Category: Minimalism

The Digital Nomadic Life: Thoughts After My First Two Years

On By Nicole HennigIn Housing, Location flexibility, Minimalism, Travel, Work & money6 Comments

small suitcase and small daypack
Packing light for six months outside of the U.S.
It’s been a little over two years since I started my “location-flexible life,” otherwise known as being a digital nomad. So it seems like a good time to reflect—sum up the pros and cons, think about what I’ve learned, and gather my thoughts for the future. (See my very first post on this blog, “Why be location-flexible?“)

I hope this will be useful to those of you who are thinking of doing this, but haven’t yet started. Continue reading “The Digital Nomadic Life: Thoughts After My First Two Years” →

Living with minimal possessions: thoughts from a slow-moving digital nomad

On By Nicole HennigIn Minimalism4 Comments

two rolling suitcases, two small backpacks
All my possessions, packed up. In Echo Park, Los Angeles, on the way to San Diego, Feb. 2013.

Since one of my readers asked me to write about clothing, and since I really don’t have it all figured out, I decided to write about living with minimal possessions in general, with clothing as a sub-topic.

First of all, I really admire all of those travelers who move around the world with only a small carry-on bag and then blog about their packing list!

But that’s not me. Continue reading “Living with minimal possessions: thoughts from a slow-moving digital nomad” →

Five ways life is better when you don’t own a car

On By Nicole HennigIn Apps, Healthy living, Living in the U.S., Minimalism2 Comments
Volunteer Park, Seattle.
Volunteer Park, Seattle–one of my favorite places that I can walk to.

I’ve been free of car ownership since 2005 and I love it! I first did it to save money and I thought it would be less convenient, but it turns out the opposite is true.

Instead, my life is happier, less stressful, and more fun! I still drive cars from time to time, but I don’t own one. Here are the ways my life is better.

1. Saves money.

The most obvious one is that it saves money. Lots of money! No car loan, no insurance, no gas, no parking, no repairs, etc. The money I spend instead on public transportation, occasional taxis, car rentals, or Zipcar is much less. Many people don’t know that with Zipcar and Car2Go, you don’t pay for the gas——they do. I love that.

2. Less stress.

Continue reading “Five ways life is better when you don’t own a car” →