Hiking day pack essentials: What I bring on every hike

If you follow me on Instagram, you might think it’s turned into a #hiking account. That wouldn’t be far off the mark! Now that I’m a nomad, I’ve reconnected to traveling and being outside in a way that feels really good. That includes exploring new trails every chance I get. So far, I’ve done hikes from 2 to 9 miles in a day, which seems to my range...

2d

Three months a nomad: Personal finances and points on the road

On March 21, 2021 (3/21 – like a countdown), I put all my stuff in storage and headed out on the road as a digital nomad. I spent the first month in Memphis to be near family and find my road legs. Today, I’m in Asheville, North Carolina, after spending a couple of months in Tennessee, including Nashville (where I earned Hyatt Globalist status with...

3w

Chase Sapphire Preferred 100K offer: It doesn’t get better than this!

Chase Sapphire Preferred 100K? Holy wow am I kicking myself. Chase keeps upping the ante on the Chase Sapphire Preferred. First 60K, then 80K, and now – 100,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. WOW. I don’t think it’s going to get better than this. 100,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards...

3w

Crypto, traveling, & getting through a volatile market month – June 2021 Freedom update

Howdy from Knoxville! I’ve been in Tennessee for a couple of months, but later this week I’m heading to Asheville, North Carolina – and very much looking forward to it! Tennessee’s been great. I reconnected with hiking and made an effort to get moving and active again. Now I’m unstoppable, especially after climbing mountains in the Smokies this weekend....

3w

40% of my goal reached, hotel life, & crypto – May 2021 Freedom update

Y’all – I am so close to $200,000 that all I need is one good day in the market and I’m there. I’m officially at $198,676, which is 39.7% of my $500,000 goal. So close to 40% that I’m gonna go ahead and call it. Hi from Nashville! I’m at a Hyatt Place about 25 minutes northeast of downtown. I’ve been here for nearly two weeks, and it’s been great so...

May 2021

Stacking Hyatt offers: A month stay for $1,100 & net zero points + Globalist status

Hi from Memphis! I have about a week left here. The last few weeks have been filled with family visits and wayyy too much home cooking (if that’s even possible?). Next Sunday, I’m heading to Nashville for a month to stay at the Hyatt Place Nashville/Hendersonville – a Category 1 Hyatt hotel, meaning award stays are 5,000 Hyatt points per night. A...

Apr 2021

Incentives for remote workers: Get paid to move to a new place

The other day my mom sent a text about how West Virginia is paying remote workers $12,000 cash to move to the state. I must admit – it got me thinking. About a few things. Right now, I’m a digital nomad, so I can theoretically live anywhere. But getting paid to move would surely sweeten the deal. Could I really live in West Virginia? I pondered it...

Apr 2021

Up $8K, becoming a digital nomad, & still saving – April 2021 Freedom update

Hi from Memphis! The last month has been an absolute whirlwind. I intended to do an update in late March, as usual, but then decided it would be better to do these updates near the beginning of the month instead. The start of this month was Easter – and I was in Oklahoma meeting my bio-son for the first time, which was incredible. When I got back,...

Apr 2021

The best card for beginners has a sign-up bonus worth $1,250 – and easily MUCH more

If you haven’t had the Chase Sapphire Preferred yet – or if you’re eligible to get it again – the new sign-up bonus of 100,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points is worth – at a minimum – $1,250. And how are we getting to that figure? Chase Ultimate Rewards points are worth 1.25 cents each when you redeem them toward travel through Chase, so 100,000 x 1.25...

Mar 2021

My plan to be a digital nomad and slow travel for the rest of 2021

As I sat in the freezing dark for hours earlier this month, lit only by candlelight, a crisp and salient thought began to form: fuck this. My windows were covered in condensation that made puddles on the window sill. I put towels down and tried to wipe it up as best I could. My power came back in flashes and I ran around charging everything and trying...

Feb 2021