5 Tips to Living Nomadically.
By: Anna Bek
“Travel is about finding another side of yourself.”
Being a nomad, to me, means adapting and learning from new cultures to gain insight in order to expand our level of consciousness. I am able to travel with intention and purpose through incorporating sacred rituals into my everyday. Bringing in a practice that allows me to feel balanced, I can better navigate the new routines that come with being in a new environment.
I discover new parts of myself when I am squeezed out of my comfort zone and for me this insight has become quite addicting. I’ve made it my personal mission to help you learn to do the same. Regardless of your reasons for hitting the road, here are my top tips for setting up some sustainable habits.
1. Minimize.
Keep things as minimal as you can and with each item that you pack, clarify your purpose and your intention behind the object. Knowing what is essential is what can keep your heart and bags light. Practice the tools of Marie Kondo from her book, The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up.
2. Digitize your life. Go Paperless.
Carrying a ton of books makes you miserable if you are constantly traveling, however, you still might want to carry the knowledge! A way you can read, consume and store information, without carrying the physical weight is by downloading e-books or making digital versions of your favorite articles and storing them on your laptop or smart phone. Open up a cloud storage plan like Dropbox or Google Drive for all your media and important documents. Make sure every bill, notice, and piece of mail can make its way to you paperless.
3. Create sacred spaces.
Building spaces that energetically speak to your soul through burning incense, sage, copal and Palo Santo. These smells have helped me to find ways to shift the energy around me as I navigate through heaviness that inevitably shows up. It is also nice to create a small altar to carry with you everywhere you go to remind you of the objects that have come into your field along your trips and the experiences that have shaped and evolved your spiritual being. I find having a few crystals, feathers, and runes and small objects that remind me of my goals, helps me stay aligned. The altar might be more of a mesa for you but the intention is to keep this space as your mini energetic "home" that is your anchor in staying present.
4. Book flights and create deadlines.
I know this sounds simple but most of us don’t take that trip or pull the trigger until we have an absolute deadline. Most of us say no to something because we perceive it to be expensive but never actually do the research! Set deadlines for the things you need to accomplish. Prioritize your dreams and be an action taker. The build up of to-dos and tasks that take your time or that you’ve procrastinated on will likely be your excuse for not taking that trip if you don’t stay on top of it. Apparently the optimal time to book a flight is 53 days before your departure date for the best pricing but if you are like me, I usually monitor prices by creating a price alert on kayak.com and when my dates and schedule have been locked, then I book.
5. Nourish yourself.
Find local organic vegetables, use good quality oils, avoid processed foods as best you can, drink plenty of good quality water and where possible find sources that are not “dead” or straight from a single-use plastic bottle where possible. Water is so important to your system as is consuming living foods and being connected to the land and your local farmers. Consider all plant powders, teas and adaptogens to help you literally ‘adapt’ to your new environment and to the changes in your lifestyle. Make sure you continue to eat full balanced meals no matter where you travel to. It is important to look after your nutrition on the macro and micronutrient level.
It is really easy to put off our dreams, and for many people out there, their dreams include travel. It is really easy to say "one day" to the pull of your heart. It is really easy to stay in the status quo of being comfortably stuck. There is no greater time than right now to put those systems into place, those wheels into motion, and give yourself the time to expand yourself both personally and professionally by stepping out into the world.
It is common for people to spend decades in jobs that do not fulfill them, and while money is important, so too is staying true to that wanderlust and doing what you say you want to do. In fact, this is why I created the experience of Nomad Spirit for Marrakech in 2019. It is through this experience that we are pushed out of our comfort zones in order to reconnect with our personal power and creativity.
So I encourage you to consider traveling with more intention and purpose. Create healthy routines, rituals and space for yourself to thrive in any environment you end up in!
Anna x
About Anna:
Anna Bek is a yogi, DJ, and storyteller with a nomadic spirit. She helps bring people back into their natural rhythms through sacred movement, ancient philosophies, self-care, and sound. By cultivating positive habits, she is empowering others to turn routine into ritual, finding creativity in the mundane. She enjoys crafting soundscapes to help motivate the movement and realign specific chakra points with live and prerecorded sounds. Each yoga session with her is tuned to a unique rhythm and intended to connect like-minded beings to elevate consciousness and inspire change. Check out Anna’s upcoming offerings in Morocco and Spain!