Today marks the 7th anniversary of the day I quit my job as a corporate lawyer and left New York to travel. During the intervening years, I have thought back to the conversation that occurred when I gave notice at my firm. I walked into the office of one of my favourite partners, stomach in knots after a sleepless night. I stammered my news at him from the doorway of his office, head dipped and staring at the carpet. “Will you give us a chance to match the offer?” he asked, more kindly than was necessary. “Well…” I drifted off and took a deep breath. “I don’t think this is something you can match. I’m quitting my job to travel around the world for a year.”
There were signs, of course. The fact that my law degrees were framed yet gathering dust under my bed. That instead my office walls featured four big photographs from my prior travels, easily viewable from my desk. That I would pepper anyone who travelled overseas with questions once they returned, usually about what they ate. And — apparently — that I was Canadian. “You Canadians are flight risks,” another lawyer joked, likely half in jest. Expats are likely more of a flight risk than locals, but in a city like New York, the majority of us were expats. I just happened to be an expat who saw a documentary about the Trans-Siberian trains when I was a kid, generating years of dreaming and planning for a day when I could ride them myself.
As most of you know, this site started as a communication tool, one that bridged worried family, excited friends, surprised colleagues, and cheerleading clients. For as long as I can remember, I have written, albeit more quietly. My mum’s house is littered with notebooks from my many years of scribbling, and during my first time away from home alone, studying in Aix-en-Provence, I sent home long email missives about culture shock and newfound friends, as well as the many trips I took to neighbouring countries. With technology allowing for a less intrusive place to update, a blog seemed like the right idea when I quit my legal job. Along with a fellow lawyer named Jessica — hence the “s” in Legal Nomads — the site was born.
We set out on April 1, 2008. I promptly got sick, and continued to get sick. So much so that I had to return to New York to recover. Between a terrible respiratory infection that left me fevered and unable to breathe, and torn tendons in my ankle, the beginnings of this adventure were not what I expected. Jess continued on her journey without me, and decided she wasn’t as keen on the writing component. She left the blog to me in late-2008, and as she had planned, returned to the practice of law after completing her trip. While we had made those plans together, my return to the law after one year never happened. This you all know. Instead, I found myself writing and eating, learning and experiencing, and growing a community of passionate, fun and interesting readers here on Legal Nomads.
Funding Legal Nomads
Someone jokingly asked me if I was getting a “seven-year itch”, wanting to know if I was going to switch careers once more. But I feel like I am only getting started. It is only now that I have found a place for the more artistic projects I wanted to embark upon, and finally built my online store to house them. I’ve put out a call for hiring someone to help me with running the site and the Thrillable Hours interviews, so that I can focus on writing more. In addition, after many readers asked me to put together a book for celiacs, I am in the process of writing a guide for gluten-free travel. With it, tailored gluten-free cards country by country, with me writing them first in English with local dishes, and then translating them. There are gluten-free cards online, but those I have used did not work when locals do not know what has gluten it in and what doesn’t; presenting a tailored card with names of the forbidden dishes is my goal for this project.
My about page is long, because I often get questions about how I pay for my travel and do what I do. You can click through to it and read the whole list of income sources if you’d like, but the same rule has applied throughout. I only post what I would want to read myself, and I only offer products that I am proud of. The store is the culmination of what I saw as a missing item in the marketplace: typographic food maps built around a country’s shape. The same applies to the relationships I have formed longer-term. I have worked with companies I trust (for example, my ambassadorship with G Adventures is in its 5th year), and done freelance writing work to supplement income as I was getting the other projects off the ground, instead of taking sponsored links or advertising. My Jodi Eats tours were a chance to share my love of food and wandering for readers who came through cities I loved.
I repeat the above principles every year in these State of the Union posts, and the answers have yet to change. My plan is that they won’t have to, and that any additional projects or expansion that the site undergoes will follow those basic tenants.
Ups and Downs of No Home Base
Building a business can happen anywhere, and these projects could easily be undertaken from a laptop in Montreal, or New York, or Auckland, or Saigon. Primarily, I have grown Legal Nomads without a home. When I meet new people and they ask “where are you based?” I have trouble answering the question without sounding ridiculous.
“Ummmm… nowhere, for the last several years,” I say slowly, “I used to be a lawyer but now I eat soup for a living.”
Inevitably this leads to a few more questions, and looks of incredulity, and curiosity about the why. But one thing sticks out: people want to know how it feels to not have the stability of an actual home.
“Don’t you want a home, even if you couldn’t live in it year round?”
This is the refrain. And to be honest sometimes I do think it would be nice, if only to have a place I know I can fold into quietly if I need time to myself. But these needy occasions are infrequent, and usually I end up renting a place on for a month or two in a city I love instead, providing that inner space without the down payment.
In answering the question, I always acknowledge the privilege outright. Even the negatives to these choices are predominantly first world problems. That does not mean that they don’t weigh on me, but it remains important to acknowledge, as I usually do, that they are lucky problems to have.
The bottom line is that if I wanted a home I would seek out a home. I understand why people still ask. It does go against the norm to not have a home base for so many years. The positives of not having one outweigh any negatives, else I would not be doing this any longer. Positives like family time, the flexibility to go where I want (and when), structured around fun events around the globe. Endless summers. The many great meals, and chances to deepen connections with friends. The intense personal struggles — overcoming fears, acknowledging limits, pushing yourself to do the things that give you pause — that make me a happier person.
I wanted this site to be about learning, not about me. So I decided at the beginning of Legal Nomads that relationships or more personal or intimate things would have little place here. But readers frequently ask whether I am lonely, worried about leaping into a less normal life themselves and then feeling alone. Given the regularity of the question, I wanted to briefly answer it here: I have not been lonely. Before this site took off, I found hostel common areas and crowded street stalls easy places to meet others, and when in doubt there was always an expat event in whatever town I was visiting. Each of these places afforded a chance to talk about travel and life and usually resulted in at least one good food recommendation.
Nowadays, I am honoured by the many friends and readers who link me to people they know wherever I go. I am writing this in a fog of jetlag, having just arrived in Lisbon for the first time. In the weeks leading up to my long trip from New Zealand, I received a dozen emails from people wanting to meet up and grab some soup. A side benefit to keeping this site is not only meeting great readers, but also meeting their friends. These connections can occur anywhere in the world, and I’ve also found that it is possible to form a meaningful relationship despite not having a base. Sure, there are far fewer people seeking to work as they roam while also remaining open to a relationship. The Venn diagram does occasionally intersect, however, and I’ve been able to spend time with a gentleman who has a thirst for learning and the desire for a flexible lifestyle that I so believe in.
As I said, there are negatives to erring on the side of location independence. Some are petty, like packing. In my long resources page for those who want to take a year to travel around the world I talk about packing lists. But now I find myself in this strange hybrid place where I have turned a blog into a business, and I speak at conferences and have meetings and weddings to attend. What to pack — and what to leave with whom and where — is a persistent thorn in my side. Yes, there are worse problems to have.
Health is another downside, as getting dengue took a lot of wind out of my sails. Years later, I still don’t feel like I have healed entirely as I have lingering circulatory issues that doctors attribute to the virus. Being on the move frequently can bring more sickness and a need to slow down. I’ve had to learn to read these signs better.
Entrepreneurship brings with it its own crop of issues. A lack of consistent salary, a need for self-discipline, the fact that oftentimes you do want to work instead of play, because what you’re building excites you enough that it blots out most other things. These are challenges, but not problems.
And finally, while I have a great network of friends and family all around the world, sometimes I just wish why can’t I put them all in one place and just hang out for a few weeks. What I mean is, my friendships are consistent and they are deep, but they don’t have the consistency of daily or weekly interaction that I had when I lived in one spot. That said, I’m still profoundly happy that technology and history keeps bonds alive over borders and time.
A Big Thank You
Thank you for reading, for supporting the site through the store, for the many emails and tweets and Instagram tags that feature the soups you are eating, the olives you are hating, and the cats you are hugging. If there’s one thing that continuously amazes me about this site, it’s the quality of you readers who make it a success. I’m honoured to have met many of you over the years of Saigon food walks, and to now call you some of you friends after we’ve crossed paths several times since.
Who knew that when I pressed publish on my first post I would not be taking a sabbatical, but rather setting in motion a huge career change and a continuous process that challenged me to keep at this site without knowing where it was headed. From 2008 until now, I can honestly say what I’ve said before: that I like myself more as a person due to the self-work and continuity in trying to do what scares me, that I’ve learned from so many wonderful people who I’ve met along the way, and that there’s no such thing as “too much soup.”
When people ask me what’s next I usually say “I don’t know”. Because I don’t. Because we rarely do anyhow, but when we choose a life that is so flexible, we know even less. All we have instead is the bag that is with us, the shoes on our feet, and the brainpower that pushes us to be what we want to be. For the first time in a few years, however, I am giddy at the prospect of growing Legal Nomads further. Not simply to expand readership, but to help more people. To give celiacs a crutch for their fears of travelling and getting sick, to share projects I care about and artwork I love, and to feature lawyers who are doing interesting things in the hopes that those unhappy in their legal work can find inspiration in the series.
Last year’s State of the Union post is here. To cap off this year’s missive, I wanted to highlight some of my favourite posts from the last 7 years of Legal Nomads. I’ve divided them by subject below.
It’s been an exhilarating, sometimes terrifying, and always interesting ride.
Thank you for coming along.
PERSONAL MUSINGS
These are the more personal posts that explain a bit more of why I travel the way I do, and some of the lessons learned in the process.
What Long-Term Travel Doesn’t Fix (December 2010): While I have benefitted tremendously as a person from my years of travel, there are some things that travel doesn’t fix, ones that are deeply ingrained into who we are as people. It’s been 5 years since I wrote this post, and it’s still relevant today.
How Travel Helps us Keep Life in Perspective (March 2011): From culture shock to reverse culture shock to living through harrowing moments abroad: how travel helps each of us recalibrate to our present.
What does Off the Beaten Path Really Mean? (September 2011): I get emails asking where “secret” places are that my readers can visit, but in this post I encourage everyone to think of what that really means. I think it’s possible to be “off the beaten path” even in your own backyard; you don’t always need to go somewhere far away.
On Homesickness and Long-Term Travel (April 2012) – for my 4 year anniversary of departure, I put together a long dual post about the practical and the ephemeral during this new life of long-term travel.
The Overview Effect, Mindfulness and Travel (December 2012) – An ode to the overview effect and how it relates to travel, that ineffable feeling that something in your worldview has changed for the future, in ways you cannot yet describe. The overview effect is usually felt by astronauts who have seen the vastness of our earth from space.
After 5 years of travel, what’s next? (April 2013) A meta snapshot of the 5 years of travel, along with the changes in me as a person, and what might come next for the site.
FOOD, GLORIOUS FOOD
Food has become a huge part of my life, and the thing that keeps me travelling as I do.
An Ode to Spices (June 2011) – This was one of the posts that kicked off the shift here at Legal Nomads to focus more and more on food. It discusses why food matters, and how my celiac disease diagnosis has affected the way I see what we eat. But also, it looks at the flavours, the textures, the colours and all of the things that make eating exciting and interesting for many of us.
Condiments from Around the World (And Why They Matter) (December 2011) – From pickles to chilli and everything in between, a long post on the table condiments we find on our travels, and how they fit into the history and culture of the places we visit.
It’s Surprisingly Easy to Be Gluten-Free in Italy (May 2012) – Italy surprised me, since I never expected to have choice in my meals, let alone hand-pulled pasta made from corn. Celiac disease is quite prevalent in Italy, and I wanted to highlight that fact in a post since most people assume it would be the worst place for a celiac to travel.
Pleading for Bun Rieu Soup in Cai Rang (April 2013) – one of my fonder memories and a great morning adventure in the Mekong Delta, where I was unceremoniously refused soup by a vendor, only to have a granny come and intervene on my behalf.
The Legal Nomads Guide to Saigon Street Food (June 2014) – I couldn’t leave out a long post about what to eat in Saigon! This was many months of planning and has turned into a great way that I can ensure my readers eat well even if I am not in town to feed them.
Recipe of the Month: Spicy Baked Feta (Bouyiourdi) (October 2014) – simple recipe that I have so enjoyed making time and time again, including a bit of history about the name. I first tried it in Finikas, on Syros, Greece.
MISADVENTURES IN TRANSPORTATION
These are but a few of the posts that provide a post-mortem on some insane transportation adventures, from boats to trains to planes and more. Easily one of the more memorable aspects of travel — it’s just hard to keep that in mind as it’s actually going down.
Atienza Cargo Ferry from El Nido to Coron: Not for the Faint of Heart (June 2009) – With 41 water buffalo, tanks of live fish and more chicken than your average KFC, this ferry ride wasn’t for the faint of heart. The boat was several days late, the captains hadn’t yet hit puberty and I woke up in the middle of the night because a rooster was slowly creeping on my stomach, assumably to rest. As boat rides go, I won’t forget this one.
A Flight Like No Other: JFK to Moscow with Vodka (September 2008) – A vodka-soaked flight from New York to Moscow was unlike any flight I had ever taken before.
My Crazy Flight to the Dominican Republic (August 2010) – If I thought JFK to Moscow was nuts, I was mistaken: flight to the Dominican included plenty of rum, a grandmother making out with an 18 year old, and a screaming match between two passengers. Amazing.
My Safety Whistle: Worth its Weight in Gold (December 2010) – Two out of my three emergency uses for the safety whistle related to transportation: one while getting stuck in the middle of the Ayeyarwaddy river at dusk and the other when locked into the bathroom on a night train (classy, I know). Safety whistle: don’t leave home without it.
Watching a Solar Eclipse in Burma (December 2010) – Piggybacking on the prior post, this 3 day slow boat trip in Burma was chock full of adventure, karaoke and a solar eclipse to boot.
It’s Not A Proper Bus Ride without a Chicken or Two (February 2011) – Vomiting children, livestock and a songthaew so packed people were hanging off the end.
Decoding the Insanity of Driving in Morocco (November 2011) – Driving in Morocco is quite the harrowing experience, but when treated like a game of Rad Racer and with knowledge of the basic rules, it became one of the best parts of my trip to the country.
How to make the most of a repositioning cruise (September 2014) – 10 people, a mix of business and silliness, and some beautiful sights in Russia and Japan.
On Facing Fear and Learning to Sail in New Zealand (February 2015) – after a lifetime of being afraid of drowning after falling into water as a toddler, I finally confronted my fears during a five-day sailing course in the Bay of Islands in New Zealand.
PHOTOESSAYS
Photography never featured prominently when I first set out in 2008. I had a small point and shoot, and I didn’t use it all that much. In the years since, I have focused more and more on trying to improve composition and style, and on having photos that could illustrate parts of the scene when words failed me. Here are a few of the photoessays that stood out from the last seven years.
Best of Burma: Photography and Memories from Inle Lake (February 2010) – Photoset from the colours, chaos and beautiful markets surrounding Inle Lake in Burma.
Chefchaouen, Morocco in Photos (November 2012) – Shades of blue and many cats from a week in Chefchaouen, during the end of my Morocco trip.
41 Photos from the Mekong Markets at Dawn (June 2013) – One of my favourite markets in the world was in the Mekong Delta, in Cai Rang.
Photoessay: A Holiday Cow Extravaganza (December 2013) – Cows and more cows from my time in India.
Why I Love Saigon (May 2014) – Part photoessay and part love letter, this long post details my reasons for returning again and again to Southern Vietnam. Lots of food photos, of course.
A Month on Syros, Greece: Ermoupoli, Finikas & a Lot of Blue (February 2015) – Not enough time for Greece generally, but a perfect amount to explore a smaller island like Syros. Such a stunning place to spend a few weeks.
Seven years! Hard to believe. It seems more than fitting that I spent most of April 1 in the air, flying somewhere new.
-Jodi
Oh Jodi, It’s been great to share an “office” with you for the past 6 years. For me it’s been such a privilege to get to know so many cool people around the world, living their dreams, even if I never get to see those people as much as I would like. Looking forward to catching up in Costa Brava later this month!
Ah, Steph. You were one of the first people I met in this weird travel blogging world we live in, and I’m so glad we’ve kept in touch over the years. I look forward to catching up as well, and hearing about your plans in person. xx
Congratulations on the seven-year milestone, Jodi! As someone who read your blog voraciously while planning my own escape from the rat race, it has been a pleasure to follow your journey and to have had the opportunity to sip smoothies (if not soup!) with you in HCMC. All the best as you embark on this next phase of your travels and I hope our paths will cross again! Tony & I are currently eating our way through Mexico, so if your travels should bring you this way, please let us know!
Thanks Stephanie! Glad we got to eat together a bit in Saigon and all the best in Mexico! You didn’t build a tuk-tuk there did you? ;)
The happiest of travel anniversaries to you! Seven years is a long time for any pursuit, and it sounds like you on a positive path. I can’t wait to see where the next seven years will take LN! Big hugs lady, I can’t imagine these last years traveling without you out there too.
Thank you, my sister from another mister :) I tell many people how it was “platonic love at first sight” when we first met, and I’m so glad our travels brought us to the same place and provided a foundation for a great friendship. xo
I have been reading your blog for years. You are always such a delight to read and a reminder of the lives were not living. Thanks for sharing this. Here’s to many more years.
Happy anniversary, Jodi! I’ve enjoyed traveling vicariously through you since Post #1 and it’s been kind of mind-blowing to see LN go from a great personal travel log with lovely pictures to the POWERHOUSE OF AWESOME that it is today. It’s still the first thing I click on in my feed reader. Hope the next 7 years brings you another amazing pile of treasured memories, cool work, gorgeous photos, big love and so much soup!
Thank you Rose. I love your writing so much, and it’s a big compliment that you continue to read mine, years and years after we met. I hope you are well and that we can hang when I come through Vancouver in the fall. Much love to you!
Happy travel anniversary! So glad our paths crossed finally in Saigon! :)
Me too Beanface!
Jodi you are such an inspiration. I wish our paths would cross more in real time because whenever I read one of your posts I feel such an urge to go out touch, feel and of course eat everything in the world. :)
Aw me too Bethany! It was such a pleasure to meet you and get one of your warm and enthusiastic hugs. I hope we can hang out again soon!
I felt surprisingly emotional reading this post, even though I’ve only been following your site for a few months. Maybe it’s because the description of leaving your job is exactly what I experienced. Nobody can counter “I’m going to see the world” with an offer of more money. Maybe it’s just great to know that it’s possible to do what you want, and be happy doing it – even if it is different than the norm and probably a harder life in many ways.
Congrats on 7 years, but more importantly, congrats being your own person.
Welcome to the site, Jane! I think it replays in my mind because of that fact. I really did respect the people I worked with and as law jobs go advertising law was really interesting. But I just had to do what I needed to do. It is a harder life in terms of the underlying uncertainty — anyone who says it’s all ponies and rainbows is lying. But as you have said, it’s been a liberating and autonomous thing, to be here. And I’m very grateful for all of it!
Your blog has been inspiring for me! So glad that I finally can read the history of Legal Nomads!
Thank you for sharing and keep inspiring! :)
Thank you Marina! I figured it was about time….Hah.
I have been following your journey ever since I started my own in 2013. You inspire me, excite me, and give me hope and courage to continue on this path when things get challenging. Having said that I have never yet been challenged to the point of considering even for a second of giving it all up. I love my life of travel and plan to be able to write a seven year look back myself. Thanks for all that you do to help others believe in living their own best life. Blessings and happy travels! :)
Thank you for the kind words, Sarah. Best of luck and keep enjoying the life you have built :)
Congrats! Your precious posts indeed inspired me and my wife Clara, so that we are now planning to have a round the world trip for a year as a result! Thanks much again and so long (even I never met you, but who knows :) )!
Thanks Barn! Hope you two have a wonderful time and enjoy it tremendously.
Great blog! “basic tenants” -> “basic tenets”?
See, this is why I’m hiring a Word Master! Jetlag + writing = not a great combination. Thanks Jo.
The sweetest post in the world. Thank you for sharing your experiences and congrats on your blog! Very inspiring
Thank you Laura! <3
Happy Blog Anniversary!
Thank you for sharing your journey through the years. You are one of the biggest inspirations who gave me the courage to transition into a career as a full time writer and blogger (though not a permanent nomad). One of the most important things that I admire, ever since I began following your journey several years ago, is how easily and honestly you admit that it’s okay to not know where or what next. I find that is a highly under rated quality and one that I’ve grown to love because it gives us the freedom to believe that ‘anything is possible’ and chase after our dreams, however often they change.
Thank you for the inspiration!
Thanks Natasha! I think it’s important to admit that you don’t know because anything else isn’t really truthful, now is it? I mean, I can know what is my present, but the future is always up for grabs, and accepting that is partly what’s hard about a lifestyle premised on movement…you have to admit you don’t know a LOT more than you used to ;) Best of luck and safe travels to you too!
I am often asked the question ‘Where are you based?’ and I tend to say no where in particular.
I then get asked ‘When are you going to settle down?’ to which I answer, I am settled down, settled in a life of roaming around and living a modern nomadic life. The times when I feel most unsettled are when I am around people who constantly question my lifestyle because it’s alien to them.
Eh, I don’t fault people for asking over and over. People usually relate best to what they know, and what you and I have decided to do is more foreign than most other options. It’s not surprising that people have trouble with it, especially as it tends not to validate their own life choices. Ultimately I try to stay pleasant about it, and merely say that if I wanted to settle down I’d be settled down — and if I change my mind then it’s an easy fix. For most ‘normal’ people, I think they see these choices as irreversible. Of course, that’s not the case, and if either of us changes our mind then we will go from there. I think it’s the flexibility that messes with people, because they can’t think of just up and moving somewhere quickly, but they couch it at settling down.
You are one of my favorites, if not MY FAVORITE travel blogger! I wish I could meet you, Jodi!
If you need help translating your cards for celiacs in Spanish, I’d love to help!
That’s very sweet Maria! Where are you based these days? I’ll be in touch for the Spanish cards!
Jodi, yours was one of the first blogs I read and one of the few I’ve kept reading over the last few years. I admire your commitment to only partnering with brands you believe in, plus your love of soup. Happy travels and keep up the good work!
Thank you Caroline! I can’t believe it’s been this long myself. Hope you are well and our paths cross again one of these days.
Just beautiful, as usual.
Congrats on 7 years firstly. This is an inspiring post as I’ve just quit my job. First stop is travel to New Zealand then South East Asia. No plan or time frame in sight. I’m excited for what is to take place. Think it will help in providing content to my site. Thanks for the inspiration and motivation.
Safe travels to you!
Congratulations on your seven-year anniversary Jodi!! What an incredible adventure you have created. I love reading your blog, living your travels vicariously, and drooling over all those gorgeous pictures of food! Enjoy your future travels. I can’t wait to see what the next year (or seven!) brings. xo
Thanks Naomi! Hope we get to see each other one of these days. It’s been a long time since 1996 ;)
Congrats on your 7 years Jodi, love to read you, gros bisous de Perpignan
Merci Nath! J’esperes que la vie te traites bien xx
I think your next project should be organizing all your friends in one spot :)
Yes, I shall call them RAFTs (Ridiculously Awesome Friend Transplants) AND IT WILL BE EPIC.
LOVED this read! i haven’t blogged my away around the world like you have (started blogging when based in dublin), but i have traveled, studied and worked for more than 10 years abroad only to return home a couple of years ago and i can SO related to much of what you’re saying, especially the part about having friends spread a cross the globe! thank you for sharing :)
Hi Jodi,
I have from time to time stopped off and read one of your articles but never yet left a comment…but this post inspired me so much that I thought I simply must stop for a second or two and congratulate you on your 7 year anniversary. I’ve just had a look at some of the posts you highlighted and the ones that resonated with me the most was your article on homesickness and the article on perspectives.
I left South Africa in 2001 for a 6 week holiday in Ireland…..I never returned to SA for more than a few weeks after that….I now live in the UK having spent most of my intervening years in London, a city for which I have developed an overwhelming passion. I’ve never in all the intervening years felt homesick or not at home wherever I am. I’ve travelled all over the place and my philosophy is that wherever I lay my head is home (although I do have a base in the UK)….and after 14 years I still have the wanderlust, my long-term (next 5 years) plan is to retire when I’m 65, buy a campervan and set off for lands beyond the horizon whether they be in the UK or elsewhere.
Your article has also given me inspiration for writing something similar as I am soon approaching an anniversary of my own.
Happy travels. I shall sign up for your newsletter so that I can keep up with wherever you are in the world.
Bon voyage for the next 7 years.
Regards
Cindy
Hi Cindy, thank you for the warm and personal comment. I wish you all the best as well, both in the current plans of travel and in your future dreams of campervanning to wherever your heart desires. Travel safe and be well!
Hi there, I have really enjoyed reading your past updates and most recent post :) I was recommended your blog by transient20s.
I have just started on WordPress since I am beginning my travels – not just as a recording of the journey for myself, but also to read the recommendations and insights of others. I would love to hear if you have any recommended travel bloggers that I can have a read of? I am 23 and my first blog post lists the places I will be travelling to. Thank you so much!
I love Roads and Kingdoms, Behind the Food Carts, the Funnelology Channel, and Lady and Pups for food. For long-term travelers, I recommend A Little Adrift, Nomadic Notes, Uncornered Market and Young Adventuress. For tips for budget, Nomadic Matt and also my resources page :) Hope this helps! Welcome to the site, and I’m glad you liked it.
It was so great to see your sweet face again! I know we only met over a weekend, but you are a wonderful person. Loved reading about your life :)
Hi Natasha, it’s been so many years — what a treat that you are still reading :) I hope life has treated you well since we crossed paths!
Congratulations Jodi!! It’s incredible seeing where you have travelled, what you have eaten and written about in the past 7 years. You are one of the first blogs i stumbled upon when I started reading about long-term travel and you have been a great inspiration ever since, thank you! Keep going! :)
Thanks Caro! I’m glad you’re still reading after all these years. Safe travels to you too.
Congratulations on reaching this milestone. I remember emailing you over 2 years ago to ask for advice for transitioning from lawyer to nomad. Thrillable Hours helped inspire me to make that jump myself.
Thanks Donalee! Glad that the series helped provide some comfort as you transitioned into a new stage in your life. All the best!
7 years is such a massive achievement, congratulations Jodi! I really loved how nice and organised this post is too, although I clicked on so many links I lost a couple of hours:)
A bit late but will add my congrats on another milestone as well. Can’t remember exactly how I stumbled across your blog but I’m glad I did. Enjoy the educational aspect of reading about the places you describe but also appreciate your willingness to share your internal journey as well. Here’s to continued success and pleasure.
Thank you Randy. And over those years I have appreciated your thoughtful comments here and there. Thanks for reading.
Thanks for recipe! I’ve stayed on Zakynthos for holidays couple years ago and literally eating throughout whole holiday:-D And yes, feta was on the list
Jodi, I am glad I didn’t find your blog until after my nearly nine years in big law came to an end – my billable hours would have plummeted with all the time I would have spent reading it and dreaming about travel. I’ve finally escaped too, traveling around the world on my sailboat. Safe travels! Brita
Brita! I loved your site and I’m impressed with your journey. Would love to chat about your plans post-law. I’m also terrified of sailing but I did take a 5-day course in NZ so hopefully I’ll get there one day. Almost drowning as a kid turned me off :/ Safe journey!
Thanks Jodi! Your sailing adventure sounded like quite the heroic voyage. I hope you can overcome it someday; water can have such a soothing effect. I’d love to catch up re. post-law when we’re back on-land with better internet this summer. Safe travels!
I love this recap. It’s always amazing to look back and reflect on where you’ve been, where you came from, and what you’ve learned. And your food photos are always cool – I really want some of those soups.
That’s the spirit!
Hi Jodi, I absolutely love your story and your honest musings of how you got there. Isn’t it amazing? In fact, I can only say that you are a symbol of strength and inspiration to many.
I’m a new reader of your site which is why I was delighted to meet you at TBEX in Lloret de Mar and almost squeezed you to death in the process. Sorry about that LOL! Your seminar was stimulating and both yourself and Derek aka Wandering Earl, gave me much “food” for thought. Thanks a million. :)
Thanks for the comment Victoria! Great to meet you at TBEX, and no worries on the enthusiastic hugs. Hope the conference was productive and inspiring for you!
Du bist was du isst
You eat wonderful foods around the world and that has made you a wonderful person that inspire a lot of people.
After three years of clerking for the Chief Justice of California, I eased into travel by moving to American Samoa to become the Law Clerk to the Chief Justice and then the Assistant Public Defender for two years. One can get overseas law jobs in Guam, Puerto Rico, and other territories. My wife and I ended up saving about $50,000 and backpacked from Pago Pago around the South Pacific, Asia, Africa and Europe for five years, 1981-86. You can stay gone from the US forever if either you stay in warm, super inexpensive countries like Indonesia, Thailand, and India. Alternatively, you can earn some money by bartending or working on farms in rich countries. Of course, now many folks have figured out how to make money online and you can have it both ways. Keep up the good work, making Americans, the least traveled developed nation, realize they can Hit the Road!
Thanks for the comment Tom! Those travels sound spectacular. I am glad you’ve enjoyed the site.
Congratulations for the anniversary! The blog is great. Wish you all the best and continue with interesting articles.
What an amazing journey you have been on! Way better than being a lawyer. I’ve lived abroad a lot and I do the digital nomad thing to escape the BC winters and I definitely agree that one of the hardest things about always being on the road is not being able to have those really consistent, deep friendships. That’s why I usually just go live in one place for at least a few months, which is what it sounds like you do too. It’s a good life!
It is! I went to Porto this weekend because friends happened to be in town that weekend and it was a cheap flight from Madeira. And I arrived and took metro into the city and we met and ate a long lunch … and we stopped just after and said “what a good life we have!” That I can write from anywhere and spend time with people I love… constantly grateful, and happy technology lets me do it. Travel safe to you as well, and here’s to many more great evenings with friends.
“I’m quitting my job to travel around the world for a year.” Congratulations! Yours is definitely a success story and I hope that I could also say the same thing for me, one day. I know it ain’t that easy, but stories such as yours are really inspiring. Happy anniversary!
This is a very interesting article for me as I am a corporate lawyer myself. I have in the past took nine months off to travel and it was such an amazing experience. While I am happy at my job now, once you have been on a sabbatical, it sure gets very addictive :) Burcu
Great article and I am glad you are traveling as a legal nomad than being a lawyer. I have been traveling like you with my wife and two babies for 5 years now and I know sometimes, its hard and we ever give up hopes. We enjoy traveling the world better than any other job.
This is such a lovely post. I am following a path similar to yours – I used to be a human rights lawyer and worked in academia most of my life, till the day I decided that I wasn’t happy anymore, and when my contract expired I just stopped looking for yet another job that had stopped being appealing.
I am a newbie, and I don’t even have the ambition to become as great as you are. But it is nice to know that someone like you has made it, that following your dreams has paid you off. Because we only have one take at life!
You say in this post “oftentimes you do want to work instead of play”- AYE, I hear you on that. I have decided to slow down a bit in August, as I am tired of working 12 hours per day, every day. So I am going to the beach in the morning and working in the afternoon. Yet, my mind is set on work. I may be swimming for 90 minutes yet thinking on that tweet I need to send, that post I need to write.
But… I think you got another thing right in this post: I am loving it! I go to bed at night looking forward for another day of work, and I wake up with a smile on my face knowing that there are so many things to do. This is what I love – a feeling I never had when I worked in academia.
Thank you again for such a wonderful post. If you ever visit Sardinia, I will make sure to prepare a bowl of soup for you – gluten free, needless to say!
I love reading your inspiring journey in travelling around the world all these years~! Cheers to more Legal Nomads’ years to come~!