0:00 Welcome to Location Confused. >> Hello, I'm Kaylee. I know we were going to do introductions. >> I'm Heather. Um, >> and we're going to talk about how the hell we got here. >> Yeah. >> And how we decided to make a podcast. Heather, you first. >> Okay. All right. I'll go. So, I started my nomad journey actually on Nomad Cruise. That's how I sort of began things. Um, I had sold everything I owned in 4 months. um including my house, 1 1700 square foot house, uh and decided to go big and I was like, I'll do it for a year. I'll do it for a year. We'll see how I like it. Um did the nomad cruise from Vancouver to Yokohama, Japan,
0:46 and uh made a bunch of friends, met a bunch of people, met a bunch of people, and um landed in Japan. And the culture shock was real. >> Yeah. >> I didn't know I didn't know ahead of time. I thought it was like a 12-hour time difference. I didn't know how challenging it was going to be to work um and get there. And like the I had moments where I literally was like, who do I who do I think I am? I've barely traveled anywhere in the world. So before before nomading, I think I had been to six countries. Um and then I was like, "Yeah, I'm gonna travel
1:31 full-time." I just decided that I had the authority to do that. Um >> go big. But they're like, "You couldn't go home because your house I mean I have my go big can't come home." >> Yeah. I had my brother's couch that I could go back to. >> Go big, go back. >> Yeah. Go go go big or go back to medicine hat. That was the option. Um, and I sure as heck did not want to go back to Medicine Hat. >> What's Medicine Hat? >> Um, it's in Alberta. >> Okay. >> So, it's a city. Um, for those who don't, >> it's a city. >> It's a city. >> It's called Medicine Hat. >> No >> It's a city called Medicine Hut. >> And so, I could have ended up there where I knew no one outside of my two brothers. Um, and I have a permanent open space there for me, thankfully. Permanent bed available.
2:16 >> Wow. >> Thank goodness. Yeah. Um, so I've always got that soft landing. Um but yeah, I was like, you know, hung over at 10 o'clock on a Saturday morning after being out in um >> until uh first train at like 5:30 a.m. >> Um and I had about 3 hours of sleep and I had done my 7-Eleven run to get the essentials so that I could survive the next day, you know, oniri and like which I'm probably murdering the pronunciation of it. Yeah. >> Um, and I was like laying in this bed with wallpaper in this place that I was staying at that looked like I was in a circus. And I was like, who does she
3:02 think that she is? That she can I'm of course talking about myself in a third person because everyone does when they're having an existential crisis. Um, >> we all have those. >> I was like, who do I think that I am that this is the life that I decided to lead for the next year? Um, and I think I had already had about four of those existential crisis moments already. And this time it was just the hangover made it that much worse. >> The anxiety, man. >> The anxiety is terrible. >> Oh, does it hit. >> And also as you get older, >> as you get older and in a foreign country, >> Yeah. where no one speaks English or very very few people speak English like speak your language and then you are full anxiety full like what am I doing I
3:50 can't even call any of like my safe people because they are unconscious right now they're sleeping >> that's so true >> there's no one to talk you off the ledge >> you just have to like you just like the nails just hang it on by nails >> to get you through that day >> it's and then Like no one understands. They're like, "What do you mean? You were dressed up as a French maid in Tokyo >> in Shinjjuku and you're >> Halloween, but still." >> Yeah. They're like, "And >> and you're you're like with friends you met two weeks ago." >> Two weeks from two weeks. >> No, actually, I was with a whole group of people that I met that night dressed up as a friend. >> That was the introduction. >> Yeah. >> And you're like, I'm I think I like this >> after the anxiety. After the anxiety
4:36 goes away, I was like, "Okay, >> yeah, >> did that. Now we can now we can carry on. This is this is a normal way that one travels." >> Yeah. Yeah. >> Starts. >> Yeah. 100%. >> I put it um Yeah. This will be in the blueprint of how to start. >> Yeah. By week three, if you don't have anxiety, what are you doing? >> What are you doing? You're missing some steps. I started a few years about a year before. No. Oh my god. Two years before you did what? What? Um I just I did the cliche thing and I was like, I'm done. I'm over this job. I was working in healthcare in the States and like we all know it's not gotten better. So I quit and I was like
5:24 I'm going to go travel. I went to uh back up the year before I went to Croatia by myself. like one of my first like solo solo trips and I was like I need to do more of this and I literally called my mom on the way home and I was crying cuz I was like I'm supposed to be like like excited to like go back to real life and I was like no this sucks. I was like I'm going to go travel. So, I gave myself a year and I rented out my place that I own also because the town I'm at is like a nice big attic. So, I put all my stuff in like vacuum bags and put it up there and um and then I Yeah, September 2022 is when I took off. Okay. >> And I had there's so many regret not regrets, there's so many things I would
6:10 have done differently, but I that was like my first like I've stayed in hostiles. I was 33. I was um you know just going I went to 20 countries which is insane in like 11 months. I didn't have phone data. So that is a story for a different day but I I traveled without phone data because I was being cheap and AT&T would not turn off my phone and I was like you know what I'm just not going to use it then. So I didn't and uh I just I didn't want to buy another phone. I just I literally was like hope and prayer that Google Map would like load properly. But anyway, so I did that for a year. Um got on Nomad Cruise in 2024, right? >> Yeah. >> Yeah. 2024. Um and went to Japan. I knew
6:57 two people and by the end of the cruise I knew four because I didn't talk to anyone and Heather was one of them. I was like, I feel intimidated. Um, so I'm going to only talk to three people. And uh, so I did. So I met Heather and some other uh, people. And then that was that was like my hybrid home uh, nomad year. I was like back to the States half the year, more than half, and then um, half kind of nomadic. And then this 2025, I was like 20% nomadic. Mhm. >> And then the Nomad Cruise 15 like kind of changed my life and kind of like gave me a little bit of energy that I needed to go back to it. So I that was what was
7:47 that October? Yeah, >> October 2025. It was a month long. We will have an episode for sure >> on that. And we yeah, we just I got I got back in beginning middle of December and I was like I think I'm going to go again. So I got my place ready to rent and put all my stuff in the attic and now I'm nomadic again um for TBD. But that is the life >> we are living and that you know like this much of our life but like presently like so much of it. So >> well and it's it's so much of it. It's so much of the day-to-day obviously is where where you're living and what you're doing, but it's also so much of like the mental load. >> Like there's so much of a mental load that goes along with traveling that I
8:34 don't think that people really discuss. >> Yeah. >> Like it's it's one of those things that is never talked about. Um and it's something that we will certainly unpack the, you know, the decision- making, the decision fatigue. Yeah. the how we decide where to go next and all of that as this journey >> cities every five days makes me want to vomit. >> I literally know I'm not doing it. Sorry, I will miss it. >> No, I'll see it at some point. >> So, when I landed when I landed in Japan, I with some people from the cruise, we mapped out a month-long trip. There was eight of us. We were going to hop along, >> go to all these different places together. So, the cruise usually like has a recommendation on how you do things. You can follow it, you can not, whatever. So, we mapped out and we were
9:20 doing four five cities. Five cities in like four weeks. >> And I was not there. >> I did I did um Yokohama for like 3 days. I did Tokyo for 3 days, then Osaka for a week, and we did like a single day trip to Kyoto. And we were planning on going to Okinawa. And I was like, I'm out. Um, guys, I can't. This was and it was two weeks in, so we had totally been traveling together two weeks. I'm like, "Love you. Really enjoyed this experience. Thank you so much for taking me along for the ride. I will have a nervous breakdown if I continue to travel this way." >> Yeah. >> Between between the hotel rooms in Japan, which are a shoe box. Yeah.
10:07 >> Um, the fact that there's like no co-working spaces. So, if you're working you're working from there's it's so hard to find co-working spaces in Japan. Um or was when we were sort of starting out. I think they they're really expanding it now, but the co-working spaces that were available were like only available until like 5:00 p.m. So like 9 to 5 was when they were open. >> So I would have meetings. >> So shocking demand. All they do is work. >> You would think. You would think. But because the employees they're also very strict on like when the employees are working. So people don't want to work beyond those hours. So once again, this could have changed. This is how it was when I started. >> Anyways, um so they like I couldn't find co-working space. I had to work at like a coffee shop. And even though because I
10:55 was starting out, I didn't realize how good I had it for safety wise there to start things off. So like I was so petrified of like leaving my phone or my laptop to go to the bathroom. Like it was I was like this is my whole world. If this this goes like I'm going to have to go back after 3 weeks of traveling and go back home and be like, "Hey guys, >> medicine cabinet." >> JK, >> what's it called? >> Medicine hat, but I love that you called it medicine cabinet. That is what we can call it from now on. >> But yeah, I don't want to go to medicine cabinet. Um, I wanted to continue on. Um, so I was petrified. Anyways, so I went back to this area of West Tokyo where a friend recommended that I stay. Um, but then I was like the only
11:40 non-Japanese person there, it felt like because I was staying where all of the Japanese people actually live. I was 30 minutes outside >> of like Shinjuku. >> Yeah. 30 minutes outside of Shinjuku and Shibuya. >> Um, like, yeah, go stay with the locals. >> Yeah. Go stay Go stay in Fu. Go to Fu. What are you do? What are you doing? Why would you not go to Fu? And it was great. It was great. It was so safe and it was >> but it was such a struggle. Like honestly the struggles that I can list from Japan for me. So there was like the time zone. >> There was the culture shock. >> There was the language. There was um the fact that like I have tattoos. I have a bunch of tattoos. >> You can't do the onens. >> So I was like are people staring at me
12:26 because I have tattoos? Are they staying staring at me because I'm the only person who looks different from everyone else is like, >> you know, a non-Asian person there. Um, >> you're a 40-year-old lady without >> 40-year-old lady >> and a husband. >> And and I also am like breaking every rule occasionally. >> Yeah. Yeah. You're eating while walking. >> Yeah. Eating while walking, drinking while walking. >> Um I put my bag on the ground. the amount of times when I was at a coffee shop that I would like put my bag on the ground and someone would like run over with like a little basket to put your bag in. And I was like I was like for shame like how dare. >> That's so funny that that's like where you started because I love Japan. Japan is like one of my top favorite countries, >> but culturally
13:13 >> it is very hard, especially if you're if you're alone because >> I I'm glad I did that with a few people on the cruise because you wouldn't like everyone is so respectful of your time, like your space and your time. No one's going to come and approach you. So, you can be very isolated like not just solo traveling like you're not going to make a friend at at the seat next to you. like no one's going to talk to you and it's not because they don't. It's just respect. Like they're like >> you're on your own time and so am I. Um no one talks to you. So that's crazy. That's where you start off. >> That's where I started. >> You're like is the whole world like this? >> Yeah. And I spent like three weeks in Fu where I spent like a little bit of time with our friend Kenta and like a couple other people from the cruise here and there. But then I also spent a bunch of
13:59 time and I did find a co-working in Fu that was open 9 till 5. So I would go and sit by myself in utter silence. >> Oh my god. >> Not talking to a single person except for saying you know thank you and hello. Um because everyone there was Japanese and no one spoke English or very little English. >> Wow. So, I worked at this co-working like a couple days a week and then a couple days a week I would like meet up with someone and work at a coffee shop or something to keep it fresh and mix things up. >> Um, I was so happy to get out of Japan when I because it was just a lot. It was a lot to start but like safety wise it was so good. >> Like it was we could talk about Yeah. Japan >> a whole episode. Uh, not can feel like I
14:46 >> about liking Japan. No, Japan was great. >> It's just whatever your vibe is. But I think one thing that I did my first my first year I was solo the whole time. Also didn't have phone data. But like because I was solo, I think I have such a different experience. Like I'm now repeating countries that I was there solo. And so it's very different experience now. the past four months, three months, I've been traveling kind of with the nomad group and the nomad courage group and it's so different and it's I don't think it's better or worse. I want to say at this point in my life I think it's better um because you do realize how much you need community versus when I was traveling solo I like
15:32 knew that I gave myself a year and then I was going to like go reset at home um even though I didn't want to. My mom did come to Ireland um and was like, "Hey, I'll come visit you. Let's go to Ireland. Here's some Delta points. Please come home." And I was like, "All right, well, if you're flying me home and but it was just like I wasn't ready, but I was at the same time to like I mean I the amount of stuff I didn't bring with me is now it's like my bag to Thailand was 80 pounds before I left my house, which I don't know kilograms. kilograms. That's what like 30 >> too much. It Yeah, because it's 2.2 pounds for every kilogram. >> And it was like and
16:18 like like 2022 Kaylee would be disgusted cuz I was like I had a 42 L backpack and then a digital bag with me for an entire year. And this time I had my bag was I was like this is too much. And it's also because supplements. I brought supplements and it was just like I had to pay a baggage fee and it was like that was probably more expensive than just buying some supplements. >> That's what I got here. >> You I and well and I'm a I'm a heavy bag girly. Like I I we love um traveling with anxiety. It is >> my anxiety tells me that I need these things. >> Absolutely. >> Um that they won't be there 100%. And your life will be awful if you don't have them. literally like we're in Asia and I'm like I should probably carry
17:04 shampoo and conditioner all the way there >> because a year's supply actually because I can't get this shampoo anywhere >> my hair likes this shampoo and it's very very >> hair cream also >> from the states >> cuz I can't live without this hair cream and I did not bring enough to last me until the next time I'm back in Canada. >> I mean that's like that's very niche but it's just like yeah I brought like you know all of my makeup and all this stuff. I mean, yeah, you need shoes, but like it was just like you got here and I'm like, >> you need four pairs cuz that's how many I travel with. >> Yeah, I was I usually am a three three shoe person. Like flip flops, workout shoes, and like some like casual tennis shoes. >> Okay. You only have one pair of sandals. >> Yeah. Not anymore.
17:50 >> Yeah. >> Yeah. Now I have like a little kitten heel with me just in case somewhere and I'm like, "Baby, those are still my suitcase." I don't even have very like I don't even have a dressy shoe. I have a sandal that in my head is dressy. >> Oh, the Reefs. >> The Reefs. Yeah, the Reefs are dressy for me cuz they're they're black. >> That makes sense. >> Dressy. Honestly though, I have those Reef sandals. They're amazing. They're >> mine are like tan, like beige, and they're a little dirty. I got them a few years ago. Mhm. >> They are really nice to have cuz they're they're not like so crunchy granola like teas are like those look like you're either going to youth camp, you're going
18:35 hiking, or like you're a hippie and you're backpacking. Youth camp is very specific. Can we just Can we just say that? That is a very specific reference. >> But literally, you're going to like Young Life Camp. Like >> I don't even know what that is. >> Oh my god. >> It's like a It's It's It's a Christian thing. I don't know. It's like what? >> No, I felt the second you said youth camp, I knew that that's what it was. You didn't need to You didn't >> That's what it makes me think of like Yeah. Like Young Life camp like Tas are for a very specific >> Yeah. >> You don't wear them with a dress. And I feel like the briefs >> you can and then you can also wear them in the ocean. >> Yeah. >> And they were versatile queens. >> The Velcro. Oh, I got some Velcro today. >> Oh, did you? Okay. You'll have to fill me in on >> tangling as Velcro.
19:22 >> The Velcro is failing. >> Yeah. Failing. And that's really tragic. So I >> got some Velcro today in a mall because why not? But we're >> Yeah. But we are excited to talk about our travels. We're like Well, Heather is 40. I'm not yet. >> Um >> Yeah. We don't We don't need to Age is just a number. I'm 26 on the inside, though. >> I'm I'm young. Um um and yeah, we're excited to talk about um it's almost dying. Okay. Uh talk about our like real life experiences on the road. Um there aren't many like like co-host female nomad podcasts. If you're there, if you're one of them, let us know. But I was looking at like top rated nomad
20:08 podcasts and um I couldn't find any that showed up. So, we just want to be actually real and we're not going to like sell anything that we don't care about. We are minimalists. Um, or we try to be >> Yeah, we aspire. >> We aspire. We're five pair shoes aspiring. >> Love how I said minimalist. >> Zach was like 80,000. >> We don't need to discuss how much the weight of our bags are. I feel like that is um an attack that we don't need. That's the negativity that we don't need to bring into >> that is real because we're like we're, you know, like in our like late 30s, early 40s and we're we need supplements and we want to travel comfortably >> and we're not staying in host but we're also not staying in fivestar hotels.
20:54 Yes. >> Um unless we're using points. >> Yeah. >> Which rarely happens. Let's >> That is >> And some of us don't understand how points work, but that's for another day. Yeah. >> I'm the youngest and a pro of points. >> Yeah. I'm just here. I'm personality personality hire. That's what I'm here for. So, we um yeah, we said in the last No, my cruise, the last day on the cruise, we said we were going to start a podcast and we're doing it. So, we're here. Um I'm hope you're excited. We This will probably be the last time we'll record together for a while. Um as we venture off as nomads do, >> separate parts of the world. >> Yeah, we're Tell them what you've been doing in Chiang Mai right now. So I'm here with a workian group trip. Um so it's called uh plug to nomads in
21:41 Wonderland. Free plug. Um so I'm traveling with there's 32 of us uh here together as this group. We do like co-working together, social events, what have you. Um but it's a great way for us to I keep on kicking you. >> Sorry. Um I So sorry I uh I Yeah. So, it's a great way to meet new new people, have some community in these different places. So, like Kaylee was saying, I'm trying to really stay with community because I've had it and we'll discuss this more. Um, what it's like when you're in a place by yourself. Um, >> and I've decided, yeah, the struggle is real. The community is needed. Yeah. >> Um, and having people in the same time zone as you,
22:26 >> who knew it could be so important? >> Yeah. Yeah. I think people talk a lot about like the digital nomad life and it's more about like >> you can work from anywhere which is like yeah time zone can suck and that's just like something that you live and you can mold your life. I mean that's it's your life like we can we >> can work on a cruise. Um, how well we work on a cruise is debatable, but the biggest thing is like what brought us to this is community in this. And, you know, we feel more comfortable. We feel safer. We >> have friends that understand the lifestyle versus >> I love my friends at home, but they don't get it. the stories we talk about
23:12 being a French man in Japan, like having no phone data. Um, >> yeah, >> multiple people on a cruise, like things like that. >> It's like people are like they're unhinged. Um, and they are in an adult camp is what it sounds like cuz that's what it feels like sometimes. But it's really cool to have people from literally all over the world want to be in this community and want to like >> like make each other better. >> Thanks for hanging out with us. Truly, if this episode made you laugh, think, or feel slightly more normal, share it with a friend who's also a little location confused. You can find us on Instagram at locationconfused. And don't forget to follow or subscribe so you don't miss future episodes. We'll see you next time, wherever we
