, will be moving again, not by choice. I am really curious of the lifestyle and think it would suit me now as Iam alone with my dog. Iam just wondering how to go about doing it. Iam still unemployed right now, but iam a inter provincial journeyman plumber. I really would like to do this. But Iam a little hesitent.

Hey Brad — great to hear from you. Sorry about the tough last year or so, but if you want to learn more, our “Getting Started” posts may be able to help. Check ’em out: https://becomenomad.com/category/nomad-knowledge/getting-started/

I’ve been nomadic for many years as a single mother and now as an elder. Keeps me young at heart and now I could t go back if I wanted to. Stopping long enough to work and moving on in my little travel trailers.

Jodi — Sounds awesome! Congratulations to what you’ve achieved & thanks for sharing 🙂

I’ve been nomadic living in a school bus (@thedigitalnomadguy) for 3 years now and it’s life changing. I wouldn’t live any other way and the nomadic community, in general, is so inviting and free-spirited. Nomads are my people. Nice article. Peace & Love

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Neolithic Revolution

By: History.com Editors

Updated: October 4, 2023 | Original: January 12, 2018

The Neolithic Revolution, also called the Agricultural Revolution, marked the transition in human history from small, nomadic bands of hunter-gatherers to larger, agricultural settlements and early civilization. The Neolithic Revolution started around 10,000 B.C. in the Fertile Crescent, a boomerang-shaped region of the Middle East where humans first took up farming. Shortly after, Stone Age humans in other parts of the world also began to practice agriculture. Civilizations and cities grew out of the innovations of the Neolithic Revolution.

Neolithic Age

The Neolithic Age is sometimes called the New Stone Age . Neolithic humans used stone tools like their earlier Stone Age ancestors, who eked out a marginal existence in small bands of hunter-gatherers during the last Ice Age .

Australian archaeologist V. Gordon Childe coined the term “Neolithic Revolution” in 1935 to describe the radical and important period of change in which humans began cultivating plants, breeding animals for food and forming permanent settlements. The advent of agriculture separated Neolithic people from their Paleolithic ancestors.

Many facets of modern civilization can be traced to this moment in history when people started living together in communities.

Causes of the Neolithic Revolution

There was no single factor that led humans to begin farming roughly 12,000 years ago. The causes of the Neolithic Revolution may have varied from region to region.

The Earth entered a warming trend around 14,000 years ago at the end of the last Ice Age. Some scientists theorize that climate changes drove the Agricultural Revolution.

In the Fertile Crescent , bounded on the west by the Mediterranean Sea and on the east by the Persian Gulf, wild wheat and barley began to grow as it got warmer. Pre-Neolithic people called Natufians started building permanent houses in the region.

Other scientists suggest that intellectual advances in the human brain may have caused people to settle down. Religious artifacts and artistic imagery—progenitors of human civilization—have been uncovered at the earliest Neolithic settlements.

The Neolithic Era began when some groups of humans gave up the nomadic, hunter-gatherer lifestyle completely to begin farming. It may have taken humans hundreds or even thousands of years to transition fully from a lifestyle of subsisting on wild plants to keeping small gardens and later tending large crop fields.

Neolithic Humans

The archaeological site of Çatalhöyük in southern Turkey is one of the best-preserved Neolithic settlements. Studying Çatalhöyük has given researchers a better understanding of the transition from a nomadic life of hunting and gathering to an agriculture lifestyle.

Archaeologists have unearthed more than a dozen mud-brick dwellings at the 9,500 year-old Çatalhöyük. They estimate that as many as 8,000 people may have lived here at one time. The houses were clustered so closely back-to-back that residents had to enter the homes through a hole in the roof.

The inhabitants of Çatalhöyük appear to have valued art and spirituality. They buried their dead under the floors of their houses. The walls of the homes are covered with murals of men hunting, cattle and female goddesses .

Some of the earliest evidence of farming comes from the archaeological site of Tell Abu Hureyra, a small village located along the Euphrates River in modern Syria . The village was inhabited from roughly 11,500 to 7,000 B.C.

Inhabitants of Tell Abu Hureyra initially hunted gazelle and other game. Around 9,700 B.C. they began to harvest wild grains. Several large stone tools for grinding grain have been found at the site.

Agricultural Inventions

Plant domestication: Cereals such as emmer wheat, einkorn wheat and barley were among the first crops domesticated by Neolithic farming communities in the Fertile Crescent. These early farmers also domesticated lentils, chickpeas, peas and flax.

Domestication is the process by which farmers select for desirable traits by breeding successive generations of a plant or animal. Over time, a domestic species becomes different from its wild relative.

Neolithic farmers selected for crops that harvested easily. Wild wheat, for instance, falls to the ground and shatters when it is ripe. Early humans bred for wheat that stayed on the stem for easier harvesting.

Around the same time that farmers were beginning to sow wheat in the Fertile Crescent, people in Asia started to grow rice and millet. Scientists have discovered archaeological remnants of Stone Age rice paddies in Chinese swamps dating back at least 7,700 years.

In Mexico , squash cultivation began about 10,000 years ago, while maize-like crops emerged around 9,000 years ago.

Livestock : The first livestock were domesticated from animals that Neolithic humans hunted for meat. Domestic pigs were bred from wild boars, for instance, while goats came from the Persian ibex. Domesticated animals made the hard, physical labor of farming possible while their milk and meat added variety to the human diet. They also carried infectious diseases: smallpox, influenza and the measles all spread from domesticated animals to humans.

The first farm animals also included sheep and cattle. These originated in Mesopotamia between 10,000 and 13,000 years ago. Water buffalo and yak were domesticated shortly after in China , India and Tibet.

Draft animals including oxen, donkeys and camels appeared much later—around 4,000 B.C.—as humans developed trade routes for transporting goods.

Effects of the Neolithic Revolution

The Neolithic Revolution led to masses of people establishing permanent settlements supported by farming and agriculture. It paved the way for the innovations of the ensuing Bronze Age and Iron Age , when advancements in creating tools for farming, wars and art swept the world and brought civilizations together through trade and conquest.

The Development of Agriculture; National Geographic . The Seeds of Civilization; Smithsonian Magazine .

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As A Semi-Nomad, Home Is Whatever City I Move To Next

When you float between cities living paycheck-to-paycheck, this is what life is like.

In August 2020, two months after I virtually graduated college, I arrived in Honolulu with two suitcases and a lease agreement fresh from Roomies.com. COVID-conscious, I quarantined in a studio apartment for two weeks with a roommate I’d never met before: We split grocery delivery, swapped the bed and futon, and toasted to our new home in ceramic tiki mugs. After our release, we tore through the ghostly streets of Waikiki at midnight, floating in the ocean with a 2-liter bottle of bad chardonnay and swearing we’d never leave.

A year later, I did.

Towards the end of my lease in Honolulu, the idea of New Orleans burrowed into my head. A graduate program in Scotland. A job lead in Charleston. Once you leave abruptly once, it’s much easier to do it again.

I don’t bill myself as a digital nomad so much as semi-nomadic or a floater; at 24, I can’t see myself committing to a city for longer than a year at a time. As a freelance writer, I have the flexibility to move around: Some contracts may have me shuttling between several spots, an ideal setup for my indecision. Hawaii was a hotbed for the type of photography, writing, and marketing work I did; I still wanted to end up in the travel industry, even if jobs were at a standstill, and this could count as worldly experience.

My parents were staunchly against me moving so far away at such a volatile time, and I did so entirely on my own dime. I was determined not to take out loans or get myself into credit card debt, meaning I lived off savings and inconsistent freelance income. Still, living paycheck to paycheck with such a low overhead was only possible due to my lack of student loans, a definitive privilege. I also have the ability to come back to stay with my family if I have to, a benefit I used this past winter to save up an emergency fund. Having that safety net gave me the freedom to take risks, an opportunity that many people don’t get. Honestly, without that protection, I don’t know if I would have the bravery to do it again — because as it was, I was constantly stressed about money.

Without a stable living situation, I always had to be aware of my finances, and live as minimally as possible: I spend very little, and rarely eat out or shop. In Hawaii, most of my leisure activities were free, which meant I really only spent money on food, transportation, lodging, and business expenses. I devoted about $1,500 for initial expenses, hoping I wouldn’t get scammed on the few major purchases I made. The most stressful part of living in Hawaii was the cheaper-than-cheap car I shelled out for, which regularly broke down and often made me cry. It was expensive to rebuild the basics solo, even at Costco or Goodwill.

After Hawaii, I headed to Ontario in the fall of 2021, to the lakeside cottage my family spent a month at every summer. Our family trip had been delayed due to the Canadian border closure, but we agreed to meet up there as soon as it opened. I stayed there for a few weeks before driving down to Lexington, arranging my schedule around my rescheduled graduation. After, I crashed in Raleigh for a month with my twin sister. Finally, at the beginning of November, I ended up in my hometown of Tampa for the holidays, deciding to spend the winter saving up for my next stint. Next is New York, Jackson, or Denver, depending on work.

There are some places I return to every year that seem to settle and invigorate me. There are others that challenge and change me. When I'm immersed in one location for a while, I imagine the version of myself that would thrive there. I’ve come to realize that something doesn’t have to feel permanent to feel like home — home, ultimately, is made up of the places I keep returning to, not the places I’ve been for a long time. I feel that core ideal of “home” as soon as I have a routine somewhere, no matter how long that lasts.

It’s not that no place feels like home, but that multiple spots do.

Standard advice tells nomads to “live lightly,” but I gave myself the freedom to settle and spread out. I figured even if I ended up not extending a lease, I might end up back somewhere seasonally or in the future. While it wasn’t practical to haul a lot of stuff across the country, I chose not to be afraid of decorating. The things I did buy often had a direct correlation to home. Psychological principles of nostalgia — like scent’s strong impact on memory — influenced my comfort levels when I was uprooted. In Hawaii, I’d light a candle with a neroli fragrance from home when I was lonely, or use the lavender shampoo I associated with one vivid semester of college.

For me, nomadism (or in my case semi-nomadism) is appealing as a test run, a way to figure out where I live and thrive best. It amplifies and aligns with certain aspects of my personality, which comes with its own flaws and drawbacks.

I define myself more by where I am than what I’m doing or who I’m around, but I’ve also found that relationships are an important piece of the puzzle. I’ve always been a floater: friends with everyone, but unwilling or unable to function in a group message dynamic. My friendships in new places are deep and satisfying, but I miss out on the growth and intensity that history will give them over time. Wavering on how long I’d stay made me feel like I projected distance, like people shouldn’t try to befriend me because I wouldn’t stick around. I plan on returning to Oahu at some point, and next time, I tell myself, I’ll socialize as if I’ll stay forever.

Romantically, I don’t date and I haven’t kissed anyone in over two years. Without the genuine belief I’ll end up somewhere for a while, any desire has completely evaporated. I have to know someone deeply before I’m attracted to them, which is antithetical to the lifestyle I currently want. Any temptation to date is often financial, which sounds heartless. But the truth is it would be easier to split the costs of moving around with somebody else. Many other nomads I see are coupled up, splitting the obscene expense of an overpriced short-term sublease or furnished apartment.

Ultimately, I’ve struggled with the idea of where home is for me now. It’s not that no place feels like home, but that multiple spots do: A place can both return you to some core version of yourself while also marking how much you've changed since you've last been there. Home is Tampa, Florida. Brevard, North Carolina. Gore’s Landing, Ontario. Oahu, Hawaii. Lexington, Virginia. It’s more about where I choose to return, than where I spend my time.

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Mum, 55, moves out of family home for full-time nomadic living

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A mother-of-two who moved out of her family home to embrace a nomadic lifestyle now lives in a handmade tent in the British countryside with solar power, homegrown food and expenses of just £300 per month.

Jessica Rost, a 55-year-old artist, first transitioned to full-time nomadic living in 2019 when she moved into a converted Ford Transit van.

Jessica initially kept her two-bed family home in Milton Keynes as her two children, now aged 25 and 27, who she does not wish to name, lived there “on and off” between going to university and starting work.

In 2021 she then started making bender tents – shelters made from woven branches or metal that are bent in a dome shape – as part of her work as an artist, but then decided to make one for herself to live in.

She moved into her first bender tent in Blackburn in 2021 and since 2022 has resided in a seven-metre by five-metre tent in the Cheshire countryside featuring five windows, a gas cooker, carpeted floors, a flower pot fridge, wireless internet access and even a bath on wheels.

Jessica keeps her monthly expenses to around £300 by growing her own food all while sharing her home with the occasional spider, shrew, slug and toad, which she sees as “just part of it”.

Later this year she will temporarily move into a two-bedroom terraced house she purchased in Lancaster to live with her partner, an environmental activist, and his son, who she does not wish to name – but she hopes to then one day move them all into a treehouse or van and doubts she will ever fully return to a conventional lifestyle.

Jessica told PA Real Life: “Everyone loves it, seeing my really crazy little hobbit house – it’s got everything you need – it’s like a mini house.

“One year, I had about eight people in here on Christmas Day.”

In 2019, Jessica put traditional house living to one side and first started living nomadically full-time in her van.

“I took to it (living off grid) very easily, because I’ve always lived an outdoor life,” she said.

“It’s very close to living outside, but not outside – you hear the owls and you hear the rain, and you hear everything, and you see all the seasons.

“Even if I’m in a house with a garden… after a couple of days, I start to feel very claustrophobic.”

During this time, Jessica’s artwork involved creating bender tents and labyrinth spaces for people to walk through and contemplate life, but in 2021 she decided to build one for herself to live in in Blackburn.

As of 2022, she lives in a bender tent in a field in Cheshire.

Constructing the seven-metre by five-metre tent cost Jessica around £1,500, and she completed it in just a few days.

“It’s made of hazel poles bent into a dome shape, it’s got five windows, a door, a small boot room, a gas cooker, a good, strong ground sheet, a couple of layers of carpet, lots of insulation, and some tarpaulin over the top,” Jessica explained.

“Outside, I can see lots of hedgerows, a walnut tree, and a little fire pit.”

Her loved ones, including her two children “love coming to visit”, and when she decided to live off-grid Jessica believes they were “not really surprised”.

Jessica uses a solar panel to charge her phone and access the internet, primarily for selling her artwork and sculptures.

She has also constructed a bath on wheels, which runs off a battery and gas bottle, heating up in just 15 minutes, so she can “have a bath whether (she’s) up a mountain or in a field”.

Jessica, who avoids eating cheese or meat and believes most foods do not need refrigeration, grows and forages her own fruit and vegetables – storing them in a flower pot in the ground to keep them cool.

She cooks using a gas oven, with gas supplied by a local supplier, or she cooks with wood on a fire.

As a result, her monthly bills are minimal, with around £300 covering her WiFi, phone bill, groceries, and workshop rental costs.

However, living in a tent full-time means she often encounters unexpected visitors – it is usually home to spiders, shrews, slugs and toads.

She said: “I do sweep the cobwebs away, but there are lots of nice places for spiders to live – even if I sweep the cobwebs away, they just build more.

“Some of the spiders are probably three or four years old.

“I think it’s part of it – once you accept that you’re just part of the ecosystem, it’s much better than trying to fight against it.

“I’m not worried about the spiders when I sleep, but I don’t like little things that run and scuttle, so I have a cat.

“I have to seal up all my food, put it in containers, keep everything really clean, and not leave crumbs anywhere.”

Jessica plans to continue living in her bender tent until the end of autumn – in the winter, she will temporarily move to Lancaster to live in a house with her partner.

“It’s not going to be for long; I don’t think I’m going to last very long in a house,” Jessica added.

“I don’t think I’ll ever go back to living in a house permanently.

“He’s stayed with me quite a lot, and he was a tree protester, so he lived in tree houses and vans.

“We’re hoping to live in a treehouse or a bender tent together.”

When she moves out, she will not dismantle her tent – instead, she is allowing others to stay in it to prevent it from deteriorating.

Looking to the future, she hopes to help more people create bender tents and continue hosting workshops on how to construct them.

She added: “Off-grid living would be a solution to a lot of problems, including the cost of living crisis, except that it is not really legal or easy to get away with.

“Nomadic living is not encouraged and there is a lot of prejudice.

“It definitely makes you realise you don’t need as much stuff.”

I've been a digital nomad for 11 years. The hardest part of this lifestyle is dating.

• Cait Charles has been a digital nomad for 11 years.
• She's lived in 12 countries, visited over 30, and enjoyed romantic flings and relationships along the way.
• At 35, she's still looking for a relationship on the road but avoids getting attached too early.

My quest for a long-term partner while on the road has not yet proved successful, but it has always come with adventure.

In 2013, I took my first step into the digital nomad lifestyle by becoming an online English teacher. I knew I wanted to travel and saw this as a way to sustain myself.

Now, at 35, I've lived in 12 countries and visited over 30. I've continued teaching, started content writing, and am now working on communications and facilitation for an eco-community in Thailand, my current home.

Over the years, I've enjoyed a slew of flings and a few longer relationships. I've also learned dating lessons, including the following three.

1. Avoid premature attachment

We met at a Buddhism course in Nepal. He had long curly hair, and I had a lot of free time. I chased him for two weeks until he gave in, fell madly in love with me, and welcomed me into his apartment.

We then went about passionately ignoring one of Buddhism's core tenets: non-attachment. Attachment, the Buddha said, was the root of suffering. Testing his theory, we became fiercely attached to a future we quickly planned out — one replete with copious amounts of curly-haired children.

Within months, our quest to do the opposite of what the Buddha had taught brought us face-to-face with another core tenet of Buddhism: impermanence.

After we argued our way through nine countries and eventually broke up, we ended the relationship with a hand-in-hand walk around the Buddhist stupa in the heart of the neighborhood where we first met. It realized that premature attachment to a vision that doesn't yet have a strong foundation doesn't work.

This happened 11 years ago, but it's a lesson I've had to learn a few more times since.

2. Find friendships in failed relationships

And then there was Moishe. Ah, Moishe, like a breath of fresh air when you fear not being able to breathe anymore. In this case, partly due to a new respiratory virus that was spreading — it was 2020, and the pandemic had just been announced.

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We met on Nomad Soulmates, a dating app for digital nomads under the most surreal of circumstances. All flights were being canceled, and the world was in panic.

We seemed to mirror each other perfectly. We were both longtime travelers and secular Jews from the US. Both of us wanted a life partner, but not kids — a near impossibility to find within our demographic. Best of all, we were both obsessed with building community by hosting dinners, workshops, and other types of meetups.

To bridge those 13 timezones and COVID masks that separated us — I was living in South Korea, and he was in Pennsylvania — we did what any logical couple dating online for five months would do: we decided that I would fly across the world and we would do the whole "quarantine" thing together.

We rented a one-bedroom apartment in Pennsylvania Amish Country for three months, where we could hear the clop-clop of horse hooves passing by our house at all hours.

It turned out Moishe and I had one more major thing in common: a shared tendency to get ahead of ourselves. You would think we could have avoided putting the cart before the horse in a town where it was constantly on display properly, but we managed it.

Just a few days after moving in, it became clear that we weren't a match romantically. However, we continued to work from the same home and be each other's sole social contact for the next three months.

Although my hopes of finding a long-term partner were quickly dashed, this story has a happy ending. We both ended up moving abroad again and now share a social network .

For me, the lesson here — aside from the obvious one about not making forever plans before you actually meet — is that there's a richness to be gained from having the flexibility to transform a failed relationship into a top-notch friendship.

3. Go with your gut

I was just getting out of another failed relationship when I went on my first Tinder date. We met in Florida when I was visiting my dad en route to Mexico for a Central America adventure — a trip that swiftly canceled after the first time I saw him take out the ponytail elastic and let down his hair. His good looks convinced me to stay.

Though we had a strong initial connection, there were obvious underlying issues from the get-go. While I've always been fascinated by relationship psychology, he was skeptical. We also didn't share the same long-term goals; for example, he was set on staying in Florida, while I had no intention of returning to the US full time.

For a year, we tried to make something work that was doomed to fail. Spoiler alert: It failed. It turns out that if you enter a relationship thinking, "This probably won't work out," then you're probably right.

But I have no regrets. The experience taught me to prioritize the potential for a healthy relationship in the future over the impulse to settle for a less-than-ideal one in the present. Nowadays, I let go more gracefully early on when I see that a connection is unlikely in the long run.

My biggest takeaway from these nomadic love affairs has been that it just doesn't bode well for a relationship — or for your heart — to get ahead of yourself by taking big steps and making big plans early on. When you're dating on the road, the temptation to do so is strong, and connecting at a speed that would seem crazy in the "real world" is commonplace.

Connections often feel more intense, too, because we  digital nomads  exist within a bubble of transience and time limits. There's a feeling of urgency that pushes us to connect faster.

It may be fun at the moment to move in with a guy from the internet, make lifelong plans with the curly-haired Buddha, or spontaneously cancel your onward travels, but if you don't live inside a romantic comedy movie, these are not ways to build an actual stable relationship.

Got a personal essay about long-distance dating that you want to share? Get in touch with the editor: [email protected] .

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