[Interview #006] Semi-nomadic lifestyle through minimalism and house sitting

This interview is part of our interview series, where we curate stories of regular people that decided to design a life they love. (click here to learn more).

Noémie & Fabien

Some links to the products mentioned below are affiliate links, meaning that if you click and make a purchase, Nomad Numbers may receive a commission at no additional cost to you. For more information please review our disclaimer page.

Noémie & Fabien reached out to us during the summer of 2019 via our newsletter after reading the story we published on the Millennial-Revolution.com blog. As they started to share a bit of their story with us we immediately realize that we have quite a lot in common and felt that their unique story  would be worth sharing with our entire community. 

Noémie & Fabien are 31 years old, respectively from France and Quebec. They have been in a relationship for almost 8 years. They called themselves semi-nomadic as they spend on average, half of their time in Quebec working, and half of their time traveling (without working). They are currently based in Quebec, when they work about 25 hours/week, by choice. They look for jobs as they go along, always on a contractual basis. Even in Quebec, they consider themselves nomadic because they change houses all the time since they have chosen not to have a fixed address. In fact, their whole semi-nomadic lifestyle is based on housesitting (we will come back to this later). 

They choose to work less because they want to have time to participate in community life through different social commitments; they consider themselves socially-committed people. Through their minimalist and semi-nomadic life choices, they try to do their best to live in the present moment by respecting others and by participating in the community in which they live.

That is such a great intro and I can’t wait to share more. So without further ado, let’s hear directly from Noémie & Fabien!

Lifestyle change

What does a typical day in your life look like for you today? And how does it differ from your lifestyle before?

Noémie & Fabien (N&F): Our morning often begins with discussions in bed about everything and nothing, and we end up getting up when we are too hungry!  We really enjoy walking so no matter where we are, a walk is always on the schedule, whether as a means of transportation, simply for the joy of walking or to walk the dog when we are house sitting somewhere.  Actually, since animals are usually part of house sitting, there are always times during the day dedicated to taking care of them.  

It’s a little more difficult to answer the second question. Everyone experiences life changes as young adults, when turning twenty or finishing school. In our case, we were in our early twenties when we started traveling.  Unlike other young adults, we had never had a permanent job or a permanent apartment, before traveling, so it was not a big change in life.  

What led you to decide to change your lifestyle?

N&F: Our first trip together, to New Zealand, was decisive for us. We went on a Working Holiday Visa (WHV) for one year. Normally, travellers with this type of visa work at least a few months during their trip, but we decided not to work, and to volunteer and reduce our expenses instead. At the end of the adventure, we asked ourselves if it would be possible to keep the same lifestyle, by working less and travelling. The following year, the same question arose, and the year after again until finally, the question no longer came up. Now, the question is not “Are we going to be semi-nomadic this year? “, but rather :”When will we stop being semi-nomadic… if we stop”.

What would you say is now the key factor driving the choice of becoming “semi-nomadic”? 

N&F: For us, semi-nomadism is the perfect balance between having a life of discovery and freedom, while having a life of involvement in the community. Travel nourishes our moments of sedentarization, and vice versa. 

What were some of the biggest challenges to adjust to this new lifestyle?

N&F: The most difficult thing about returning from New Zealand was the attitude and misunderstanding of some people we met along the way. At first, it was fine because people told us, “Enjoy it before you enter the job market! ” or “Enjoy it while you’re still young! ». But now, at 31, those remarks are no longer possible! We have heard more recently, “Enjoy it while you have no children! ». In short, the most difficult thing is to remain ourselves when we are facing some kind of social pressure.

What life philosophy has been guiding you through this journey?

N&F: Thanks to our semi-nomadic and minimalist lifestyle, we have chosen to be in control of our time. Our philosophy is to use this time to serve kindness, to welcome difference and to try to become better people every day. We try to be as balanced as possible between commitment and wonderment. When we are travelling, we are more in a state of wonderment, and when we return to Quebec, we are more in a state of social involvement, even if one does not exclude the other, of course. The wonderment of the journey allows us to recharge our batteries in a way and to seek inspiration in other realities! Moreover, nothing is ever taken for granted.

What did your friends and family think of your plan to take on early retirement? What did they think when you announced to them that you will be quitting your day to day job and starting to travel?

N&F: We are very lucky to be surrounded by friends who love us and accept us even if we are not present on a daily basis. Likewise, both our parents totally support our life choices. It is touching to see that they even take pride in this. For example, Noémie was in a book fair one day and a lady approached her : it was a friend of her mother’s who had recognized her from pictures! And she even knew a few travel anecdotes! The same kind of thing happened at the grocery store near Fabien’s parents’ house in France : the cashier talked to us about a trip because Fabien’s mother was talking about us! It really means a lot to us to be surrounded like this! Sometimes we wonder if we could pursue this lifestyle to the same extent without the unconditional support of our parents and friends. For us, it is therefore essential to cultivate gratitude towards them.

These are such great stories and show how far being part of a family that love and support you can go. You mentioned earlier the social pressure you have been getting about your lifestyle from people you’ve met. What do you think has been driving your parents to spread their love for what you are doing around them and getting people reach out to you two about your lifestyle? Why do you think not everyone can value alternative lifestyles as something that can be fulfilling and last through every stage in life?

N&F: In relation to parents, over the years, we believe that we have shown them that they can trust us and therefore our choices. For Fabien’s parents, the acceptance took longer, mainly due to financial fear. Now they accept our lifestyle, without necessarily understanding it because it’s very far from their reality. Which brings us to your second question. People ask us questions because they want to try to understand how it’s viable financially, emotionally, logistically and so on. They are sometimes torn between scepticism and admiration. Finally, we believe that many people-including us-have a subjective perception of what a fulfilling life should be. For us, what is meant by fulfilling life can create fear, anxiety, jealousy and stress for others to the point where we do not think it is a sustainable way of life. Encounters can create questioning, conscious or unconscious. So everyone establishes their comfort zone and it sometimes takes a lot of willpower to expand it. We are privileged to have parents who have agreed to expand it. Most of our friends don’t question their sedentary lifestyles by being around us, but at the same time they encourage us to do so.

Travel

How would you describe your travel style?

N&F: Our travel style (and lifestyle) is totally minimalist, whether in terms of accommodation, food, shopping, clothing or activities.  In terms of accommodation, when we are traveling as well as when we are staying in Quebec, we do not have a fixed address. Most of the time, we are housesitting, which means that we take care of people’s homes, and animals, usually cats and dogs, when they are gone on a trip. It can be a few days or a few months, and can be done in many countries. We like this style of travel because it allows us to take root for a while, live like the locals and live with four-legged companions. We have done 27 house sittings in 7 countries, with 31 cats and 16 dogs – not to mention 1 peacock.

Wow, you guys must be house sitting experts. This is something we’ve been personally interested to do but are worried about the steep curve to get started and building our credentials so people would be trusting us enough to take care of their pets. Any suggestions for ourselves and all the first timer reading this post that would also like to get started? 

N&F: The hardest part is getting started (what a cheesy answer isn’t it!). Here are some tips to get you started. 

1. There are several platforms for finding house sitting. Take the time to browse them and choose the one you are most comfortable with. Nothing prevents you from being on more than one site.
2. Just like a job, you will need to create a resume (a profile). Be inspired by the other profiles at the beginning, while being authentic. Even if you’ve never done any house sitting, don’t hesitate to add outside references from employers, babysitting, etc.
3. Beyond the profiles, unlike a job where the employer takes the time to choose the best candidate, in housesitting the key factor is often reactivity. In other words, being the first to apply is not a guarantee of success, but it greatly increases your chances. Some platforms offer email alerts.
4. It is very important to define your needs (type of animal, duration, location, requirements, etc) before applying and remember that the most important thing is the care of the animals, so insist on this point when you apply.
5. As you will not have reviews when you first apply, choose less popular places.

All in all, it may seem obvious, housesitting is an exchange whose priority is the animals’ well-being above all. You must therefore be prepared to sacrifice certain freedoms that you would have as a traditional tourist to take care of them.

You will find a lot of information on the housesitting platforms and on the web magazine HousesittingMagazine.com. If your readers have specific questions, they can leave us a comment on this post.

If you could never travel again and could pick any city to be confined to, where would you pick? And why?

N&F: For the past 2 years, we have been returning to Noémie’s hometown, Gatineau, when we are in Quebec. As a result, we have developed a good circle of friends and are very much involved in the community. What is interesting about Gatineau is that there are many projects yet to be developed, and political will to develop those new projects. Also, this medium-sized town is surrounded by nature : forest, lakes and a river. Finally, we now have a good reputation as house sitters there so we can easily find house sitting through word-of-mouth, and sometimes we go back to the same people’s house.

How much stuff do you travel with? 

N&F: It depends on the temperature in the countries we visit. In colder countries, we each take a 50L bag, i.e.10 kilos per person. In hot countries, it’s a 50L bag of 12 kilos for Fabien and a small backpack of 3 kilos for Noémie. This includes a tent, two mattresses and two sleeping bags! Our total life possessions amount to 2 large suitcases, 4 boxes and 4 backpacks. We still find it too much, as we really love the freedom of having few possessions – but Noémie can’t resist a few beautiful clothes found in thrift stores!

What’s something you pack that’s not absolutely essential but you like having it?

N&F: When we are in Quebec, Noémie carries her little Italian coffee machine Bialetti in all the homes. It’s really worthwhile! As for Fabien, he never leaves without his E-reader, whether sitting in a waiting room or hiking at an altitude of 2000 meters! For him, any opportunity is good for reading.

Spending

How much money do you spend on travel per year? How many days of travel does this represent? How much does this represent per day and per person?

N&F: No matter where we are, we spend an average of ~12,120 Canadian per year (about $9,000 USD), or $1,010 Canadian per month (about $750 USD), or $17 Canadian per person per day (or about $13 USD), including every expense. Whether traveling around the world or staying in Quebec, our records show that we always spend about that amount.

Here is the breakdown of our total monthly spending:

Spending Category	Monthly amount (in CAD)	Monthly amount (in USD)
Accommodation	$15	$11.34
Living expenses (taxes, cell phone, netflix…)	$100	$75.60
Groceries	$350	$264.62
Dining out / Take-out	$20	$15.12
Activities	$60	$45.36
Health Care / Health Insurance	$60	$45.36
Local Transportation	$85	$64.26
Global Transportation (from one region to another)	$300	$226.81
Other expenses (gifts, …)	$20	$15.12
Monthly Total	$1010	$763.61
Yearly Total	$12,120	$9163.28
Per Person, Per Day Total	$17	$12.85

Note: It is important to specify that we do not choose our destinations according to the countries where life is cheapest. We have read that this is the case for some financially independent people and that this factor can help on the path to financial independence. Although we have sometimes asked ourselves this question in order to optimize our finances, our trips have been to countries where the cost of living is similar or higher than in Canada.

How do you fund your travel (savings/work whilst travelling/other)?

N&F: We read in a blog that it is not the salary that prevails to achieve financial independence, but the savings rate. It may seem obvious, but for us it was a real revelation. Although we earn low wages, we have a savings rate of 60% on average. Of this 60%, we set aside 30% for traveling, and 30% for our old age. The key to saving on a small salary is called frugality. We do not like the word sacrifice because we never have the impression that we are depriving ourselves, on the contrary. We really enjoy small things and simple activities. Saving is a game for us, and when considering our expenses, we try to reach a balance by spending the minimum possible while being as comfortable as possible. For example, we do not skimp on fruit and vegetables. To eat healthy and inexpensively, we volunteer in exchange for vegetables, we buy in bulk and we have created a collective kitchen.  

Are you considering yourself already financially free? If so, how long did it take you to become financially free? Why did you decide to reach financial freedom? What were some of the challenges you had to face along the way?

N&F: We started taking the FIRE route some time ago and it has had the benefit of making us think about what it would change in our lives. Taking this path means bringing a new perspective to the world we live in. We realized that we didn’t necessarily want to achieve financial independence. Today, considering our lives and what it has changed in the lives of FIRE people, we don’t believe it would bring us more than what we already have. For us, it is more of a direction to take that allows us to reflect on different themes along the way: freedom, relationship to money, relationship to work, relationship to time, relationship to others, etc. We like to reflect on the different definitions of the word “independence”, be it financial or more global in lifestyle. For example, some people who are financially independent are still unhappy because they are caught up in other constraints that they impose on themselves. This is called financial independence, but is it really freedom? On the other hand, some people are independent because they are self-sufficient and are part of a self-help community. With humility, we are still looking for our place in all this.

Community

How do you meet people when you travel? Do you have any tips for people that are having challenges meeting people while traveling? 

N&F: For us, there are two types of meetings: meeting travelers and meeting locals. 

To meet other travelers, we like to chat while preparing meals, whether in youth hostels or in campsites. Just recently, we happened to meet a much-needed car mechanic while sitting around the table at a Youth Hostel in Northern Quebec. He fixed our problem for free on the car we had rented through a community organization made up of private individuals. We believe that the key is as simple as to be interested in other people, ask them questions and be curious. 

To meet the locals, we do community activities, volunteer work for example or free cultural workshops. This often requires a little preparation in advance by doing internet research or keeping an eye out for posters on site, or looking on facebook for events, etc. Thanks to housesitting, we meet a lot of people because 75% of the time, the owners want to introduce us to the neighbors and this can lead to wonderful meetings. Last but not least, don’t be afraid to just talk to people and listen to your “gut feelings”. For example, in New Zealand, we were offered a few days of volunteer work with a family business, and finally we stayed for 4 months and we became forever  members of this family.  

Last but not least

What is one resource (blog, podcast, book besides your own) you recommend for those that want to pursue your lifestyle?

N&F: We realize that it is more the human encounters, personal introspections and articles here and there that have enriched our reflections. Last year, we read “Do you really need it? ” by Quebec Accountant Pierre-Yves McSween. This book is a good start for people who would like to question their life choices and want to move towards a more minimalist style. For house sitting, we recommend the free online magazine HousesittingMagazine.com.

What advice do you have for others who are considering this type of lifestyle?

N&F: A fun assignment would be to determine your values and needs on a regular basis to help you better understand whether this lifestyle is right for you. You can find on the internet lists of values and needs to guide you, without forgetting to define them in your own words. For example, if the value of freedom is in your top 3 and means travel for you, chances are you are made for this lifestyle. On the other hand, if you have a great need for comfort, maybe it is possible but the parameters will change to better respect yourself.

Tell us one belief that is held up by society as ‘common sense’ but that you disagree with and why.

N&F: Carnism is a set of beliefs and practices that supports the use and consumption of animal products. It’s so much a part of our Western societies that we don’t realize that it’s not just a way of eating, but a system in itself. We do not agree with that system because we consider it unfair to animals.

Rapid Fire Questions

What is your favorite travel destination & why?	New Zealand because it is very easy-going, the Maori culture is enriching and the landscapes are amazingly diverse.
What was the most creative thing you’ve ever done to save money during your travels?	In Louisiana, we built a 3-metre Mayan pyramid in a guy’s garden, in exchange for food and accomodation!
What was your biggest travel mistake?	For Noémie, a humanitarian trip as a teenager: we must question this type of travel, which unfortunately can sometimes do more harm than help. For Fabien, the biggest travel mistake was to not travel alone with a back-pack at the age of 18.

Thank you Noémie & Fabien for sharing such an inspiring, amazing yet extremely simple story!

The Bottom Line

We usually share three core lessons from these interviews, but this one has so many gems that we had to share much more. Here are the five main lessons we took away from this interview:

• Lesson 1 – “[…] serve kindness, […] welcome difference and […] try to become better people every day.” – So powerful. By doing good around ourselves, accepting that there is no right or wrong way of seeing others and being on a constant path to self-improvement can only lead to greater things in the future IMHO. Or would you think instead we should be selfish, judging people based on the interpretation we choose or acting with a fixed mindset assuming we know everything? And ultimately by doing good around you, should not good come back at you? 
• Lesson 2 – “We do not like the word sacrifice because we never have the impression that we are depriving ourselves, on the contrary. We really enjoy small things and simple activities.” – Whether you can it being cheap, living a life of sacrifice or even being frugal, people already associate this way of living as deprivation, when it should be seen and mindful spending. Consumerism can be good for the economy of the country, it has never been good in general for humans as they get more attached to things that they should be attached to the people the loved and the simple things that life offers us every day. For us, a walk on the beach, a hike in the mountains or something as simple as watching the sunrise together is worth a million time more than buying an expensive item that will only leave us with something that cost us our precious resources and would have only provided us with short-lasting happiness. This doesn’t mean we don’t spend on things, we just do it while being extremely mindful as we explained in our spending decision-making process.
• Lesson 3 – “It is more the human encounters […] and articles here and there that have enriched our reflections” – We definitely agree! By surrounding ourselves with great people, especially the one that bring out the best in us and by reading life-changing books to immerse ourselves in inspiring material that encourages us to become someone of character we become better, happier, healthier and ultimately fulfilled individual that can make an impact on this planet we never thought was possible before.
• Lesson 4 – “Determine your values and needs on a regular basis to help you better understand [what] is right for you” – Ultimately this boil down to defining your purpose in life. It is so easy to get stuck in the hamster wheel of modern consumerism society. A place where we barely have time to handle the jobs that we struggle to take care of our family and all the things we own. This usually means that we have little to no time to create some space for ourselves to reflect on what we value in life and what we want to get out of this life. And when we do have the time, it is more than often too late because we are running out of it
• Lesson 5 – “It is not the salary that prevails to achieve financial independence, but the savings rate.” – This is a great reminder and also a revelation to us when we first heard about it. But how boy what a powerful concept this is especially when you understand the simple math behind it. And you then start re-evaluation every single purchase decision you are making because each of them will directly affect how long you will still have to keep saving money to reach your financial freedom. 

Call to action

What do you think about this story? We would love to hear from you, so feel free to share your feedback by leaving a comment below.

Do you want to share your story?

Sometimes we need to hear about others making unconventional decisions before we can have the confidence to make our own. If you have(or are on a path to) an unconventional journey to improve your life that has a travel component to it and are interested to share it, please reach out to us as we would love to feature your story.