Have fun, meet people, and learn while you travel…
Traveling can be a solitary experience and even if you are traveling with a partner or friend having a great travel game makes passing time or meeting new people fun. As luxury nomads we are often sucked into the digital world and can find ourselves endlessly scrolling social media missing some of unique moments in our nomad travels. We travel with two games (Backgammon and Pass the Pigs) that are a quick fix and have lead to us meeting new people and creating memories we will never forget while we travel.
Why Backgammon??
Backgammon is a 5000+ year old game that is played all over the world. We travel with a roll up leather board by Sondergut. We like it because it is a game that is played almost everywhere and more in Europe and the Middle East. We have met new people just passing while we are playing and they stop to talk and play a game. Games are short, and the board and pieces travel well.
There are 3 types of travel backgammon boards and we have tried them all and prefer the rolled leather boards to the smaller regular or magnetic boards. The pieces are just easier to move and the board is simpler to pack and carry in and our of cafes and restaurants. One advantage the magnetic boards do have is on boat, ferry, or train travel if the ride is bumpy or rocking the pieces don’t slide around. So we do own both, and choose based on where we are going.
Luxury Nomad Lifestyle Favorites
Memorable Backgammon Game
Zagreb, Croatia
Traveling with backgammon brings us together and creates Luxury Nomad Experiences no travel agent can create.
A Memorable Backgammon Game
In the fall of 2020 we were traveling across Croatia and visiting Zagreb to see the capitol and city life inland. Like many cities in Europe there are gypsies you interact with almost daily, and you grow to expect requests for money, or to take something you need to avoid for various reasons. I was walking carrying a backgammon board while waiting for some laundry and young gypsy asked to play a game for money. I felt fairly confident I would fair well so I accepted and we played for 20€. Well, needless to say this young person was very experience and quickly took my 20€. We laughed a lot and he smiled at me and asked to play again for double…..I politely declined as I saw what was coming next, but the story is one I will keep forever. Neither of us could speak to each other, but traveling with backgammon brought us together and created a Luxury Nomad Experience no travel agent can create.
