We met Jim and his wife in Antalya, Turkey, and were one of the first persons we met there since they started a Speaker’s Club, like Toastmasters, and since I was a TM member for decades, I joined in. We never got to know them well, so they are more acquaintances for now, but maybe we’ll get to know each other more while they are here. New Da Nang visitor number three (also with a “J” name!) is John, who started sending me FB messages a year ago, and since then we’ve shared travel insights. We haven’t met yet, but will soon.

So I got to thinking about the people, ie, friends we meet along the Nomadic Path. It is actually pretty easy to meet people, and the biggest icebreaker is language. When we hear someone speaking English, that’s a start, and if it’s Americanese English, then there’s an automatic connection. Many of our friends we have met in the street, just walking by, or in restaurants, and several I have met at the gym. Most are transient, like us, but sometimes they live in the same city we’re in, and that’s always a plus since they know the area.

As a nomad we can be as reclusive as we want. You want time alone? Easy to do. Do you want to join in with others? That can be a bit harder and the pieces all have to fit together to make it comfortable. In Albania, the expat community was pretty tight—too tight in some ways—and they/ we had a restaurant bar hangout, which I usually did not frequent often, but instead I created true friendships through our hiking club there. Walking, talking in nature is a great ice breaker!

And many cities DO have expat groups, sometimes several, but they can get clique-y sometimes. Regardless, it’s a good place to start.

Some friends we meet by our stays, as in, our hosts along the way. In Ecuador I stayed at an Airbnb in Quito, and Edison and I formed a great bond due to our love of motorcycles, and we did an outrageous three day trip together on bikes. We still communicate regularly, even though I am twice his age, and I have found that age has not been a barrier as we formed friends on the way. We engage with 20 somethings as well as those our own age; singles as well as couples. Just yesterday we toured a sanctuary about an hour away, and on the tour trolley met two fellow Californians. THAT is an immediate bond, and we walked the park together, shared stories, and experiences. Even though they were under thirty years old, we still bonded, and will all probably be in touch forever.

Our buddy Paul, single, mid 50s, is a very unique situation, since we met in Croatia in 2021 as he was just starting his nomadic ways. Now he is a pro, moving effortlessly through several countries, and along the way we have connected with him in FIVE different ones! That is very cool. I have found a few different “footprints” where a lot of travelers hang out. There is a southeast Asia footprint, and many travelers rotate between several of them. Same thing in the Balkans between Croatia, Albania, and Turkey areas. The commonality: these countries are very affordable. South America has its own footprint, and because it is so large, I think that many countries have their own inside. Ecuador is like that, with several nomadic magnet spots.

Meanwhile, many friends from “home,” which is no longer viewed like it used to be, have gone by the wayside. Some cannot relate to our life, but others have stayed true friends regardless. The situations remain fluid most of the time, and I recognize that people come and go in our lives effortlessly.

“A reason, a season, or a lifetime,” as Kat says, and we never know how long each of them will last