TRAVEL | TRAVEL PLANNING | DESTINATIONS

Sometimes the Hardest Decision as a Nomad is Deciding Where to Go Next

Plus, don’t Leave a suitcase of stuff behind! It’s a trap!

Should we go East or West?

Some of my readers may recall an article that I wrote last year stating that Canada Is In the Middle of Nowhere. Well, if it is true, then here I am in the middle of nowhere, as well.

We have been back in Canada for almost 4 months now. We didn’t think we would stay this long, but a housesitting opportunity came up and we couldn’t resist the chance to sit still for a while. Plus it’s been nice to have the extended visit with family and friends.

Initially, our plan was to come for a couple of months and then return to Europe. Greece, to be exact. You see, we left a suitcase there. This is the second time that we have done this, and two times too many. In fact, after the first time, we told ourselves that we wouldn’t do it again.

But we did. We were so tired and exhausted with traveling, we just couldn’t even bear to deal with the extra baggage. Plus we love that part of the world so we knew that we would certainly be back.

But, as expected, it has become a bit of a thorn in our side. Because, well, we are now in the middle of nowhere. And we can go East or West.

Asian Cravings

For some reason, I have been having cravings for good Asian food like nothing else. It started when we were in Africa in 2021. Since then, I try and go to Asian restaurants in the countries we find ourselves, but it’s not the same. No food made in other parts of the world is the same as it is in the country it comes from.

At least, not from what I have experienced.

When I tasted Chinese Food in China, I couldn’t believe how different and delicious it was. Vietnamese food in Vietnam spoiled me for life. No Vietnamese restaurant in North America, or anywhere else, can compete with it. I crave it all the time and will never forget my experiences with eating pho on the street corners perched on those teeny tiny plastic stools.

A heaping bowl of hot soup would show up. Delicious hot broth and meat still cooking in it. Chopped fresh herbs and all the toppings would be abundantly supplied. The ingredients were fresh.

I would get lost in the deliciousness of that food while hundreds of motorbikes were whizzing by and complete chaos was going on out on the street just behind my back.

But I didn’t hear it. My tastebuds must have taken over all of my other senses because that part is all I remember.

So yeah, I am nostalgic for Asia these days and my taste buds are screaming at me to just go.

We could fly west from here and head to Southeast Asia for a bit of a beach holiday. We haven’t really done any beaches since 2019 and our time spent in the Caribbean. We crave some snorkeling as well. Then we could continue on to Greece from there.

Do you see where I am going here? All ideas lead back to Greece.

Just Go Straight Back

When I look up flights direct to Europe from North America they are usually much cheaper than the alternative of flying to Southeast Asia. And heading to Southeast Asia is only getting us halfway there. So the financial temptation is also great to just go straight to Greece, get our suitcase, then move on.

We do have a few places in that part of the world where we have made casual agreements with hosts. Opportunities like volunteer farming, housesitting and painting murals. So we would not be bored there, that is for sure.

But the problem is that we don’t really want to be in Europe for winter. We spent last winter in Antalya, Turkey which was possibly the furthest south we could get in Turkey, and it wasn’t south enough. Some days it was 20 and really warm, but you could tell it was winter. The sun was low and the days quite short.

We are wanting tropical and constantly warm. It’s our favorite way to be.

So then, we could always fly to somewhere warm after we get our suitcase. Like SriLanka. We have been wanting to go there for a few years now. They are hurting for tourism these days and friends of ours just had a nice experience there.

Stop in Eastern Canada

In my late teens and early twenties, I lived in Eastern Canada. It was an amazing part of my young life and an opportunity to get to know and understand the beautiful culture that exists on the opposite side of the country where I grew up.

In 2001 I drove through again with my ex-husband, but I haven’t been back since.

Lately, I have been wanting to revisit this part of my past and to show Chris how stunning the scenery is, and how lovely the people are. I’m still convinced that the true ‘salts of the earth’ all come from Eastern Canada.

So we thought that we would look into seeing if there are volunteer opportunities or housesits available out there, and maybe consider spending the fall out east. I still have a few contacts out there, as well, so it may also become a bit of a visiting fest.

Today I finally took a look at the opportunities that exist on our favorite volunteer platform, HelpX.net. Unsurprisingly, there are many. From working on hobby farms, helping with fall harvest, taking care of animals, you name it. So there are many opportunities in both Nova Scotia and Newfoundland.

From there, we could fly easily from St. John’s, Newfoundland to London and connect to Greece. We have also considered heading to southern Albania for the winter. Plus we have an opportunity to house-sit in Montenegro in October/November if we want. But I don’t think that would be warm enough either. We really are craving the tropics.

Then there is Pakistan

Back in 2020, we met a Pakistani millionaire that invited us to stay with him in Karachi for 4 weeks and paint a mural for him. We were ecstatic about this opportunity, but we needed a letter of invitation to the country to be able to get a visa. He was worried about being investigated by the police if he was the one to do it (no idea why???) So he was going to try and find somebody else and then our correspondence went dead. We didn’t pursue it any further, feeling like it was clearly not meant to be, and didn’t think much of it.

Until now.

I messaged the man a couple of days ago to see how he was doing and to see if he still wanted is to come and paint for him.

“Yes, my invitation is open whenever you want.” He told me.

I have also heard that Pakistan doesn’t require a letter of invite anymore, though I have not confirmed this information yet.

But this is also an option. I long to go back to the Himalayas, and this would be a great way to see them, from the Pakistan side.

And then we would go to Greece.

Don’t Leave a Suitcase!

This isn’t supposed to be what this article is about, but it is an important lesson to other nomads. Actions like this are the result of having too many things. Plain and simple.

Even as full-time travelers, we have too much stuff. It’s ridiculous. But we realize that much of the problem with our luggage is trying to have 4 seasons of clothing. When we don’t need warm weather gear, our bags are much lighter. But still not too light!

Anyways, as I said, it has become a bit of a pain in our side as we try and figure out what we want to do next, while still having the plan of going to get our suitcase at the end of it all. There are, after all, a few things that we don’t necessarily want to part with. But is it worth flying all over the world and planning our future around it?

But our conscientious sides also won’t just leave our junk somewhere for others to clean up. It goes against who we are as people.

This experiment has been good for us. We have been complaining about having too much luggage for some time now, and now that we are one suitcase lighter, we do feel better.

When we do go back to Greece, no matter how we get there, we will have to seriously consider downsizing our things. Even that small amount of stuff limits our freedoms. It’s amazing to see that from this perspective now.

Trying to decide is the worst

So, as you can see, we have so many options available. I haven’t even talked about the fact that I need dental work and Osan Fernando is a dentist in the Philippines. Could we go to the Philippines, meet Osan, and satisfy our craving for both Asian food and the beaches?

The Philippines have been calling to us also for a while.

We aren’t really the ones to make rash decisions. We tend to talk things out and really weigh the pros and cons before we make a plan. This is a pretty big decision and it needs to be made in the next 4 weeks if we are to get flights at a reasonable price. So time is starting to get short already. It’s hard to believe.

Are there any other nomads out there who struggle with the feeling of having too many options of places to go? It’s definitely an occasional problem for us.

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