FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions

In these two years I've been on the road, there are a few questions that keep popping up. To satisfy everyone's curiosity, here are a few answers.


Are you retired? Are you always on vacation?

No, I'm not retired. No, I'm not always on vacation. I do work. Fortunately, in my area of expertise (communications, design, technology), it's possible to work remotely, using the magic of the internet.

You must have a lot of money to be always travelling. Are you rich?

Quite the contrary. I operate on a very limited budget. In fact, during these last two years as a nomad I've spent less money than in the previous two years when I had a fixed residence in the USA. My main monthly expense is rent, but I have some flexibility as long as the monthly average remains below a certain limit. For example, in 2022 I stayed in a very nice apartment in New Orleans for a month, which was my most expensive destination so far. But I could afford that because I had already saved money while living for three months in Bulgaria and Romania, which are relatively inexpensive countries.

Going to all those countries, how many languages do you speak?

Not many. I am fluent in English, Spanish, and Portuguese (all of them with weird accents). That means I can understand, speak, read, write, think, and dream in those languages. Then there's French, which I would say I'm on an intermediary level. I can read Tintin and Asterix, I can watch movies without subtitles, and I can have conversations, but my vocabulary is small and my accent is ridiculous. Sometimes I do dream in French though, which is strange. The last one is Italian, which I would say I'm on a beginner level. I understand some things, especially in written form, but I don't know enough to have a proper conversation (and I often unconsciously mix words in Spanish and French inside my Italian). In other countries I only memorize a few expressions to be nice to the locals, because it's not really possible to learn a new language in a couple of months. So it's a little "kalimera" here, a little "mulţumesc" there, and even some "konnichiwa" once in a while. (BTW, that was "good morning" in Greek, "thank you" in Romanian, and "hello" in Japanese.)

What's the best food you ate during your travels?

That's a difficult question, because I've had many delicious dishes. Jambalaya in New Orleans while listening to live jazz. Pappardelle al ragù di cinghiale (pasta with wild boar sauce) in a 13th century tower in Firenze. Medallón de lomo (beef tenderloin medallion) perfectly barbecued in Buenos Aires. Paella in the Barrio de las Letras in Madrid. Spaghetti aux fruits de mer (seafood pasta) in Nice, overlooking the Mediterranean. Ćevapi na kajmaku (kebabs with Serbian traditional cheese) by the side of the Danube, in Beograd. Arroz de tamboril (monkfish risotto) in Porto. Breakfast with bowl of fruit, fresh croissant, and tuna pastrami, on the beach in Bali.