I Love Being A Nomad, But Admins And Borders Make It A Nightmare
Being a global citizen is a dream—until you hit the wall of outdated administrations. Here’s my rant on why the world isn’t ready for nomads like us.
I love living a nomadic lifestyle and being my own boss. While the second part can be tough when you’re in the building phase, the journey is worth it—special lives require special efforts. 💪
There’s one thing I find a real pain in the ass though—navigating administrations and feeling like the world isn’t built for nomads and global citizens like me.
Disclaimer: Some points I’ve thought about deeply, others I haven’t. I’m not an expert—just sharing my thoughts and feelings.
Visas
I don’t find navigating visas too annoying, honestly. Most countries make it pretty straightforward, and when you move often, visa durations usually aren’t a huge problem.
But on a global level, I do wonder—what if visas didn’t exist? What if we could come and go as we pleased and stay as long as we wanted? Would it really cause chaos? 🤔 Are first-world countries worried about waves of migrants? Maybe I’m missing something, but I find it interesting to think about.
Being Married to Someone from a Different Country
The main way visas annoy me is when it comes to marriage. I’m French, Rosie is English, and with our nomadic lifestyle, we can’t easily spend extended time in each other’s countries.
The UK is generous—I can stay for six months (long enough for me! 😂). But Rosie’s limited to 90 days in the Schengen area, which complicates things. For example, if I needed to stay in France to take care of someone, we’d have to plan and strategize to be together.
To let Rosie stay longer, we’d have to apply for French residency. But since we don’t actually live there, it’s a logistical nightmare. I just find it crazy that after 15 years together, there aren’t simpler systems to allow couples to be together, no matter where they’re from.
Rigid Administrations
Between international marriage and living a nomadic lifestyle, dealing with paperwork can be super frustrating—especially in France.
Here are two examples:
In 2013/2014, we wanted to buy an apartment in France. We qualified for a 0% interest mortgage (amazing, right?). But our application was denied because one required document—though translated by a certified translator—was from England and didn’t look like the French version. Denied. We had to take a more expensive traditional mortgage instead. 🤦♂️
Recently, I asked a lawyer how Rosie could get a French passport to rejoin the EU (super practical for us). One requirement? Proof we’ve been living together. From 2015 to 2021, no problem—but since then, we’ve lived with family, friends, or in Airbnbs. No shared utility bills, no lease contracts, and Airbnb reservations are only in one name. The lawyer wasn’t convinced these could count as proof.
It’s maddening how inflexible systems are. Most administrative processes were designed when people rarely moved, lived in their hometowns, and married their neighbors. The world’s changed, but systems haven’t caught up.
You “Need” a Home Address
This one really gets me. 😤 In today’s world, you have to “live” somewhere. A home address is required for so many things:
Opening a bank account
Getting investment accounts
Buying a non-tourist SIM card
Signing up for health or travel insurance
Running a business and processing payments
Even renewing your passport requires a home address.
Why can’t we detach these things? Why can’t we just be “residents of the world”? In our digital age, why not use something like a universal email or phone-based system? Or maybe something decentralized like a crypto wallet?
Right now, I use my parents’ address in France. Technically, I’m a French resident—but truthfully, I don’t spend enough time there to qualify. But there’s no ideal alternative to keep my accounts and taxes sorted. On top of that, I pay taxes in the US as a non-resident. It’s a mess.
What I’d Love to See
These experiences got me thinking—what if there were a way to simplify these processes for people like us? A system designed for the modern, global citizen, rather than one rooted in outdated national frameworks.
🌍 I’d love to live in a world where we can apply for a ‘global citizen’ number.
This number would connect to:
My passport
A digital address or wallet
The place(s) I pay taxes
With this, we could have a ‘global’ payment system.
Note: The closest thing we have to this right now is crypto and stablecoins like USDC or USDT. They’re decentralized and practical because they’re pegged to fiat currency, but unfortunately, they’re not widely supported yet.
💡 Marriages could also be registered to this number. Using blockchain technology (secure and unalterable), we could track details over time—shared expenses, time spent together in the same countries, etc. A smart contract could eventually confirm the legitimacy of the marriage, allowing couples to live anywhere together—especially when settling down.
🗳️ Imagine how such a system could revolutionize voting. With a tokenized and fraud-proof voting mechanism, participating in elections would be seamless, secure, and accessible for everyone, no matter where they are in the world.
The more I think about this, the more I believe blockchain could make it possible. The real challenge wouldn’t be the tech—it’d be getting countries to agree on and legitimize it globally.
Of course, security and privacy would need to be top priorities. Blockchain has strong foundations in these areas, offering a secure and decentralized solution. Still, the biggest hurdle would likely be getting countries to agree—balancing control, collaboration, and financial interests. 🌐
The potential is there, but it requires bold thinking and global cooperation.
We live in a connected world, yet outdated systems continue to limit us. Isn’t it time to build something that truly reflects how we live today? What would your ideal system for global citizens look like?
I really enjoyed reading your post—I read most of it with a smile.
As someone who aspires to live a similar life, I loved the ideas you shared, especially the one about the global citizen number.
I feel this. I also recognize that each country has a right to protect itself and its citizens, so I recognize why they may have complicated systems in place. You're right, they aren't designed for nomads, because they are designed for their citizens and us nomads just have to figure out how to work within and beside them. It is one of the things that us nomads have to bear, even when it sucks.
The address thing really resonates with me, though. As someone who moves around a LOT just within my own country, I have to make so many "address change" updates every time a change addresses. Even for accounts or subscriptions or services for which I would NEVER actually need to have, use or disclose my physical address. But in the USA, your address is a marketing vehicle, so each account you sign up for requires an address. I would say that each time I move, I have to update at least 30-40 different accounts. And it's not always easy to do that - especially for government services/accounts. (DMV anyone????) I've also thought, like you, about what life might be like if we could have a mobile address that follows us where we go, like our phone and email does. Something that serves as identification, but when we change locations, we only have to do ONE address change and everything else routes through that. Alas, in today's world of separate and individual systems, I don't see that happening. And even if it did, it would likely lead to more complications and less positive uses by those who would profit from it.
Thanks for sharing your nomad experiences and ideas. It just reminds me that, as a nomad myself, I made a choice and I recognize that I'm going to have to adapt to systems that weren't designed with me in mind. 😁