Where’s Pablo? The Life of a Traveler Part One – Veracruz, Mexico

I’m going on week three of four of living in a new city. This time it’s Veracruz, Mexico. Next time it’ll be the smaller town of Xalapa just north of here. After that… well I don’t know yet.

I now live a nomadic lifestyle. I travel from city to city finding odd jobs to work as I please. At the moment this includes lounging around at a hostel interacting with travelers from the different corners of the globe. Here in a week I’ll be house sitting and taking care of a Great Dane in a lonely house on some acreage near the jungle. A complete getaway with no connection to the outside world.

The idea of working and volunteering from place to place has always had an appeal to it. Travel, see different places, meet new people, taste new foods, pick up new hobbies and skills.

The possibilities and opportunities are truly endless.

A cubicle equivalent becomes an ever changing location. One day it might be overlooking the beach from a straw hut, the next it may be sleeping on a dirt floor of a school. As for the desk and computer, they become farm tools used to harvest fruits and vegetables or plates of food being dished out as a waiter to people from their own walks of life.

The beauty of it all ultimately comes down to the freedom.

There are no long-term contracts. No mortgage payments or car insurance exist. The obligations are few and often temporary.

If a fun and enjoyable job opportunity comes across it is possible to stay in one location for a while and fully embrace it. Opposite of that, if a job becomes unpleasant, it is just as easy to pick up and move on.

Interaction with people from various backgrounds is a regular occurrence. Skin tones, dress style and languages act as gateways to questions. A natural curiosity and wanting to know more leads to knowledge of different cultures and customs.

Days are no longer specific days of the week, but just another day. A new work week can start on Wednesday or Thursday. Weekends can be in the middle of the week and easily last more than a couple of days. As for vacation, depending on the job, it can seem like a laid-back vacation all the time.

As I say that though, this lifestyle is often unlike a long vacation and it is definitely not for everybody.

There are jobs to work and hours to fill. Some require early mornings before sunrise, others require late nights until the sun rises. It could be a job that you absolutely hate and have to work for two weeks. This happens.

Other things to consider with this lifestyle choice is the lack of consistency. There is no guaranteed paycheck or work. Relationships are limited to the amount of time spent in any one place. Room doesn’t exist to store belongings. There is no house to come home to or familiar bed to sleep in. A backpack carries with it only the absolutely necessary essentials for existence.

That being said, there is nothing like waking up in a foreign city and not having the slightest clue as to what will happen next. A new place to see, what food to eat and where to work simply become whatever the urge happens to be at that moment.