Beyond the Grid: When Home Becomes a Question, Not an Address
Beyond the Grid is where real conversations happen. Three creators. Two hosts. Honest stories. BTG is a live, unscripted space where creators from across the world talk openly about what it costs to keep moving, how places shape who we become, and what freedom actually feels like when you choose it every single day.
Beyond the Grid (BTG) exists for the moments nobody posts about. This is where we pause the curated travel feeds and sit down for real conversations about raising kids across cultures, leaving careers for trails, and challenging the stories the world tells about entire continents.
Where: Instagram LIVE
Why BTG conversations hit differently
Most travel content is about where people go. BTG is about who they become when they get there.
In this Beyond the Grid LIVE, we will talk about:
- What it costs to raise global citizens across five countries
- The blessing (and terror) of getting fired into freedom
- Why Latin America deserves better than Netflix stereotypes
- How movement becomes identity when you never fully unpack
- The loneliness nobody mentions when everywhere is temporary
- Living without a fixed address—and what that does to belonging
Episode 09: Three continents, three choices, one shared truth
For this Instagram LIVE, we're bringing together three creators whose lives challenge everything the world assumes about settling down.
They come from different continents. Different reasons for moving. Different definitions of home. But they meet at the same truth: freedom has a cost nobody talks about.
This conversation explores what happens when:
Meet the creators joining us LIVE
Troy Smith (@smithfamilyadventures)
An international school teacher living in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Troy and his family have moved through New Zealand, China, Indonesia, Cambodia, and now East Africa—raising two daughters who correct their parents' pronunciation and speak more languages than most adults. His perspective is shaped by intentional transitions, cultural immersion, and the belief that home isn't a place—it's a practice. Troy's work shows what it looks like to honour host countries while never asking your children to forget where they're from.
Nicole (@nicolewandersmindfully)
A former board-certified behaviour analyst turned photographer and trail guide, Nicole left her career behind after getting fired in Germany—and calls it the best thing that ever happened to her. Now based between Germany and her boyfriend's camper van across Europe, she hikes glaciers in Iceland, mountain bikes through Spain, and openly admits that solo travel can be lonely. Her content doesn't romanticise freedom. It shows the cold, the re-worn fleeces, and the truth that nobody's going to stop her stride.
Lorena (@yourtravelmuse.x)
Based in Ireland but emotionally anchored in Latin America, Lorena is a solo backpacker on a mission: to show the world what Colombia, Costa Rica, and the Amazon actually are—beyond cartel documentaries and Netflix fear. She's travelled to the region four times, and in two days, she's flying to the Amazon to live with indigenous communities. Not in a luxury lodge. On the ground. Her work is correct. Reclamation. Showing that people, culture, and resilience exist far beyond the headlines.
Together, their stories offer a powerful reminder: Moving constantly is exhausting. And electric. And lonely. And free. All at once.
Your hosts for the evening
HOST — Sneha Chamaria
A digital nomad who moved out at 16 and has lived in 15 Indian cities and 10 countries since, Sneha understands what it means to belong everywhere and nowhere at once. She knows the 3-2-1 military sleep technique, can sleep through flights, and asks the questions that come from someone who's packed light and woken up in a city where nobody knows your middle name. With warmth and intuition, she creates space for creators to stop performing and start confessing.
HOST — Aakash Khanwani
An explorer who's covered India end-to-end and landed in Tokyo, New York, and San Francisco, Aakash is the first to admit his curiosity isn't about collecting cities—it's about the people who stayed. Every time he travels, he wonders: what could my life have been if I'd chosen differently? With genuine curiosity and self-deprecating humour (he needs his therapist if he lands without internet), he asks questions not as a host, but as a friend trying to understand a path he's considered taking himself.
Join creators beyond the grid
Every BTG LIVE reminds us that travel isn't just movement—it's transformation.
A city can teach your children five languages. A firing can become freedom. A continent can deserve better than its reputation. And a conversation can change how you see the word "home."
If you've ever wondered what it costs to never settle… If you've questioned whether movement is bravery or avoidance… If you're curious what happens when your children grow up as global citizens…
This conversation is for you.
Instagram LIVE details
Beyond the Grid – Episode 09
Instagram LIVE: @travelwithalike
Set a reminder. Join the conversation. Bring your questions.
Frequently asked questions
What is Beyond the Grid (BTG)?
Beyond the Grid is a live conversation series by Alike that brings creators together to talk openly about what happens between destinations—the identity shifts, the costs of freedom, the loneliness of movement, and the courage to keep going when the world asks you to settle.
Who is this Instagram LIVE for?
This LIVE is for digital nomads, expat families, career-changers, solo travellers, and anyone who's ever wondered what it actually costs to live without a fixed address. If you're curious about the unfiltered reality behind the travel highlight reels, you belong here.
Do I need to be a full-time traveller to relate to this conversation?
Not at all. BTG is about the questions underneath the movement—belonging, identity, courage, transformation. Whether you've moved countries or are considering your first leap, these stories will resonate.
Will this be a structured interview or an open conversation?
BTG lives are unscripted and conversational. Expect honest dialogue, personal stories, real contradictions, and real-time audience questions. The creators don't perform—they confess.
Can I ask questions during the LIVE?
Absolutely. Audience participation is encouraged. Bring your thoughts, questions, curiosities, and experiences into the conversation. The hosts and creators read and respond to comments in real-time.
Where can I watch the LIVE?
The session will be streamed on Instagram LIVE at @travelwithalike. Set a reminder so you don't miss it.
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