22 Things Being a Nomad Capitalist Has Taught Me

I am a seeker—someone who wants to find the best the world can offer. I want to initiate, I want to create, I want to discover places that are unknown, underrated—and see what lies behind the curtain. I am interested in a world that works and brings me more life.

The theme of Nomad Capitalist—“go where you are treated best”—resonates deeply for many kinds of people. Regardless of your background, your entrepreneurial goals, your lifestyle aspirations—there is a common journey that I think we all embark on when the concept hits us that we really can do anything with our lives.

My name is Brian Greco and I’m a student and young traveler based in New York City. My desire to see the world and make the most of its wonders has stemmed from single-digit ages when I first learned the world map on my Leapfrog Explorer—and the desire never left me.

As I hit 21, I’ve traveled to around 40 countries on 6 continents, the majority of the trips were solo and made possible by online freelancing and travel-hacking strategies. I am only at the beginning, but even in my short time on this planet, this solo travel has shown me so much.

Here’s what I’ve come to see: When travel becomes your norm rather than a temporary high, the way you relate to the world begins to change. Your identity as a citizen, both of your country of origin and of the world, is shifted by a set of experiences that is very different from most. A Nomad Capitalist is someone who is pioneering a different kind of life.

Spending time in vastly different parts of the world both expands and transforms your ability to relate to the world. It is a lifestyle full of both adventure and work, freedom and discipline, passionate connection and sometimes deep loneliness—but always LEARNING.

22 things my travels have taught me

I originally wrote this as a quick Facebook post that was designed to be a sort of contrastive poem. In other words, you may find one lesson seems to contradict the next — and yet, there is truth on both sides. If there is anything this lifestyle has taught me, it’s that there really is no one right answer… welcome to a new paradigm where you are the author of your own rules!

1- People really all want the same thing. Travel to the edge of the earth and you will still find the same core needs: health, safety, community, autonomy, purpose. Entrepreneurs know how to tap into these needs and travel reminds you they are not unique.

2- There are so many vastly different ways to happily go about life. There is unbelievable variety on this planet and the way life looks is really up to you. We have all met people in tiny towns whose well-being far surpasses anything we could dream of boasting!

3- There is no such thing as paradise. There is no ultimate answer. Designing your lifestyle is really is a matter of choosing what benefits you value most and what costs bother you least.

4- There are places so beautiful on this earth they would bring you to uncontrollable tears. Nomadism has to be about finding the places that make life worth living to you.

5- The world is not as scary as people make it out to be and most people are good. Stepping outside your boundaries and borders is not easy, especially when alone—but in my experience, that initiative is almost always met with innumerable benefits.

6- Some people you meet will shake you to the core and have you questioning everything. Travel shows you the best the world has to offer and sometimes also the worst. The question becomes: are you willing to be available for whatever comes up in your life?

7- Traveling fundamentally changes who you are and the energy you embody. A nomadic life ultimately creates resourcefulness. Your lifestyle never really will be the same, and that’s the beauty.

8- Traveling only shows you what you’re already made of. Being a Nomad Capitalist is not magic learning, but rather in many ways augments the path you already have charted and the rate at which you go forth in the direction you have set for yourself.

9- Getting there is half the fun, sometimes more, if you let it be. Huge tip: if you see airports, planes, trains, taxis, and accommodation and the other things that make your life possible merely as a necessary evil, you’re definitely missing an opportunity!

10- Doing whatever it takes to make an experience happen is, in and of itself, a valuable skill. Yes, the journey is the destination, but sometimes, so is checking off a new box.

11- There is nowhere to hide, nothing to escape in life. This is a big one. Learn it early or spend lots of time, money, and energy trying to run from problems that will not be solved by any amount of smoothies by the pool in Bali.

12- Being in new places can usher in discoveries that staying home simply cannot. This is big for entrepreneurs: where are you the most creative? When are you the most productive? What are the factors that contribute to your personal success?

13- I am so powerful.

14- I am literally just one speck among a huge world.

15- Being truly alone is the most transcendental thing ever. There is a feeling of personal freedom and responsibility that can only be obtained when you are literally the only one who decides where you go and how you take care of your own needs.

16- All that matters is who you are with, the place is just a backdrop. As Nomad Capitalists we enjoy an unprecedented amount of freedom, which can sometimes come with loneliness. I have come to value more than ever the joys of good company.

17- Making travel a lifestyle vs. a temporary state ups the potential of what you can learn. Travel only becomes really lifestyle-changing when it becomes your regular state, and you begin operating in terms of a “base” rather than just one static spot.

18- There is no replacement for a solid base. Even Nomads need to recharge, reorganize, and take care of their health and business. The value of solid structures of self-care cannot be understated.

19- Everyone would want to travel and see/experience these amazing things if they could. This can be impossible to ignore among what is often known as “first world problems”. As Nomad Capitalists, we may seek out ways to share or give back.

20- Not everyone actually values travel. Also humbling to realize when you see that this lifestyle really is a choice that is not for everyone, even those who have the wherewithal to travel or experience something else. It has to come from a true drive to live by your own design.

21- I have everything I could ever want/need. Sometimes a moment of quiet is all one needs to be reminded of gratitude. Sometimes I also feel like I could stop tomorrow and I’d still be okay. But then I remember…

22- There is so much more out there. For me, the “purpose of life” is to experience more life. Travel and entrepreneurship are two of the greatest spiritual teachers you could ever learn from.

I am so endlessly inspired by the people I have met and will meet and the places I have seen and will see. I am propelled by a deep hunger for personal growth and a deep commitment to myself and a better world. Nomad Capitalism can offer these to any whose mind is open to it.