Hi all. My name is sarah, and I’m a former lawyer from Montreal. I have been eating my way around the world since 2012, when I quit after 5 years of practicing law in NYC. I share longform narrative on my site, Legal Nomads147.
I’ve been a digital nomad since 2012, though my initial plan was just to take a one year sabbatical from work. I started my site to keep my mum up to date about what I was up to, then it got more popular, and now it’s the primary platform for what I do. The site is ad-free, but I fund my mobile lifestyle via social media work/brand audits, public speaking, small group food walks in Saigon, and a book20 I wrote a few years ago. I also do a bit of freelance writing.
So much has been memorable but a few bigger items stand out. The fact that travel helps you keep life in perspective by constantly reminding you of your privilege, and of what you have yet to learn. For me, the connections I’ve forged through food and the lives of the people who cook and sell it, giving me a window into a place that is far more in-depth than I ever imagined. The friendships I’ve made that span continents, and that have doubled back on themselves over and over, making for meetups in far-flung places.
During years 1-2 of being a digital nomad, people would ask if I was “done yet.” Then, the question became “haven’t you gotten this out of your system” during years 3-4. Year 4 was “wow, I can’t believe you’ve built a life around what you love.” And now, well, we’ll see.
In terms of places, I started my travels in South America, and spent quite a bit of time in Siberia and Mongolia before hitting Asia via the trains, but once I made it to Thailand and Vietnam, I felt quite at home. Like many others, I chase summer, but I do so for the food more than anything else. I’ll often pick destinations because of want I want to write about next, and eat.
What I love about the DN community is the willingness to sit down and have interesting conversations that span business, politics, culture and more within minutes of meeting someone new in a totally different field of work.
Looking forward to meeting those of you I haven’t yet met, and seeing what everyone is up to as they work from anywhere.