05.21.23
Many people think that the world of nomadic travel is lonely since we left family and friends back home–and it certainly can be at times. But for the most part, it’s offset by the people we meet and the friends we make along the way. Kat and I finally made it to Corfu (Greece) after living only 35 minutes away by ferry for the past six months. And quite frankly, we were much more impressed than we expected. We were joined on this adventure by Paul, a dear friend, and fellow nomad who holds a very special place in our hearts, since this made five joint countries we’d spent time together in so far. I met Paul on a Facebook expats group in Split (Croatia) back in 2021, when he was trying to find the best way to get there, from, ironically enough, Sarande, Albania.
After sharing some options online, he arrived in Split, where we all instantly connected. Later, when Kat and I moved on to Turkey, we told him how amazing it was as well, and sure enough, he showed up there a few months later and loved it as much as we did– so much so that he returned for a second time.
Last summer when returning our motorcycle to Bucharest, he was in Brasov (another of our favorites), and took a quick train ride down from there, where he met us once again for lunch. He’ll be returning there again in the fall, and guess who will be there at the same time? 🙂
This is how nomadic travel works. Do we miss family and friends back in the States? Of course, but we make new friends and have been lucky enough to reunite with multiple people along the way. We have shared trips together, adventure, and even lodging (with fellow travelers) over the past four years, which has been amazing, since we all love this lifestyle and freely share our experiences, views, and different perspectives about what we’ve seen or where we’ve been. This provides a wealth of new knowledge for all of us.
On this latest visit to Corfu we were hosted by an English woman who we met through the Corfu Expat Forum. She has lived on the island for seven years and was kind enough to invite us to stay with her for a couple of days. She prepared a lovely lunch and invited two of her friends, one from England, the other from Ireland. This is always a special treat, but not the first time it’s happened.
We shared an Easter dinner with our AirBNB hosts in Italy, a Shabbat dinner in Jerusalem, and a BBQ along with a horse carriage ride up in the beautiful hills of Romania. We have developed friendships and reunited with others, including Ruth and Paul who we met in Turkey, and just recently, again here in Albania; Roxanne and her husband, Johnnie, who we met in Brasov as well, and then again Croatia. Kathy and Steve were a part of the expat group here in Sarande (Albania) and joined us later at the Cairo airport so we could spend a few days exploring Luxor, Aswan, and Abu Simbel together. We were also met with open arms by friends of Kats who made our lockdown in Mexico (for 15 months) so much more fun. These are just a few of the wonderful people we have met and reunited with over the years.
The moral of the story is that yes, we have lost some friends from the states, but we also made new ones. And sometimes, believe it or not, the tide turns the other direction, which means, meeting OLD friends and family in new places.
We always invite “old friends” to meet up with us, but we understand it’s not easy. Every once in a while it happens, like with Mike and Emily who came to Mexico for a week, and we had a grand time. Kat’s kids have also both joined us at different times in Croatia and Albania, but recently, on Corfu, we had a surprise visit, and were lucky enough to connect with an old friend from my childhood. Gregg’s brother has been a close friend for over 50 years, and he is an avid cruise lover, so when I noticed that he and his family were in Italy, then Croatia, then Montenegro, I figured that they were heading south, so I asked if they were coming to Corfu. The timing was fortuitous, so we met for a lovely reunion over lunch and caught up on history and travels. It was great seeing them all again .
No question, living a nomadic lifestyle is not for everyone. Leaving friends and family can be tough. And yes, kids, grandkids, siblings, and elderly parents can make it a little more difficult as well.
I believe we must live OUR lives to the fullest.. and for us that means doing what makes us happy. And this most certainly does.
