Living Five Lives in a Year as a Nomad

A journey of finding connections, constant self-redefining, and lifetime adventures while running a startup across nine countries.

2022 was the year I spread my wings. I packed my life into a carry-on suitcase and 45L backpack and set out to build many lives across nine different countries. From communing in a hippie village in the mountain of Peru, isolating in the dense jungle of Amazon, countless late-night shenanigans in Colombia to co-living with 20 startup founders in Lisbon. I experienced the full richness of life, all while running my company as a digital nomad at the same time.

I quit my job and moved to Bali during Covid after having spent 10 years in Singapore. The vibrant and vastly different way of life in Bali sparked my curiosity about what life could be like in other places around the world. While I had traveled a lot, I realized living in a place gives me the depth and unique flavors that I couldn’t get from just seeing the top landmarks for a couple of days. I want to speak the language, go to the local hidden gems, see regular faces at community events and get invited to home-cooked dinners. I didn’t want to simply be a tourist who only gets a glimpse of what a country has to offer for a few days, only to return to my old way of living. I wanted to fully breathe in and integrate the way of living in each new place.

Being in my late twenties and having the freedom to work from anywhere, I thought this would be the best time for me to venture out into the world. So I made a pact to live in a new continent each year for the next five years.

Having said all that, it wasn’t an easy decision to leave Bali. I had my soul tribe I get to cuddle and have deep conversations with at all times. I’ve got my happy places and routine. My weeks were filled with countless heart-opening gatherings and community events. Despite all that, my higher self was calling me to leave my bubble and explore new horizons. Call it a growth-seeker syndrome — the moment something gets too comfortable, I itch to taste fresh adventures.

And boy, many adventures I did have in one year. In this post, I’m going to take you on a tour of the different lives I’ve lived. I’ll share the highlights and lowlights of each chapter and sprinkle some wisdom gems in the end. So strap on…