A VERY COMMON TYPE OF QUESTION from nomads and aspiring nomads: “What’s the best _______________________?” Fill in the blank.

The answers often begin with, “It depends.”

It depends upon your priorities, your plans, your preferences, your abilities, your financial situation, your health, your location, and so on.

It would be great if there were always one-size-fits-all answers. We prefer certainty rather than risk. We prefer simplicity rather than nuance. And some of us prefer others making the hard choices for us so there’s someone else to blame if decisions don’t work out.

Some of us are in situations so tenuous that one bad choice can destroy us. So we absolutely need the most certain answers we can get. But that means we need answers that best fit our life, that fit all the “It depends.” Someone else’s perfect answer might be exactly wrong for you. So, when asking for advice, provide as many relevant details as you can about your situation and intentions.

Vague questions beget vague answers

They say the wrong question won’t result in the right answer. Likewise, the right question without the right context also leads to wrong answers.

Many of us became nomads, or are considering becoming one, because our life wasn’t/isn’t what we want. And many of us ended up in that situation because we listened to the advice of others. Although it was aften well-meaning, it was advice based upon their priorities, plans, preferences and so on, not our own. And that made it the wrong advice. Heck, what I’ve written here could be the wrong advice for you.

Living in a vehicle is a break from what society says is best. It’s an assertion of our own will. It’s a commitment to self-directed living and to making our own choices. Gather information, data, the experiences of others and their recommendations. Then weigh them, sift them and run it all through your own It Depends filter. Because the right answer depends upon you.