Last updated on April 28th, 2023 at 04:36 pm
Editors note: As of March 2017, Julie and her co-riders are in Nepal, filming “Endure Nepal”. We'll keep you posted on updates as we learn about them. — Tom @ RoverTreks
I have been a rover since the summer of 2015. That means I don’t have a permanent address to call ‘home.’ I don't always celebrate holidays with family, don't own a home, and I have made a lot of choices to live a less traditional life. I would not trade my experience and lifestyle for the world and have come to feel most ‘at home’ when I am traveling.
Julie-RoverTrekkerMy Roving Lifestyle
Since becoming a full-time rover, I have been all over the Southwest US including Arizona, California, Utah, Nevada, California, and overseas to Spain, Thailand, Bali and Italy. My passion is mountain biking, and I travel around the country and world with a bike to seek out single track to ride.
I know a lot of people are curious about my lifestyle. I wanted to take the time to talk about my experience, how I am able to do it, and what I have learned in the time that I have been traveling and roving. This is my personal experience, and not intended to apply to everyone.
Mountain biking in Bali on Mt. Batur on Thanksgiving day. I did not have a traditional feast with my family and friends, but was thankful to have the opportunity to follow my dreams.- I still work a lot.
I am able to travel because I co-own and run a remote or online business. Before I became a rover, I knew I wanted to travel and was unhappy with my traditional job. So I co-founded Potential Energy Training & Nutrition with two good friends. This is work I am passionate about allowing me to combine two related interests — fitness and mountain biking — and do it from anywhere in the world.
A 9-5 work workweek is not my new normal — but I do work a lot. I work almost every day of the week for at least a few hours. It’s not a schedule that can work for everyone, but it works great for me. I am happier now about doing what I do than I have been in the past, and I love the freedom to do what I love (i.e. mountain biking!). Every time I work, I remind myself that my work allows me to be where I am and doing what I wish.
I like to post pictures of my mobile work spots on my Instagram account. Here are a few of my favorites:
This might be my favorite work spot yet – in a hammock on Koh Yao Noi, Thailand.
My favorite little cafe in Finale Ligure, Italy – Sbuccia!
My favorite spot in Chiang Mail, Thailand- the Clay Cafe. Also the spot where I met Tom and Karla, who run RoverTreks!2. It’s not always glamorous …
Living a lifestyle of travel, especially on a budget, means that you won’t stay every night in a luxury hotel — or any hotel for that matter. Lodging can be one of the biggest travel expenses. I try to keep my living costs about the same as they were before I started traveling. That means staying in less than glamorous places — but I don’t mind. I prefer to stay in a place that allows me to connect to other travelers and locals in the place I am visiting. Guesthouses, AirBnb rooms, hostels, lots of nights in a tent, or crashing on people’s couches are all options.
- It can definitely be stressful…
Whether it’s money, work, where you are, meeting new people, or learning a new culture, roving can be stressful. I live on a small budget, so money is one of my biggest stressors. And it might sound crazy to people who are sitting behind a desk, but sometimes I stress out about where I am going and what I am doing next. Why? I have too many choices roving! I'm learning to select an option with a view toward applying lessons learned to future trips.
Money is definitely a stressor. These statues in Bali seemed to be pretty happy I was withdrawing money out of my account.- Roving teaches you to let go and see how life unfolds.
One of the biggest lessons I have learned is that things always tend to work out, but not always in the way that I had hoped. Things may be drastically different, but life seems to figure itself out. Maybe it just takes changing your mindset about outcomes. Which brings my to my next point …
- Planning goes “out the window”.
I used to be an obsessive planner. It seems to be my nature to try to figure things out ahead of time. What I keep finding, though, is that sometimes things don’t work out. Trying to ‘let go’ lessens disappointments when something I hoped for doesn’t work out.
Recently, I had plans to visit Santa Cruz, CA, and then head up to Bend, OR to mountain bike. The weather turned and the forecast called for a couple straight weeks of rain. Luckily, I had kept my planning very loose, and ended up escaping to the desert for some better weather.
Also, with travel, I have found that when I make too many set plans, it doesn’t allow for the type of freedom that a roving lifestyle really permits. I booked a plane ticket way in advance to leave SE Asia this past fall for Europe. I had no idea I would fall for the area and want to spend more time there. Plane tickets can always be changed, but if you have the time and money, sometimes its nice to book a little more at the last minute and see how things go in a place. I have loved learning to let go and see what opportunities unfold.
Sarin Islands, Thailand. I wished I had more time to work in a hammock in the south of Thailand.- It can get lonely, but travel allows you to meet lots of new people.
My experiences and destinations are made great by the people that I meet and share those experiences and places with. I travel solo most of the time, so I definitely get pretty lonely from time to time. But I have also met some of the best people in my travels! See my other post about meeting people during travels to find out a bit more about this.
My friend Sarah on a bus in Bangkok, Thailand. She is one of my favorite people that I have met while traveling. I originally met Sarah in Yosemite National Park, California. We started working on a film project together, and then she decided to meet me in Thailand.- Being a rover changes HOW you travel and think about traveling.
I have definitely had to change my mindset about traveling. Roving is a lifestyle. I am not on a traditional vacation, but I still want to see and experience a place. Because of this, I have actively worked on slowing down and spending more time in each of the places I go. I enjoy this more because I then get to connect with locals and make friends. There's one downside — it makes it hard to leave a place when you start to feel like a local and start to connect with people.
- It takes discipline to stay active and healthy.
I am a mountain biker, so it doesn’t take much to motivate me to be active. But I know for many people, it can be tough to find activities.
Even though I say that, though, I find that when I am in other parts of the world, I end up walking EVERYWHERE. Other cultures tend to walk more than we do in the US. Not having a car forces me to find other means of transportation or just walk. And walking allows me to experience a place and discover new things that I might not otherwise see by car.
I'm a nutritionist, so eating healthy is important to me. I try to stay in places that allow me to cook my own food instead of eating out at every meal. This is also really a key for sticking to a budget. I also think it enhances the experience of a new place by grocery shopping, visiting local markets, and really getting a taste of the place you are in.
These are just a few of the things I have to share after only about 8 months of traveling and roving. Life is life, and its not always perfect. That's the way it is and I love every minute of mine, and am definitely not complaining about anything. I want to be truthful and honest about what life or roving is like.
I will continue to share my experiences as I continue to travel, so stay tuned! Feel free to follow along through my Instagram account and let me know if you have any questions about travel!
Thanks for reading and following me here. Until next time — Julie Cornelius.
