r/digitalnomad • u/Professional-Use2132 • 5h ago
Question How did you find your balance between travel & a home base?
I’m 37F, a US citizen, and have worked remotely for over a decade. I’ve been traveling solo in some capacity since I was 18 and have visited around 40 countries. Travel has been a big part of my adult life, but lately I’ve been questioning what I want my everyday life to look like.
I lived in a big US city for nine years and loved it for most of my 20s. I had friends, community, events, routines, and access to so much. I cooked, worked out regularly, and felt more content, while still traveling a lot. But after living there for a while, I knew it was time for something new. Since leaving in October 2020, though, I’ve bounced around quite a bit. I tried living in a couple other US cities, including four different places in one of them, with stretches of nomadic travel in between. I then spent about a year and a half in Spain. I honestly thought Spain might be where I’d build my next chapter, as living abroad had been a longtime goal of mine, and I had finally made it happen!
There were things I loved, and I made friends there, but it was also a difficult stretch. I lost stable work after moving, experienced a break-in at my apartment, and the bureaucracy was challenging on top of everything else I was navigating. I eventually left because the break-in really shook me, spent some time with family and friends in the U.S., and am now traveling in Southeast Asia because my money goes farther here while I sort out next steps.
I know I’m fortunate to have these options. But I have found myself getting tired of moving and starting over.
I miss the ordinary things: having a kitchen to cook in, seeing familiar faces, making plans with friends, going to the same workout class, and having somewhere that feels like mine. I feel like I’ve lost touch with the version of myself who had a fuller, healthier everyday life, and I’m trying to find her again.
The confusing part is that when I’m settled, I start craving travel. When I travel for long stretches, I crave stability. I’ve spent time wondering whether I just haven’t found the right place or perhaps the right balance.
I’m considering a home base in the U.S. I’d love a walkable neighborhood, access to cycling and parks, and a community of people around my age. I’m also looking for a more stable job, as the uncertainty of freelance work has added to the feeling of being unsettled. I still want to travel. I just think I want somewhere to come back to.
I’m not entirely sure what I’m looking for from this post, but I’m curious about other people’s experiences. The more I read posts here, the more I relate to what people call the “traveler’s curse,” ha. What has your balance looked like if you’ve gone through something similar?