«Happiness travels with you»: modern nomads

I carefully pick the dried branches from the kitchen cupboard. It's a few dried out myrtle leaves and a small, shrivelled berry. I immediately smell the odour of this aromatic plant again and stand next to the «Tomba dei Giganti», the impressive prehistoric tombs in Sardinia. Unexpectedly, a tear rolls down my cheek.

«Dicker» is being cleaned from top to bottom. Step by step, all the little personal memories disappear and after a day, we are left with a completely normal caravan. Nothing on the vehicle made of wood, metal and plastic tells of our adventures. Only a few traces of use bear witness to the fact that we lived here.

We are extremely happy not to be tied down anywhere.

«We're transferring the spirit of Dicker to our new vehicle,» say the girls. The «fat one» or whatever it will be called is not here yet. But when we think of her, we have butterflies in our stomachs. The motorhome will take us to new places, help us gain new experiences and allow us to travel a little more lightly.

A new chapter

The change came gradually and yet it is clear to all of us: the desire and sense of obligation to find a permanent home as a family has disappeared. We are extremely happy not to be tied down anywhere.

Our motto is still: every family member has a veto . As soon as the need for more continuity in daily life takes over, our energies are reinvested in the search for a stable place to live.

Being part of an expat bubble is not what we are looking for.

Today, however, the good reasons to continue living nomadically outweigh the bad ones. We are deliberately turning the page to a new chapter.

Bye-bye Portugal

Our attempt to land in Portugal was a success. We still really like the beautiful village on the Atlantic. However, the foundations for settling down permanently did not hold up.

Although our campsite has reopened, the prices have doubled and the municipality has introduced a time limit of two months per year for stays.

The vibrant community of Vanlifers, long-term travellers and locals had to make way for short-term tourism. The tiny house project in which we wanted to participate has fallen victim to new fire regulations.

So we say goodbye for now. It's sad, because we've made friends for life. The landscape and the climate are marvellous. However, we agree that we can better appreciate Portugal as visitors. Our endeavour to understand the country and its people and to establish a real home took a lot of energy. Being predominantly part of the «expat bubble» would therefore be easier. However, it is not what we are looking for. No matter how amiable the motley group from all over the world may be.

A homeschooling college for the future

A year and a half ago, the children transferred to an international school in Portugal with a British curriculum. This step opened up completely new doors for their further education. Now we have found a distance learning school based in Oxford, which has enabled us to learn at any time and from anywhere in the world since the new year.

The girls are used to self-motivated learning and can hardly imagine frontal teaching any more.

We still have a good three years before the eldest girl has to make her first career decision with consequences for her place of residence. Both girls are used to self-motivated learning. They can hardly imagine frontal teaching any more.

What we are particularly pleased about is that the «Homeschooling College» has been in existence for almost one hundred and thirty years and also supports families with a nomadic lifestyle with great appreciation. The teachers seem to enjoy working independently of location and accompanying children from over 125 countries. Something that does not exist in German-speaking countries.

Are we addicted to travelling?

Are we sick with our desire to keep travelling? You could say we are addicted to travelling. Perhaps we have travel fever or wanderlust or even a wanderlust?

The literal meaning of all these terms implies something unhealthy about the desire to travel. Yet our lives have improved in many ways since we stopped being sedentary. The very idea of having to go back to a hamster wheel is a burden on everyone's chest.

Of course, living in one place doesn't mean losing all self-determination. For us, however, it feels like a shoe that has become too small. Thanks to our house in the Cevennes, we have a secure base that we can return to at any time. With an oven and washing machine to satisfy our need for home comforts in between.

At the moment, we have the perfect starting point to create a nomadic life.

Three insights

A lot of things happened that we didn't expect before our journey began. Three things surprised us in particular:

1. the question: «What gives a family security?»

The fact that we found our security in mobility and not in a new place of residence was a surprise for us. We feel secure in the thought that we don't have to commit to one place. We can organise our destination according to the weather, pollen count and relationship needs.

Being on the road has become part of our daughters' identity.

Whenever we have been hit by a crisis, breakdown or illness in the last three years, we have been surrounded by people who have been outspoken in their support. Today we know: Wherever there is need, there is someone who will go the extra mile to help. They cooked and shopped for us. We provided transport and looked after other children. All as a matter of course.

2. the statement: «Teenagers should not be uprooted»

It may be right in many cases. For us, however, the children are the driving factor in continuing a nomadic lifestyle.

Being on the road has become part of their identity. They look at it with pride. If anyone questions the impact of our decisions on their lives in a negative way, it is not least the girls who react indignantly. Their friendships are spread across Germany, Switzerland, France and Portugal and they are not lacking in «youth culture». We have left behind any concerns that we are doing them a disservice.

3. the realisation: «Our happiness lies in everyday things»

A few years ago, we dreamed of a large piece of land with a big house for an ambitious project. That would be luck. We had a flat crammed full of stuff that we had bought at some point and hardly needed. We lived in abundance. We weren't happy about it.

Today, our ambitions have become smaller. For us, happiness means being dry, having a warm bed, drinking hot coffee in the morning. It means being able to afford fresh and good food. It means enjoying a unique view. And above all: we are lucky to be able to spend so much time with our children.

What also makes us happy are good conversations with friendly, curious and open-minded people. Happiness has travelled with us for more than three years and hopefully it will always be with us in our new motorhome. The travel series «Happiness is travelling with us» comes to an end here. How nice that you have also travelled with us for a little while!

The new series «Modern Nomads» follows with observations and thoughts on life as a travelling family.