Geographical arbitrage: five years as a frugal nomad

Self-described minimalist Peter Lawrence has always valued his time over money. He lived simply for decades and was able to retire at 44. But after several years in his paid-off condo in Santa Clara, California, he decided to shed his home and the accompanying insurance and HOA (homeowners’ association) fees for life as a global nomad.

“Some people call it geographical arbitrage,” explains Lawrence. “In short, it is an attempt to achieve a similar quality of life at a fraction of the cost.”

Today, in order to keep his living costs to what he was paying on HOA fees, he picks locations where he can pay $300 or fewer per month for accommodation. Valuing mild weather and fresh produce, he seeks out places offering an “eternal spring”, such as El Valle de Antón, Panama; Sapa, Vietnam; Ajijic, Mexico; and Vilcabamba, Ecuador.

“One could consider my model as either part of the tiny house movement, or an alternative to it. By ‘my model’, I mean a model that owns virtually nothing.”

Thanks to this minimalist nomadic life, Lawrence finds the freedom to read, write, think and, above all, to savour the Italian concept of “il dolce far niente” or “the sweetness of doing nothing”.

View the original video here.

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