TPM: What is a location independent lifestyle?
CB: A location independent lifestyle is one where the person does not have a set home. They travel from place to place, like a nomad, but living in hotels or Airbnbs.
TPM: What inspired you to choose this way of life?
CB: I started to travel alone a few years ago and I fell in love. I didn’t want to stop so I made the decision to give up my penthouse apartment and I moved all the belongings with me, two huge suitcases. Every time I arrived at a certain destination I would leave behind more and more things. Now, I have one large suitcase I travel with and one that stays with a friend in her home, so I don’t have to schlep everything with me. I change the items in my bag about twice a year, once for summer, and one for winter.
TPM: What are the challenges of the day to day and what do you miss most about having a stable home base?
CB: The day to day challenges would be the same challenges anyone would have anywhere. Getting to know the city you’re in and finding new friends are all challenges at the beginning. I tend to stay in the same few cities most of the year and only venture to new cities a couple times a year.
TPM: What do you love most about traveling?
CB: That feeling of accomplishment you get when you’ve finally “figured out” that new city. Understanding the transportation system and knowing which vendor has the best fruits and vegetables, it’s an amazing feeling. After you understand the basics of a city that city then becomes your home.
TPM: What is your advice to others who are considering the idea?
CB: Give this a lot of thought. What attracts you to the idea? Where would you go? Are you in the correct mind space to get up and go and purge all your things like that? Are you someone who thrives on a schedule and discipline? Think hard about these things.
TPM: Is a location independent lifestyle affordable or costly, and what are the reasons for this?
CB: Life is anything you want it to be. It can be costly because you feel you are on vacation and you live in hotels which means you need to eat out every day. Or, you could stay in hostels, with friends, or Airbnbs and do the cooking for yourself. Are you taking taxis or learning the public transportation route? Did you choose a walkable city? Are you in a developing country or in London? Everything depends on what you make of it.
TPM: What are the things you can’t travel without?
CB: I cannot travel without my kindle, lip balm, and my little black patent leather clutch.
TPM: What is the longest duration you have stayed in any one place? What prompted you to make the next move?
CB: The longest I stayed in one city was seven months. (I lived in two apartments during that time…I couldn’t even sit still for that long!) I loved being there because it gave me a lot of time to think on my own. It was a sleepy little fishing village with goats overtaking the dirt roads so there wasn’t much going on, to say the least. A few months in I started getting tired of the jeans and t-shirt look and I started to get dressed up every time I left the house, even if it was just to go say hello to a friend or to go look at the sea. I was the only one there wearing a cocktail dress and diamonds. I wanted to feel good! I wanted to meet new people, I wanted to go out! Yoga pants and doing nothing all day got old, really fast.
TPM: Does this lifestyle allow you to develop more friendships and connections or does it leave you feeling anonymous?
CB: It’s all up to you in how you want others to perceive you. Sometimes I want to talk to everybody! Other times I want to stay by myself and I choose to stay in my room, leaving only when I run out of food and then I find a pretty, little square to sit in and people watch. If you want someone to talk to there will always be people available. One lesson I’ve learned is that some people are toxic and don’t want what’s best for you. These people are the rule, not the exception. Be very careful who you open up to. In the first city I moved to I knew everyone in the village. Today I have only one true friend there that I know absolutely and positively, he wants nothing from me except my friendship. These are the people I love and the reason I go back at least twice a year to see.
TPM: Any final thoughts for your readers?
CB: Don’t make the leap unless you are willing to live in the moment. Things don’t always work out as planned and in a foreign country, nothing is guaranteed. Oh, and call your mother occasionally. She loves you and wants to hear about the amazing life you’re leading.
