My Story of a Nomadic Life

I didn’t study a really technical degree in university. In fact it was what most would consider the opposite of technical. I studied a bachelor’s degree in Languages which majored in French. Why I chose this degree, don’t ask me. 

Needless to say, when I left college I did not have the clearest strategy about what I wanted to do. All I knew is that I wanted to travel and that I needed money. Things were not made any better that I was just entering the job market as the financial crisis was unfolding in 2010. 

It was with this backdrop that I was on the subway ride home from yet another failed interview. While on the ride, I spoke to some tech guy who told me about this strange concept called bitcoin and cryptocurrencies. For me it sounded like science fiction yet I was interested to learn more. 

I got the guys number and did all my research. I was greatly impressed by the technology and the promise it held. Moreover, the financial crisis made me quite skeptical about financial institutions in general. I decided that I had no option but to invest in some Bitcoins. I sank at least $1,000 of my college savings into the coins and left them on my PC.

Time to Travel

Needless to say, the job market was not being the best to me. I was unable to secure myself a position and I was becoming slightly desperate. I spoke to my parents and asked them their advice. They told me that I was unlikely to find the solution in such a time of turmoil. They told me to go and explore the country. 

I took them up on their advice and decided that I was going to embark on a backpacking trip across the United States. This may have been a cliché but I had never left my home state and as such decided that it was worth the experience. 

I also told myself that I would complete the trip from coast to coast with nothing more than my feet. There would be no hitchhiking and no cars required. I wanted to experience what the early prospectors felt when they embarked to the west of the US. 

My starting point was Philadelphia and I wanted to reach LA in 6 months, an ambitious target indeed. With this, my journey began.

Walking from Coast to Coast

No matter how simple the goal was (walking in a straight line), nothing can quite prepare one for the actual task of walking for the whole day on a highway with varying degrees of weather. The first month was the hardest of them all. 

My goal was to walk for 8 hours a day and use the rest to catch up on sleep and replenish for the next trip. Of course I did not factor in how much I was carrying, how cold it was and how much sleep I ultimately needed. My 8 hour days walking started being only 5 hours. I knew this would invariably increase the length of my trip. 

After the first few weeks, I needed to pick up the pace if I had any hope of reaching my goals. Of course, there were also the concerns one would have about safety. Yet, I sometimes find that these are over hyped and the country is quite safe. As the climate got more bearable the journey was easier. I was really able to take in the sights of this beautiful country. The amazing rolling fields of Indiana or the magnificent mountains in Colorado. These are something quite different when one is able to marvel at these sites on foot. I sometimes felt as if time stood still. 

Yet, the journey was almost done. As I rolled into California I felt this great feeling of Nostalgia. This is, I thought, the way those early cowboys and prospectors must have felt when they first came across the magnificent sites of the Golden state.

Completion of my Journey

After almost 200 days on the road, staying at a collection of Motels and campsites, I finally made it into Los Angeles. The feeling of accomplishment was indescribable. 

Yet, there was a sense that although this was complete, I would be back into the normal rate race and the attempt to find a job. As this began to sink over me, I saw an advert for a tour guide position taking foreigners from Europe. They were looking for a French speaker who could travel on the bus with these tourists. 

I felt as if this was destiny. I could relive my epic journey and get paid to do it on a daily basis. Moreover, it would allow me to actually use something that I studied in University. 

I applied for the job and was able to get it. Hence, from that day forward, I was a transcontinental tour guide. I have been doing this job for over 7 years now and have never looked back.

What About my Coin

As I was retelling this story to a group of friends on the 7th anniversary of my journey, I immediately remembered the Bitcoin that I had bought prior to my trip. 

Little did I know but in 7 years, the price of Bitcoin had skyrocketed and had reached upwards of $4,000. That had transformed my mere $1,000 investment in 100 Bitcoins to $400,000 today. This was indeed a bitter sweet experience. Although I had made that purchase in a time of great despair at the current conditions in the world and worries about financial security, I now had a small fortune as well as a job that I could only have dreamt of. 

It is indeed funny how life turns out once you have had the experience of a long road trip or journey. Begin yours today and who knows where you will end up.