This is a very special episode. On July 7, Eli had the opportunity to talk to a long-time listener of Become Nomad. Nikita Smelyanskiy has been following Eli and Dan’s journeys as digital nomads for many years, and they have inspired him to dare to embark on the life that he wanted. Nikita describes himself as a “hippie capitalist,” and he’s slowly transitioning into becoming a digital nomad.
Listen to the full podcast here: Trying Different Nomadic Lifestyles, Even At Home
The Start Of Nikita’s Journey
Nikita had an inkling that he wasn’t made for the traditional 9-to-5 lifestyle since he was very young. He saw his classmates and friends heading off to university to plan their careers and he felt there was something wrong with him because he didn’t dream of that kind of life. He tried to fight it at first, but eventually, he realized he would never be truly happy unless he followed what he called his “inner voice.”
That inner voice was his nomadic voice. The one that was telling him there was more to the world than just the restrictions of a traditional job. Eli pointed out that, while he probably traveled around more than Nikita did, he deeply admired Nikita’s ability to change and evolve constantly.
“I’m the same wherever I go,” Eli pointed out. Nikita, on the other hand, is always looking for experiences that will change him to the core, even when he travels locally. Nikita has lived in India, Ukraine, Israel, and more, but he has also settled down and worked many unconventional jobs, most of them in nature, and those experiences helped him grow as a person more than any recreational travel would.
Starting Your Nomadic Lifestyle In Your 20s
This was very interesting to our host. Eli had some thoughtful reflections on the importance of Nikita’s life experience, especially because he started out so young. He’s disputing the idea that your 20s should be just a decade to have fun. Don’t get him wrong, he understands the value of enjoying your youth, but the fact that things are easier when you’re young should give you a push to think about your future. For Eli, there are many ways to invest in yourself. Building character is one of the best ways.
Nikita agreed with this assessment wholeheartedly and revealed that he used his 20s to go backpacking through Israel instead of following the traditional path of working and studying. He’s incredibly grateful to his past self for choosing exploration instead of resignation because he knows that time was crucial for him to find himself.
“My generation, and me particularly, made this leap of faith and said ‘Thank you, this is not for me.’”
Being A Nomad In A Small Country
Before his nomadic lifestyle took him all over the world, Nikita made his way through Israel, and Eli was in awe of how he managed to establish himself as a nomad despite his traveling opportunities being limited. Nikita only had a backpack and a tent and would go around Israel picking up odd jobs at companies, stores, farms, and anything else he could find.
This should serve as an inspiration to any aspiring nomads who think they need to be able to afford international travel to start their nomadic lifestyle. Being a nomad has always been, first and foremost, a mindset.
However, after years of exploring the country that he came to know like the back of his hand, he’s now ready to become a global nomad. Not just financially. He has the emotional and physical tools to live on his own in unknown places, both in nature and the city.
“I can walk barefoot in a forest and still go and buy BitCoin. That’s why I call myself a hippie capitalist.”
Love Is Always The Answer
One of the things that made it easier for Nikita to embrace the global nomadic lifestyle was meeting “his person.” Even if you don’t lead an unconventional life, it’s hard to find someone who aligns with your values and beliefs and wants to live the same kind of life as you, so Nikita is ever grateful for having found his girl. She fell in love with both him and his life plan, and his journey soon became theirs.
This is always a touchy subject for digital nomads. As Eli pointed out, a large part of the community is single. We expanded on the subject in our episode with Aline Dahmen, the founder of Nomad Soulmates, who saw that loneliness had become a problem in our community and built a site to help all of us connect with each other.
But going back to Nikita’s story, he grew up with a big family and has always known he wanted to have children himself. He dated around for a long time, but a lot of people didn’t understand his lifestyle. Society imposes the idea that you need to have a stable 9-to-5 and settle down to have a successful relationship and eventually a family, but Nikita and his girlfriend were miraculously always on the same page.
“It was hard to start a relationship living in a tent on the beach,” Nikita laughed, but the unknown only made it more exciting.
What The Future Holds
Looking back on how he decided to embark on this lifestyle that he now shares with his fiancee, Nikita shared one last crucial piece of advice that most people usually never hear, and that is to be your own role model. For most of his life, Nikita revealed, he was looking around for someone to emulate, for “the main character,” as he put it, but he finally realized he needed to be the one who designed the life he wanted instead of trying to find it in someone else.
That was the beginning of him understanding himself more and eventually loving all parts of himself. And now, he and his fiancee are looking forward to their life together.
They see their future in a community of like-minded people who share their values of tribal connections, where children will have a strong support system and can be sure they will be accepted even if they take a less conventional path, and most of all, where they will never be bored.