I finally stopped believing the "you need a real address" myth for nomad life

A guy named Dave on the Nomad List forums told me I was overthinking it. I had been worried about banks and PayPal freezing my accounts without a permanent US address. He said just use a mail forwarding service in a state with no income tax and keep moving. I ignored him for 6 months, kept my old lease in Ohio just for the address. That cost me $700 a month for nothing. Finally switched to a Traveling Mailbox plan for $15 a month. Nothing broke. No account issues. Has anyone else wasted money on a fake home base they didn't need?

2 comments

2 Comments

bencampbell16d ago

Man, I did the exact same thing except I kept paying for a storage unit in Texas thinking I needed it as an anchor. Soon as I switched to a mail forwarder and dumped the unit, zero problems and saved a ton each month.

jordanc6816d ago

Ngl @bencampbell I don't really get the panic about an address anchor unless you're doing something super shady with your residency. I mean I get that some people need a physical spot for banks or whatever but a lot of folks act like the mail forwarder is gonna somehow collapse your whole setup. I've been using a virtual mailbox for like two years now and never had a single issue with a credit card or a drivers license renewal. Feels like a lot of the fear around this stuff is just people overthinking it honestly.