Being a professional nomad in the third decade of the 21st Century sure is different then at any time in the past. Read John Steinbeck’s, Travels with Charley: In Search of America. Steinbeck made his nomadic trip in 1960. The differences are very significant during this period of time.
I am a "digital nomad" aka a “tech-nomad.” In other words, I travel with certain state-of-the-art, mainly digital, technology. This technology allows me to plan, navigate, communicate, pay bills, receive income and record audio, anything from a cricket chirping, my own or other people’s spoken word information or music. I can also take high quality still photos and record reasonable quality, high-definition video.
So, for those interested in my current mobile/portable technology as of the beginning of 2026, here is what may or may not be on board my rolling home on wheels at one time or another. I usually carry minimal equipment with me. Since technology is always changing, so will parts of this list as I upgrade from time to time.
Navigation:
*Currently I utilize my OnePlus 11-5G Smart Phone GPS or the built in GPS navigation system in my Dodge Grand Caravan minivan.
Communication:
*OnePlus 11-5G Smart Phone on Android 15 O/S with no contract unlimited phone, text and wireless data service provided by AT&T for both wireless telephone service, handheld, portable email, texting and 3G, 4G, LTE and 5G Internet connection - tethered or as a wifi hotspot. I also have a second unlimited wireless data service from AT&T that utilizes a mobile modem/router for expanded wifi.
*Secondary Wireless Phone/Data service - researching to determine the least expensive, cost effective phone and data service to acquire as a back-up to my AT&T service. It will be for use only when I find myself in a location where no AT&T service is available, hopefully there with be service on the secondary account.
*Secondary Wireless Phone/Data service - researching to determine the least expensive, cost effective phone and data service to acquire as a back-up to my AT&T service. It will be for use only when I find myself in a location where no AT&T service is available, hopefully there with be service on the secondary account.
*Kenwood TS-430 high frequency (1.8MHz – 30MHz) amateur radio transceiver providing CW (Morse code), Single Sideband (SSB), AM and FM (FM only on the 10 meter band) communication rated at 250 watts PEP SSB, 200 watts CW, 120 watts FM and 60 watts AM. It's not currently in the minivan and I may be selling this 46 year old transceiver and acquiring a smaller, up to date rig.
*2 meter and 220 MHz VHF handheld transceiver
*40 Channel CB transceiver (new rig to be acquired)
*Motorola GPRS/FRS handheld transceivers (2 units)
This array of communication equipment assures that my rolling home will always have worldwide communication capability. It can also be placed into service as a communications command post in the event of natural or human caused emergencies.
Computers:
*Lenovo Yoga X1 ThinkPad laptop computer operating on Windows 11 Professional with 14" screen and Intel i7dual core processor, 64 bit operating at 3 GHz. Unit has 16 MB of RAM and a 500 GB hard drive. It's backed up by a 4 TB portable SSD and a number of high capacity thumb drives. It is used for all my computing requirements
*OnePlus 11G Smart Phone with a "grandfathered" unlimited 5G phone, text and data AT&T service package
*Software: Microsoft Word, Excel and Access 2094 3rd party compatible Office Suite, Open Office 4.1.2 and various other software
Audio & Video Digital Recording Equipment:
*Zoom H2n, H4n and H6 portable, two, four and six channel, handheld, digital audio recorders
*Intova Edge X 1080P Action Camcorder
*OnePlus 11G Smart Phone handheld voice recorder and digital video & still camera/camcorder
*Sony MDR-7506 studio monitor headphones, a JBL high-quality wireless headset (with built-in mic) and a few in-ear sets of earbuds. They all operate on Bluetooth except for the Sony headphones
*Shure VP88 MS studio and field stereo condenser microphone
*Several Wired & wireless lapel microphones for interviews
*(1) 15’ tall microphone stand
*(2) OnStage boom floor microphone stands with adapters for use as fixed video camera & light mounts.
*Software: Magix Sound Forge Pro 8.0, 11.0 & Audio Studio 17, Adobe Audition 1.5, Source Forge Audacity 2.0.6 audio recording, editing and production software, Music Maker 2024, Pinnacle Studio 11, Microsoft MovieMaker, Adobe Premier Elements 9.0 video editing and production software, Photoshop 7.0 and Photoshop Elements 9.0 photo editing software
*Misc. desk microphone stands, cables, adapters, tripods, video lights and other peripheral support items.
This technology may be USB powered, battery powered by self-contained batteries, AC powered by a DC to AC inverter or from 110 AC shore power.
