Article first published as Nomads: All Who Wander Are Not Lost on Technorati.
Taking a risk and a deep breath, I said yes. Once we were home from the Yasawa Islands, quitting my job and giving up my new condo for a year as a rental made me nervous. I kept coming up with more reasons why this vagabonding would be a bad idea. I focused almost completely on what I was giving up and not at all on what I would receive.George helped me to focus on all the good things our trip would bring: time together, lots of time together, time to explore our relationship and other cultures. All of this came true and we even got engaged but that did not make the decision to go any easier for me. I had many long walks and long phone calls to discuss if this nomadic year would work for me at all.
Early in our time away, we stayed at a hostel in Auckland, New Zealand called Nomads. Their tag line was Nomads: All who wander are not lost. Feeling relived that I could wander and not be lost; I took my first deep breath in months. After all the drama of being unsure about going, I loved the trip.
Now I find myself longing for our months of wandering lost from plans, schedules and rules. I have been dreaming of our 11-day van trip to the Gobi Desert, Mongolia, with no road, little planning and amazing sights. Staying in Gers, Mongolian tents, reminds me also of the Jewish holiday happening now called Sukkot.
The Mongolians we met were some of the most hospitable people on our 12-country 11-month sojourn. One night our driver, Oggi, took all of us on an unplanned stop to Borj’s Ger. Although they were not expecting the six of us, the family was so welcoming.
It did not matter that we did not share a common verbal language; they shared their food, our Genghis Khan vodka, their tent (we slept on the floor), and their love of the land. We helped to make noodles over the dung burning stove, herd the goats although we are not sure we actually were helpful, and play with the children.
Sukkot reminds of a time when we were nomads and possibly a bit lost. It now also reminds me of people who still live in tents and have so much to give. Traveling has changed my definitions of lost and found, of wandering and staying in one place. At this time of year, I hope to find and give more hospitality and more destinations where I can lose myself.
Read more: http://technorati.com/lifestyle/travel/article/nomads-all-who-wander-are-not/#ixzz11Dhuk6vv
This post is listed as (2): the first one was sent out with a short feed and there were many complaints as to finding the REST of the article: SO here it is!
Thank you for all your comments and interest!
Lisa and George
Lisa Ellen Niver
Lisa Niver is an award-winning travel expert who has explored 102 countries on six continents. This University of Pennsylvania graduate sailed across the seas for seven years with Princess Cruises, Royal Caribbean, and Renaissance Cruises and spent three years backpacking across Asia. Discover her articles in publications from AARP: The Magazine and AAA Explorer to WIRED and Wharton Magazine, as well as her site WeSaidGoTravel. On her award nominated global podcast, Make Your Own Map, Niver has interviewed Deepak Chopra, Olympic medalists, and numerous bestselling authors, and as a journalist has been invited to both the Oscars and the United Nations. For her print and digital stories as well as her television segments, she has been awarded three Southern California Journalism Awards and two National Arts and Entertainment Journalism Awards and been a finalist twenty-two times. Named a #3 travel influencer for 2023, Niver talks travel on broadcast television at KTLA TV Los Angeles, her YouTube channel with over 2 million views, and in her memoir, Brave-ish, One Breakup, Six Continents and Feeling Fearless After Fifty.