This might seem odd, crazy and weird, right? I think to most people, but to me, it became quite normal.
I, like most travel bloggers, live out of my suitcase from hotel rooms to airports and of course, on planes. There is nothing that makes me happier or gets me more excited than taking off on another great adventure. I thrive on living in airports and hotels. I travel for over 6 months out of the year. That kind of makes me a nomad...sort of, but what happens to my living arrangement when I don't travel you ask. Well, I live in an apartment with no furniture.
I randomly come across articles that say that traveling can be cheap, maybe to some, depends on how you do it, but I completely disagree with that statement, after traveling to almost 40 countries and visiting 29 U.S. States. Traveling is a pretty expensive hobby to have, so I chose to live an apartment with no furniture to make my passion for traveling possible.
Hofit Kim Cohen - VanillaSkyDreaming.com
While most people my age worry about the hottest fashion trends, spending money on a normal day to day bills and going out and partying, I worry about what country to visit next, which bucket list item should I check off in the upcoming months and how I can afford my next airfare, hotels, and attractions. Only then do I think about my basic bills essentials.
For the last decade, I've been living out of my suitcase, with the exception of seasonal jobs in different countries and states. Some projects last a few months, while others 2 years, but most recently, I've been living out of my suitcase for the last 4 years, with the exception of living in an apartment with no furniture in the last year.
Hofit Kim Cohen - VanillaSkyDreaming.com
My things have been in storage in Washington D.C. for the last couple of years (based in Los Angeles) and since I'm always on the go and commitment to me and most wanderlust souls is our only greatest fear, I never bothered getting my stuff, although it's always in the back of my head. Signing a year long lease agreement literally gives me an anxiety attack. The thought of being in one place for too long scares me more than swimming with sharks or skydiving.
The way I see it is one month's rent in Los Angeles is equivalent to airfare and accommodation in a foreign country, every single month.
I guess most people would think that I got it all wrong or that I have "real" life mixed up, but it's a life I couldn't live without.
Hofit Kim Cohen - VanillaSkyDreaming.com
So after years of subletting furniture rooms, sleeping on friends couches or the occasional staying with my parents, I came to realize that I'm sick of not having my own space. While most people cared about finding the perfect relationship, I cared about simply having a closet with all my clothes in it, instead of rambling through piles of clothes. Living with people just wasn't in the cards for me anymore, I needed a quiet space to work and write. I realized that all I really need is a space where I had a clean kitchen and bathroom, my suitcases with my clothes, my laptop, internet, my dog and a bed, that's all I really needed to call a place my home.
So after years of going back and worth with my thoughts and feelings on actually signing a lease, I did the unthinkable, I signed a lease on my very own a 1-bedroom apartment, but I made sure it was 11 months and not a year. I guess it just sounds better in my head of anti-commitment.
Hofit Kim Cohen - VanillaSkyDreaming.com
I bought a good quality blow-up mattress, two beach chairs, and a few cooking accessories, got a tv from my brother and called my new home, home, although I had no real furniture. I turned my 1-bedroom apartment into a studio apartment or my version of a hotel room, with nothing in my bedroom but a closet full of clothes, all for the soak of traveling the world. I compromise on my living style to have a better lifestyle in the long run.
Bringing my stuff from Washington D.C. to Los Angeles cost a few thousand dollars. The problem with that is, every time I have a few thousand dollars, I always spend it on a trip. I'm a complete travel junky and probably the worst of its kind.
Hofit Kim Cohen - VanillaSkyDreaming.com
The older you get and the more you travel the world you come to realize that things are just "things". Traveling, learning, experiencing other cultures, making friends in foreign countries on bus tours and adding check marks to your list of dreams around the world is the best "things" you can give yourself. It's the true meaning of living a fulfilled life and a meaningful one.
So yes, I might not have the perfect house, I probably couldn't host my friends for a cocktail party or watch TV from the comfort of my own sofa, but what I do have is a restless soul to see the world with the words wanderlust written all over it. I would never trade my life of traveling the world for a piece of furniture to sit on. Life is too short to sit around and dream of your dreams.