2011 - A Brave New World

The year when I broke away from my old life in London and began a new one as a nomad.

New Year, New Life

On New Year's day, I reviewed my life and realised that I needed a change. I decided to leave both my job and London, the first steps in becoming a modern nomad.

1 January
Nomad

Minimalism

Minimalism is living life with few possessions. This is relevant to a modern nomad for three primary reasons: focus, mobility and work options. Read on to find out why.

2 January
Nomad

The Map

When I start a big project, I create a visual map of how to do it. In this post, I explain how I did this for my goal of becoming a nomad. Read on for details on this productivity trick.

21 January
Nomad

Inventory

Time to get rid of my stuff! As a mad control-freak, I naturally began with a full inventory of everything I own. Does it sound dry? Perhaps. I bet the booty at the end of the post will spice things up though. No sneak peeking!

23 January
Nomad

Temptation

I was promoted at work today. Money and titles are great temptations. Should I settle for the money and give up my dream of a nomadic life?

16 February
Nomad

Fear

Becoming a nomad means leaving the safety of normality. Naturally, this is quite frightening. The fear can do strange things to your mind though, so be wary of it.

2 March
Nomad

Rubicon Birthday

Today was my 30th birthday. I picked this day to announce my nomadic plans to my family, work colleagues and friends. This post explains why I picked my birthday for this and how it all went.

10 March
Nomad

Mediterranean Cruise

This is the first post about my week-long Mediterranean cruise where I write about the cruise, but not the destinations.

23 Apr - 1 May
Travel

Cruise Destinations

In the second post about my Mediterranean cruise, I describe the places we visited along the way: Venice, Bari, Katakolon, Santorino, Mykonos, Athens, Corfu and Dubrovnik.

23 Apr - 1 May
Travel

Mr Crociere

Midnight rendezvous with Mr Crociere, a man who found inspiration to his nomadic life in atheism.

1 May
Nomad

Last Day in the Office

Today was my last day at work. Read on to find out why I slept in the office last night and the meaning of friggatriskaidekaphobia.

13 May
Personal

Give-Away Party

If you need to quickly get rid of your stuff, don’t throw them. Throw a give-away party instead!

14 May
Nomad

Nomadic Culture

This post launches the Society for Nomadic Culture, a club for books, games, DVDs and CDs that travel the world, jumping from one owner to another.

17 May
Nomad

Leaving London

I finally left London. This post reminiscence about what the city has meant for me as well as whines about the amount of work involved in breaking away from your job, city and country.

24 May
Nomad

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to London

My unconventional guide to some of the hidden gems in London. Bring your towel and don't panic!

2 June
Travel

Time-Out at Home

When making big changes in life, there are a lot of benefits from taking a time-out in between the old and the new. Read on to find out what.

8 June
Nomad

Ljungby Storytelling Festival

I love traditional storytelling. If you haven't tried it then this post explains why you owe it to yourself to do so. I also describe the Ljungby Storytelling Festival.

17-21 June
Travel

Swedish Midsummer

Everything you need to know about the Swedish midsummer, from the Big Bang to the inevitable hangover.

24 June
Travel

Getting Things Done

GTD is an amazing productivity system that helped me organize everything that I needed to do to leave London and start my new nomadic life. I recommend you take a look at it, even if you just want a stress-free everyday life.

11 July
Life

Allemansrätten and Canoeing

Allemansrätten protects everyone’s right to enjoy the Swedish nature. One great way of making use of this law is going canoeing in one of the many lakes.

16 July
Travel

Working From Home

Even nomads have to make a living, and an option is working remotely. I've just finished a two month remote project, and in this post I will share my experiences of working from home.

26 May - 22 Jul
Nomad

The London Stag

I returned to London for a stag weekend. Read on to find out what I think about strippers and mad hatters!

27 Jul - 3 Aug
Personal

Blooming Glen Farm

America has many small ecological farms that occasionally host open-day events full of local delicious food and country music. This post describes my visit to one such farm: Blooming Glen Farm.

7 August
Travel

Ignorance and the Norway Massacre

The Norway massacre made me reflect on ignorance and how, through travel, we can fight it.

16 August
Nomad

NY, LBI, LA & LB

An update from New York, Long Beach Island, Los Angeles and Long Beach. Read on for luxury bidets, an epiphany on a motorcycle and a handsome group of burners!

25 August
Personal

Mono Lake

Mono Lake is not only a beautiful high-altitude lake; it may also hold the key to life on other planets.

26 August
Travel

Bodie, a Ghost Town

The ghost town of Bodie is an eerie snapshot of a Californian gold rush town. There is no gold to be found here now, but Bodie has yet many treasures.

26 August
Travel

The Burning Man Guide

Burning Man is an annual festival in the Black Rock Desert. This post covers the fundamentals of what you might see and do at this unique event.

27 Aug - 6 Sep
Travel

Principles of Burning Man

The most important part of Burning Man is the community, and to understand it, you must understand the ten principles that shape it.

27 Aug - 6 Sep
Travel

Zipping through Lake Tahoe

A short update on the days I spent around Lake Tahoe after Burning Man, including a video from a zip-line tour.

7-8 September
Personal

Rodeo

I am no longer a rodeo virgin. I competed in three events: Goat Dressing, Steer Deco and Chute Dogging. Click on to see me manhandle an animal three times my own weight.

9-11 September
Personal

Folsom Street Fair

Folsom Street Fair is the largest open-street fetish fair. It is the perfect place to discover this often-misunderstood sub-culture.

Not entirely safe for work.

25 September
Travel

Homesickness

How do you deal with homesickness when, as a nomad, you don’t have a home?

19 October
Nomad

San Francisco

This is the wrap-up post for my five weeks in San Francisco, summarizing my experience of this foggy but fun city.

12 Sep - 20 Oct
Personal

Palm Springs

I spent a weekend in Palm Springs, and there explored two amazing hiking spots: alpine Mount San Jacinto and desert Joshua Tree National Park.

21-24 October
Travel

Carpet Cleaning

I tried being a carpet cleaner for a day. It made me realize that I am free to try any odd little job that I can find. What a great opportunity that is for gaining new experiences.

26 October
Personal

Don Kendrick

My unlikely friendship with Don Kendrick made me reflect on the importance, particularly for nomads, to be able to make friends across cultural and ideological boundaries.

29 October
Nomad

Saying Goodbye

Frequent goodbyes are an unavoidable part of the nomadic life. It is, however, more complicated than a matter of scale. Read on to find out what makes the nomadic goodbye different, for better and worse.

10 November
Nomad

Moving to Mexico City

A quick catch up on my first twenty days in Mexico City.

31 Oct - 19 Nov
Personal

Teotihuacán

Teotihuacán is an amazing and mysterious archaeological site featuring two enormous and beautiful pyramids. Who built them? No one knows. Probably not aliens.

21 November
Travel

Purpose

Norm-breaking lives raise the question of purpose. Why do you do what you do? It is a question rarely asked of those who follow the norms. If you don't, then remembering your purpose is particularly important.

2 December
Nomad

Hidalgo

My weekend trip to Hidalgo, featuring potent pulque, a beautiful hacienda, the place for human lemmings to die and a joke gone wild.

3-4 December
Personal

Our Lady of Guadalupe

Every year, millions of visitors visit the Virgin of Guadalupe, a miracle apparition of the Virgin Mary on an apron. But the most fun is to be had just outside!

12 December
Travel

Leaving Mexico City

I'm done with Mexico City! This is my wrap up post, featuring comments on traffic, salesmen, running green men, sinking pyramids, wrestling dwarf parrots, dancing mummies and me being thrown out of a convent.

19 December
Travel

Merry Christmas

A short Christmas greeting to all my subscribers.

24 December
Personal

Year Review 2011

A summary and review of 2011.

31 December
Personal