What Does “Home” Really Mean?
The other day, I overheard my 4-year-old daughter talking with her friend here in Kotor, Montenegro.
They were asking each other, so casually:
“Where do you go after this?”
“Dubai.”
“And you?”
“The UK. But we’ll see each other again in Bali, right?”
I stood nearby, quietly listening — and honestly, I felt something shift in me.
We’ve only been living this digital nomad life for a short time, and I don’t know how we (or the kids) will feel about it months from now. But in that moment, it was clear that, for them, the world already feels wide open. The Earth itself is their home.
Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about that word — home.
What does it really mean?
Is it a place, a feeling, or something we carry within us?
I grew up thinking that home meant roots — one place, one community, one version of “normal.” And I still see how grounding that can be. Staying close to where you’re from builds deep connections, traditions, stability. There’s beauty in that.
But I also see another kind of beauty in what my children are learning now — how naturally they move through change, how unafraid they are to meet new people, how easy it is for them to imagine life in different corners of the world.
They’re becoming, in the truest sense, global citizens.
At ease with difference. Curious instead of cautious. Seeing others not as “foreign,” but as friends — as fellow humans sharing the same planet.
And yes, I know this way of living isn’t perfect. There are goodbyes, transitions, constant adjustments. We don’t know yet where we’ll eventually settle — maybe one day we’ll choose to get more rooted, hopefully somewhere that feels like home and community.
But for now, I find peace in this truth: home doesn’t have to be one fixed place. It can be something we build again and again — through the people we meet, the connections we nurture, and the sense of belonging we create wherever we are.
Lately, I’ve been asking myself — and maybe you can, too:
✨ What gave me a sense of home growing up?
✨ And what gives me that feeling now?
Whatever the answer is, I hope it brings you a little closer to the place — or the people — that make you feel most grounded, seen, and alive.
With love,
Khalida💛
🌿 I’d love for these reflections to reach more people who might need them. If someone comes to mind, consider forwarding this their way.