Meet the Nomads: Nora Dunn

Nora sold everything a couple of years back and started travelling. A decision that most of us might not have the courage to take. But an adventure of a lifetime sometimes come with sacrifices and Nora took all the courage she has and jumped in.

She's one of those few people who keeps on inspiring us to live our passion,chase our dreams and live life based on what we really want.

Get to know more about Nora at http://theprofessionalhobo.com/.

Here's Flip's short interview with Nora.

How did you discover your passion for travelling?

"My passion for traveling began when I was all of eight years old and watched a documentary in school about Europe. I was immediately fascinated with the different people, languages, foods, and architecture I saw on the screen. I wanted more than anything else to see what life was like for these people.

Then when I was 16 years old, I was fortunate enough to tour China with a ballet. That sealed the deal: I officially had the travel bug!

However, as the years passed and I got into my career(s), the rat race, and keeping up with the Joneses, I found that annual vacations weren’t cutting it any more. That was what ultimately sparked my life-changing decision to sell everything and travel full-time."

What’s the most horrible experience that you’ve had on the road?

"I’d say that one of my lowest moments on the road was being caught in the middle of the Victorian Bushfires in Australia in February of 2009. It was Australia’s worst-ever natural disaster, and I was literally surrounded by fires, unable to get anywhere (due to road closures) for days. I was evacuated from my home for almost a month.

However I turned it into as positive experience as possible by volunteering full-time in the relief efforts for the duration of the fires. When you get lemons – make lemonade! "

What’s the most outstanding travel experience that you’ve ever had?

"Ooh….tough call. Each travel experience is outstanding in its own rite – and for different reasons. However recently, I had the good fortune to go to New Zealand on a quick trip to shoot an episode of the TV show “Alive” as a featured travel expert. This trip was fully sponsored, and was basically my “dream trip” to New Zealand; in just over a week, we crammed in so many awesome adventure activities, that most travelers wouldn’t be able (logistically or financially) to do it all in much less than two months. Oh yeah – and I get to be on TV too! Woohoo!

Despite the hectic pace of the week, I was able to make some sincere connections with some Kiwis, and I loved my taste of New Zealand so much that I decided to come back for a few months. In fact, I’m writing this from the North Island."

What’s the biggest realization that you’ve got out of travelling?

"When I sold everything and started traveling full-time, I hadn’t done much online research (in fact, I wasn’t even entirely sure what a blog was – it was 2006), so I kind of thought I was the only person doing something like this. As I continue to travel, I’m meeting more and more people who are doing just what I am – or at least different incantations of the same thing. There’s an incredible network of full-time travelers, location independent people, and expats who are incredibly supportive and friendly. Tapping into this network has been incredible, educational, and comforting."

What keeps you going? What keeps you motivated?

"Traveling – actively traveling – is indeed incredibly tiring. I can only “backpack” for a few months (not even) before getting exhausted and apathetic. I also need to balance managing my writing career (which takes time) and traveling, which isn’t always understood by other travelers and adds to the exhaustion factor. Besides which, backpacking isn’t quite as inexpensive as you may think – especially on a writer’s income. I’d be broke very quickly if I backpacked full-time.

What keeps me going are the “breaks” – which are my inspiration for traveling to begin with. Whether it’s a work-trade arrangement, a house-sitting gig, or staying with friends/acquaintances on the road – those are my chances to live with (and like) locals, kick my feet up a bit, enjoy a different way of life, and catch up on work. I like to call myself one of the world’s slowest travelers, because ideally I spend at least a few months (and more recently, up to a couple of years) in a country before moving on. That’s how I get a better sense of what local life is like, which is what I’m passionate about."

This is a silly and hypothetical one. If you would be given a chance to travel with a popular person or a celebrity, who would it be and why?

"There are a number of other travelers and writers who I admire, and with whom I would enjoy some traveling. However I’ve never been one to idolize popular people or celebrities, so it’s difficult to identify specific people I want to travel with. I guess a few people who I’d like to at least meet and chill with on the road might be Rolf Potts, Matt Harding, Chris Guillebeau, Tim Ferriss, the Dalai Lama (!), and Ella Fitzgerald (who’s dead, but a cool cat and awesome singer)."

What could stop you from travelling?

"As much as I don’t see an end to traveling in the near future, I’m realistic about the fact that I won’t want to do this forever. I love Canada, and it will always be home for me. I’m not sure if a specific event could (or will) stop me from traveling, but I’m sure that when the time is right to stop, I’ll stop. If I were to look into my magic crystal ball, I would say that an exciting career move that satisfies my soul will be the impetus to change my traveling lifestyle."

Among the places that you’ve been to, which one fascinated you the most?

"This is similar to “what’s your favourite place in the world,” which is a common question. As common as it is, it’s still not easy to answer. Each place is fascinating for different reasons. Right now I’m in New Zealand, and I love it (and find it a little comforting – it’s not dissimilar from Canada –yet it’s still different enough to keep me on my toes).

In some cases, the places I find most fascinating are the ones I haven’t been to yet. There’s a certain mystery and intrigue to places we haven’t visited; I think that’s why people travel to begin with."

What's the best travel advice that you could give for a novice traveler like me?

"There are lots of resources out there, and travel bloggers are largely friendly and approachable people. There is no template or style of travel that is right or wrong – follow your heart, be open to the possibilities, (and protect your passport!), and you can’t go wrong."

What do you think about yourself?

"This is a strange question. I’m not even sure how to answer it! I think I’m a mature traveler (both chronologically and emotionally), but at the same time I feel very young, energetic, and green on the travel scene (despite having traveled since 2007). I think I’m friendly, approachable, and I’ve been told that I’m the best house-guest ever! (Hint to readers….let me know if you have a couch I can crash on)!"

"The Professional Hobo is a collection of my travel adventures, travel tips, and roundups of places where my writing is published. (I write on the topics of travel, personal finance, and lifestyle design, so most of my articles are of keen interest to travelers). I also feature a bi-weekly column called the Week-In-The-Life series, where fellow full-time and long-term travelers submit diary-structured posts outlining what a week in their traveling lives look like. It’s different for everybody – and this series celebrates those differences." -Nora