"Travel" Chapters

Chapter 21 of Nomad Life

Between March 1, 2021 and May 22, 2022, Shelby, Skutull, and I traveled to 26 states and 13 countries, a journey that covered 35,000 miles by car, train, plane, and boat. We crossed the Atlantic twice, once via air and another by the sea. The places we called home ranged from studio apartments in dense cities to farmhouses in the countryside, which were nestled amongst an array of deserts, beaches, mountains, forests, swamps, and pastures.

Chapter 20 of Nomad Life

Throughout our entire nomadic journey starting in March 2021, my favorite place to live was a toss up between New York City and Ljubljana. So when we found ourselves back in NYC at the end of our cruise, we decided to stay a night and explore our old haunts.

Chapter 19 of Nomad Life

In May 2022, we took a seven-day transatlantic cruise from Southampton, England to New York City. This cruise is both the only remaining transatlantic crossing still in operation and the only way to transport a dog between North America and Europe without flying them.

Chapter 18 of Nomad Life

We began our adventure in Scotland by hopping between islands in the western isles. Some of the passages took only twenty minutes and were operated by a small boat with space for half a dozen cars, while others lasted several hours and felt like cruise ships featuring restaurants and casinos.

Chapter 17 of Nomad Life

Our ferry from Holyhead, Wales docked in Dublin late afternoon. We were nervous about crossing the border into Ireland with Skutull for two reasons. First, Skutull had undergone foot surgery a week earlier and was still healing. Second, the language the Irish government used on their website was extreme with regards to importing animals. There were a host of requirements for entry, such as notifying their agricultural department, undergoing worming treatment 1-5 days before arrival, and having a fully updated vaccination record. It wasn’t the requirements, but the consequences of failing to meet all the requirements that worried us. Quoting their website, if you fail to meet all entry requirements “your pet may be euthanised.”

Chapter 16 of Nomad Life

I entered a large sauna. There were three levels of deep steps you could choose to sit on. I wasn’t a sauna noob. I knew that the higher up you go, the hotter the air, so I plopped myself down on the middle stair and immediately started sweating from every pore on my body.