At home in Morocco

Life in Marrakech always feels fast and slow, new and old — all at the same time. One moment you’re overwhelmed by the city’s hustle and bustle — the loud motorcycles racing through the narrow alleys of the ancient medina, dodging pedestrians — and the next moment you feel like you’ve traveled back in time when you happen to encounter a peaceful hidden alley with hardly any passersby. Every ancient archway feels like a path into the past.

Time becomes a blur in this part of the world. I wake up to the first call to prayer and go to sleep after the last of the day. And the time in between vanishes like the smoke that rises from the many cooking fires in Jemaa el-Fna square.

Life for us nomads is different everywhere we go. It changes with the environment. It changes with the time zones. And it changes with every culture we encounter and try to adopt as our own. Nothing ever gets stale. The life of a nomad is filled with novelty, serendipity and adventure. These are the built-in gifts and joys of living a nomadic life and exploring this magnificent world.

That's the good. What's the bad and the ugly? Not much turns out to be bad when you're a seasoned traveler and are of the mind that every experience is an opportunity for new adventure. What may seem like a negative thing often comes with a silver lining when you intentionally look for it. As far as ugly, the world is complicated and that’s reflected everywhere. No place on this planet is immune to the ugliness created by humans. We accept the world as it is.

The biggest downside of our lifestyle is how much we miss our loved ones. Doing FaceTime or Zoom with them helps but I still want that human touch with them. I still want those embraces and kisses -- especially our granddaughter's. Frankly, the hardest thing for me is that no matter the distance, I still feel the pain and suffering of those I love as my own pain and suffering. And though I can always catch a flight on a moment’s notice, I can’t always be with them when they need me and when I need to be with them.

In some ways, the sadness I carry with me keeps me grounded. Because of it I can genuinely and profoundly feel the joy bestowed upon me in all the different corners of the world I love so much. I've learned not to take anything or anyone for granted. I'm mindful of the fact that we only have one life to live so I focus on what matters most to me. I try to live life with intention, grace and mindfulness because anything else would waste the most valuable thing we all have: our precious time.

As full-time digital nomads, Mike and I are citizens of the world. But it's curious to me how those who have homes in a permanent house often tell us that they cannot comprehend how we can live without our own bed, our own kitchen or a daily routine with the same people in the same place. It's unfathomable and inconceivable to them. My mind instantly wonders how can they? But I know that's just me. It's the way I was probably born — born to explore.

My response: My lifestyle is not for everyone. But it's perfect for me. There are some trade-offs. But living in the same place permanently, sleeping on the same bed, cooking in the same kitchen, having the same daily routine and being attached to all the material possessions that come with a house are no longer tradeoffs for me. They used to be for a time many years ago.

Someone recently described us as "homeless" in the context of trying to describe the fact that we don't have a permanent residence address or live in a permanent house.

Obviously, we're not vagrants. And we actually own property. We don’t own or live in a permanent house by choice. We make a living doing what we love. But it's true we don't have a house that's a permanent residence other than sometimes we use our son's and daughter-in-law's address to ship things to. But we're not homeless — far from it. We rent our homes — sometimes for as little as for one week, most often for a month or two.

We are nomads. We move around a lot. Wherever we happen to be is our home. Right now, our home is Marrakech.

We're staying in a beautiful ancient Riad that's owned by a friend of ours. And it's magical to live here. Even after 16 years of this lifestyle, we fall in love with it all over again every time.

The more of the world we see, the more we realize how little of the world we’ve seen. The more we learn about other cultures, the more we realize how little we know. I reckon we'll spend the rest of our lives wandering around the world with the humbling understanding that we will never live long enough to see it all or learn enough about it. Some say ignorance is bliss. I find bliss in being confronted with my own ignorance. Because it's an invitation to learning something new.

Mike and I are of one mind when it comes to travel — and our gastronomadic lifestyle. We travel for the thrill of living everywhere and eating everything. We're not homebodies, I'm not even sure I can understand what that means but I do feel a certain aversion to the word.

I love roaming around and wandering aimlessly in every place we live -- that's my nirvana. It brings me immense joy, which produces enormous gratitude and happiness within my heart and soul. So much so that it feels like my heart beats a thousand times a minute from the exultation in every fiber of my being. But I could never feel this way if I were doing this alone. My secret ingredient is that I get to do it with the love of my life. Mike is the reason this is possible for me. I'm forever grateful to the universe for my good fortune.

Mike and I are always ready to go anywhere on a moment's notice. Packing is not a big deal. Changing plans and being flexible is part of the thrill. A canceled flight. A sudden invitation. It's all just another opportunity for serendipity. Extending our travels for an event is something we're always ready to do. Acting on a whim is all part of the joy of discovery.

For us, the world is too big to stay in one place. Home is wherever we happen to be. -Amira

Spain becomes the best place in Europe for digital nomads

Remote old villages. Digital nomads. They were made for each other. 

The villages need people who spend money without taking a local job. The nomads need a beautiful, quiet place to work, live and experience what it’s like to live in a traditional setting. 

That’s why some 30 villages in Spain — each with fewer than 5,000 residents — formed an organization called the “National Network of Welcoming Villages for Remote workers.”

Communities across Europe have embraced the digital nomad movement, especially in Italy. But Spain’s program is different. 

The site is similar to AirBnB, showing how many guest houses are available in each town, and enabling nomads to book a place. 

The Spanish program offers up a local resident host to serve as a liaison for nomads, connecting them with life in the town. 

This program gets at the heart of the digital nomad and Gastronomad lifestyle. You can forget the mobs of tourists in Barcelona. Instead, visit the real Spain where locals will greet you with open arms. 

The organization is totally compatible with a new “Startups  Law” that enables digital nomads to stay and work in Spain for up to two years at a time. 

Suddenly, Spain moves to the front of the line as a great place for digital nomads to temporarily live.

Remote workers need workations, too!

It's a great idea to unplug completely from work sometimes, remove yourself from home and reboot your mind. (This is an excerpt from our Gastronomad newsletter.)

Everyone knows vacations are good, healthy and necessary.

So why are workations so controversial?

A workcation is like a vacation, but with two differences: 1) you're working the whole time; and 2) you're not taking time off — those days are counted as work days, not vacation days.

The workation concept triggers a general contempt on social media. An extremely non-scientific, non-representative poll on my Twitter account showed that fewer than one-third love the idea and the rest either hate it or aren't sure.

Workation is a slang neologism in existence for more than 150 years. It came into popular use especially in the 40s, and again in the late 70s and early 80s, returning now in a post-pandemic, remote work, digital nomad context.

In the past, workation meant working while you were supposed to be vacationing. Now it means working in a place and context of a vacation, but actually working and getting paid to work. In other words, it used to mean working while you were supposed to be vacationing. But now it means working while you’re supposed to be working, but in a nice place.

There's a big difference: In the old meaning, you were using your time off to work without pay. In the new meaning, it means you're living temporarily as a digital nomad — getting your normal pay, not using vacation days and simply moving your “office” to the location of your choice.

As I explained in my book, Gastronomad:

"Years ago, while living on the Greek island of Crete, I discovered a really nice restaurant with an amazing view of the sea. So I decided to eat, drink some coffee and work there for the rest of the afternoon. After a while, I struck up a conversation with a couple at a table nearby. They were Germans on holiday and confessed that they assumed I was one of those workaholic Americans they heard about who can’t even take time off during a vacation. There I was in this beautiful place, slaving away. Pathetic!

But then I explained: I wasn’t on vacation at all. That day was an ordinary work day for me.

It’s not that I’m bad at taking vacations. I’m just good at choosing an office."

That's the key fact about workations. It's not about what you do during your vacation — you still get your normal vacation time. It's about what you do while you're working.

The covid pandemic drove a new wave of remote work, which for most means working in a home office instead of an office office.

I'm here to tell you that not only do remote, home-office workers need vacations, they also need workations — and are in a better position to take them.

It's psychologically unhealthy for many people to live and work in the same house and rarely leave — or just leave once or twice a year only for their paid vacations.

While on workation, you're spending your work hours in a new and presumably better environment, with new and better food, new and better weather. After hours, during weekends and other time off, you're on vacation. Close your laptop, and the mini vacation begins.

Even during the workday, you can take a 20 minute break and jump in the sea.

This picture is me on a workation in Monterosso, Italy — one of the five villages that make up the Cinque Terre. It was a regular work day for me. Except Italian food for breakfast, lunch and dinner; Italian coffee; a sunny beautiful location to work at; dips in the Mediterranean every couple of hours; and a full-blown vacation after hours and on the weekends.

A workation is more like work when it comes to getting paid. But it's more like a vacation when it comes to your state of mind.

Many employees who couldn't take workations before because their boss demanded butts in chairs at work now can because of the new acceptability of remote work. Nearly everyone with permission to work remotely can take workations whenever they choose.

One silver lining of this awful pandemic is the remote work trend. Take full advantage by experimenting with a workation. Who knows? You just might like it so much you'll want to sell your house and do it full time. - Mike

AirBnB's new speed test feature is nice, but not enough

Airbnb announced today a new feature that enables guests to see an actual speed test for hosts’ WiFi connections before booking.

AirBnB’s move is a recognition of the trends of workations, digital nomad living and the rise in the importance of online digital content and resources, as well as the centrality of video calls for business communication.

AirBnB added M-Lab-based software to its mobile app that speed tests the host’s WiFi network, then displays that result on their listings page.

There are two benefits: 1) All hosts are now using the same speed test system, so the results are comparable; and 2) an actual result stops hosts from exaggerating, rounding up or flat-out lying about connection speeds.

Nice, but not enough. The system still can and will be gamed. In fact, the new speed tests actually helps unscrupulous hosts game the system. Here’s why:

First, AirBnB WiFi routers often have the best performance in places that guests cannot access or cannot actually do work — but hosts can test from those best-in-house locations. This is especially true in countries in Europe, North Africa and Latin America with ancient buildings that have thick walls through which WiFi cannot penetrate. The difference in old buildings between the best and worst WiFi spots is huge.

Second, WiFi performance and internet performance varies wildly depending on local congestion. In some locations, even where hosts have fiber-optic connections, connections become unusably slow at peak hours, forcing users to wait for five minutes to load a simple web page. This happened to me recently in Paris in an apartment with fiber.

What’s going to happen now is that hosts will test WiFi in places that guests cannot access and at times that won’t always coincide with guests’ business hours when they need a good connection.

AirBnB’s system will enable hosts to “prove” they offered a great connection when guests complain that the connection sucked.

What’s needed now is an upgrade that tests WiFi speeds every hour and posts the results of 24 hours, and also a system that measures in every guest work space (not sure how to verify this, but I’m sure it can be done).

How to Travel to Europe without Going Into Quarantine

Most Americans believe that Europe is closed to them, thanks to the failure of this country to contain the Covid-19 pandemic.

Another widely held belief: Travel spreads the coronavirus.

Both these beliefs are false, and we'll tell you why. The truth is that you CAN visit Europe without delay, and you CAN do this safely and without spreading or contracting Covid-19,

How to fly to Europe

Europe is famously closed to American travelers, but there are cracks in that wall, for two reasons: 1) there are European countries that welcome Americans; and 2) there are countries that will welcome Americans without quarantines as long as they arrive on specific airlines with specific testing programs.

The most welcoming country in Europe right now is Croatia. Americans are welcome, as long as they either self-isolate for 14 days before travel or have received a negative Covid-19 test within the 48 hours before travel. Not only is Croatia in Europe, it's part of the European Union.

There are a few other cracks in the Great Wall of Europe.

American Airlines will sell you at-home covid tests for $129 each for international travelers to London from New York, Los Angeles and Dallas. (This week they announced tests for domestic travelers in the US starting Dec. 12.). Travelers will need to quarantine for 14 days in London after arrival, unless they get a negative test on day 5 of the quarantine, at which point they're free to leave quarantine. (The airline is partnering with home testing company LetsGetChecked. The test kids include a nasal swab, which you send through the mail. Results are sent to you within a few days.)

You can also travel to Europe without going into quarantine.

Delta Air Lines and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines are partnering to offer passengers a way to skip Amsterdam's current 10-day quarantine requirement and Rome's 14-day requirement, through testing. They'll have to take three tests. One a few days before flying, one at the Atlanta Airport before flying, and a third upon arrival in Amsterdam or Rome. If their three-week trial works out, they'll extend it to other destinations.

Other airlines are working on similar trials that will result in Americans flying to Europe.

How to travel safely

All these ways to travel to Europe involve extensive testing, which is fantastic. This not only assures that Americans arrive in Europe virus-free, but it also makes the flight itself virus-free.

Testing is one of the steps on our Save Travels pledge.

Beyond our pledge, it's true that "tourism" is irresponsible in the age of covid. But living like a Gastronomad is not. The idea is to shelter in place in another place, observing all the coronavirus protocols like mask wearing, social distancing and extreme hygiene.

In other words, going to indoor restaurants, concerts and bars; shopping in crowded cities like Barcelona; and failing to wear a mask are wrong.

Going to and staying at a farmhouse, keeping your distance, cooking at home, shopping at outdoor markets and exploring outdoor sites without getting within 10 feet of other humans is great.

Travel does not spread the coronavirus. Failing to observe anti-virus protocols (whether traveling or not) is what spreads the coronavirus.

It's time to think about traveling to Europe again.

A gathering of farmers and nomads in Morocco

Visiting our wonderful and dear friends Omar and Kenza, the dynamic duo behind Marrakesh Organics, we enjoyed a magical stay on their organic permaculture farm. Returning to their home, which is a Moroccan oasis just outside the hustle and bustle of Marrakech, was even more wonderful than we had imagined.

Omar and Kenza are extraordinary people with fascinating upbringings and life stories. They’re true humanitarians and stewards of the land in Morocco. They’re devoting their lives to educating others on how to grow their own food and develop sustainable farming practices as well as preserve the art of ancient building skills. And they’re true kindred spirits — they love and care about much of what we love and care about. In the end, no matter what country we’re from, we all want the same things in life and we’re more alike than different.

During our visit, we had the pleasure of meeting two of Omar’s and Kenza’s friends with whom we got to share a couple of meals. One was a permaculture expert who spends a lot of time in India heading an organization devoted to helping farmers develop sustainable farming practices, especially women farmers. The other friend is working on his PhD and doing interesting research on ancient cultivation practices around sustainable farming. The six of us talked for hours as we shared a delicious dinner prepared by Kenza. We had fascinating discussions about many topics revolving around travel, food, nutrition and farming. It was our nirvana.

During our last meal at the farm with Omar and Kenza, the four of us got into a profound conversation about living meaningful lives with a sense of purpose, fulfillment and belonging. We even talked about what we all might do someday when we "retire." They said they might travel like us; we said we might farm like them.

We actually like the idea of establishing a permanent home, growing food, building a nest with a kitchen full of wonderful cooking stuff and a pantry full of grains, beans, nuts and seeds as we listen to our sauerkraut gurgling next to our sourdough starter. We've encountered a hundred places that would be ideal for permanent living.

There's just one problem: To embrace any one place is to give up every other place. And that we don't want to do. Our love for travel is stronger and far more powerful than anything else.

Of course, it would be nice have it all. Yes, we lived "residentially" in Sonoma country for two years -- one year surrounded by vineyards and olive groves and the other at an organic farm. We still crave gardening and homesteading.

But we also feel deeply compelled to keep moving, exploring and discovering.

Life is about living today. Yes, plan for tomorrow but live your best life today. The past is a memory; the future mere anticipation. The present moment is all we have and all we’ll ever have. Life is too short to not live each day to the fullest. And for us, living to the fullest means to keep doing what we’re doing, which means to travel and explore other cultures and keep meeting awesome people like Omar and Kenza.

For now, our motto continues to be: The world is too big to stay in one place. It’s a conviction driven by our desire to belong everywhere and settle nowhere.

Perhaps it’s because nothing makes us happier or brings us more joy than freely exploring this beautiful planet. Or maybe it’s because our lifestyle during these past 13 years has not only been a dream come true but also because it’s been deeply fulfilling and rewarding giving us a sense belonging everywhere we happen to be.

We're in Morocco now. We feel at home here, too. This country is mesmerizing. We're constantly encountering artisans whose skills come down to them from many generations -- maybe a thousand years back. They handcraft their goods with the same tools and in the same way their ancestors did. To witness these crafts in Morocco's ancient medinas is like traveling through time.

We're also enthralled by the love and knowledge that people like Omar and Kenza bring to everything they do. Paradoxically, to restore heritage and revive ancient skills and wisdom -- to embrace tradition -- takes boundless creativity and a spirit of innovation as well as resilience and passion. (For example, when building their guest houses and walls, they make their own bricks from scratch -- not easy!)

What a joy to take farm-grown, home-made, traditional meals with such wonderful people we're so lucky to call friends.

Our palates rejoice in the intricate flavors and deliciousness of beautiful traditional lamb and barley couscous Kenza prepared -- part of their Friday tradition. We enjoyed this meal out of a communal bowl on their beautiful terrace overlooking their hundreds of olive trees while enjoying the sounds of birds singing all around us.

Saying goodbye is always hard. And talking about it made Kenza and me shed a few tears. And for me, those tears and that tender moment together is the greatest gift of love and friendship and something I cherish with all my heart, even when we’re thousands of miles apart and oceans away.

Experiencing traditional culture lovingly and skillfully prepared on a farm bursting with life in the embrace of such beautiful people nourishes our souls and fills us with profound gratitude and boundless joy.

These are the moments that make the fabric from which the our Gastronomad Experiences are made. We want you and others to have, see, feel, touch, savor and cherish the world that Mike and I have had the privilege of experiencing in our 13 years of Gastronomad exploration. And I’m beyond grateful to Kenza and Omar for also opening their farm doors to, and sharing their farm table with, our Gastronomads during The Morocco Experience. - Amira