Walk 'til your day becomes interesting

I went for a workout this morning and when I came back to my Airbnb, I realized I had the wrong set of keys and was locked out.

So I did precisely what any adult in therapy does: I blamed everyone but myself.

After approximately a minute, I assumed responsibility and recognized that I needed to occupy myself for around three hours until my partner returned from work to unlock the door for me.

As I began my brief stint of homelessness around Cape Town, I thought about my favorite Rolf Potts quote: “Walk until your day becomes interesting.”

It’s pretty remarkable how adventure finds its way to you the second you stop running on the hamster wheel of to-dos, and instead, witness what life has to offer.

In the three hours where I was supposed to be back at the apartment working, I instead:

• Went to my favorite coffee shop and chatted with the staff (as opposed to burying myself in my laptop)

• Listened to a grim true crime podcast and then pulled a 180° and listened to this beautiful conversation between Tim Ferris and Jack Kornfield on reducing anxiety.

• Found a hidden pocket in my jacket that I never knew about

• Walked to my favorite beach and stretched my legs on a rock as I watched the clouds go by

• Gazed at the beachfront mansions and fantasized about living there but decided it would require too much vacuuming.

This whole excursion made me realize that what seemed like a quest to kill time, really was a gift. It let me finally do the things I love.

I’m thinking I might “accidentally” take the wrong set of keys again next week.

Hey, this is Kelsey, founder of SiteSee. I’ll send an email like this every Friday where I’ll share my musings from my travels, the latest research undertaken by our travel writers, as well as recommendations for travel products, interesting podcasts, good reads, and more.

Our writer, Meredith Shubel, updated our guide on Mastering the Digital Nomad Lifestyle. In her research, she found that a whopping 17 million Americans identified as digital nomads in 2022—that’s a 9% increase from 2021.

83% of these digital nomads describe themselves as self-employed. But the most interesting part is that these business owners and freelancers aren’t just scraping by. According to a March 2023 study, 36% of digital nomads report making between $100,000 and $125,000 per year.

TL;DR — they look like Huell from Breaking Bad.

In her article, Meredith illustrates the pros and cons of this lifestyle and details 8 tips for building a sustainable nomadic lifestyle. Check out the full article here.

We also have a few more articles hot off the press from last week:

• 9 Best Travel Groups for 30-Somethings

• Wanderlust Essential: The Best Travel Bras for Every Adventure

• The Original Towel from Nomadix: Your Go-To Towel for Every Adventure

Thanks so much for reading, and if you found something useful or interesting in this email, mind forwarding this newsletter to a friend (or having them subscribe here)?

Otherwise, thanks again and feel free to reply here. I open and respond to everything.

Onwards,

Kelsey