The past year (2025) was the first year that I did not do a trip outside of the US. In 2024 besides making my peace with San Antonio, I clocked more than 14,689 miles on the road and 10,899 miles in the air. I started my journey of being a nomad by using Landing for staying a few months at a time using a service called Landing. Checkout using the following link hellolanding.com and if you are interested you can get $250 credit towards a 30 day stay. I stayed in some beautiful apartments in Lewis Center Ohio, Birmingham Alabama, and Spring Texas. I used those residences as my work addresses and it proved to be very effective and a good way to test out my nomadic lifestyle.
TIP: I was a resident of Ohio and a tip I will offer future nomads, establish residency in a state with no state income tax. There are currently 9 as of this post (Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming) Those states must compensate for that lost revenue so be aware of some of the ways that offset those losses. Things like property taxes (if you are going to buy property), cost of living, (local and state sales tax – some can be in excess of 10%, insurance (car, and or property), housing etc. Do your research on where you would like to establish your residency and do what works for you. I was not interested in purchasing any real-estate so I had to be a little more intentional on the state I chose.
At the beginning of 2024 I visited Puerto Rico and Costa Rica (La Fortuna and Rio Segundo) and was blown away by my stay in Costa Rica that I am seriously considering how I can spend half the year there. I traveled with a small women’s travel community, once again finding my tribe. Women Travel Abroad, or WTA offers many trips that consist of small group (women) travel. The trip to Puerto Rico and Costa Rica was hosted by this group and had less than 8 people per group (including 2 hosts). This type of travel is not for everyone, but check it out. They offer payment plans and single occupancy travel in boutique hotels. This is how I love to travel. It provides a balance of independent discovery and planned itineraries. It’s not for everyone but they do offer zoom calls to get additional information on the group and various trips. I plan to travel with this group for additional trips including one I have already planned for 2026.
My travels in 2025 convinced me that we have places that are just as beautiful, engaging, and community oriented as Costa Rica. Some of the other cities I traveled within the US were Galveston, Conway, Rowlett, Garland, and Dallas Texas, New Orleans Louisiana, Gulf Shores Alabama, Hilton Head South Carolina, Sedona Arizona and St. Johns Florida. I tend to take time after work to visit and experience some of the smaller communities outside of these larger cities. Along the way I met some fascinating people learned a lot of history of those places and the people and seen some beautiful sites. Every state had their memorable moments. Each state visit to me was like visiting a different country. What did surprise me is how many people are living in fear, which is no way to live (IMHO). Also, how many people have a desire to live a different life. The life I chose was one that is right for me. You should figure out what is right for you, don’t overthink it and take a step towards it. It doesn’t have to be travel but look within and figure out what brings you joy!
As I was ending 2025 I was filled with excitement with where my travels would take me. I have 17 out of the 50 US states yet to experience and I spent my time in the fall and winter of 2025 being inspired in anticipation with where my travels would lead me. I do have a trip scheduled for outside of the country through WTA and it was a place that I had an opportunity to visit when I was stationed in Okinawa Japan. I knew if the opportunity ever presented itself again I would take it and once again it did and I said yes! New Zealand here I come!!!
Thank you for following me this far as I end 2025 and begin to share my experiences and travels of 2026.
Feature picture is one of a silent piano concert given by Murray Hidary that I found on eventbrite.com. Check out experiences in your area if interested checkout MindTravel for details
Puerto Rico and Costa Rica photo Album.
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