WSJ article

Alternative lives on different tracks

If you live in the U.S., you’ll find my article on living a nomadic life in today’s Wall Street Journal. Or everyone can read it online.

WSJ article

To be honest, I was a bit surprised when they asked me to write it—I didn’t think our lives would be of much interest to WSJ readers. But judging by the comments, tweets and emails I’ve already started getting, it’s resonated with quite a lot of people.

I think it’s because a lot of people dream of escape, whatever that means to them. They think about the other lives they could have lived. Even if they would never actually want to leave their jobs and houses behind and travel all the time, the idea is interesting.

I’m reading a Serbian novel at the moment called The Russian Window by Dragan Velikic, and it explores the theme of unlived lives. The metaphor of railways recurs throughout the book, with various characters taking trains with carriages that uncouple and go to different destinations or get left in sidings: “On one of those side roads that hides the place where our real life is supposed to unfold. Somewhere on the way to Debrecen.”

Of course, we can only live one life. Every choice we make kills a load of others, and it’s natural, I think, to wonder about those other lives that could have occurred. As I mention in the article, Genie and I made plenty of sacrifices in order to travel. Sometimes I think about other lives taking place on different tracks, and I wonder what they would have been like. Do you?

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There are 4 comments

  1. I left a reply yesterday but want you to know how pleased I was to open my WSJ yesterday and find you and Genie staring back at me. It was truly inspirational for any reader contemplating such a change of lifestyle. One hour delayed in traffic is enough to get one thinking…..thank you Andrew.

  2. Congratulations Andrew. Well done. Not seen the article yet but to be asked to write it is a nice little feather in your cap. Continue to inspire us, we love you.

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