enJoy Life Adventures

Should you sell everything to become a digital nomad?

Please read this before you put out the for sale sign.

For sale sign and a toy house under a toy tree. Should you sell everything. enjoylifeadventures.com

When I first decided to become a digital nomad (aka a full-time global traveller who still works to earn money), I read blog posts and listened to podcasts that had lots of great suggestions for getting started.

Most were created by people who were travelling the world, exploring exotic locations and having wonderful adventures.

I wanted to be doing those things, so I listened carefully to their sage advice. Interestingly, most of them suggested similar steps to prepare for this adventure into a globe-trotting lifestyle. 

One common thread was to sell everything that you were not going to take with you.

I could not get comfortable with the concept of selling all my worldly possessions before I stepped onto the plane to my first destination. Perhaps it was my career in finance, or maybe just a sentimental attachment. I am not really sure, but I opted not to follow that piece of advice.

Now, as I sit in my 36th country, I think it is time to write my thoughts down and share them in case you decide to become a digital nomad, and all you read or hear is suggesting you should sell everything.

Financial benefit

One of the biggest questions was whether to sell my home. In Australia (where my home is), advertising plus agents’ commission can amount to more than $20,000. That is a lot to lose straight out of the gate.

Inflation and historical house prices are also worth considering. The value of your home now versus the cost of buying a home in 5, 10 or 20 years is unknown, but history suggests that it is highly unlikely to cost less.

For sale sign in the front garden of a suburban home.

House for sale sign. Source: Canva

Five years ago, the median home price in my suburb was $343,000; now, it is $505,000. [Source: realestate.com.au].

That is an increase of about 50%. If that continues, in 5 years, it may be around $750,000. I know that I will not want to borrow that amount of money at my age, and unless I want to work more and save extra hard between now and then, I do not see my savings grow to that.

A house is not only a home, it is a source of revenue. Like many places in the world, my city has a housing shortage.

The new friends we made by opening up our home.

Our home has become their home and that makes us all happy. Photo captured by us!

I love opportunities to experience coliving myself, so I decided to make it a share house and rent out three bedrooms to three couples (interestingly, they are from 5 different cultural backgrounds, which makes me happy). This provides them a safe and affordable place to live and instant friends in this new community.

The income that I earn from the rent covers my mortgage repayments and outgoings like rates and insurance. In a few years, when the mortgage is fully repaid, that income will become savings, or if I decide I want to stop working, it could contribute to my living expenses.

Compare that to selling the house and investing the profit in a savings account that is currently paying almost no interest, and it isn’t hard to see the financial benefit of keeping the house.

Irreplaceable Memories

If your home is like mine, it holds a lifetime of memories. Little trinkets and treasures. Dents in the wall from that time the eldest child decided it would be fun to ride their scooter into the bathroom. Pencil marks showing their heights on the wall beside the kitchen.

Some things that you own only mean something to you. Other bits and bobs can provide inspiration to others who see them, to explore and go on adventures of their own. I never bought a lot of souvenirs when travelling occasionally, but still, the walls are hung with paintings and carvings from around the world.

If you are anything like me, you already find it hard to remember some moments you thought you would never forget. Imagine the sadness you would feel when you are much, much older and have nothing to help you remember that time when… We take too many photos now for them to hold the same mental trigger as one small framed piece of newspaper that hangs on the dining room wall.

A wall covered in photographs of different sizes in white frames.

Photo gallery wall in our living room. Photo captured by Joy Taylor.

All that stuff

Seriously, I have no idea how half of the things in my house got there. Surely, I did not really buy them all. Regardless, they are in my house now, and most are of little to no monetary value. To attempt to sell them to someone else would be a hassle, and not likely to return much cash into my pocket.

If I really had to clear everything out, it would be a complete waste to put it in storage and just sad to see it end up as landfill. I am definitely not an advocate of disposing of perfectly good items just because I do not need to use them at the moment.

I am a fan of minimalism, but not at the expense of the environment, and certainly not if it means just going out and buying the same thing again in the future when you do eventually need to use it.

Renting out the rooms in your house provides another benefit. The people who move in can use all that stuff, which means they do not need to buy it, and it doesn’t have to be disposed of.

Scrabble tiles on a red table, spelling out 'you are safe here'

You are safe here. Source: Canva

Mental safety net

Deciding to do something life-changing is scary. Taking action to sever your connection to your previous lifestyle in such a permanent manner is terrifying.

Why put yourself under that stress if you do not have to?

If you decide to become a digital nomad, it does not have to be forever. You will not be a failure if you change your mind in a week, a month or five years.

Full-time travel is not for everyone. You can not possibly know if it is really for you until you have experienced it.

You are not a failure if you change your mind and want to come home.

Whether you make the decision to return to your previous lifestyle or something else, knowing you have a safe place available is a huge comfort. If something unexpected happens to you, or your family, it is there for you.

Talking to people who have been through the stress of trying to find a place to live while ill, injured or mourning quickly highlights the value of always having a base to return to.

Retire from travelling

One day, sometime in the future, you might have had enough full-time travel and decide to shift to part-time travel or stay put.

Having a place to go home to that feels like home could give you the time to make fresh decisions or simply be the exact solution you need.

Perhaps, during your many adventures, you fall in love with another place in the world and want to settle yourself there for the foreseeable future. Well, then you can decide whether to sell everything and relocate your home base permanently or keep your original home for the revenue and use the equity or your savings to buy something new. Either way, you will have options.

Family gathered around the table for Christmas dinner in Australia.

Family + Christmas + Summer, three good reasons to travel home occasionally. Photo captured by Joy Taylor.

Staying connected

In the meantime, having a home base near those you love most in the world makes it easy to return for visits.

For me, Australia is an awfully long way from most of the rest of the world, but still not so far that it is not achievable at least once every year or two.

Maybe I am a lucky one. I love my home and all that it represents. It is not something I feel the desire to distance myself from permanently.

Plus, an added bonus of actually having a home base is that it makes it much easier when you need to fill in forms or when you are over-tired from a long-haul flight and you need to answer questions by a worn-out immigration officer who wants you to state where is ‘home’.

There is no rule book

When it comes to being a digital nomad, there is no rule book. There are so many nomads with completely different approaches. Some things work for them, some do not, they are testing and trying all the time. It is possible that their way might work for you, but it also might not.

My best advice is do not rush your decisions. Review your options and find what feels right for you. If you still are not sure, pick one option and see what happens.

A digital nomad lifestyle is about adventures and exploring, meeting people, learning about cultures and environments, and experiences that are different from what is familiar.

None of that requires you to sell everything and abandon your past, before you even begin.

Follow us on your favourite social platform

Joy Taylor

Joy Taylor

Joy has been working her way around the world with her kids, solo and with her partner for over 20 years. Her motto is ‘travel cheap, travel deep’. She built a green house and tries to live a green life. 36/196

Written
Stories

for those who enJoy reading

Photo Gallery

the picture book version

Videos

for the movie lovers

Recommended Posts

No Results Found

The page you requested could not be found. Try refining your search, or use the navigation above to locate the post.

0 Comments

Submit a Comment

Share how you #enJoyLife

Pin It on Pinterest