Once upon a time when I was a naive and hopelessly romantic young student, I packed a fat suitcase, waved goodbye to suburban Southern California, and went to the south of France. A seed was planted. Upon threat of disownment from my mother, eleven months later I returned.

I spent the next few decades in the tireless routine of alarm clocks, freeway commutes, and Monday morning status meetings. Then that seed started to grow. Overtaken by heady optimism, hopeless romanticism, and likely one too many martinis, I quit my corporate job, packed my suitcase, waved goodbye to secure San Francisco and my Potrero Hill posse, and went to Morocco. Then I went to Mexico. Eleven months later I returned. Then I left again. And again.
And again.

I’ve learned a lot. I’m still learning and traveling and working (in spite of what some of my friends think).

I wrote this little guide knowing that there are others like me: corporate employees looking for a meaningful change, dreamers stuck in grinding routines, consultants and entrepreneurs yearning to expand their horizons. I also wrote this for companies needing to understand how to entice and manage an increasingly mobile, dispersed, and independent workforce.

Being a nomad isn’t about running away. Rather, it’s about shedding the weight and shackles of a habit-based lifestyle and feeding ourselves with new experiences to create, grow, thrive, and inspire.  Read more