Ah, the romantic, nomadic life. Everything seems so simple. You pack your bags and hit the road, exploring to your heart’s content. But wait, what about all my stuff, how could I possibly do this? If the nomadic life is part of your dreams, you can make it more than just a dream. Here is where to begin starting right now.
Becoming nomadic can be a major life change, and it should be. Take time to think, and talk with your partner / family / friends about what’s most important to you, including your values. Values change with circumstances over time, and understanding what you can do to build a life that maximizes the things you value is the place to start.
As you go through these explorations, look for the things that really resonate with you, or you and your partner if you have one. Focus on the recurring themes in your day dreams. The more you focus on what your dreams are telling you, the more assumptions of every day life you’ll start to question.
While you’re dreaming of days spent living in exotic locations, begin to think about how you’ll structure your new life. What changes will you need to make to your spending and finances? Will you work remotely for your current employer? Is building your own business, so you can work for yourself as you travel, in your future? What impact will health, family or other issues have on the new life you create?
It seems counter-intuitive, but one of the first questions you’ll need to decide when setting off to create your new nomadic life is where you want to reside. “Wait, what? I thought the idea was to give up my permanent home to travel about?”
Well, it is. However, most of the laws we live under are state and local laws. This includes laws and regulations concerning taxes, medical / automobile insurance, vehicle registration, driver licensing, and voter registration among other things. These are all things that future full time travelers should consider.
As a full-time traveler, you can reside wherever you want. You can pick the best state based on your current circumstances; then, if those circumstances change, you can change your state of residence again, as long as you follow the requirements of your chosen state. Given that, where would you love to live?
Establishing residency takes some work. States consider a “resident” as someone who lives in the state at least part time, and this can make establishing residency a challenge for people who travel constantly. All states require you to have a legal physical address to acquire a driver’s license. The good news is that there are various ways to make this work and even several states that cater the needs of permanent travelers.
Regardless of whether you want to be a full-time traveler, live in your RV, or have a part-time residence, it’s important to evaluate your state options to determine which state best meets your needs. Below are four critical factors to consider when evaluating potential “home” states.
Our approach was to prioritize each of these factors and define our critical requirements. Below is the order we used to begin narrowing our list of potential states of residence.
We ultimately decided to move from California to Florida, establishing residency in Okaloosa County. We leverage MyRVMail in Crestview, FL to manage our physical mail. To learn more about our process, click on links above or go to separate posts detailing our evaluation approach.
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