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Nomadic Living

” All that raw land that rolls in one unbelievable huge bulge over to the West Coast, and all that road going…” -Jack Kerouac

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“He who would travel happily must travel light.– Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

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Hotel Intel

“I knew it. I knew it. Born in a hotel room – and God damn it – died in a hotel room.” -Eugene O’Neill

Recent Posts

  • Review of the Boca Suites Deerfield Beach: Hotel Intel

    Review of the Boca Suites Deerfield Beach: Hotel Intel

    If you’re searching for a hotel around Boca Raton you’ve got plenty of choices. But if you’re coming in peak season and not made of money those choices get narrow pretty quickly. In that case you might find yourself looking at the Boca Suites Deerfield Beach as I did recently. Can this Best Western property

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  • Review of the RTIC Everyday Cooler: Gear Guide

    Review of the RTIC Everyday Cooler: Gear Guide

    Personal day-use coolers have always been a staple of road trip travel. Driving around the Florida coasts as much as I do, mine was getting daily use. Eventually an upgrade was in order and I wanted something with some size and substance. But I was still a bit hesitant to shell out Yeti money for

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  • Review of the La Quinta Ft Lauderdale Airport: Hotel Intel

    Review of the La Quinta Ft Lauderdale Airport: Hotel Intel

    If you’re searching for a hotel near FLL or Port Everglades the La Quinta Ft Lauderdale Airport may not be the most obvious choice. I’ve been staying in hotels in this area for two years and still haven’t booked it until now despite being very budget conscious. Was it worth the wait? Let’s find out.

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  • Florida’s Best Free Attraction? Manatee Lagoon in West Palm Beach

    Florida’s Best Free Attraction? Manatee Lagoon in West Palm Beach

    I’d been aware of West Palm’s Manatee Lagoon for a while and had it on a list of attractions to check out. Manatees are found throughout Florida but Manatee Lagoon is known as the best place to observe wild manatees in Florida. When a post popped up in my Instagram feed recently I clicked through

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  • The Cost of Living In Hotels: Update #4 July-December 2025

    The Cost of Living In Hotels: Update #4 July-December 2025

    There’s not a lot of content on the Internet about the cost of living in hotels full time. Most people who adopt a nomadic lifestyle opt for some combination of AirBnb, monthly leases, or extended stays in hostels. The purpose of these updates is to provide a picture of what it actually costs to live

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  • How to Fly With Overweight Bags for Free

    How to Fly With Overweight Bags for Free

    After nearly 20 years of going to sea I’ve learned how to pack exactly 49 pounds of gear to avoid being charged for overweight bags. But that was before I threw in the towel on carrying a military type sea bag and capitulated to the practicality of a bag with wheels. I settled on a

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  • Eating Durian in Asia… Everything You Need to Know

    Durian is largely unknown in the western world. Even if you’ve heard of it the common reaction is ‘Oh, they have this fruit that stinks? Interesting…’ and then forget all about it. People certainly aren’t eating durian in the US even in cities with a thriving food culture and a large Asian community. So if

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  • How to Find the Rolex You Want Today… In Hong Kong

    Hong Kong is the luxury watch capital of the world. Even more than Geneva watch dealers are everywhere and seeing people wearing Rolex and Patek on the streets and subways is very common. If you’re visiting Hong Kong a Rolex could make the perfect souvenir, if you’ve come prepared to buy. I found the Rolex

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  • Singapore: Make It a Long Weekend Not a Lost Weekend

    When booking hotels in Singapore sticker shock is common. Travelers often compare prices to other countries in the region. It’s not unusual to perceive better value in places like Bangkok or Phnom Penh. I believe thinking this way is a mistake. Visiting a rich country is a different experience than one that’s still developing. You

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  • Is Bali’s Kuta Beach Really as bad as You’ve Heard?

    If you’re searching hotels in Bali Kuta Beach is likely on your radar. Especially if you’re budget conscious, the sheer number of hotels there and proximity to the airport make it very appealing for a few quick days on the beach. But you may have also noticed in your searches that many of the top

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  • Traveling to the Philippines? Don’t Make This Mistake

    After spending twenty years going to sea I’ve heard a lot about the Philippines. Filipinos make up a large portion of the world’s maritime workforce and many sailors enjoy spending time there when they’re not working aboard a ship. One thing I hadn’t heard about in all those years was the Filipino customs observed during

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  • My Favorite City in Asia: Hong Kong

    I can’t say for sure that Hong Kong is the world’s coolest city. But I don’t know of any other place where you can buy a Patek Philippe and visit a brothel in the same building. What I can tell you is that the vibes are impeccable. Unique among cities, HK seems to exist outside

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