I had conflated digital nomadism with holidaying. But it turned out that working in a cafe was still working in a cafe, whether you are in a Starbucks in Swindon or a beach bar in Bali. I found myself resenting having to work when there was so much to explore…Perversely, many digital nomads end up doing a global tour of Starbucks. “It was the one place with reliable wifi[.]”

‘My mind was shrieking: “What am I doing?”’ – when the digital nomad dream turns sour

When we decided to stop travelling it was due to the cost vs. the enjoyment we got out of it. Our last foray into the DR was such a bust & we were so upset about the time, money and lack of actual relaxation that we just threw in the towel on international travel altogether. This also coincided with the fact that the Eldest is in her last two years of high school (aka: the ones that count for post-secondary acceptance) and the fact that she works 40 hour weeks in the summer. It made sense to pack it in.

Also, protests were erupting all over due to the conversions of rentals for locals into Airbnbs for tourists, and generally just the crowding that tourism brought to areas ill-equipped to deal with it. Protests in Spain continue, the Louvre shut its doors, and large cruises have been banned, restricted certain types of ships or have reduced docking in many European ports. You can’t blame them: revenge travel came out fast and furious post-pandemic causing many issues with these destinations bursting at the seams with entitled holidaymakers. Quality went down, tension and stress went up and so we just decided that it was a good time to just stay home. Of course, we still would usually visit friends in the US or Mr. Tucker would go on work trips but neither of us are very keen on a free trip to El Salvador (or even detained by ICE – 55 and counting! It’s insanity). I see some in-country road trips in our future but that may be about it.

I figure that we will travel again when the logistics and politics are figured out & when the kids are out of school. As soon as the Eldest graduates, the Youngest will be in her two final years of high school so we will be homebodies for the next three years. Luckily, home is really nice and we’ve reverted back to embracing the seasons like we did when we were younger (and poorer).

“Gradually, the idea of having a space that was mine, neighbours to get to know, regular exercise classes to attend and a coffee shop where they knew my name felt exciting. I had once laughed in the face of routine; now, I knew it was crucial if I wanted to build a life worth living.”