My Nomad Journey – Durham & Charlotte, North Carolina

[Second weekend of January, 2026] I stayed in Atlanta until after the New Year’s holiday, which had me leaving on the second weekend of the month. After heartfelt goodbyes to Heidi and Bella, it was back on the road again, with a busy schedule of destinations and a LOT of movement. And… the new year was about to shake me up again, even thought I didn’t know it!!!

Here’s what I did:

From Atlanta, I planned to spend the weekend with my friend Anita in Durham, North Carolina. We had a low-key weekend with just a few plans and the opportunity to just wander around and explore. Since she is also new to this town, it was an excuse to both show me around and to show herself around some more, as well! I booked a motel and met her for dinner on Friday night. We went to a vegetarian restaurant in a nearby neighborhood. It was a neat mix of middle eastern foods and some other regional foods made with vegetarian and vegan ingredients. We both enjoyed our dishes and there were leftovers to be carried home for her.

Durham & Raleigh…. Over the course of the weekend, we spent time going to the Saturday farmer’s market in downtown Durham, explored the Duke Gardens and an art museum on the campus of Duke University, and then drove to downtown Raleigh, North Carolina, just to see what was there! We found a Troll sculpture in Dix Park, then drove around downtown and the Capitol building. We ended that night at a favorite Mexican restaurant of hers, where I had some of the best chilaquiles I’ve ever had! I wasn’t able to finish them and couldn’t take the leftovers, so that meal goes into my list of “meals that got away” from my travels around the world. LOL!

A side visit… The next day, I was able to meet my friend Angela, who also lives in the area. I met Angela through a coaching affiliation and she was a guest on my podcast some time ago. I also spent some time with her last winter, when I was over on this side of the country. I likely wrote about our visit in Charlotte, when we went to Camper World and looked at camper vans. I drove to her house in the Raleigh area and she cooked us breakfast while we caught up, gossiped and talked about life and our goals. While it was a short visit, I was glad that I had been able to make it work and sad that I hadn’t thought about it sooner, while I was planning. I made another dog-niece happy with my scratches and snuggles. Her dog Adele was a treat and much smaller than all of my other doggie nieces and nephews.

Chapel Hill… I met up with Anita around noon and we worked on some projects in her office, then headed out to Chapel Hill, North Carolina for a poetry reading at a cool bookstore. After signing in, we went next door to the very cool cafe to have lunch. Unique, local and healthy food options. I loved it. We joined the poetry reading in progress. The room was full of folks, mostly our age or older. It was interesting to sit through and enjoy the poetry, but also to study all the people who courageously stood up to speak their art and put themselves out there to the world. I remembered some of the poems I wrote in high school. Maybe I should take a poetry class and start writing again???

Anita took the stage and did not disappoint with her provocative piece that challenges thought, feeling and belief. Her performance was just another thing to make me proud of the friendship. We made a few stops for errands then headed back to Durham. After dropping off her groceries, we ran to eat Thai for dinner at a local place. It was great food and I enjoyed talking to the server about my nomad travels. I said goodbyes to Anita, headed back to my motel, and hit the road the next morning for Charlotte.

Charlotte… While I was ultimately heading to Orlando next, I made sure to loop in a stop in Charlotte, North Carolina. I had two friends to visit there. Because of my drive schedule, I stopped for lunch and took some work calls from the car in the parking lot. I do NOT do important work while driving. I have a system where I can stop in a parking lot, move to the passenger seat of my car, and take zoom calls very effectively. I have a device that holds my ipad up from the cup holder and I can use my lap for my notebook or my computer. Very effective and has worked for me many times. Some of you may have had meetings or calls with me and never known I was in the passenger seat of my car. I do this because I do NOT take calls and meetings in public places or restaurants. I ensure privacy in my car and I also will not be one of those people talking at my phone or computer at a restaurant table. Do you know how loud I am????

For dinner, I met up with John (we didn’t get a picture). I worked with John for many years and we haven’t caught up in at least a year or so. He and his family recently moved to Charlotte, so we had lots to catch up about, between work, moves, family and just life happenings. That was a great visit and I was recharged from the interaction, just like I am with each of my friend visits. We said goodbye and I headed to the motel to get some sleep.

I got up early the next morning, loaded the car, and headed to a breakfast meetup with my friend Carrie. I met Carrie through some professional affiliation and she was a guest on my podcast. We have some similar professional and personal interests and had a lovely breakfast. We shared updates, listened to each others’ stories, did a little acknowledgement of ourselves and each other, and bounced ideas around. It was one of those conversations where we got so deep into it that we lost track of time. What I thought would be an hour or two ended up going for 3.5 hours! Time well spent!!!! We said our goodbyes and I got on the road. I was driving from Charlotte to Orlando and expected about 8-9 hours of driving that day.

The drive to Orlando was a long one, but the weather was mild and sunny. I enjoy those long drives where there’s no drama and I get to just relax, enjoy the scenery, and contemplate. I also listened to more books for entertainment only. I also caught up with a friend or two on phone calls.

Here’s what I learned:

What can I say other than how fortunate I am to be able to reach and spend time with friends from all over the country. For most people, to do this would have required taking vacation time, booking a flight, hotels, rental cars and packing it all into a week away. While I also had motels and expenses, I am so grateful that I’m able to layer these visits in with my other activities. To be able to visit, do work from the motel, and drive between destinations while also taking care of my own business is really a gift. It’s not for everyone. I probably couldn’t do this if I hadn’t trained myself to live in this self-designed system. If I was maintaining a “four-walls” lifestyle and trying to squeeze this in, I wouldn’t be able to handle the break from organization, steadiness and routine. I’m grateful for how I’ve built the systems for packing, carrying and managing my life on the road. It allows me to focus more on what I want to DO, and less on keeping up with all my stuff (like I did in an apartment or home).

And, of course, I’m grateful to all of these friends I’m visiting along the way! I’m grateful for their friendship, them making time for me and for those who welcome me into their homes. Let’s not forget the pets too!

Here’s what’s next:

I’m on my way to Orlando from here. I have a 1-day conference I’m attending and some of my sober-coaching colleagues from the UK are coming for this. I wanted to be sure to meet up with them in person while I was on this coast. Plus, I know the conference will be a good experience for me, too. Also while in Orlando, I’ll stay an extra day so I can get some work, chores and errands done. This last weekend was very busy! Between the visits and the drive days, I got a little behind on messages and planning, so I’ll catch up in Orlando. All good. This is part of the nomad life and not really much different than catching up after a few busy days of work distractions for anyone in any other kind of work.

As always, please interact with this post. I love getting your questions, your thoughts, and your comments. I’ll reply when I’m able.

Please enjoy yourselves in this week ahead and look for another update from me about the adventures of the journey. Be well my friends!

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