Oscar and Tyla Train encountered each other in a quaint skiing village in Bulgaria. Before long, they had moved into a compact studio flat in Istanbul.
Tyla shares with me, "The ceiling seemed to collapse inward; we slept on the floor, and the chaos outside filled our senses." She continues, "It felt like an exam. I recall telling Oscar that if we could manage things for just another month, everything would turn out okay."
They surpassed being just fine. Actually, a few months afterward, they got engaged. This is when things started getting complicated. She hails from Australia, he comes from Denmark, and their plan was to establish a shared home base. Bulgaria Getting hitched involved a complex journey across four countries and two continents.
"We needed to travel to Denmark to begin the procedure, followed by me visiting the Australian embassy in Athens for paperwork. We held a ceremony in Bulgaria before having to head to Australia to have my name updated," explains Tyla.
Only after that were we able to apply for the correct residency status, which would allow us to reside and move around freely without facing any visa problems.
visa issues and moving quickly
For digital nomad For couples, particularly those holding different passports, dealing with paperwork comes as part of the package. Moreover, living life on the move also influences their romantic relationship in various ways.
Frequent traveling transforms simple courtship into a challenging ordeal. Choosing to journey together makes key moments in the relationship progress at lightning pace. Often, impromptu plans must yield to administrative tasks.
I've learned this through firsthand experience. Three years back, I encountered my partner at a shared workspace in Bulgaria. From the very first day, it felt like we were inseparable and since then, we’ve explored over twenty different countries together. While it's amazing, it's also crucial—since neither of us can remain in any single country for longer than 90 days due to visa restrictions.
He’s British, I’m French, and numerous aspects of our lives are shaped by the rule that non-Schengen residents can stay for just 90 days out of every 180-day period in the Schengen Zone without needing a visa.
While this arrangement may lack romance, it pushed us to commit to the relationship more quickly than we would have if we had stayed in one location.
“It definitely accelerates things,” Tyla adds. “I remember feeling so connected to Oscar early on, and thinking - should I really feel like this after just a few weeks? But that’s how it goes. You either go all in, or it ends.”
Finding Love on the Road
Not all nomads are looking for something serious. Many choose this lifestyle because they love the freedom and don’t want to be tied down.
As one member of the r/DigitalNomads The subreddit posted: "A nomadic lifestyle offers freedom, discovery, and personal growth. However, it can be quite challenging when seeking a lasting relationship."
Despite wanting to establish a lasting connection, locating a suitable partner proves difficult. "Don't anticipate anything serious in terms of relationships when following this lifestyle; you might occasionally come across another digital nomad who could be up for casual dates," he mentioned. another Reddit user It's not fair to ask a local person to date you if you're not ready to commit to at least one location.
This holds merit. Establishing a romantic connection when one will depart within a matter of weeks isn’t easy. Should the individual be from around here, they might hesitate to emotionally commit to someone who will shortly leave town. On the other hand, if they too travel frequently, they probably have separate adventures and future locations in mind for themselves.
To help nomads connect with individuals who share comparable lifestyles - And travel arrangements - several dating applications have emerged in recent years.
Nomads.com allows you to post your future travel plans so you can find out who else might be visiting the same places simultaneously. Nomad Soulmates, with the slogan "the journey is more enjoyable when shared," pledges to "assist wanderers as they seek genuine connections."
Is it possible to establish a family while living as a digital nomad?
A simpler alternative – if you prefer not to download yet another dating application – is to embark on your nomadic adventure instead. with someone from home as a companion And choosing to take such steps can indeed fortify a connection.
Leah and Tamar (names altered for privacy), a pair from Israel, share that their journey as nomads has strengthened their bond with each other.
The difficulties we encountered stemmed from residing in Israel, grappling with the high cost of living and the prevailing security issues," says Leah. "However, once we left Israel, we experienced much greater tranquility and mental serenity. Our relationship truly grew stronger as we explored new locations together.
They savored numerous years of traveling around Europe, yet everything shifted once they became parents. "We ended up journeying as a family with an infant, hopping from one Airbnb to another in various towns. It was quite tiring."
They eventually settled near Porto, Portugal , for a long-term lease.
Leah points out, "The comfort and routines typically viewed as adversaries of digital nomadism become immensely precious after having a child." She adds, "It becomes much harder to let go of these, even for the sake of adventure."
Nevertheless, they haven’t abandoned their dream. "When she reaches five years old, we hope to come back to Asia together as a family," Leah mentions. I can hear the light footsteps of tiny (and somewhat restless) feet approaching.
