Remember me?!

Dearest readers,

You might not even remember me.

Here I am in Grenada earlier this year, in case you need a face to go with the post:

I’m Layne—I help freedom-seeking nonconformists design a travel lifestyle that’s actually sustainable (and way more fun).

Maybe you grabbed my Nine Best Travel Hacks guide.

(Sign up for the mailing list here if you haven’t got this guide yet because you *definitely* need it! It gives away all my travel hacking secrets that I used to make traveling to 61 countries less expensive than having a home base and paying rent.)

Or maybe you found me through one of my travel hacking courses. However we connected, I owe you some honesty:

I stopped emailing my list (way) back in the summer of 2023. I even stopped writing blog posts in mid-2024. Why?

Because I was suffering from digital nomad burnout.

The turning point arrived when I came down with vertigo in Romania. (Yep, I literally got motion sickness from vagabonding too hard. Zero stars, would not recommend. 😂) Luckily I did get to see some epic Transylvanian architecture and stay in some gorgeous historic hotels as well.

Here’s the very atmospheric Bran Castle:

And a velvet-draped suite at the InterContinental Athénée Palace Bucharest:

What followed was years of wrestling with a big decision.

I still wanted to travel (like a LOT) …but I also knew budget travel was behind me. And if I signed a lease, I worried it would swallow my entire travel budget.

I experimented with “halfway fixes” like renting furnished apartments through Landing — a fabulous company that lets you bounce between units in 375 cities. That helped, but “my” apartments still weren’t mine. I couldn’t leave my off-season clothes and polar gear in the closet when I left (thanks Mom for standing in!). I couldn’t fill them with treasures from my travels. And I still didn’t feel fully grounded.

So last month, I finally did it.

I moved into my own place in Minneapolis. 🎉

I’m still working on getting art up on the walls, but I HAVE A BED for the first time in ten years! And a desk! And a sofa! Here’s a shot of the living room-in-progress:

Now I’ve got a sanctuary of my own, where I can gather meaningful objets d’art and other curiosities from all over the world. See that end table? It was inlaid with mother-of-pearl by an Egyptian artisan! I’m in looooove. (With the table, not the artisan.) And when I come back from the road, it’s all here waiting for me. A hideout of my own, where I can find the light switches in the dark because I know the place so well.

Why am I telling you this? Because there were days I almost clicked “delete” on this whole website. But then I realized: I will never be finished adventuring. So clearly, I have more to share.

Here’s what’s coming your way if you stick around

(Pro-tip: join the mailing list to have these delivered straight to your inbox! I send 1-2 emails/week max):

– Destination guides (e.g. Hidden London: 11 Adventures You Won’t Find in Any Guidebook and Why Antarctica Should Be on Your Bucket List — and How to Actually Get There)
– Unique hotels and experiences that redefine what “luxury” really means
– Travel hacking tools & strategies to keep you flying further, smarter (business class only, bitches!)
– Nomad lifestyle systems that make full-time travel actually sustainable

And if you’ve got a burning question or dream topic, shoot me an email and tell me about it. I’m building my new content calendar right now.

Of course, if you’d rather not stick around, no hard feelings. But if you’re still here — thank you for starting over with me.

Here’s to new beginnings and beautiful journeys.

P.S. People keep asking me,

“Why Minneapolis of all places?”

Well, there’s a true abundance of nature within easy reach of the city. There’s a well-connected international airport. And we are second only to New York City in the number of theater companies per capita. The rest of the art scene slaps on the level of a MUCH bigger city as well. Yet there’s So. Much. Less. Crowding.

Like me, the city has Scandinavian roots! And like many Scandinavian countries, it’s one of the happiest places in the world. People are so nice it’s almost weird. I couldn’t be more pleased with my decision.