TRAVEL | NOMADS | HARD DECISIONS

Sometimes the Best Travel Decision is Not to Travel at All

Being nomadic means that we have to protect our physical and mental health, plus our wallets, at all costs

The place we are currently staying in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. It’s not so bad! Photo Credit: Jillian Amatt - Artistic Voyages

Last week, my partner Chris and I made a major decision. It was one that we didn’t take lightly, and it is one that I am already starting to regret a little. But the deed is done. We have cancelled a house sit, and we have cancelled a trip to Europe this winter.

There are a few reasons why we made this decision. 1) We are tired of moving around. 2) We don’t currently have the finances to make the trip enjoyable. 3) I injured my knee in August, and it still hasn’t fixed itself.

Being in Canada means we move around a lot

We’ve been moving around a lot for the past year. I didn’t really think much about it until we arrived on the East Coast of Canada at the beginning of October. In one year, we haven’t spent more than six weeks in one place. Not to mention that we have crossed the entire country by land since March 1st this year. It’s too much moving around.

From 2017 to 2023, while we were out in the world, we had many stints where we settled into one place for three months or more. Basically, we would move around until A) we got tired of traveling or B) we really liked where we were and decided to stay a while. Finances also played into our decisions to stop moving. We spend less when we sit still, plain and simple.

Oftentimes, we would rent an apartment, work on our projects, and let our money build back up until we felt comfortable going somewhere again. It was common for us to settle in for three months, and these long stints of staying in one place are what made this lifestyle manageable — but we have been missing that key ingredient this past year.

I mostly blame it on being back in Canada. Here, our online work doesn’t cover our costs like it does in other countries. This forces us to have to work side jobs, volunteer in exchange for food and accommodation and run, run, run to keep up. I feel like I am back on the hamster wheel that I left eight years ago, and lately I’m starting to feel trapped again. It’s not a good feeling.

An opportunity for a housesit

In early 2020, we found ourselves in Morocco. Shortly after arriving, I was contacted by a friend who owned a house in Mallorca, Spain. She was wondering if we would come and housesit and petsit for her in the summer. Since we were so close to Spain already, we felt that it would be a great opportunity and agreed immediately.

However, we all know what happened that year, and our plans were cancelled.

This year, in July, I noticed a post from her on social media that showed a new house that they had purchased in the Italian Alps. I was intrigued and immediately messaged her to remind her that we would be happy to house sit at either of her properties if they needed anyone. She wrote back that they were considering a trip over Christmas and New Year and wondered if we would be interested in housesitting then.

I messaged back with an enthusiastic YES! We were very excited to finally be heading to Spain and really looked forward to the opportunity to experience this part of the world.

Our finances changed

In July, we were feeling pretty good. We were eager to get back out of Canada for the winter and excited to explore new parts of Europe.

At that time, our bank account was in an okay state, but we knew that more paid work was coming up, so we weren’t worried. However, after travelling across Canada in September, our financial situation changed drastically.

Because of the insanely high costs of food, lodging and transportation to travel through Ontario and Quebec, then out to Halifax, we spent way more money than we had hoped to. By the time we got to Cape Breton, we knew that the only way we would get to Spain comfortably was to find paid work once we got here. However, I knew that this was a long shot as Eastern Canada is not necessarily a place to find work, as most residents go on Employment Insurance for the winter.

The resort that we are volunteering at had said that there may be opportunities to make some money during our initial interview, so we hoped that would be the case. But after being here for three weeks, we could see that this wasn’t the case. As of right now, we might get paid if we do a mural, but the owner here is difficult and I don’t even know if that will happen.

As the days ticked on and our travel dates started getting closer and closer, we had no choice but to pull the plug on all of it. Plus, we knew that my friend would need some time to find another housesitter for the busy Christmas season.

Feeling good and bad about the decision

Initially, it was a weight off both of our shoulders. We felt immediate relief and welcomed the opportunity to sit still for a while. As stated above, I have also been nursing a sore knee. I tweaked it somehow while doing some gardening work back in August, and it is still giving me a bit of grief. After researching the pain online, it doesn’t seem as though anything is torn or needs surgery, but resting it will be important if I want it to heal.

After cancelling our plans, I realized that it was probably the best decision for my knee, above all else. Walking is a bit painful these days, and knowing how much we walk when we are on the road, also while pulling heavy suitcases, had me realizing that it wouldn’t get any better over there either.

The disappointment that was expressed by my friend is also weighing heavily on my conscience. I hate to let people down, and I’m not one to just walk away from commitments — especially ones promised to friends. But it is what it is, and I have to live with that. I’m sure with two months' notice, she will be able to find somebody to take care of her animals.

Something I haven’t mentioned yet in this article is that we have committed to working at a farm in Golden, BC, for the entire summer of 2026, starting in April. So this means that we would only have had three months out of the country before we would have to return. This has also played into our decision.

When we travel long distances to get somewhere, we like to spend at least six months in the area. This gives us enough flexibility to both look around a bit, plus sit still and rest when we need to. However, as nomads, three months is not enough time for all of that — crazy as it seems to those who are happy with a two-week holiday overseas.

The dark sides of this nomadic life

I’ll admit, the thought of another winter in Canada has us both a bit depressed. While we do love the location of where we are right now, as stated, the owner is difficult to deal with and we aren’t sure if we want to stay here for much longer. This means that we have to start figuring out our next moves.

While it isn’t a trip across an ocean, sometimes it can feel just as daunting to move around Canada. Public transportation is limited and distances are great. But there are some irons in the fire already, and we need to be patient to see what plays out.

I don’t often write about the harder sides of this lifestyle. I think most of it is because no matter how hard it is, I still feel that it is better than what we left in our static life. But it doesn’t change the fact that these decisions are hard, and putting all of the pieces together to make this lifestyle work is, well, a lot of work.

But life goes on, and we will continue to put one foot in front of the other and make the best of what we are given. We are confident that we will have a good winter — it may just be a tad colder than what we could have experienced in Spain.

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