I hit 15 countries in 18 months as a digital nomad and it broke something in my brain

So I started this nomad thing thinking I'd love seeing as many places as possible. Last month I landed in my 15th country since leaving the US, and instead of feeling accomplished I just felt exhausted. I couldn't even remember what was special about country number 3 versus country number 8. All the temples and beaches started blurring together. Meanwhile my buddy who's been in Medellin for two years straight says he's never been happier. He knows his coffee shop guy by name and has a weekly poker game. So is the whole point of this lifestyle to rack up stamps or to actually build something somewhere? I'm genuinely curious if hitting a big number made anyone else feel hollow or if I'm just doing it wrong.

3 comments

3 Comments

allen.kai26d ago

Maybe the real flex isn't miles traveled but depth of roots planted.

jana_jones26d ago

Man I gotta ask - when you sat down in that 15th country and felt hollow, did you actually want the lifestyle or did you just want the story of it? Because I see a lot of people chasing numbers for Instagram but their genuine reactions say otherwise. Seems like your buddy found the real juice by staying put and you maybe just got caught up in the chase.

ryan_barnes26d ago

The 15th country thing hit different because by then I was just checking boxes instead of actually experiencing anything. My buddy back home found more meaning in one year of deep roots than I did in five years of passport stamps.