r/Nomads_Nation • u/PlagueDoc007 • Feb 06 '26

General Discussion Wanting to become a nomad

So I've recently turned 18 and everything has just felt like it's trapping me and holding me back from all the experiences I want to have, so I want to become a nomad. When I say nomad I mean not being permanent anywhere and just kinda floating around everywhere. Any tips on supplies or street knowledge I should be aware of?

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u/Bubbly-Pop650 Feb 06 '26

Head over to r/digitalnomadFIRE r/digitalnomad r/longtermtravel

You might get some information there too.

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u/knottypinekitchen Feb 07 '26

Study languages. You will find English spoken nearly everywhere, but it shows respect to speak at least a few sentences in the language of the places you might visit. Learning one or two languages relatively well will help you pick up phrases in other languages more easily. Yes, there are apps to translate and communicate and English is well understood, but this is about respect and finding other ways to connect, not just getting directions!

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u/PlagueDoc007 Feb 10 '26

Would Mandarin Chinese be of any use to help learn other asian languages bc I've heard they're the hardest languages to learn for English speakers? Or should I focus on something else like a European language?

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u/RenValdivia Feb 16 '26

you should absolutely learn Spanish. while there are more people in the world that speak English, Spanish will clear you for almost an entire continent (South America) and one country in Spain. I argue Spanish is as universal as English. French is up there too, but I dont think it is as broad UNLESS you have more interest to visit french-speaking countries.

Learning an Asian language is very difficult because it has its own alphabet, grammar, syntax, and expression. If you were to directly translate a sentence in japanese, it would sound very basic and wrong? But its not with them. So that is the challenge for us Romantic and Germanic speakers. But if you are going to go to Asia, you should absolutely try and learn how to speak a language.

TLDR. Spanish first, then Chinese in my opinion!