3 months of nomad life with a family of three. Here's what I wish someone told me before we left:

- Your kid will adapt faster than you. By Nanning, my daughter made friends before we'd unpacked. Stop worrying about them — they're fine.
- Find local apartments in community advertisements or Lianjia. Negotiate and stay for a few days before the whole month. It will cut your cost by around 1/3.
- Community canteens are the cheat code. ¥15/meal, local flavors, and your kid eats better than at restaurants. Look for the one closest to a school.
- The city library is a free coworking space with AC, Wi-Fi, and no one asking if you want another coffee. I built my blog and automation system from libraries across 7 cities with OpenClaw.
- Don't plan more than 2 cities ahead. Your best discoveries come from locals saying "you should check out this place" — that's how we found Tengchong and Weishan.
- Your partner's patience is the real infrastructure. Logistics are solvable. Alignment on why you're doing this is not. Have that conversation before you leave, not after.
We went through Dali, Baoshan, Tengchong, Weishan, Guilin, Yangshuo, Nanning, Chongzuo, Quanzhou, Wuyishan and Fuzhou.
Some regrets though. And a few lessons I couldn't have learned staying put.
Stay Invested in the Game 🐍