Comments on: Wait a minute. This looks familiar…

By: Jessica

Jessica — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 05:36:22 +0000

Houseless, not homeless.

So would you consider full time RVers as nomads or travelers?

Something else that has just occurred to me is that in my mind nomads are working on the road while travelers are simply traveling to see new things.

The work a nomad does might have nothing to do with the reason for travel, but it might be another distinction between them.

By: Lutz

Lutz — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 21:37:43 +0000

Hi Jessica,
I’m with Elizabeth on the Nomad vs. Traveler. Also Nomads travel with their homes, thus they’re not entirely homeless. In the modern sense, look at a certain segment of RVs that sold their homes and bought an RV which serves as their home while they travel.

By: Jessica

Jessica — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 07:35:02 +0000

Thanks Sonya, but already left Seattle. :(

By: Jessica

Jessica — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 07:30:17 +0000

That’s a good way to think about it. The existence of a ‘home.’ But I do think as a nomad you turn where-ever you are into your ‘home.’ You’re more comfortable being in different situations/locations because you have your ‘home’ with you.

But I think it’s sort of the opposite of your last sentence. When you’re “traveling” you don’t take breaks while on the road, you wait until you get back home. “Traveling” implies a time frame, and when we travel we are often trying to have as many new experiences in that time frame as possible. As a nomad you can take your time, stopping whenever you feel like it.

I think in that sense there’s an advantage to being a traveler versus a nomad. A nomad may be willing to put off checking out that exit from the freeway because she knows she’s got no time limit, while a traveler wants to see everything whenever the opportunity arises. Then again, the a traveler who’s planned everything out too far may miss opportunities because she’s got a schedule to follow.

I suppose it comes down to your attitude.

I’d like to be a nomad with the attitude of a traveler.

By: Sonya

Sonya — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 18:11:56 +0000

I meant to tell you earlier, but Zak is in Seattle. However, I think you may already know that. And you may have already left Seattle. Ah well, I tried…

By: Elizabeth

Elizabeth — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 13:41:55 +0000

I see two differences between traveling and being a nomad: first and most importantly is that when you’re a nomad, you have no home. When you’re traveling, you may do so for long periods of time, but you always have a place you keep coming back to. And the first probably helps create the second: I would think there’s a difference of your state of mind. I could see how some people would enjoy being a nomad (I wouldn’t be one of them), but some people who wouldn’t enjoy being a nomad would enjoy traveling (I would be one of them). When you’re traveling, you can take breaks from always moving, always meeting new people and going to new places. When you’re a nomad, you can’t.

Does that make sense? Is it along the lines of what you were thinking?