A publication about the life around travel, not only the trip.
Firsthand stories, practical answers, cultural context, work structures, identity, and what happens when a place becomes part of ordinary life.
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22 stories
Living Abroad
I found my first Thailand position before I moved. The next time, I was already in the country, living out of a backpack and interviewing in person. Here’s what doing it both ways taught…
Living Abroad
Feeling stuck and wondering if you should move abroad? After five years in Thailand, I share what moving can change, what it can’t, and what to ask first.
Living Abroad
I moved to Thailand at 22 with about $2,000, a low monthly stipend, and no idea I would stay for five years. Here’s what that money actually covered, what I sacrificed to make it…
The Inner Journey
Moving back home after living abroad can feel stranger than leaving. After years away, I had to readjust to family, prices, routines, culture and home itself.
Living Abroad
Choosing where to move abroad takes more than cheap rent. Use these 12 questions to compare language, community, identity, dating, culture and daily life.
Living Abroad
Thinking about moving abroad in your 30s? Here’s what changes with visas, career, money, friendships, dating, family, and starting over overseas.
Living Abroad
Meeting people abroad can happen fast. Building friendships that are mutual, lasting, and rooted in real life takes more time. Here's what actually helped me after years abroad.
Work That Makes Room
You don't need a remote job to travel more. Learn realistic ways to use PTO, flexible schedules, geography, seasonal work and career breaks.
Work That Makes Room
You don't need a remote job to live abroad. Explore real paths through teaching, local work, transfers, study, working holidays and more.
Explore the Journal
Places, worked through honestly: cost, logistics, what I would prioritize, and what a place feels like beyond the itinerary.
Race, visibility, culture, belonging, safety, and experiences that traditional travel content often flattens.
Friendship, paperwork, dating, routines, culture shock, and building an actual life after the flight lands.
Jobs, contracts, PTO, teaching, projects, and other legitimate structures that can create more mobility.
Belonging, confidence, burnout, fear, and what changes internally when your life starts moving.
Keep going
The Journal is the reporting side of NomaReina. The free guides are there when the question becomes practical, and reader stories widen the conversation beyond one person's experience. Read Reader Stories →