top of page
Welcome to the Intentional Nomad Blog
I’m Sarah, a multicultural polyglot who has wandered through 50 countries and called 10 of them home. But my journey as a nomad has always been about more than just collecting stamps in my passport — it’s been a deep exploration of identity, purpose, and the art of living fully across borders.
With every move, every new culture, and every challenge, I’ve learned to embrace both the beauty and the complexity of a life without boundaries. Through these experiences, my hope is to help fellow nomads like you perhaps, find their own unique path and unlock their full potential in this vast, ever-changing world.
This blog is personal, intimate, and real. I don’t just talk about travel; I dive into what it means to live authentically in a world that constantly shifts. Whether you’re navigating the highs and lows of expat life or simply searching for where you belong, this space offers both practical guidance and raw, heartfelt reflections.
I pour my soul into every word. Here, you’ll find travel notes, press features, deeply personal essays, creative fiction, and my musings on what it means to live a life of purpose. Some of it is raw and unfiltered because the journey of self-discovery is rarely easy — but it’s always worth it.
So if you're ready to explore the world, discover yourself, and reignite your passion, welcome. This is more than a blog — it’s my home. A home for those of us who live life beyond borders. Let’s walk this path together.
Search
The Nomad Loop: When Movement Becomes Identity
Finding yourself beyond the cycle of leaving
Sarah J.D.
Apr 114 min read
Rootless and Resilient: The Double-Edged Life of a Modern Nomad
“You will never be completely at home again, because part of your heart will always be elsewhere. That is the price you pay for the richness of knowing and loving people in more than one place.” — Miriam Adeney For most people, home is a single dot on the map — a place where roots grow deep and life unfolds within familiar borders. For me, home has been a moving target. My life as a nomad has been a long, winding journey through countless countries, cultures, and identities.
Sarah J.D.
Aug 9, 20253 min read
Navigating the Emotional Rollercoaster of Relocating to Paris
“Paris is not a city, it’s a world unfolding itself. Every street, every corner whispers history, beauty, and inspiration.” - Unknown I'm sitting at a Parisian café terrace, situated right in the courtyard of late Victor Hugo's house at Place des Vosges as I am writing now. It's green with trees and vegetation, there's a lovely water fountain, it's sunny, hot, and I hear all different kinds of languages coming from the other tables around me. I'm sipping on a fresh "citronnad
Sarah J.D.
Feb 27, 20253 min read
Making Peace with Letting Go: Navigating the Divide Between Worlds
“Sometimes the hardest part isn’t letting go but rather learning to start over.” — Nicole Sobon This morning, I woke with the lingering echo of a vivid dream, one that stirred feelings I’m still grappling with. I stood at the entrance to a place I later recognised as the Giant Rock City near the Czech-Polish border, a place where towering rock formations dominate the landscape. I'm facing the outside world, my back turned to the immense rocky tunnels. Unsure of whether I am a
Sarah J.D.
Oct 5, 20242 min read
How to Navigate Relocation Burnout: Tips and Strategies for Success
« Many of us have been running all our lives. Practice stopping. » - Thich Nhat Hanh Relocating to a new city or country is often seen as an exciting adventure — a fresh start full of opportunities and the promise of personal and professional growth. However, the reality of moving is often far more complex. Amid the thrill of new beginnings, many individuals experience a phenomenon known as relocation burnout. This form of burnout can manifest emotionally, mentally, and phys
Sarah J.D.
Oct 1, 20246 min read
What No One Tells You About Excessive Traveling
"Depending on whom you ask, there could be such a thing as too much travel." - Eliot Stein I’m standing in the departures hall of Milan airport, staring up at the flight schedule. For a few seconds, I have to focus — hard — to remember where I am and which city I’m heading to. I just can’t remember if my home town is Paris, Bucharest, or Punta Cana. It’s disorienting, like a brief mental fog. It’s the same feeling I get some mornings when I wake up and have to piece together
Sarah J.D.
May 14, 20243 min read
Ayahuasca: My Most Profound Inner Experience
''Ayahuasca helps to see inside of yourself and outside of yourself at the same time.'' - Rima Danielle Jomaa Six weeks ago, while on holiday in Las Terrenas, Dominican Republic, I reached out to an expat couple who run a plant medicine retreat that had captured my attention on Instagram. Since watching Dr. Gabor Maté's Netflix documentary on psychedelics and plant medicines, I knew this was a journey I wanted to embark on. I hoped it might be the key to easing or even curing
Sarah J.D.
Oct 5, 20237 min read
How To Bounce Back After Getting Fired
"It can be liberating to get fired because you realize the world doesn't end. There's other ways to make money, better jobs." - Ron Livingston I turned 40 last December and I'm mostly proud of my 20 years of international career: 15 years corporate at all levels on all continents, and about 5 into entrepreneurship. I consider myself a savvy leader for the teams I've mentored, and a mature and diverse asset for any organization. So, although I knew it was coming, and even wish
Sarah J.D.
Feb 23, 20236 min read
Featured Woman Of The Month: Meet Sibylle Denis - Designer and Visual Artist
“A work of art which did not begin in emotion is not art.” - Paul Cézanne Since the month of May celebrates Mother’s Day in many countries, I thought I’d share an interesting interview my dear mother gave a few days ago in the ShoutOut Miami series. We had the good fortune of connecting with Sibylle Denis Touat and here is our conversation below. Hi Sibylle, where are your from? We’d love to hear about how your background has played a role in who you are today. I am from Hait
Sarah J.D.
May 14, 20215 min read
Moving from Romania to the Dominican Republic: My Reasons Why
"A deep sense of love and belonging is an irreducible need of all people. We are biologically, cognitively, physically, and spiritually wired to love, to be loved, and to belong. When those needs are not met, we don't function as we were meant to. We break. We fall apart. We numb. We ache. We hurt others. We get sick." - Brené Brown There’s a whole chapter from 2020 that I’ve yet to write about – and I hope to share it soon. The most impactful parts of that year include livin
Sarah J.D.
Apr 15, 20215 min read
How Covid-19 Has Affected My Life
“This pandemic has magnified every existing inequality in our society – like systemic racism, gender inequality, and poverty.” - Melinda Gates In mid-March 2020, I found myself glued to the television screen as the French President announced that his country would enter a complete lockdown. Meanwhile, in the UK, where I currently live, the Prime Minister seemed to be delivering the exact opposite message—encouraging the population to embrace herd immunity, suggesting that we
Sarah J.D.
Aug 15, 20204 min read
An Ordinary Day In The Life Of A Mompreneur: The Untold Balancing Act
“My biggest motivation? Just to keep challenging myself. I see life almost like one long University education that I never had — every day I’m learning something new.” - Richard Branson, founder Virgin Group A few years ago, my husband and I both had corporate jobs, made equal salaries, and shared household tasks pretty evenly. Then everything changed: we had a baby, and I decided to work from home to care for our child. It was a decision I had long looked forward to, somethi
Sarah J.D.
Jul 15, 20205 min read
Discovering YOU: Unveiling Your True Self
“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson It’s more common than you think. Many individuals go through life without ever realising who they really are, living an illusion of purpose and fulfilment. Few are lucky enough to eventually become aware of their true self and passions. As a late-bloomer myself, I can now say that I wish I had discovered my “false-self” earlier in life. Knowing
Sarah J.D.
Jun 15, 20204 min read
Becoming Me
"The most courageous act is still to think for yourself. Aloud.” - Coco Chanel It’s taken me 37 years to get here. Not to a perfect life, but to a place where I finally feel like I’m walking toward my authentic self. I’ve learned that many people go through life without truly knowing who they are — and I refuse to be one of them. This hasn’t been an easy journey. It’s been layered with pain, loss, reinvention, and self-discovery. But today, I’m sharing my truth without fear,
Sarah J.D.
Jun 1, 20203 min read
Why I Love Being a Mum
“Mother’s love is peace. It need not be acquired, it need not be deserved.” – Erich Fromm Having had a rather complex and distant relationship with my own mother, I’ll be honest — for a long time, motherhood wasn’t something I particularly aspired to. In fact, the idea of having children made me anxious, and I wasn’t sure I would easily embrace the role of a mother. However, beneath all my apprehensions, I’ve discovered something surprising: becoming a mother has brought me a
Sarah J.D.
May 15, 20204 min read
My Dilemma with Finding A Home Country
"Where liberty dwells, there is my country." - Benjamin Franklin Ever since my husband and I got married, I’ve always had the idea that we’d eventually choose a place to settle down for good. We first met in the Dominican Republic, and two years later, after yet another relocation for work, we were saying I do in Haiti, my birth country. From the start, we both knew Haiti wasn’t going to be Home for us. The unstable political climate and constant insecurity were too overwhelm
Sarah J.D.
Apr 15, 20205 min read
How About A Little Seaduction?
"To desire nothing beyond what you have is surely happiness. Aboard a boat, it is frequently possible to achieve just that. That is why sailing is a way of life, one of the finest of lives." ― Carleton Mitchell Winter isn't quite over yet, but here I am, already dreaming about our big adventure this Spring. For years, we’ve talked about it—sailing around the world—and now, that dream is finally within reach! Let the adventures begin! Unlike our usual spontaneous trips, this t
Sarah J.D.
Mar 15, 20203 min read
My Last Day Of Psychotherapy
"Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure." - Marianne Williamson The last day of therapy often marks the end of one chapter and the beginning of another. For me, it was the culmination of years of struggle, growth, and revelation. Like many people, I had sought psychotherapy intermittently over the years, but with my nomadic lifestyle, consistency was hard to come by. Moving around and traveling frequently made it challenging to maintain long-term therapy. How
Sarah J.D.
Nov 1, 20194 min read
Discovering Europe's Hidden Gems: How a Spontaneous Road Trip Transformed My Perspective
“There are things known and there are things unknown, and in between are the doors of perception.” ― Aldous Huxley This past summer, my little family and I embarked on a spontaneous road trip across Europe, choosing countries we knew very little about. With no rigid itinerary, we mapped out the main destinations we wanted to explore and let our hearts guide us the rest of the way. We quickly settled into a comfortable rhythm, balancing our travels around our two-year-old’s sc
Sarah J.D.
Oct 15, 20194 min read
10 Reasons Why I Chose to Live in Romania as a Haitian-French Expat
"Here are the 7 wonders of the Romanian world: sunny days, hot temperatures, warm hearts, bright minds, colourful imagination, golden fields and delicious food!" - Michelle Rosenberg "Why have you chosen to live in Romania?" or, even more often, "What are you still doing in Romania?" These are questions I face on a weekly basis. As a Haitian-French foreigner, the curiosity—often laced with sarcasm—comes from both people I meet and those I’ve known for years. Surprisingly, the
Sarah J.D.
Oct 1, 20194 min read
“The more you read, the more things you will know. The more you learn, the more places you'll go.” — Dr. Seuss
bottom of page