World Travelers Alex and Mina of Sending Post Cards

Alex and Mina of Sending Postcards gave up secure jobs, sold their house and got rid of their possessions to travel the world. My wife and I also went through that exact same process so I can attest that it was one of the most stressful times of our lives. Alex and Mina make it look easy in comparison. They share some of their experiences in this interview.

Please tell us a little about your background.

We have enjoyed reading the JetSetCitizen over the past year and are excited that we have been asked to be interviewed.

Our story begins in Canada, on the icy cold prairies. We were both born and raised in the city of Winnipeg. I’m 27 years young and Mina just celebrated her 26th birthday during our stay in Guayaquil, Ecuador.

We met in 2004 while we were both studying at the University of Manitoba. I started work as a software developer/programmer analyst shortly after graduating. Mina had several business endeavours, as well as a part time job, while she was completing her degree. Her business background…

How to Make the Most of Your Air Miles Program

Despite all the popular blog posts about using air miles or frequent flyer miles for free flights, it seems many travelers still haven’t signed up for an air mile rewards program. It is not hard to cash in miles for free flights even if you travel infrequently. Here are some of the lessons I have learned with various air mile programs.

Why Use an Air Miles program?

I suspect that the reason people do not sign up for an air miles program is that they feel it is too difficult to build up enough miles to earn a free flight. It is probably easier than you think to earn flights and it is free to sign up for the various air mile programs so there really is nothing to lose. After your first trip overseas you will likely get bitten by the travel bug and fly much more frequently then you now imagine. Remember that you can still sign up after your trip for a short time. It might not be too late if you act fast.

One return flight from Japan to Canada earns…

New Year's in Japan

It has been just over ten months since I publicly declared my intention to leave Japan and give up my secure business. I didn’t have any clear plans or ideas on how I would accomplish the goal, but putting it out in the open for everyone to see definitely helped. My wife and I are now less than four weeks away from leaving.

We are going to start our travels by returning to Canada to spend time with family and then go to Europe for about six months. We have our tickets booked and are starting to clean out our house and pack. There is still a lot to do but it is mostly just shutting down our life here in Japan.

No More Stuff

It is amazing how liberating it is to shed material possessions. We have accumulated so many unnecessary things over the last decade.  We have a house full of stuff we saved because ’someday we might need it again.’ Well, all of those things are being sold, given away or thrown away. Since committing to our plan to leave Japan we haven’t bought any non-essential possessions. We…

Teach English Abroad

The easiest,  fastest and safest way to leave your home country and begin a life in a foreign country is to teach English. If you have a university degree, a couple thousand dollars and about three months, you can reset your life in an exotic location. I did it and thousands of others have as well. Here are ten interviews with English teachers in various countries around the world to give you an idea of what to expect.

Teach English in Korea, Interview with Jordan Lunan

Teach English in France, Interview with Roni Weiss

What it is like to teach English in France. Covers visas, cost of living and what you are likely to expect. Roni also explains what it is like to teach in English immersion camps around the world.

Teach English in Korea, Interview with Simon and Martina Stawski

Great interview with EatYourKimchi bloggers and English teachers in Korea. Detailed advice and information on teaching…

Audrey Scott and Daniel Noll of Uncornered Market

Audrey Scott and Daniel Noll of Uncornered Market have almost a decade experience living abroad. After five years of living and working in Prague they began a nomadic life while continuing to work remotely. They are three years and counting into their vagabond existence with no end in sight. They offer some fantastic insight into their lives in this interview.

Please tell us about your travels so far?

We’ve been on the road for a little over three years. That may sound like an outrageously long time, but it wasn’t planned that way. When we quit our jobs and sold everything to take this journey, we thought we would travel around the world for 12-18 months. But sometimes life just takes over.

Once we started traveling in Asia, we realized it would take much longer to explore in the depth we wanted. For us to understand a place we need to visit more than the capital city; we spend time in smaller towns and rural areas to collect a variety of data points and experiences.

On this journey, we have visited over 35…

Asuka Village in Nara, Japan

Many of us dream of quitting our jobs and moving to an exotic country to have completely new experiences. What better New Year’s resolution then to completely restart our lives abroad?

The Problems

Leaving everything behind for a new life of adventure seems like a great idea but then fear shows its ugly head.

• How will I make money?
• I don’t have enough savings.
• What do I do with my things?
• What if I can’t find a job when I return?
• What if I get sick?
• How will I find a place to live?
• What about language barriers?

After a quick run-through of all the worst case scenarios, staying home and avoiding any risks seems to be the wiser choice.

The Solution

Moving to a foreign country doesn’t have to cost much money or be particularly risky. In fact, you can have someone in your new country sponsor your visa, help you find an apartment, get set up and even pay you a salary. Relocating to a foreign country can be almost risk free if you…

Interview with World Traveler, Robert Fitzsimmons

Adventure Rob, (Robert Fitzsimmons), is currently in Australia after traveling around South East Asia for 4 months. Rob quit his job one year ago and now he is exploring this fine planet of ours. Here is his story.

Please tell us about your background

Firstly I’d like to say thank you for the interview opportunity, it always surprises me when people are genuinely interested!

At school I had an interest in electronics and was even on TV with robots I had built. This interest lead to subject choices and eventually a career in electronic engineering. I finished an apprenticeship and continued employment with a military company testing missile guidance systems.

However this got repetitive and the ennui induced by sitting in a sunlight starved factory all week was enough to prompt my arm to erect and scream “me, me, me” when the company announced redundancies and asked who wanted to volunteer to be laid off. I had dreamed of travel for a while (since the second day I started work actually) and this was the first good chance of me being able to go for it.

Please tell us

…

Interview with the Professional Hobo, Nora Dunn

In 2006, Nora Dunn sold off her possessions and gave up a lucrative career to travel the world full-time. She has co-written a best-selling book and writes for numerous publications and sites. Hobo Nora has become a celebrity in travel and finance circles and I have a feeling this is only the beginning. Nora offers extensive details about her experiences in this interview.

You sold your possessions to begin a nomadic life of travel, where did that decision come from?

I was living in Toronto Canada, running a successful financial planning practice. I really enjoyed helping other people realize their goals and dreams by helping them engineer their finances to get them there (personal finance is about more to me than just saving money…it goes deeper).

But somewhere in the mix, I lost sight of my own goals and dreams of long-term travel. As with so many things, life got in the way of my plans of traveling after high school, and I always figured I’d “do it later”.

So over the years while I tried to fill an ever-growing void inside of me with activities, I also…

What is it like to teach English in Korea?

Teaching English abroad is a fantastic way to explore the world. You can experience an expat lifestyle with the security of a regular paycheck, a valid visa and assistance getting set up in a new country. Today’s interview is with Lindsay Nash, a former English teacher in Korea, who has started her own recruiting agency to help English teachers find jobs in Korea.

How long did you teach English in Korea?

My husband and I taught English for two years at a public/private elementary school in Gwangju, South Korea. Most contracts are one year, but we enjoyed it so much that we stayed for a second year. And we are currently planning on returning for a third year in March.

How did you find your first teaching jobs?

We found our jobs through a small recruiting agency that we came across in all of our “Googling” to find out more information about teaching in Korea. There are so many recruiters out there (now including myself!) so it was important to us to find one that we trusted and that could answer all of our questions.

How

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Stop your Travel Excuses and Meet Me on the Otherside

It is always easy to find reasons not to do something that will improve the quality of your life. Change is scary, so we tend to avoid it at all costs. Traveling to distant countries that you know little about can seem impossible but it is not. It is easier and cheaper to live abroad long term and it keeps getting better every year. Please let me debunk some of the common excuses of avoiding a life abroad.

1. I will lose touch with family and friends.

I have been away from my home country now for more than 12 years. In many ways my relationships with people in Canada are stronger than before. With the Internet and specifically my blog, Skype, Facebook and Twitter, I connect with people far more than I ever did when I was in Canada.

Another benefit with being away for extended periods of time, is that when you do return it is a much more exciting event. My wife and I only return to Canada once or twice a year, so every time we go home we make a…