The sh*t sandwich 🥪

Hey friends,

This was me on Tuesday:

As I was finally getting settled during my three-month stay in Cape Town, fate took an unexpected turn. I opened up my Macbook to work and was confronted with the spiraling wheel of death.

I tried restarting a few times, then crickets. There was nothing but a blank screen staring back at me. 

So I spent the afternoon Ubering to various Apple stores seeking help. It took the sales reps and myself about an hour of passing around converters attempting to wipe the hard drive clean when we realized that this baby just wasn’t going to reboot.

So I kissed my laptop goodbye for a whole week, sent it in for servicing, and shelled out over $1K for a new laptop due to pressing work and no viable alternatives.

Mid-20’s me would’ve absolutely lost it. Early-30’s me has experienced enough water-damaged laptops and pick-pocketed phones to know that this is just part of being a nomad.

It’s what Mark Manson calls the “shit sandwich.”

That is, nothing is incredible all of the time. Everything involves some sort of sacrifice, it’s just a matter of knowing what unpleasant experiences you’re able to handle.

For me, tech malfunctions during travel — while inconvenient and expensive — are something I’m willing to take in order to live a life that gives me the freedom to be wherever I desire at any time.

It’s my own shit sandwich. But I’ll eat it with a pickle and a side of chips.

What shit sandwich are you willing to eat? Because no doubt you’ll be served one at some point.

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.

Speaking of shit sandwiches, we’re working on updating this article on the digital nomad lifestyle by adding a section on the pros and cons of adopting this way of living.

While the drawbacks of a location-independent lifestyle may be obvious, there are effective methods to alleviate them. Here are my top three:

1. Combat loneliness by finding nomadic communities.

We all know community is important. Heck, Harvard dedicated 80 years of studying happiness to learn that being an integral part of a community is how you lead a long, fulfilling life.

So when you’re abroad, don’t skimp on finding a community, even if your time there is short. That’s why I love traveling with remote work programs like Remote Year. You’re guaranteed community the second you arrive. But if traveling with a group isn’t your jam, there are other nomad communities you can join. We outlined them in this article.

2. Find ways to mitigate friction.

When you set out on your travel adventures, you begin to appreciate certain aspects that are often overlooked back home, such as having access to fast and reliable internet. Codie Sanchez, from Contrarian Thinking, eloquently describes this as "decreasing friction to creation." In simpler terms, the more difficult it is to work or create, the less you're going to do it, even if the friction is five minutes.

The best thing you can do: identify areas in your nomadic lifestyle that may cause friction and address them head-on. An insightful tip I acquired from my former boss is to request your Airbnb host (or the coworking center you plan to use) to provide a screenshot of an internet speed test before booking. This proactive approach significantly reduces the potential frustration caused by encountering unreliable wifi during your stay.

3. You’re not too old and you’re not too young.

The most common feedback I receive from readers is that they feel as though they’ve missed their chance to travel or that they lack sufficient experience to embrace this lifestyle. Don’t get so wrapped up in how nomadic living is supposed to look that it keeps you from moving forward.

The beauty of this lifestyle lies in its diversity and accessibility. Just within the last year, I’ve met a handful of ladies in their 60s whose kids had recently left the nest, prompting them to embark on their own nomadic adventures. It's much fewer tech-bros with man buns and stick-and-poke tattoos than you think.

Here’s a slice of wisdom I’ll leave you with that I often reference when I’m lacking confidence or facing Imposter Syndrome:

"Sucking at something is the first step towards being sorta good at something." — Jake from Adventure Time

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