The nations
living life on our own terms
We are the Nations, an international traveling family who loves to explore the world while working remotely as a “semi-nomadic” family. Our travel story started long before Eric and Josien met in 2019, as we were both living the digital nomad life traveling from country to country while working on the road. So let’s take you on our journey.
Timeline
2016
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2018
2016
Eric kickstarts his nomadic journey by going to Santa Teresa, Costa Rica to learn how to surf and work remote. After that he was hooked and traveled the world with Remote Year.
Eric kickstarts his nomadic journey by going to Santa Teresa, Costa Rica to learn how to surf and work remote. After that he was hooked and traveled the world with Remote Year.
2016
2018
Josien made the bold decision to quit her job and embark on a freelancing journey. She packed her bags and left the Netherlands, ready to explore the world. Her first destination was Bali, which quickly became her home base as she explored several countries in Asia and Australia.
Josien made the bold decision to quit her job and embark on a freelancing journey. She packed her bags and left the Netherlands, ready to explore the world. Her first destination was Bali, which quickly became her home base as she explored several countries in Asia and Australia.
2018
2019
In the summer of 2019, Eric decided to spend his time in Amsterdam and told his mom "I'm going to Amsterdam to find my future wife." While Josien returned home for three months to be with her family and sell her apartment. Her friends in Bali told her “Whatever you do, do not to fall in love, just simply return to us”. One day both of them open the dating app Hinge and see each other's profile. They started to chat, met for a breakfast date, and the rest is history. We might have to create a video on how quickly we moved from meeting the first time to traveling the world together!
In the summer of 2019, Eric decided to spend his time in Amsterdam and told his mom "I'm going to Amsterdam to find my future wife." While Josien returned home for three months to be with her family and sell her apartment. Her friends in Bali told her “Whatever you do, do not to fall in love, just simply return to us”. One day both of them open the dating app Hinge and see each other's profile. They started to chat, met for a breakfast date, and the rest is history. We might have to create a video on how quickly we moved from meeting the first time to traveling the world together!
2019
2020
Soon after we met, the covid pandemic hit. Where we were happily living life in Central America, we got “stuck” in Mexico when the world really came to a full stop. Our plans to go to Asia got cancelled and we settled down in CDMX and later Puerto Escondido.
After one year of dating and traveling together, we knew this was it. True love. The real deal. The perfect match. And when you know, you know. And Eric was so sure that he turned our anniversary weekend into an engagement weekend! We got engaged!
Soon after we met, the covid pandemic hit. Where we were happily living life in Central America, we got “stuck” in Mexico when the world really came to a full stop. Our plans to go to Asia got cancelled and we settled down in CDMX and later Puerto Escondido.
After one year of dating and traveling together, we knew this was it. True love. The real deal. The perfect match. And when you know, you know. And Eric was so sure that he turned our anniversary weekend into an engagement weekend! We got engaged!
2020
2021
How to plan a wedding during a global pandemic? Ask us anything, cause we did it. And even though most guests had to fly to Mexico to come celebrate, (almost) everyone could make it!
How to plan a wedding during a global pandemic? Ask us anything, cause we did it. And even though most guests had to fly to Mexico to come celebrate, (almost) everyone could make it!
2021
2022
Where we absolutely LOVE exploring new places, we also felt a strong urge to have a homebase. But if you can live anywhere in the world, where do you choose to go? We made a list of requirements: closer to Josiens family, close to surf spots, warm weather, affordable, relatively easy process to get visas. Our no 1 choice: Portugal!
But before we settle down, we’re doing a Last Hoorah! trip: US, Ecuador, Colombia, Peru (honeymoon!), Nicaragua, the Netherlands, and then, finally, Portugal.
Where we absolutely LOVE exploring new places, we also felt a strong urge to have a homebase. But if you can live anywhere in the world, where do you choose to go? We made a list of requirements: closer to Josiens family, close to surf spots, warm weather, affordable, relatively easy process to get visas. Our no 1 choice: Portugal!
But before we settle down, we’re doing a Last Hoorah! trip: US, Ecuador, Colombia, Peru (honeymoon!), Nicaragua, the Netherlands, and then, finally, Portugal.
2022
2023
Even though we called that big trip a “last hoorah” trip, we didn’t stop traveling. This year we went back to Mexico (where we found out that Josien was pregnant) visited the US (hiked the Grand Canyon), went to France, Germany and the Netherlands for 3 weddings, and eventually we really slowed down to prepare for the arrival of our daughter. Welcome to earth Nora!
Even though we called that big trip a “last hoorah” trip, we didn’t stop traveling. This year we went back to Mexico (where we found out that Josien was pregnant) visited the US (hiked the Grand Canyon), went to France, Germany and the Netherlands for 3 weddings, and eventually we really slowed down to prepare for the arrival of our daughter. Welcome to earth Nora!
2023
2024
Somehow we don’t really know how to not travel lol. We’re doing 4 countries in 5 months this year: Nicaragua, El Salvador, Mexico, and the US. This time we travel with a baby, which will be a whole new level of travel.
Somehow we don’t really know how to not travel lol. We’re doing 4 countries in 5 months this year: Nicaragua, El Salvador, Mexico, and the US. This time we travel with a baby, which will be a whole new level of travel.
2024
the nation family
Eric Nation
Eric was born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona. He started traveling as a digital nomad back in late 2016, which he considers to be the golden age for the “digital nomad” lifestyle before it became more popularized. He’s a software engineer by trade and loves to build digital products and websites. When he’s not coding or working on the agency, he likes to skateboard, surf, ride motorcycles, and lift weights. But more than anything these days, he is loving being a Dad and spending time with family.
Josien Nation
Josien was born and raised in a tiny town an hour North from Amsterdam, the Netherlands. In 2018 she quit her job to finally chase her dream of working and traveling at the same time. She started freelancing in SEO, packed her bags, and left for Bali. She loves to play volleyball, solve riddles or puzzles, photography, and, of course, family time.
Nora Nation
Ola, my name is Nora the Explora. I like to sleep on airplanes, crawl around the house, snore, make my parents laugh, and just be cute all the time
Frequently asked questions
How long do you stay in 1 location?
It all depends on our itinerary and budget. But we usually try to plan for a minimum of 1 month. We prefer to “slowmad” around which means we are spending at least 1 - 3 months in each location. And the reason is because we work full time. So we don’t have a lot of time to explore during the week which only gives us the weekends to go and see the sights and do various activities.
If we didn’t have to work and travel was our full-time job, we could get away with spending 2 weeks in a country and getting to see and do a lot of things. But unfortunately, we aren’t there, yet ;)
What do you do for work that allows this travel lifestyle?
We own our own digital marketing agency, Operation Nation. We designed the company around remote work culture so the company is 100% fully distributed around the world. This allows us and our team to work asynchronously around the world.
Designing our lifestyle around location independence through working remotely is a passion of ours. After all, it’s what allowed us to meet each other in the first place.
Why did you pick Portugal for your homebase?
When you can live and work anywhere in the world, choosing a destination for a homebase can be challenging. The illusion of options (we’ll do a whole video on this in the future ;). For one thing, we want to be close to Josien’s family in the Netherlands while starting a family of our own.
- Amazing and affordable health care system. Highly regarded for giving birth.
- Take Lisbon out of the equation and Portugal is one of the more affordable countries in all of western Europe.
- The weather was a big one. We like warm weather, mild winters, and plenty of sunshine.
- Surf. A non-negotiable for Eric is being in close proximity of great surf. Portugal is the best country for surfing in all of Europe.
- Amazing culture and friendly people.
- Faster path for Eric getting a EU passport.
- Tax benefits.
- Large expat community.
And the list goes on …
What are your favorite countries you've been to?
Always a tough question, it’s hard to pick just one.
Eric: Mexico, Portugal (obviously), Colombia
Josien: Australia, Peru, Mexico, Portugal
How do you decide where to stay in each country?
Most of the time we already know we want to go to a certain town, city, park or specific spot in a country. As for accommodations, we used to have a short list of requirements:
- Great wifi
- Desk or good table to set up as permanent workspot.
- In or close to the area we want to be in
- Good kitchen
- Closed livingroom (mosquitos)
- A/C if we’re in a warm weather country
But now that we’re traveling with a baby, our list got a little longer:
- 2 bedrooms
- Spacious living room
- Enclosed outdoor area
- Good kitchen with at least a blender and microwave
As we travel slow and stay awhile, it’s most likely that we book a place on Airbnb.
Don’t you get burnt out with constant travel?
Short answer, yes. But this is why we design our travel lifestyle so we avoid burnout. We don’t travel full time the entire year. Portugal is our homebase and we love being home. But when we stay home for too long we always get the itch to get back on the road and go explore new places, or go and visit our friends in their countries. Quick tip for avoiding burnout while traveling, adopt the “slowmad” mindset. 1 - 3 months in each country. Really take some time to soak in the culture, maintain a healthy routine, make friends, and go at a steady pace.
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