A journey to minimalism doesn’t necessarily need traveling at all, but in our case the minimalistic lifestyle lead to a nomadic life.
Leaving everything was the only possible way to get out of the rat race. Hitting the road was a path for downshifting, in many ways.
But we didn’t purposely choose our new life.
It happened.
I originally wrote this post to my minimalism blog Minimaattori (in Finnish) already on June 30, 2017.
As it gives some background info about our journey I decided to translate it and share it with you too.
This is not only a story about the beginning of our nomadic life, but a journey to minimalism.
I hope this post sheds some light on my reasons for lusting for slow travel and the value I see in minimalism.
Why do we choose a journey to minimalism
Choosing a minimalist lifestyle often stems from a realization or a need to change one’s life.
It could be triggered by an overload of possessions, or societal pressure to (over)consume.
Or often time stress from work and time management.
For me, minimalism in terms of material possessions comes naturally, but managing my time has always been a challenge.
I was good at cramming my schedule with responsibilities, work, and activities, organizing my time to achieve as much as possible—all down to the minute.
Passionate flames burn you out
I could eat while driving and handle my company’s finances while the rest of Finland slept.
I meticulously calculated the travel time between job sites and ensured I was always on time. Sometimes, I’d head straight to work after 38-hour journeys to developing countries.
Sixty- or even hundred-hour workweeks can yield impressive results, but you don’t earn a shinier crown by being constantly available to clients.
When your work is your passion, you don’t always know how to set boundaries—and that can leave little room for life outside of work.
Yes, life outside of work.
I had turned my beloved hobby into a profession at a young age.
I decided that I could make a living as a photographer if I worked hard enough to succeed in a competitive field.
I studied while working, completing assignments at night and photographing for clients during the day. Later, I founded my first company, which only intensified the pace. Building and marketing a business, especially in a field with modest financial rewards, left little time for rest.
Passionate work may pose the greatest risk of burnout
The problem with creative work is that the entrepreneur’s well-being is crucial.
Creativity inevitably suffers when you don’t rest enough or recharge your brain.
New ideas stop flowing, and daily routines become monotonous. Personal projects get buried under the weight of urgent tasks.
Passionate work may pose the greatest risk of burnout. You do what you love, day and night, but passion won’t protect you from exhaustion, no matter how much you believe otherwise.
Slow travel dreams
Eventually, I realized that I’d never find time for my creative projects unless I made changes.
I gradually resigned from my trusted positions, having already given my professional association my best over a decade.
Before making that decision, I had purchased a smaller planner, thinking that if I couldn’t fit as many tasks into my schedule, I wouldn’t do as much. This small step was surprisingly effective and led to broader time-management improvements.
I even ventured into a completely different field, studied for a new profession, and started a new business with a partner. Taking a break from my usual work provided a fresh perspective.
I realized that my old profession was still my passion, but I needed to approach it differently.
While I had enjoyed work trips abroad, they were also exhausting. I’d loved traveling since I was a child, but work trips left no time to enjoy the places I visited.
I began dreaming of longer stays abroad—perhaps even moving to a new country.
At 16, I packed my bag for a year as an exchange student in the United States, vowing to return to Finland only to finish my studies. But life took a different turn. Years passed, and I got caught up in everyday work.
Time to leave
As we started building a new life, my fiancé and I dreamed of a long trip—an extended break, a sabbatical. When my hubs secured a six-month leave from work, we packed our bags and set off on the first day of his leave.
We also pondered the possibility of working remotely part-time or moving abroad for part of the year. We didn’t want to wait until retirement. The “someday” life never materializes.
Little did I know how quickly dreams could come true once spoken aloud.
Midway through our journey, my fiancé’s 17-year career ended due to company restructuring, leaving us with no limits but the sky.
While in Spain, we decided not to return to Finland. Instead, we would pursue our dream of becoming nomads, traveling until we found a place to call home.
Subconsciously, I had been searching for this place throughout my travels, visiting 85 countries but never settling on one to live in. I came to understand that a perfect place doesn’t exist.
Ultimately, I realized we didn’t need to decide where to move. We could simply go where we felt happy and stay as long as we liked.
It was our time to practice Zen & and the art of traveling.
Left for pause
We ended our nomad life in Belgrade. Again, this happened without planning.
Initially, we rented an apartment for a month, but just two weeks in, we decided to extend the lease for another month. We settled well into our new home. (Okay, the cockroaches weren’t exactly charming.)
When you don’t force yourself to decide where to spend the rest of your life, you’ll find peace.
At first, I focused on brainstorming and marketing new work ideas, but was also committed to carving out time for other aspects of life—meeting new friends, studying, and reading.
That was the plan for our new life, a journey to minimalism.
Let me know in the comments what you think of this post.
Are you interested in the philosophy behind slow travel or are you here purely to find travel hacks and destination ideas?
P.S. A ton has happened since I originally wrote this article.
Give us a follow and subscribe to our newsletter to catch up with us!