“To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.”
– Oscar Wilde
Dream big. Live small.
We are Karma from Sweden and Scott from New Zealand. We choose to live out of a tent for long periods at a time, so for us, a more minimalistic approach to life just makes sense. Scaling back and simplifying life is very liberating. It is amazing how few material things you actually need in order to be happy. It does not mean we don’t have nice things, it just means that all the things we keep are intentional and useful. No excess. We like to say that we are collecting experiences, not things.
We are minimalist nomadic explorers.
Not being location bound and living a life with fewer possessions is about freedom. Freedom to roam. Freedom from the pressure of social norms. Freedom from being owned by material things. Ultimately it is about happiness. This philosophy is the result of a personal journey we like to call a life reboot. Basically—we got one life to live and we want to make sure we live it well.
While we are nomads by choice, at the moment it is also by necessity. Being from opposite ends of the world, we are actually not allowed to live in the same country until one of us immigrates. A long and arduous process! So we choose to travel together instead. At the moment we are out on an epic long walk across the whole world… walking from Norway to New Zealand. We are nomadic explorers—this is what we do!
Hunter S. Thompson said it best:
“Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming, wow!”
Nothing like a complete burn-out to help you put things into perspective.
My need for a reboot came after years of chronic stress which led to a work burn-out which left me unable to function for over a year. I needed a pause to reflect on how I ended up here and, above all, to ponder all the big questions in life and it forced me to do a lot of soul-searching to find myself again.
The road to recovery was long, but once I cracked the code it happened very fast. It was when I reconnected with nature and started hiking. Coming home from my first long-distance thru-hike I knew that I would never be the same. While I knew that I could never return to my previous way of life I still questioned the sanity of nonconformity.
Can you really just quit conventional life and choose to live differently?
Since walking woke me up I decided to just keep on walking and see where it would take me. Halfway through a 3000km tramp spanning the length of New Zealand, it happened! I finally knew who I was and how I wanted to live my life! The things I once thought I wanted before was no longer important. I could not for the life of me figure out how we allow ourselves to end up trapped in the rat-race. I just wanted to be free and happy!
Coming back from this physical, emotional and mental crash has been an incredible journey. Having my entire body pull on the breaks also made me reevaluate my priorities in life. I feel grateful. Grateful for the awakening and grateful for the chance to take a different path.
Being immersed in nature for long periods of time can heal even the most frazzled minds, like mine. Finding a partner to share this love of nature and adventure with is truly amazing! I feel very fortunate.
Minimalism pretty much means not to have too much because you actually don’t need it, and if you are like me don’t want it.
So what is stuff?
Stuff is stuff and it doesn’t matter so much what it is, but rather, what purpose does it serve in my life and do I need it or not.
I like keeping things simple so the less stuff I have the more freedom I have. This doesn’t mean I can’t have nice things, it just means I make a thoughtful choice of what I want in my life.
So I really enjoy knowing the stuff I have is really important to me. It brings me joy and serves my daily needs. I love knowing I have everything I need today. I am quite content.
