Meet Sunil, the Nomad with Iconic Shorts
Sunil was born into movement. He grew up between the UK and the US, following his family or his studies. Travel has always been part of who he is. But it took him years to truly embrace the digital nomad lifestyle.
We first met in Chiang Mai, during a Christmas Day game of Catan in 2024.
Reunited again for a pop-up coliving in Japan, Sunil opened up and shared his story.
Du test… à la nouvelle vie
In 2023, Sunil started looking for a new job in UX design. On his list of requirements, there was one that mattered more than the rest: the ability to work remotely. He eventually landed a position that allowed him to leave London for two months each year. Perfect timing to test out a different way of living.
Meanwhile, the cost of living in the city kept skyrocketing — rents were climbing, interest rates were shooting up, and living alone in an apartment felt like walking a tightrope over an overdraft. It was the right moment for Sunil to take off and escape to Chiang Mai for a one-month trial run.
“I worked on UK hours, from 4 p.m. to midnight. The rest of the day, I was free to enjoy Thailand… I loved it. It felt like I was becoming myself again.”
And what came next? A life full of detours and opportunities seized on the spot: a job as a community manager in a coliving space, hosting a festival as an MC, an invitation from a local… Each destination was chosen more by instinct than by planning. Sunil is, as he puts it, “good at spotting opportunities.” Those chances shape his life, carve out his adventures, and draw a path that’s uniquely his. With just one golden rule: wear shorts every day!
"I’m neither a backpacker nor a tourist. I don’t travel, I live"
Often spotted laughing, always up for a joke over a drink and comfortable anywhere, Sunil is also a man who enjoys solitude. As curious as he is discreet. He walks a lot. He heads out alone to taste local food in hidden izakayas or neighborhood joints. He settles into an unfamiliar café to observe gestures, routines, and smiles… and to make friends — even when he doesn’t speak a word of the local language!
He has this rare ability to turn any city into a home. The world is his neighborhood.
Everywhere I go, I make it home.
Nomadism, his recipe for happiness
What does this life give him? The answer fits in a single word: happiness. For Sunil, being a nomad means living free to go wherever he wants, to stay or to leave as he pleases. It also means weaving connections across the globe, only to cross paths again by chance in another city, on another continent. “I learn from these encounters, from exchanges with people who share the same values.”
This lifestyle has also opened up inner space for him: time to work on himself, to better understand who he is. His movements are not an escape, but a reconnection with himself. In cafés, coworking spaces and colivings, he socializes. Yet solitude doesn’t scare him. He seeks it out — he needs it. “I go for long walks alone. I question myself: what I’m doing, why I’m doing it. I analyze my emotions.”
Being nomadic ultimately allows him to become himself again, to shed the masks he wore in his more settled life.
And the struggles? They happen to nomads just like to anyone else. Sunil turns them into experiences, into stories. His severe back crisis in Thailand, which forced him to stay in the hospital for several days, has almost become a happy memory. His friends would gather to visit and chat in his room — moments he now fondly calls “hospital hangouts”, which he recounts with a smile.
Work pays for life, but it isn’t life.
It’s not always easy for a digital nomad to find the right balance between work and personal life. For Sunil, the answer today is crystal clear: life comes first… but work pays for life!
“I don’t want work to take up all my mental space anymore.”
Sunil loves what he does. He’s always launching new ideas (like an e-commerce project for T-shirts branded Wear shorts every day, 100% in his own image), chasing opportunities, reinventing himself… without ever losing sight of who he is. He knows what he likes, what he needs (like a place with a kitchen, so he can cook the homemade dishes he secretly excels at), and he builds a life that reflects him.
He’s found his balance — and has no intention of ever going back.
Sunil,
He’s the one who walks in a stranger and walks out with friends,
gifted at quietly turning places into connections.
Nomadism, Sunil’s way
Pros & Cons
While the perks are plenty — happiness, new connections, freedom — there are still some downsides. For Sunil, it’s the admin work that comes with this lifestyle: booking flights, finding accommodation, dealing with visas…”
Favorite Destinations:
“Chiang Mai is one of my favorite places, and now I think Kotohira will also make the list”.
Sunil also loved Vilnius, where in just a few days he felt genuinely welcomed. “A great place, friendly people, lots of startups… »
Will the nomad life ever end?
Settling down isn’t part of his plans.
“I always dreamed of having my own house. With prices in Europe, it’s impossible. Abroad, it started to feel within reach… but in the end, I’ve changed my mind. For my future, I see nomadism”.
In his suitcase
Little by little, his bags have grown heavier — to keep up with daily needs, the many places he visits throughout the year, and the different climates. Inside Sunil’s suitcase you’ll find… shorts (obviously), shirts, and outfits for hosting events on stage. A couple of mics for recording podcasts along the way;
“and headphones — I need music. In the morning to wake up, to focus during the day, and at night to wind down”.
A daily routine?
“There is no routine in my life”. Getting up with music, answering a few emails, checking LinkedIn, and tackling some admin tasks, all in between walks around the city and pauses to savor local flavors.
First thing he does in a new place
Find a spot where locals hang out.
“I need that to quickly understand the culture and the people”.
His advice for future nomads
Try it first. Don’t sell everything at once. Give it a month or two and see if it’s really for you”.
And above all: “Don’t just go with the digital nomad flow — carve your own path”.
That’s exactly what he does, every day, with an open mind and a knack for meeting the world halfway.
