Travel changes us in ways large and small. These stories explore how intentional planning, mindful traveling, and meaningful reflection can evolve a trip from a checklist into a transformational experience. Read more stories of mindful travel.

Planning Intentionally

After spending 10 years working remotely and seeing a lot of the world alongside my spouse, my life changed drastically when our marriage veered toward divorce. While working through intense emotional grief and having my vision of the future deconstructed, the idea of returning to international travel didn’t exist. After some time, therapy, and stabilization, I was finally able to think about how:

• A decade had passed since I gossiped at the office kegerator to make new friends.
• What if I traveled to a foreign country by myself (something I’d really never done)?
• Friendships and traveling are important to me. (NB: Create this Care Bear.) Can I combine them?

I was intentional in researching my first new-country trip since rebacheloring, seeking a remote work setup abroad. I chose Noma Collective, which emphasizes community and planned activities. This in my mind seemed to be a great way to avoid isolation.

In addition to traditional winter travel goals of trading the dark skies and cold of Seattle for the sun and warmth of Placencia, my digital nomad goals were to grow a network of similar-minded folks and maybe make a travel buddy for future remote work trips. Could I make friends around a rum bar as easily as a kegerator?

Traveling Mindfully

Thanks to Noma Collective, my goals started to be met before I left home, as I joined fellow travelers on Slack and an introductory teleconference. What was it like once on-site in Belize? There were heaps of social opportunities, but I just as much enjoyed chatting to people who happened by my breakfast or lunch table.

I was joyful playing a sunset round of goofy golf amid palm trees, with our group’s players ranging from a first-timer to a miniature-golf obsessed pro. Another moment that made me light up inside was being offered a golf cart ride by a Noma colleague to a cooking class that fed us a delicious coconut fish stew.

Not surprisingly this group that flew all the way to Belize to work and play was proactive, and sent invites for ad hoc meals or happy hours. Weekend water and nature adventures were offered. Oh right and we all worked some version of full-time for three weeks.

Reflecting Meaningfully

After returning home I was missing all those wonderful folks! The trip with Noma Collective revealed how much I needed and wanted an in-person social component to my work life. It didn’t necessarily have to be based on planned activities, either, as an ecosystem of opportunity helped connections happen naturally.

The trip brought clarity by confirming that travel in a digital nomad community provides the social component I need. I didn’t have to become a different type of person who enjoys traveling solo, I just needed to design my trips around the way that I enjoy connecting with people. I have no hesitation about doing another digital nomad community trip.

This trip reset my remote work life, answering an important question: “Would the version of my life I wanted still be an option for me?” It inspired me while in Belize and once I returned home to plan a big vacation/work trip and to research other work-centric travel. The previous couple of years I would have been hesitant to get back into international travel, but now I felt empowered once again to see more of the world.