WHAT IS ROAMING?
Roaming is the idea of living and working in a home away from home while being location independent.
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Over the past several years, we've proven that remote work is not only possible, but leads to more productivity and has significant health benefits. But why stare at the same four walls of your home everyday? There's a world to be explored and you shouldn't live tied down to a single location! It's time to roam.
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roamies are people who roam full time. These individuals usually do not have a permanent residence and change their location periodically. These people often live in long-term AirBnbs or other forms of extended stay, furnished housing. Since roamies aren't tied to a mortgage or a monthly rental lease, they have the freedom to spend their money to live where they want, for however long they want.
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Instead of a weekend skiing, why not stay the whole season? Instead of a short stay next to the beach, why not book the beach house for a couple months?
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So you're "nomads"? Yes and no. Roaming does fit under the nomad umbrella but we use a distinguishing term to avoid confusion with the "nomad van life" or other similar lifestyles that are often portrayed as an extreme, out of the ordinary way of living.
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We don't believe you have to "give it all up", renovate a bus, or have to transform your life to roam. We believe it's a lifestyle that anyone can enjoy. Take your favorite belongings, take your fur babies, and continue living your life in the places you've always wanted to visit.
Our goal at Live. Work. Roam. is to show you how to roam.
THE ROAMING TEAM
We're roaming too!
LISA MEZZATESTA
You don’t have to be in your 20’s to do this.
It was March 13, 2020, when I was told to go home and never come back to the location of my project in Minnesota. I didn’t lose my job, but I could no longer travel to the project from my home in Atlanta, Georgia to perform my job. My role on this project was essential, so I was fortunate enough to stay employed through the pandemic. The terms of that employment changed drastically. To be very clear, before the pandemic I was all by myself for 4 days a week for nearly 27 years, me time. Imagine the abrupt transition of being home with my husband 24/7 with no end in sight. Don’t get me wrong, I adore my husband. However, I knew I loved my husband, but had no idea how much I actually LIKED my husband.
I thought I would go crazy being home all the time. Fortunately, my niece and nephew introduced me to the idea of being location independent. I missed traveling but didn’t know how to manage it and keep my job. I approached my management team about being a domestic nomad and they were very open to the opportunity to keep my talent and meet my needs. As soon as I realized I (at 53) could travel the country the same way the 20 year olds could, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity.
We started our journey in March of 2022. NO, we don’t have an RV – please stop asking. We are going to use AirBNB, VRBO, and other providers to help us see the United States the way we’ve always wanted to. Personally, I can’t wait to share how those of us not in our 20s can have just as much fun and just as much adventure to make the compromises worth the effort. Follow us for multiple perspectives on how to be a domestic nomad who can live, work and roam happily.
HARLAN HAMMACK
It's all about the stories.
Foodie. Lover of fine Scotch. Adventurer. Entrepreneur. I grew up in Southern California and knew at an early age that I wanted more. I dreamed of a life of adventure and excitement, and that’s what I’ve enjoyed for the last 30+ years. I knew, above all else, I was destined to travel.
After a career at Lockheed Aircraft in Burbank, CA, I went back to school and graduated from California State University, Northridge. I moved to Atlanta and started my management consulting firm where I worked for companies around the US, Canada, Mexico, the UK, and Europe.
I am a business and leadership coach, author, speaker, and host of The Courage to Lead podcast. Since everything I do is virtual, I jumped at the opportunity to become a location-independent digital nomad.
I love everything about travel: food, culture, architecture, and especially the people. I am always interested in where people are from, where they have been, and where they are going. It’s all about the stories. So, tell me: what’s your story?
CHRISTINE HYNSON
A new perspective on the world.
My name is Christine Hynson and my husband (Gene) and our two cats live our lives on the roam. We’ve been roaming for about 7 months at the start of this site and have really loved this lifestyle. For me, roaming means being able to go where you want in the way you want to. I had always worked jobs where I was overworked and under-appreciated and got basically no time off. When I got time off, I would have to be online still and never really enjoyed myself. I finally landed a remote job (that I happen to really love) and I knew I couldn’t stay in the city any longer. We had to plan our trips out so far in advance and I was tired of looking out at the world from our high-rise apartment building – I wanted to be in it and experience it myself. Of course there is still work and there are logistics and planning to what we do, but it is so wonderful to be able to explore places I’ve been longing to explore without tons of PTO or intense planning. I’ve sailed the San Diego harbor, joined a local volleyball team in a new city, spent the night in the desert, taken a day trip to Mexico wine country, gone snowboarding on my lunch break, crawled through a snow tunnel on the shores of an alpine lake, hiked to more waterfalls in a month than I have in my whole life, and so much more. Roaming to new places every few months forces me to look at the world in ways I wouldn’t have before and, honestly, to look at myself differently too. I’m learning so much and I just want to share this possibility with anyone and everyone. Come roam with us.
GENE HYNSON
Skeptic turned roaming enthusiast.
I have to admit - at first I was very skeptical of the idea of roaming. The thought of putting our furniture in storage, ending the lease on our apartment, and living out of Airbnbs full time made me nervous. Would it really be worth all the work? How would we deal with bad Airbnb experiences? Would our cats adapt to the constant changing of locations? How would we decide where to go next? I had so many questions. After researching the idea some more and dreaming of living in all the places I wanted to vacation to, I decided it had to be worth the risk. And boy was it worth it.
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I've been roaming with my wife (Christine) and our two cats for awhile now and honestly I am finding it difficult to imagine my life any other way. I'm a software engineer working for a fully remote company and I have a passion for adventure. When at home, I love to play video games. But given the chance, I will always chose to be on a trail in the middle of the wilderness with my Jeep.
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Roaming has enabled me to add a whole new dimension to the phrase "work life balance". Instead of working a typical 9 to 5, I'm able to work in new places whenever I'd like. The constant freshness has given me a new sense of passion for my job and for my personal life. I'm a passionate skier and living at Lake Tahoe for the winter season allowed me to hit the slopes more than I could ever have dreamed to do if I lived near the office.
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I can confidently say that after living this lifestyle for some time, my skepticism has vanished. It's truly a lifestyle I enjoy and am excitedto share with others. My goal is to create the platform and content necessary so that you can find all the information you need to come to same conclusion as me. Follow your passion - roam with us.
ABOUT US
Live. Work. Roam. was created by four roamies passionate about their lifestyle. We believe we stumbled into something that is exciting and we want to share it with others. While roaming, our team felt the urge to have a place to share experiences and connect with other people living this lifestyle. We searched the web but could not find a site that felt like home. So we created one!
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Our dream is to build a community of roamers who are passionate about their journeys. We want to build a vast collection of blog and FAQ to help folks from all stages of this lifestyle. Whether you're just getting started or have been roaming for awhile, this site should be a place where you can explore to find the next step on your journey.
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If you're passionate about roaming and want to get in touch, join our forum by signing up! If you'd like to send us a private email, you can contact us at connect@liveworkroam.com