You’d be surprised how often we are asked the question, “where do you live?” Just as frequently, we stumble for an answer, despite having been nomadic for several years. Sometimes we say we’re homeless; other times, we say we have properties around the world. Regardless of our answer, the next thing we usually hear is “I couldn’t live like that.” I always respond, “You mean, like this?”, flipping through pictures on my phone of the various places we’ve lived in the last several years.

Joan and I both gave up our apartments several years ago and began traveling full time. When we’re working as tour guides, we stay in hotels provided by our tour companies. When we’re on our own, we pet sit through Trusted House Sitters or stay in AirBnBs. When we have the opportunity, we visit family.

For us, the challenge of moving around all the time is preferable to the challenge of maintaining a property. We never have any yardwork or house projects. There are no bills for heating, cooling, water, electricity, garbage, or internet. The time and money saved not having to deal with these things allows us to spend our free time and money exploring new places, sampling local foods or taking classes.

This works for us because we are not tethered to a specific location for work. We travel wherever our tours take us or wherever we find a good house sit. We meet many people who are retired or working remotely, and occasionally we meet people who are living just like we are. Those are the occasions when we don’t have to explain our lifestyle. I’m even surprised how many families we run into, including one that was biking from Thailand to Mongolia.

One of the most surprising things is that it doesn’t cost us anymore to live like this. Our expenses are about the same as they would be if we stayed in the same place year round, even cheaper outside the U.S. And what do we get for that? A cliffside villa overlooking the Pacific, a condo in the heart of downtown, a beachfront property with a walk-in pool outside your bedroom. So while we may struggle to tell you where we live, we don’t struggle to live like this.