The trials and tribulations of a seasonaire nomad

Living job to job and moving countries every 6 months isn’t always sunshine and roses. I've unraveled a few of the sunnier and darker elements of being a seasonaire.

Leaving your family behind

Being away from your family for long periods at a time can be really tough. Things happen back home that you cant be a part of, can't be there to physically support anyone, time differences mean sometimes supportive phone calls are even hard to organize, let alone commit to. I always find that sad or difficult news makes me feel even further away and sometimes I feel like I need to go home in these times but I’m reminded by my loved ones that whether I'm here, or there, it's not always possible to help, and the best I can do is continue to be happy and aspire to make them all proud.

I moved out of my family home when I had just turned 18 to become an Au-pair to two lovely children in Spain and haven’t lived at home long-term ever since. There are a few things that I do to help myself feel strong while I’m away. Firstly, I occasionally write letters and/or postcards to my grandparents. I post updates on my family group chat. I call my parents least once a week, which you might think isn’t an awful lot but distance keeps me stronger. Having a rough idea of when I’ll next see my family also really helps because I love planning what I’m going to tell them or do with them when I see them.

When family come to stay

-----

Being a full-time seasonaire means travelling from country to country sometimes without being able to take a trip home between seasons. However it also means that you're living in places where your friends and family would love to go, and occasionally it works out well for you, parents deciding to make their holiday a trip to see you and its honestly the best week of the season when they come. At the end of my season in St Anton my family and friends came to visit me for a week of first lifts and long lunches. The hard part of having visitors is getting time off or finding time in-between shifts to see them. I wasn't lucky enough to have the whole week off but I still had enough free time to enjoy their company. Ski resorts aren't budget holiday locations so help them out by doing your rear h before they book! make sure they're located somewhere you can easily meet them. I've grown up skiing with my family and we are all confident all-mountain skiers, but sometimes when you have visitors you have to combat your urge to rip the mountain, hooning it down the off-piste might not be their cup of tea and spending time with them in your favorite place is what matters right?! Keep those rest stops in mind and stick to the slopes that have fun side hits etc to keep everyone happy. As an instructor now, in my most recent seasons my friends and family have asked me questions about technique which is so lovely, but be careful not to step on toes to heavily, your friends and family are here to enjoy their holiday, a few confidence boosting tips can really help but they aren't wanting to be the next world cup winners so keep it light.

Friends.

The hardest thing about living in a different country to your best friends is remembering that they have beautiful lives too, but they also have hard times and just because you’re far away doesn’t mean they aren’t there for you and you can't be there for them because you can. One of the best things I received this last season was a Christmas card from my best friend, it really touched me in a way that Facebook messages never can. Just the other day my friends and I organized a video conference to catch up. Video chats are a chance to hear their voices, express yourself and show them a little bit about where you are. Truly brilliant. It isn't all about the friends you leave behind however..

One of the greatest things about being a seasonaire is making friends. It is the best way to meet like-minded people from all over the world. Living in close quarters and working together means its make or break so you usually end up with friends you hope to stay in touch with for the rest of your life.

End of season taco night with the New Zealand crew

- Finances.

Staying financially afloat when you're a ski instructor is really tough, especially when you're new to the scene but there are a few things you can do to minimise your chances of running out of money and not having enough to get you to your new destination, while also making the most out of every season.

- 1. Go to the supermarkets and cook your own food. Accept invitations to larger group restaurant gatherings and do other free activities when you want to hang with one or two friends.

- 2. Turn that “lets go for a beer” into "lets have people over for beer pong at ours with some tinnies" (they’re significantly cheaper than buying beer in a bar).

- 3. Once you’ve earned enough money for your flights and first few weeks for set-up next season, transfer it to a separate account and stash it away so that you're not tempted to spend it on those new pow skis you’ve seen or the latest goggle trend.

- 4. At the start of the season go hunting for the local second-hand store for your extra thermals, hoodies you couldn’t pack, house stuff you might be missing etc or even some gear to get that second discipline going!

- 5. Take a packed lunch with you to work/ski. Mountain-top prices are not seasonaire friendly, especially in Europe.

Fashion.

I miss shopping and owning more than two pairs of shoes so much. At first the novelty of high heels, a full make-up bag, dresses and skirts and pretty jewelry wears off very very quickly as if you’d never owned such items before, but after a while I sometimes feeling like it would be nice to be able to have a day browsing the rails, trying new makeup and having sophisticated lunches with the girls. Then I wake up the next morning, put my ski gear on and it's as if I never ever felt that way. Plus of course, I get my fix in the short periods between the seasons to update the wardrobe, get some new gear and go to nice lunches with friends and family.

The sunshine

Or should I say lack of it. I’ve just done a season in Japan where I was told I wouldn’t really see the sun much because of the shear levels of snow they receive everyday. I thought I’d really struggle in Japan with my mental health and it wasn’t without its tough times even though we really did see a heck of a lot more sun than we’d hoped because of course snow is WAY more important right?! Unlike in France and Austria and the like, since there is usually so much snow in Japan, the cafes, restaurants and bars don’t have outdoor areas to sit in the sun with a cold pint or vin chaud. Instead, everyone shelters inside in darker cozier bars and restaurants with boozie hot chocolates and espresso martinis after a hard day in the POW, well at least that’s what the guests and perhaps the seasonaires with savings do. The majority of us usually made our way straight back home with a six pack of Sapporo's finest cans and set up shop in our tiny little apartment with way more people than can really fit. So yeah, my skin didn’t really see much sunshine even if I was out in the fresh air skiing 70% of the time.

- So what did I do to help myself feel better? I made the most of the sunny days by staying out for the full day, going for strolls after work for the all necessary ice-cream and dreaming of sunny beaches.

The Ski Nomad