Outsite Member Cindy Manit has spent the past few weeks in Santa Cruz after spending a year nomadic, and is here to share some of the greatest challenges she's found as a digital nomad, as well as why she chooses to travel.

Outsite: Tell us a bit about yourself.

Cindy: I am 1st generation San Francisco born Thai-American. My parents moved from Thailand to San Francisco in 1974 to pursue the "American Dream". After I was born, we moved to Redwood City. Growing up in Silicon Valley and with the hard work of my parents raising myself and my two siblings, I learned to live a life full of possibility, creativity, and going after your dreams. While growing up in this sort of environment, it was competitively driven by being successful. I always had known that I was going to be my own boss one day and to build my own movement. I currently support socially conscious leaders to build a community of their dreams so that they can their movement solving some of the worlds' biggest problems. I also am an LGBTQ activist, lead LGBTQ & women empowerment circles, and I have ridden my bike from San Francisco to Los Angeles to raise funds for the AIDS LifeCycle. I enjoy the great outdoors from hiking, snowboarding, beach combing, backpacking. I am an explorer and adventurer at heart.

How long have you been nomadic and what inspired this lifestyle change?

I have been nomadic for the last year and a half. What inspired me to experience this nomadic lifestyle was the freedom and control I wanted in my life. In today's modern world, being nomadic has become very easy. I wanted to meet other like-minded people, explore new places while still being able to work and be in inspirational places.

What has been the most challenging part so far?

Not having a place to really call "home". Sometimes I do have that feeling of wanting my OWN place, my own nest, my own room.

Any crazy/fun stories you'd like to share?

I can go from the beach to the Sierra Mountains, to the city, and work from anywhere. I just think it's great blend of being able to go on 'vacation' every day.

How does Outsite fit into your current lifestyle?

I love Outsite. Modern, inspirational, and comfortable homes. I love knowing that I can be in some of my favorite places in the world while meeting other awesome people from all walks of life. The community is awesome, the service is great, the team members are fantastic. Way better than AirBnB in my opinion! Any advice for 9-to-5 workers looking to make the leap to nomadism? Just do it. If you are feeling the yearning in your heart, just take the first step. You'll be glad you did it.

You can connect with Cindy on Facebook. Ready to start your own adventure? Check out Outsite.

Words: Cindy Manit

Photographs: Cindy Manit