Where are you from?
Contrary to common belief, the UK isn’t just a giant city called London. I’m from Cardiff, the capital city of Wales.
What do you do?
I’m a former lecturer, illustrator and head of content at Hacker Paradise.
How are you nomadic?
Hacker Paradise is an organisation that run trips worldwide to bring together nomads, freelancers and remote workers from all walks of life to work, travel, build awesome things and be inspired together; hence, we are constantly moving from location to location. Prior to that, I used to spend my summers as a digital nomad abroad and my winters and springs in the UK during term time to teach.
What’s your favorite part of being a nomad?
It has to be the people. You meet such incredible, eccentric and inspiring people pretty much on a daily basis. There are definitely shared interests and common ideals between those who live their lives this way, and it is wonderful to tap into and exchange ideas with those brilliant minds.
Oh, and the deer. I saw a deer at Yosemite. That was too cool. (cue photo)
What’s your least favorite part?
I’m someone who craves structure, as it definitely makes me more productive. Back home I had a studio with a huge Mac, all the tech, my favourite breakfast joints and coffee shops a stone’s throw away and a rigid routine. Now, I’m waking up in different hotels every month with my wonderful setup scaled down to a laptop and tablet in a bag and no cereal for breakfast. It’s difficult, but it’s part of the challenge.
What’s your craziest story?
I’ll save the alcohol-induced ones for another time, but for me one particular moment that stands out happened in Seattle. I was there for a conference, and it was my first summer doing the whole ‘nomad’ thing. I’d rented a cheap AirBnB and the host, a wonderful guy named Tiago, checked me in and invited me onto the roof of the building with a crate of beer. We swapped stories, sipped back some crisp ones and watched the sun set over Seattle. As a privileged, white, Western male there really is nothing I should complain about in life, but for a long time I had been feeling very trapped and frustrated by life back home. Meeting Tiago and enjoying this moment was the first time I realised that filling my life with moments like this made me happy, and it was time to let go. Pursue the happiness, not the money, travel more and all that jazz.
What’s next for you?
Well, actually, that’s an interesting question. Because Richard failed to post this for a year, and things have changed significantly. I’ve been all over the world now, and am going to Da Nang and Ubud next. Richard was actually so dilatory in updating this, that Dale asked him to write this paragraph up, so he’s going to say something for Dale that is completely inoffensive and dull, like: I can’t wait to see what’s next in store for me!