{"id":185581,"date":"2021-02-22T13:06:00","date_gmt":"2021-02-22T10:06:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/how-real-americans-are-living-the-nomadland-life\/"},"modified":"2021-02-22T13:06:00","modified_gmt":"2021-02-22T10:06:00","slug":"how-real-americans-are-living-the-nomadland-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-real-americans-are-living-the-nomadland-life\/","title":{"rendered":"#\n  How real Americans are living the \u2018Nomadland\u2019 life"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a413398d2c78\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a413398d2c78\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-real-americans-are-living-the-nomadland-life\/#A_look_at_older_adults_working_odd_jobs_on_the_road\" >A look at older adults working odd jobs on the road<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-6' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-6'><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-6' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-6'><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-6' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-6'><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-6' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-6'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-real-americans-are-living-the-nomadland-life\/#Whos_living_in_Nomadland_in_America\" >Who\u2019s living in Nomadland in America<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-6'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-real-americans-are-living-the-nomadland-life\/#The_%E2%80%98Nomadland_films_multilayered_look\" >The \u2018Nomadland\u2019 film\u2019s multilayered look<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-real-americans-are-living-the-nomadland-life\/#Lisa_Iannucci\" >Lisa Iannucci<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p>&#8220;<strong>#<br \/>\n  How real Americans are living the \u2018Nomadland\u2019 life<br \/>\n<\/strong>&#8221;<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"article__subhead\" itemprop=\"alternativeHeadline\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"A_look_at_older_adults_working_odd_jobs_on_the_road\"><\/span>\n  A look at older adults working odd jobs on the road<br \/>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><\/p>\n<div class=\"column column--full article__content\">\n<div id=\"js-article__body\" class=\"article__body article-wrap at16-col16 barrons-article-wrap\" itemprop=\"articleBody\" data-sbid=\"WP-MKTW-0000172878\">\n<div class=\"barrons-article-ad-wrapper\">\n<div data-track=\"barrons-article-ad-wrap\" class=\"barrons-article-ad sticky_item\">\n<div class=\"barrons-main-article-ad-target sticky_target body_ad\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>       <em>This article is reprinted by permission from\u00a0<\/em><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.nextavenue.org\/\" class=\"icon none\"><em>NextAvenue.org<\/em><\/a><em>.<\/em><\/p>\n<p> For four decades, Jean Hardwick had a good, stable career, health and life insurance and a Sarasota, Fla. home she owned and loved. Then in 2015, catastrophe struck. After a near-fatal reaction to a pre<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">script<\/a>ion medication, Hardwick, now 60, found herself undergoing heart surgery, suffering from seizures and facing more than $500,000 in medical bills.<\/p>\n<div class=\"paywall\">\n<p>\u201cThere is government assistance, but it\u2019s loaded with Catch-22s,\u201d Hardwick said. \u201cThey say, \u2018We can\u2019t help you because you own a home, so call us back when the property is not in your name anymore.\u2019 Applying for disability takes around two years. In the meantime, you sell your furniture and clothes to make ends meet.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>While Hardwick was finally on the road to recovery, she lost her home. After her disability payments began coming through, she decided to make a change and begin living a nomadic life, driving from temp job and location to another.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn December 2019, I lucked into an older campervan [a van equipped as a <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/trip-and-travel\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"10\" title=\"Trip &amp; Travel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">travel<\/a>ing home] and sold or gave away everything,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n<p>Hardwick\u2019s not despondent about her new life. She says she sees it more like \u201cprocessing, figuring out how to move forward, trying to find silver linings.\u201d<\/p>\n<h6><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Whos_living_in_Nomadland_in_America\"><\/span><strong>Who\u2019s living in Nomadland in America<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h6>\n<p>Hardwick is just one of many Americans over 60 who \u2014 when faced with mounting debt and exorbitant housing prices \u2014 have decided to pack it all in. Into their van or small RV that is, working odd jobs on the road and living in \u201cNomadland,\u201d which is the name of new, acclaimed film starring the award-winning actress Frances McDormand now playing on Hulu and in theaters.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNomadland\u201d is a fictional story based on the real-life people featured in journalist Jessica Bruder\u2019s bestselling book of the same name. (Next Avenue\u2019s Richard Eisenberg wrote about the book in his 2017 article, \u201c<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nextavenue.org\/older-americans-nomadland\/\" class=\"icon none\">The Rough Lives of Older Americans in \u2018Nomadland<\/a>.&#8217;\u201d)<\/p>\n<p>The Golden Globes-nominated film follows a middle-aged woman named Fern (played by McDormand) who, like Hardwick, faces extreme financial challenges. Fern is a rural widow who loses her job at the U.S. Gypsum factory in Empire, Nev., and chooses to live in her van, working short-term jobs as an Amazon warehouse seasonal worker and at an RV park as a camp host.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNomadland,\u201d written and directed by Chinese filmmaker Chlo\u00e9 Zhao (the first woman to receive the Palm Springs International Film Festival\u2019s Director of the Year Award), features real nomads Linda May \u201cSwankie\u201d and Bob Wells, creator of the popular\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCAj7O3LCDbkIR54hAn6Zz7\" class=\"icon none\">CheapRVLiving YouTube channel<\/a>. All are over 60.<\/p>\n<div id=\"cx-membership-tile\"><\/div>\n<p>Twenty years ago, Wells \u2014 a former grocery store worker \u2014 was also forced into van life, following a divorce that left him with little money to pay rent and other expenses. \u201cI drove past a business with a big, green box van for sale and thought, \u2018I could live in that and then I wouldn\u2019t have to pay rent and I could keep my own money,&#8217;\u201d said Wells.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Also see: <\/strong>All the ways older people mismanage their money \u2014 and how to avoid them<\/p>\n<p>At first, Wells said, he felt like a failure and that van life was a blow to his self-esteem. But, he noted, things changed when he changed his thinking.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI just acted like I was going camping,\u201d Wells said. \u201cI adapted, and it started to feel very comfortable. Plus, I was saving a thousand dollars a month from not paying rent.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Wells also found freedom as a nomad.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur society and our values are all oriented towards things and money and power and prestige,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen you live in a van, you don\u2019t have any of that. But I also had more time to spend with my family and I had peace of mind.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In \u201cNomadland,\u201d which was filmed at actual camps set up by true nomads, Fern faces her own van life stigma. A former neighbor approaches her and says she heard that Fern was homeless. \u201cI\u2019m not homeless, I\u2019m\u00a0<em>houseless<\/em>,\u201d Fern retorts.<\/p>\n<p><strong>More:<\/strong> Drug prices are rising faster than seniors can keep up<\/p>\n<p>Wells believes that the country\u2019s current economic struggles will force more boomers to join him on the road.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cParticularly women in their 60s and 70s who were told to stay home and raise the kids and they\u2019d be fine. Then the husband died or they divorced and the wife\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Social<\/a> Security isn\u2019t enough money to pay her rent,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<p>To research her \u201cNomadland\u201d book, Bruder spent an eye-opening three years learning about this subset of RV and van travelers who are work campers.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was a whole world I didn\u2019t know anything about,\u201d she says. Bruder launched her reporting by emailing someone at an\u00a0RV park\u00a0who introduced her to others who lived and worked on the road. That\u2019s where she met Linda May, who\u2019s featured in the film.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI also learned about one gentleman who had been a VP of research and development for McDonald\u2019s global, who lost everything in the [2008] crash and other people who had low- or minimum-wage jobs for most of their lives and found themselves living on the road,\u201d she recalls.<\/p>\n<p>Bruder, like Wells, fears that the pandemic-driven economy will drive more Americans into a nomadic life.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNow you have this huge wave of unemployment and people who are not going to be able to pay the rent,\u201d she says. \u201cThe scale of the situation is just unprecedented.\u201d<\/p>\n<h6><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_%E2%80%98Nomadland_films_multilayered_look\"><\/span><strong>The \u2018Nomadland\u2019 film\u2019s multilayered look<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h6>\n<p>Although the film brings to light difficult financial struggles of older nomads in the U.S., Zhao presents Fern\u2019s struggles in both a delicate and strong way.<\/p>\n<p>In an interview at the Toronto International Film Festival, Zhao said she wanted Fern \u201cto be a guide to be able to bring us into this vast, really rich world of nomadic living. What I\u2019ve learned is that you have to anchor the audience in one person\u2019s intimate experience, so they can feel comfortable to be able to experience everything else and without getting lost. So that\u2019s always the plan from the beginning to find that balance.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Don\u2019t miss: <\/strong>Retirement income security for everyone (RISE) raises many questions<\/p>\n<p>McDormand\u2019s portrayal of Fern has earned her a bushel of awards and nominations, including a Golden Globes and a Screen Actors Guild nomination for Female Actor in a Leading Role.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFern had a very prescribed set of rules living in an empire and once she hits the road, the possibilities become open and her sense of self sufficiency is tested,\u201d McDormand said at the Toronto International Film Festival. \u201cI think that we really were hoping that the audience would not worry for her, but only be excited by the possibilities of her seeing what was going to come around the next corner.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Describing Fern\u2019s journey, McDormand also said: \u201cI personally think she was always a true nomad deep inside and then when she finally left, it took her a bit time to figure out who she really is. And I do think hopefully, when you watch the movie at the end, you go, \u2018Oh, she belongs to the road. It\u2019s not gonna be easy. But that\u2019s where she finds herself. She seems at home there.&#8217;\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>Lisa Iannucci\u00a0is the founder of\u00a0The Virgin Traveler, a travel blog for those who are finally getting a chance to travel. She is also a contributor to Travel Pulse (travelpulse.com) and writes about film festivals for FF2Media.com. She is the author of\u00a0\u201cThe Film\/TV Lover\u2019s Travel Guide\u201d\u00a0and\u00a0\u201cRoad Trip: A Sports Lover\u2019s Travel Guide.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>This article is reprinted by permission from\u00a0<\/em><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.nextavenue.org\/\" class=\"icon none\"><em>NextAvenue.org<\/em><\/a><em>, \u00a9 2021 Twin Cities Public Television, Inc. All rights reserved.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>More from Next Avenue:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul class=\"articleList\">\n<li>\n      <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nextavenue.org\/covid-19-and-the-future-of-aging-what-older-workers-need-2\/\" class=\"icon none\">COVID-19 and the Future of Aging: What Older Workers Need<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n      <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nextavenue.org\/older-workers-unemployed-as-retirement-nears\/\" class=\"icon none\">Why More Older Workers Are Becoming Unemployed As Retirement Nears<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n      <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nextavenue.org\/part-time-business-before-retire\/\" class=\"icon none\">Starting a Part-Time Retirement Business Before You Retire<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p><\/p>\n<div class=\"byline article__byline\">\n<p>      <span>By<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"author  hasMenu\" data-scrim='{\"type\":\"author\",\"header\":\"Lisa Iannucci\",\"subhead\":\"The Wall Street Journal\",\"list\":[]}' itemscope itemprop=\"author\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/Person\">\n<h4 itemprop=\"name\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Lisa_Iannucci\"><\/span>Lisa Iannucci<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a> articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.marketwatch.com\/news\/story.asp?guid=%7B21005575-02D4-D4B5-4572-D2A34EEAB564%7D&#038;siteid=rss&#038;rss=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;# How real Americans are living the \u2018Nomadland\u2019 life &#8221; A look at older adults working odd jobs on the road This article is reprinted by permission from\u00a0NextAvenue.org. For four decades, Jean Hardwick had a good, stable career, health and life insurance and a Sarasota, Fla. home she owned and loved. Then in 2015, catastrophe&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":185582,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-185581","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185581","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=185581"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185581\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/185582"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=185581"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=185581"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=185581"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}