⚓ est. 2009
noMADS going with the FLOw
Two humans, one pirate hedgehog (beanie baby), and the open road — living full-time across the globe one petsit at a time.
Chief Morale Officer
⚓ est. 2009
Two humans, one pirate hedgehog (beanie baby), and the open road — living full-time across the globe one petsit at a time.
Chief Morale Officer
We used to call ourselves FLOating noMADS — two people who sold the stuff and moved aboard a sailboat. These days the boat's got a new home and a new captain, but the spirit lives on: noMADS going with the FLO.
In 2019, after exploring the mountains of Colorado for over a decade, we decided that the world was too big to ignore. We sold our stuff, head towards an ocean, got a boat, and started figuring out life without a permanent address. In 2025, we swapped the boat for luggage, and started exploring inland. Travelling slowly with the goal of really getting the feel for a place became our North Star, even when going South.
Along the way, the boundless sphere that we all call home continues to change us. When it comes to skills, we gain new ones, refine existing ones, and let unneeded ones get covered with dust. When it comes to habits, we get better at the ones we practice and try out new ones that catch our interest. And when it comes to our perspective, we let this ongoing experience modify and shape them.
We spent years living aboard a 36-foot ketch sailboat and remain enthusiastic about crewing or guesting on any vessel that floats.
Without a car of our own, we rely on buses, trains, bicycles, and our feet to navigate the world.
When distances are too vast for sea travel or land routes prove impractical, we brave airports and cramped cabins to reach our destinations.
We stay long enough to truly know a place—its people, flora, and fauna. Our minimum is one month; longer is always better (visa permitting).
For brief stays between destinations, hotel rooms and complimentary breakfasts serve as a base to explore intermediate areas and discover places worth returning to.
The Colorado backcountry taught us that basic shelter and a campfire offer an affordable, rewarding way to experience a place without unnecessary frills.
Held by anchor and chain, we're reminded how small we are against nature's forces and how rewarding it is to work with the environment rather than against it.
A single step from our floating home to an ever-changing world, connected to the dock by nothing but lines.
One of us is a software architect and engineer; the other is an artist, copy editor, and digital designer. Technology has long separated work from location, and companies have finally learned this fact, sometimes.
Between contracts and completed projects, we lean on frugal habits and accumulated savings to fund extended periods of travel. With so much to experience and only 24 hours daily, sometimes the best choice is to slow down and be present.
International pet travel is logistically complex and often unfair to animals. Pet-sitting websites offered the perfect solution: companionship for us and care for pets. It's become our preferred way to experience a place while building meaningful connections with animals and neighbours.
Whether hiking remote trails, learning local languages, cooking regional cuisine, or simply living alongside the people and communities we encounter, we prioritize deep engagement over tourist checkboxes.
Our backgrounds in art and design naturally lead us to document our travels through photography, writing, and design—capturing not just what we see, but what we experience and learn.
From Bahamian egrets and sapsuckers to Costa Rican motmots, toucans, and macaws, we're constantly scanning the skies and canopies. The deserts of Baja California reveal hummingbirds and woodpeckers in unexpected places, while the Andes reward patience with metaltails, tanagers, and species found nowhere else on Earth. Each location brings a new list to chase and a deeper appreciation for avian diversity.
We create art wherever we land—carving simple wooden animals to leave behind as gifts, etching designs into empty jars we've collected, and sketching the people, places, and creatures we encounter. These projects ground us in the present moment and transform ordinary materials into meaningful keepsakes. There's something satisfying about making art that has no purpose beyond bringing joy to someone else.
Our long-term vision is a self-sufficient finca where we can grow our own food and nurture the land. In the meantime, we tend potted herbs on whatever patio or deck we call home, forage for wild edibles in our surroundings, and leave every yard and garden we visit better than we found it. Gardening connects us to the rhythm of seasons and reminds us of our place in a living ecosystem.
Whether it's firing up a grill, smoking meat low and slow, cooking fresh meals from local ingredients, or spreading a blanket for a picnic, we believe food is best shared outdoors. The mercado tables, beachside barbecues, and garden dinners are where we connect with people and build community. For us, socializing happens al fresco, always—surrounded by good food, good company, and open sky.
We're not chasing passport stamps or racing through bucket lists. Instead, we stay long enough to learn which direction the sun moves through the afternoon, where the best market vendors gather, and which neighborhood locals actually inhabit. This pace allows us to become temporary residents rather than tourists, to understand the subtleties of a place, and to build genuine relationships with the communities we visit.