Essential Pre-Travel Lessons: Iceland's Volcano, Neasden Temple, and Embracing Minimalism
We're embarking on an epic journey to embrace the digital nomad lifestyle, taking our work on the road. Our route starts in Las Vegas, winds up California's coast, heads to Tucson, through Mexico, into Central and South America, then to New Zealand, Australia, Asia, and back to Europe.
Before setting off, recent events have already delivered valuable lessons for the road ahead.
Lesson 1: You Can't Outrun Mother Nature
Iceland's Eyjafjallajökull volcano erupted, grounding UK airspace for six days and disrupting airports across Europe due to the ash cloud—a term I'd never heard before. Just two weeks before our world tour, this distant event forced us to postpone, rebook, and rearrange our initial U.S. itinerary. Mother Nature reminded us of her power, halting global supply chains: produce rotted in Spanish warehouses, flowers wilted in African airports en route to Amsterdam, and Chinese manufacturers idled without German parts. Thousands of travelers were stranded.
The silver lining? Our new lifestyle's flexibility. If mid-trip, we'd adapt and settle in, embracing the nomad mantra: wherever you are, there you are. Savor the moment, move at your own pace—or hers.
Lesson 2: Seize the Opportunity to Explore
With a week left in London, we visited the Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Neasden, north London—known as the Neasden Temple. 
Crafted in India from 5,000 tons of Italian Carrara marble and Bulgarian limestone, it was shipped in 26,000 pieces and reassembled by over 1,000 volunteers. This architectural marvel feels both alien and perfectly at home in multicultural London. It sparked our sense of adventure, blending awe with the outsider's perspective.
After three years of delay, visiting was profoundly inspiring. It reinforced: if something calls to you, go see it. That's the essence of nomadic life!
Lesson 3: Let Go and Travel Light
Packing for a year-long vagabond adventure highlights what we truly need. Arriving in England in 2006 with just backpacks, we'd accumulated enough for a full moving van by now. Enter the 75-liter backpack challenge.
Our hoarded wardrobe shrinks to essentials: a few pants, shirts, jacket, socks, underwear, and sturdy shoes. Farewell fancy dresses, extra jeans, favorite mugs, blender, stereo, and TV.
Most is unnecessary comfort. Shedding possessions teaches gratitude for the basics we take for granted. After rural travels, we'll cherish conveniences—or downsize further.
