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Jeannie Mark of Nomadic Chick, in New York City cafe
Outgoing, fun-loving Canadian Jeannie Mark, aka Nomadic Chick, once lead an ‘ordinary’ life in Vancouver. You know: married with a good job, a house and lots of possessions. But Jeannie eventually realized something was missing, big time, and finally took the plunge to follow her true passions: travel and writing. She’s been out in the world-at-large since mid-2010, all the while cooking up regular travel tales, travel tips and witty stories about her adventures to entertain and inspire others ‘stuck in the rat race’. In this travel interview, let’s find out how she made the break and what she’s learned on the road so far…
Q1. So you used to have a ‘typical’ life in Vancouver, working in the corporate world and getting more and more dissatisfied, until finally you realized you were going to get out. Was there a specific event or situation which lead to your decision, or was it more a gradual dawning? How did you finally make the mental move?
Answer: With anything like this it’s always a process, so it was gradual. We either tend to tackle the problem or bury it. I knew something was wrong, but applied band-aid measures to avoid changing. I did have a personality conflict with a co-worker that probably tore open the fissure. Human resources ignored my valid pleas and sided with the person. That’s when I realized I had become how they saw me. Undervalued, beaten and dispassionate. A secondary realization happened at the same time, I found grey hairs. That’s when I knew I no longer wanted a life filled with regret.
Nomadic Chick volunteering in India- Jan. 2011
Q2. You started your blog 6 months before you actually quit your job and set out on your nomadic adventures. What/who prompted you to start a travel blog, and especially way ahead of your trip?
Answer: My age group is entrenched in a few things, namely mortgages, children and debt. My friends were very supportive, but I still felt alone in my decision. I needed to share my story in the hopes others could relate and I could find some kind of community – was very happy to fulfill both.
Q3. How much of a following did you have when you headed out on your world trip?
Answer: I honestly didn’t pay much attention. When I started the blog I was counting on maybe 5 readers, so to even have 20 or more… let’s just say I felt very supported when I started my trip.
Q4. You finally started your trip in June, 2010. So you’ve been on the road for 1 ½ years already. What 2-3 most useful/ important lessons have your learned about yourself from your travels?
Answer: 1) I lost my assumptions; people are never as they appear. 2) I didn’t magically change – pretty much the same flawed person I was before, but that’s okay. Progression is a life-long project. 3) Traveling constantly doesn’t make you happy. Goals, love (self, friends, lover) and acceptance do.
Q5. Considering your dissatisfaction with your former life, I presume you’ve changed quite a bit since then. In what ways have you changed/ improved/ developed?
Answer: I’m less afraid to take risk, even when I don’t know the outcome. I’ve grown into someone patient, sure of herself and discovered the things that truly make my heart sing. My former life masked those things and now they are transparent. Viva la liberation!
Nomadic Chick at homestay in Bohol, Philippines- Dec 2011
Q6. What 2-3 biggest things have you learned about people from your travels?
Answer: 1) We’re all interrelated, wanting the same things that everyone does: love, security, family, happiness. 2) Governments are never the voice of real people. Meet ordinary people, don’t be reactionary and place labels. Once I opened myself up to that, I met some amazing humans who will remain in my memory. 3) No-one is one-dimensional. I use to be very black and white, but people are complex, act differently in a given situation. I learned to forgive and tolerate to great heights.
Q7. What are your 3 favorite places thus far, and why?
Answer: 1) Spain – come on, flamenco and tapas. 2) France – the men and elegance. 3) Brazil – it literally has everything. Chaos, beauty, struggle, peace, hell I could go on.
Jeannie with Mini Cooper in London, 2008
Q8. Jeannie, you’ve been offering your ‘proxy’ services to readers, whereby people can challenge you to do something fun, crazy, unusual while you’re out traveling the world. How long have you been offering the ‘proxy’ program
Answer: Since I left for my trip.
Q9. How’s that going? Have you had many ‘challenges’? Please tell us about 1 or 2 interesting / wonderful / terrible challenges you’ve received as ‘proxy’.
Answer: I have to face this one, total fail! Nobody’s really taken me up on it. Here’s your chance, people!
Jeannie visiting pandas at Chengdu Panda Base, China- Nov 2011
Q10. Last month in your post ‘Crazy Travel Woman Needs to Stop’ you announced that you’re going to take a break for a while. Have you come to any concrete plans about that yet? Where will you live? What kind of job will you/did you get? How long of a break do you reckon you’ll need?
Answer: By the grace of some higher power, I’ve landed a teaching job in Wuxi, China (about an hour from Shanghai). It’s perfect. Part-time hours, only 5 month contract and it’s English – supposedly my ‘field’. As for how long I actually need, 5 months sounds about right.
Q11. Any idea what’s next after your well-deserved break?
Answer: I’m working on an adventure trip with some other female writers/photographers to run with the bulls in Pamplona, Spain come July. Yes, it’s crazy, probably impulsive, but something about the challenge has me fired up. Stay tuned on that!
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Thanks so much, Jeannie, for sharing your personal insights and perspectives on travels, people and life thus far. Enjoy teaching in China and keep writing your fun, witty travel tales, please! cheers, Lash
Follow Jeannie / Nomadic Chick:
Hi! I'm Lash, an American nomadic world traveler who's been traveling solo since 1998. I’m passionate about traveling the world nomadically and then sharing it all with you. I hope to inspire you to travel the world, to entertain you with tales from the road, and to help you reach your travel dreams. Welcome! 
