There Are New Worlds Out There

Last week I flew to Monterrey, Mexico to see a friend of mine before running to Miami for a much anticipated Amazon business conference.

 

My friend’s lifestyle isn’t what I’m used to. While I’ve been running around the world with a backpack, he’s living in a mansions with a radio-communication system so that you can talk between any two rooms in the house.

 

When I stayed with him I didn’t need to do any cooking at all. I just asked the maid to make me breakfast.

 

You never think about cleaning. The maids make the bed every morning, wash and press any clothes they find on the floor, and pick up any dishes you leave around the house.

 

We attended a ‘celebration of life’ for his grandfather and I got to meet almost all of the members of his community in Monterrey. These were some of the wealthiest people in Mexico, and even in funeral attire, you could tell.

 

Meeting so many people and spending time as their guest let me in on a little secret. The houses are massive and the food is cooked by world-class chefs, but for these people, this was all ‘normal’.

 

Maids run to assist you at the ring of a bell, you live in hilltop mansions with $100,000 art on the wall, everyone wears their Polo shirts, Gucci shoes, and Armani pants, but it’s not ‘luxury’… it’s just normal life.

 

 

Later That Week I Flew To Miami…

 

… and I was introduced to an entirely different world while looking for a place to spend the night. The world of ‘yachtys’.

 

These are the cooks, stewards, and deckhands who crew the yachts docked just north of Miami. Typically between the ages of 20 and 30, they live in short term housing on land and go out to sea when a yacht owner is going on vacation.

 

The pay isn’t bad and like digital nomads, they’re driven by the desire to travel and see the world. Rather than getting a ‘normal’ job in their local town, they get to spend time in the Cayman Islands, Puerto Rico, Haiti, and other locations reachable by boat.

 

Before meeting Kaye, (the girl who introduced me to the word ‘yachty’ and who helped me find a place to stay for the night) I didn’t know this world existed, but there are thousands upon thousands of people who live like this, many based just north of Miami.

 

Two Different Worlds In 1 Week

 

For the wealthy Mexican family I spent a few days with last week, snapping your fingers and expecting more champagne is normal life.

 

For the yachtys, running to grab that champagne for the boat owner is an alternate ‘normal’.

 

Having spent time in these two different worlds so quickly has taught me that no matter what we do in life, we tend to live in our own little bubbles.

 

You need to put in effort and take action in order to propel yourself into new situations, circumstances, and communities. Sometimes with commitments like car payments, family, mortgage, and a lack of free time, it can be really hard to get out and experience something new.

 

That’s why I love being a digital nomad. It takes effort, but it also has a way of propelling me into new situations. Situations like…

 

• Dating a woman from Thailand

• Living with local Vietnamese families

• Running marketing campaigns while living at a resort in the Philippines

• Learning Spanish and living ‘high on the hog’ in Mexico

• And on and on…

 

Another ‘world’ I never expected to stumble upon, is that of orchid lovers. (They were even selling fictional books about orchid festival thieves and detectives!)

You Don’t Know What ‘Normal’ Is

 

Your ‘normal’ life is nothing more than a pinhole view of the world. You don’t even know what ‘life’ is. You only know a teeny-tiny aspect of life.

 

That’s why I love being a digital nomad. It’s possible to see these new worlds. In fact, there is no ‘normal’ world to fall back on in a foreign country, so you are pushed into these new situations regularly. (Multiple times per week)

 

There are new worlds out there to explore. I’m choosing to see as much as I can, not only for fun, but also for education. (Back when travel was less accessible it was seen as a form of education one couldn’t get at home. See ‘The Grand Tour‘)

 

As with everything in life, you need to make your own decisions.

 

Travel is unbelievably accessible today. There are new worlds out there for you to explore, each one just outside your comfort zone. Travel will teach you about the world, foreign culture, new languages, different lifestyles, and yourself…

 

I want to see those new worlds for myself. Will you ignore the opportunity?

 

Do you want to earn money while traveling and get your freedom back? Send me a message and I’ll help you get started. Or, get connected with everyone at once by reaching out on Twitter @Nico Jannasch.