For years we have been seeing more and more people who seemed to spend a lot of time in trailers or vans.   When we talked to a few people we were surprised to find out that they were actually traveling in their homes.    We assumed it was just a choice they made, to be unattached,  except to a love of travel.   We did not really think that this was an economic choice.    In Canada, it is very hard to live in a van or trailer over winter, so we just don’t see the nomads.    Nomadland helped us to understand this phenomenon better.

We could not see ourselves choosing to live in an RV or van.     We have stayed up to a month in a campervan and have spent many weeks in our recreational trailer, but after a couple of weeks, we are looking for more room, better plumbing, and some comfort.   We stay in our RV to basecamp close to hiking and paddling, but sometimes for touring too.   Could we adapt to becoming a long-term RVer?   Probably, but we would not choose that way of life.    The people that the author of Nomadland Jessica Bruder followed were mostly not nomads by choice, but for economic reasons.

The nomads faced some hard choices later in life for a variety of reasons and ended up in vans and RVs.    Many had to travel from place to place, doing seasonal work as campground hosts, working for Amazon, or as seasonal laborers.    In winter, most traveled to warm spots in the desert.    Although there are undoubtedly nomads in Canada, the only part of the country that would allow overwintering in an RV or van would be the Lower Mainland, so we just don’t see large numbers of them.

The author follows some groups as they completed their seasonal cycles, as Campground host, in Amazon’s peak season, in harvest season, and in the off-season in winter.    With lots of people facing this lifestyle, there are now blogs, conventions (of a sort), and speaking engagements, many focused on sharing the do’s and don’ts, secrets of the trade, and success stories.    A network now exists on where to camp, how to save money, what to avoid, how to service and repair, and other parts of the nomad lifestyle.

The book is journalistic reporting, but it is coherent, well-crafted, and interesting from start to finish.    I found it to be an eye-opener, a book I was thankful for. 4.9 out of 5.0 stars4.9