I recently opened my little van fridge and found a disgusting little colony of mold growing inside it. YUK.
As one of the multitudes of solo nomadic women, cleaning this up is one more thing that I have to take care of on my own, and of course, it’s on a travel day when I already have a to-do list a mile long!
I lugged the fridge out of my van to clean it, and as I scrubbed and disinfected, I got thinking about about all the other solo women on the road doing it on their own!
It made me think of Annie Lenox singing her 1985 hit, “Sisters Are Doing It For Themselves!”
Nomad Life Is Physical!
Nomad life requires a lot of physical maintenance, and while I am VERY GRATEFUL to be able to handle it, it does occasionally does cross my mind that I’m doing it without help. I’m pretty sure I’ve gained a little muscle mass just by moving around solar panels, heavy batteries and gallon jugs of water on a consistent basis. It’s better than a gym membership!
There’s non-nomadic women in my life whom I love and admire, fierce feminists who also frequently express appreciation for all the physical labor their male partners provide. I get a bit jealous as I watch my son-in-law shoulder the heavy lifting for camping trips, hoisting the canoe over his head, moving the big coolers, and easily powerlifting the heavy stuff.
Solo nomadic women don’t have that. Solo Women Nomads Are F’ing BadAsses!!!
The Strength of Women’s Natural Creative Force
Solo nomadic women, instead, use their creativity to thrive on the road! That we don’t NEED a physically strong partner to live the life we crave speaks to how strong we really are!
Since I’ve been on the road I’ve seen a wave of solo nomadic women from all walks of life, who’ve chosen to leave behind a “normal” life, and make the radical decision to live the fantastically non-traditional life of a nomad.
They’ve broken free from the societal conditioning that defines women’s roles for them, instead, choosing to define their identity from within.
Women are born with abundant strength, a trait our male dominated culture would rather suppress. Just ask my granddaughter, who says the girl’s coach goes easy on the female athletes while boys of the same age are already heavily drilled in harder skills. Of course we’re weaker when not given the opportunity to develop our strength from a young age!
Defining us as the weaker sex is well crafted lie, one meant to keep us in submission to a patriarchal system that benefits from that lie. But, I digress.
Women’s Natural Power
Women in their natural state are powerful and capable, and well equipped for nomadic life.
We endure, we survive, we recover, we thrive, in a society that wants to break our spirit.
We bleed for seven days every month, going on with business as usual with no accommodation or support from the general culture, while we cope emotionally, physically and financially with this intense process. We’re capable of growing humans inside our bodies, then laboring intensely to bring them into the world.
Women have almost unlimited emotional and mental strength, while at the same time being effectively conditioned by society to downplay their inner toughness. I can’t tell you the number of women I’ve met over the years who’ve survived soul-crushing conditions, and then offhandedly dismiss their inner strength.
We’re natural problem solvers. While men rule the world, women keep it running smoothly behind the scenes. A study referenced by Bright Horizons found that women are still lifting far more of their share of the mental load than men. The study was published in 2017, but not much has changed since then. Big surprise.
The natural fierceness of women has been discouraged and repressed in modern times … but it IS indeed WHO WE ARE!
Women Have An Innate Fierceness
Ancient mythology reveals impressive examples of fierce women, and while the Western view of the sacred feminine has been diluted to a motherly, soft, nurturing figure, (Mother Mary) ancient feminine archetypes reveal the more ferocious side of women. Female archetypes were portrayed as skilled hunters,(Diana) powerful female figures that mercilessly destroyed their foes, (Kali) or warriors that fought beside men. (Athena.)
We may not be destroying our enemies in a pure physical sense, but our fierceness is still expressed in how we hunt for solutions with single minded focus, how we learn to fiercely protect our boundaries, and how we’ll fight to defend our right to live an authentic fulfilling life as a nomad!
We Create Our Nomad Lives Around Our Capabilities
I’ve created a beautiful nomad life around what I can do physically and financially. The Green Beastie, my minivan, turned out to be the best choice for me, even though I’d started out looking for a small RV.
- It’s low maintenance except for repairs.
- No climbing up on an RV roof to fix leaks.
- It’s easy to drive, and park.
- The small space has taught me minimalism, so there’s less stuff to maintain and very little “housework.”
People may see my life living alone in a vehicle as seriously disadvantaged, but for me it’s a small payoff for getting to live a life I absolutely love!
(Some content in this blog has been adapted from my book, Wild Women On The Road; A Women’s Guide To Nomadic Freedom In The Modern Age. On Amazon, in paperback, kindle and audiobook!)
Exciting Announcement!
Coming the Spring of 2026! The 30 Journeys is a powerful anthology of women’s stories from the road, collected and curated by Trish Tassin. I’m proud to say I’ll have a piece of writing included in the book!
30 women. 30 stories. One powerful anthology.
Born from the road and rooted in resilience, The 30 Journeys is a collection of raw, transformative essays from women who chose to leave it all behind and found healing in the adventure.
From heartbreak to highways.
From trauma to triumph.
From silence to storytelling.
These are the voices of nomadic women who dared to begin again.
You can find the book page on Facebook as The 30 Journeys: Nomadic Women Anthology.
Instagram as @the30journeys.
