Everything Everywhere

Another interesting entrant in the growing list of blogs by people who are on the road long term is http://www.everything-everywhere.com by Gary Arndt. Gary is an American who has been travelling continuously since 2007 and who previously worked in IT. The photos on his blog are especially good.
I read somewhere recently that there are more than 1 million Americans who are permanent travellers. If you add in those from other countries, there must be many millions who are constantly in motion. Trends such as technology, early retirement, the difficulty of finding and keeping jobs are all adding to this number.
While some of these so-called nomads may just be upscale homeless people similar to those who rode the rails in search of work during the 1930s, many others adopt the lifestyle by choice. Of course there are still some traditional nomads--some Bedouin in the Middle East, some Mongolians, some Laplanders and so forth, but their numbers are declining. In addition, these traditional nomads usually travel known paths for grazing of animals, trade, etc. They certainly do not flit around the world on jets.
Is 21st century nomadism among people from affluent countries good or bad? I suspect it depends on the individual nomad and his or her motivations. Certainly it is good to explore other countries and cultures, to learn languages, to test oneself in unfamiliar situations. Many religions consider that all of life is a journey back to God, however one may conceive of him, her or it.
However, community is also important, and while we may be evolving toward a world community, we are far from there yet. I would welcome comments from anyone who has tried or been tempted to try the nomadic lifestyle.