Why there's no perfect time to travel

Why there's no perfect time to travel
Irene Wang
Irene Wang
Last updated: May 25, 2026 ยท 4 min
๐Ÿ’Œ
 Biggest shoutout to Karthik, Freaking Nomads community member who runs Mapscroller Diaries, a fantastic travel blog by two wanderers exploring the world and themselves, from finding love (or not) on the road to group travel after going solo.

Hey Freaking Nomads,

Let me tell you the dumbest time to start a nomadic life: a global pandemic.

That's when I did it LOL

I'd been in London almost ten years. Stable job, stable salary, and I walked away from it to travel.

With no freelance clients, basically no savings, and no actual plan beyond "I'd rather do literally anything else."

The timing was, objectively, insane. Borders were closed. Nobody knew what was happening week to week. If you wanted a sign that it was NOT the right moment, the entire planet was waving one in your face.

But there was never going to be a good time. Not pre-pandemic, not post. The "stable" version of my life wasn't a launchpad I was building toward. It was just a very comfortable waiting room I could've sat in forever.

And I would have. That's the scary part. I'm extremely good at waiting. Give me a reason to delay something terrifying, and I'll find three more for free.

But I did, in fact, leave. Unready, underqualified, mid-pandemic. I figured out freelancing by freelancing badly and then slightly less badly. I built Freaking Nomads while still not totally sure I knew what I was doing.

None of it was clean.

I'm not saying throw your life out the window tomorrow. Some prep is real. But please be honest about which of your reasons are actual blockers and which are just fear in a sensible coat, pretending to be a spreadsheet.

If you're waiting for things to "settle down" before you make your move, I'll save you the suspense: they won't. They never do. You just decide one day to go anyway.

So what's the thing you keep parking until "later"? Hit reply and tell me. Whatever it is, I hope this is your nudge, and I'll be cheering you on from wherever you are.

Irene


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Irene Wang

Written by

Irene Wang

Digital nomad and co-founder of Freaking Nomads. She shares raw, unfiltered stories and helps nomads find resources to thrive while traveling and working remotely.

Freaking Nomads is supported by you. Clicking through our links may earn us a small affiliate commission, and that's what allows us to keep producing free, helpful content. Learn more

Freaking Nomads, trading as Mountain Peak OOD, ul. Stefan Karadzha 10, 1000, Sofia, Bulgaria

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