Happy New Year! As the first calendar year of our fully-nomadic adventures comes to an end and we celebrate the beginning of a new year in Malaysia (our 91st country), it’s fun to reflect on what an amazing ride it’s been.

Here are some fun stats since we left Austin in March:

  • We’ve visited 24 countries.
  • We’ve taken 5 cruises and sailed 17,973 nautical miles.
  • We’ve done 20 food tours in 10 countries.
  • We’ve traveled 214,321 miles by air, according to our TripIt app, which we use to keep track of flights.
  • We’ve slept in 45 beds, and spent 108 nights in an airbnb, 122 nights in a hotel/serviced apartment, 54 nights on a cruise ship, 20 nights in a condo we own, and one night on a plane.
  • We’ve lowered our expenses by 51% over 2022.
Mark and Monica

Some highlights of the journey include:

  • Finally getting to new countries like Northern Ireland, Montenegro and Malaysia
  • Marveling at the northern lights in Iceland
  • Having Richard Branson greet our ship as we arrived in Sydney
  • Seeing concerts like Royal Blood, Depeche Mode and Big Country
  • Snorkeling at the Great Barrier Reef

What makes it most worthwhile are the awesome people we meet along the way (usually on food tours 🙂). This year we’ve been able to visit our families all across the U.S., as well as spend time with old friends in Portugal, Reykjavik, and Sydney, meet up with other nomads in San Miguel de Allende and Lyon, and spend Christmas week with great new nomad friends in Phuket. It’s been fabulous and we can’t wait to continue our journey in 2024.

Monica Soberman has traveled to over ninety countries while working remotely. She is the owner and author of Digital Roamads Life, a blog for travelers and digital nomads that covers destinations, travel hacks and remote work. Motivated primarily by food, she has taken more than sixty food tours in thirty countries. She is currently full-time nomadic with her husband Mark while running her e-commerce business, The Better Backyard, a luxury backyard store.