- Celina Bhandari gave up the digital nomad lifestyle to live in NYC full-time.
- She missed having consistent friends and romantic relationships felt too hard to maintain.
- Bhandari was also worried that she couldn’t advance in her career when she was always on the go.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Celina Bhandari, a 22-year-old freelance video editor from Hawaii who lives in New York City. It has been edited for length and clarity.
When I first graduated from college, I knew I wanted to do two main things: travel and work remotely. Initially, I didn’t see myself as a digital nomad, but the more I traveled while working, the more accurate it seemed.
In 2022 when I lived as a nomad, I went to the UK, France, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, New York, California and Japan. I worked as a freelance video editor during this time, and only needed a computer and internet connection.
After that year, I decided to leave the nomadic lifestyle behind and live in New York City permanently. While working as a digital nomad had many perks — and although it was once my dream — I learned there are some drawbacks to this lifestyle.
1. It was hard managing my spending
As a freelancer, my income is already unstable. When I was traveling, the amount of money I spent varied from place to place. For example, when I was in Bali, my money stretched a bit further than it did in America. But when I was in Japan, I had to budget my money carefully. I knew I had fixed expenses like food, transportation, and accommodations like my Airbnb, but I never knew how much I would actually be spending until I got to a certain location.
My finances fluctuated because each country was so different, and I also wasn’t the best at budgeting. Since it was my first time traveling abroad, there was a big learning curve, especially surrounding money and knowing how much I could spend. Traveling abroad was new to me, and while managing my money in foreign countries was hard, I learned a lot from the experience.
2. I had a hard time maintaining friendships
I met so many people when I was a digital nomad, but because I was always moving, the people I met couldn’t be consistent friends. I’d make friends, but when I’d leave for another country or place, those friendships became harder to maintain. Using social media to stay in contact helps a bit, but it’s hard to feel close when you’re no longer in the same city.
Romantic relationships were the same way. Although I wanted to be in a relationship, it felt too hard to maintain one when traveling.
When it came to my friends back home, it felt a bit harder to relate to them, and I realized we were on different wavelengths. Many of my friends were starting 9-to-5 jobs and working full-time, but I was focused on traveling, which was unrelatable to them. I definitely got lonely at times.
This was a big reason why I stopped being a digital nomad — I wanted to have a consistent community of people in my life. Now that I live in one place, it has become easier to maintain long-lasting friendships.
3. Building a consistent routine felt challenging
Another big challenge for me was a lack of routine. When you’re constantly moving, it’s hard to maintain and develop healthy habits and routines. Something like waking up at the same time or going to the gym felt harder. As much as I enjoy going to the gym, I never wanted to get a membership when I knew I’d be moving again in a month.
With that said, I’ve always found routines and habits to be important, especially when it comes to work. Although I wanted to advance myself in my career, not having a stable routine and even a consistent time zone felt challenging. Since my clients were based in the US, I was constantly trying to figure out the right time to take phone calls and meetings that wasn’t at midnight for me.
4. It was hard figuring out where to go next
When it came to finding a place, I constantly asked myself, “What’s next?” “What city should I go to?” “What apartment should I choose?” While that may sound exciting, after a while it becomes tiring, especially for an indecisive person like myself.
I went back and forth trying to make these decisions. The uncertainty made the process challenging, and the competition of apartment hunting was tough. I’d always search Facebook for my next place, but the apartments would go rather quickly, especially because I was looking at places that were on the cheaper side. There were times when finding a place felt nearly impossible, and I eventually just got really tired living out of a suitcase.
Traveling by myself was challenging, but it also boosted my confidence
Although there were some drawbacks about being a nomad, there were many good things about it, too.
I was able to experience life in Japan, which is one of my favorite places I’ve ever traveled to. They have an amazing train system, it felt so easy getting around, and I really enjoyed seeing Mount Fuji. One of my favorite memories was going to a karaoke night on my first night there and singing songs with a bunch of strangers.
I felt proud of myself for living life as a digital nomad. Traveling solo helped build my confidence and my social skills, too. It really opened my eyes to different cultures, languages, and foods. Even though I’m no longer a nomad, I’m glad I did it. I believe in myself so much more than I ever did before.
I’m excited to be living in New York City — to me, it’s the best city in the world. I stayed there for two months when traveling and loved it. I’m a very career-oriented and creative person, and NYC very much aligns with what I’d like to do as a creator. While I still hope to take occasional trips, it’s nice to have a more permanent place. Now that I am here, I am ready to establish a consistent routine, make friends, and advance my career as a video editor.
If you have relocated somewhere only to regret it and would like to share your story, email Alyshia Hull at [email protected].
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