Most people are surprised at how inexpensive a travel lifestyle can be. With a modest and consistent online income, a life abroad is probably a lot easier than you think. This interview with Matthew Karsten, of ExpertVagabond.com, is a great case study on what is possible.

Please tell us about your travels.

I first began traveling long-term in November 2010. Before I left for good, I took a “practice” trip in Mexico for 5 weeks to see if I’d like it, and to learn about any logistical problems that might pop up (mail, banking, internet, etc.). After that I flew into Guatemala and have been working my way South through Central America for the last 10 months.

What made you decide to begin a nomadic life?

There really wasn’t a single big reason, more like a combination of many. I was bored with my life. I moved around a lot, and it was something I actually looked forward to doing. I guess I just couldn’t stay in one place for too long before I started wondering what it would be like living somewhere else. I think I was just born with a nomadic gene.

Did you have

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It is hard for most people to imagine what it is like to constantly travel. Most imagine that great riches are required, but from my own experiences and those I have interviewed, a travel lifestyle is probably much easier than you imagine. Digital nomad, James Clark of NomadicNotes shares his story of creating a life of constant travel in this interview. By keeping his expenses low, he is able to fund his travels through various advertising driven travel related websites.

Please tell us about your travels.

My first trip abroad was a brief holiday to Hawaii which activated the travel bug. I took some annual leave holidays after that, but I found that even saving up 2 months of leave from work wasn’t enough time to explore in a time frame I wanted. My long term travels began in 1999 when I moved to London on a 2 year working holiday visa, where I used London as a home base for travels around Europe. So far my travels have taken me to over 40 countries across North America, Europe and Asia. I still have much of the world to see, but I am…

I have written previously about how my wife and I need routine in our lives. While it is great to live in new countries, constant travel is very time-consuming and stressful. We have been consider setting up roots again and having a more stable lifestyle.

The big problem with settling down is that it costs a lot of money. It actually costs a huge amount of money to have a normal western lifestyle.

Here is a rough breakdown of monthly expenses that we would expect to incur if we permanently relocated to my home city of Calgary.

• Mortgage on an average starter home: $1800
• Property taxes: $200
• Utilities: $350
• Telephone, Internet: $150
• Cell Phones: $200
• Car Payments: $300
• Car Insurance: $100
• Car Maintenance and Gas: $200
• Furniture and Household Items: $500
• Clothing: $200
• Food: $500
• Entertainment: $500

Total $5000

The North American Idea of a Normal Lifestyle

We don’t have to spend that much money of course, but it is hard not to when all of your peer group does. Expenses of $5,000 per month are normal for a professional couple in Calgary.  It doesn’t matter how independently minded you…

Careers, debts and children seem to be prime reasons for delaying dreams to travel the world or begin a lifestyle design journey. It is difficult to change your life when you have substantial obligations. Difficult? Yes, but definitely not impossible. The Denning family has found a way to make a nomadic lifestyle work with five children while traveling across the Americas in a vegetable powered truck. Read about their story in this interview.

It sounds like you did very well with your real estate investments?

Real estate was a great tool for helping us to break out of the ‘9-5’. We began investing in it while my husband still had his corporate job. We purchased rental properties, and later ‘flipped’ homes. The additional income it provided instilled confidence and helped us make the leap to quit my husband’s job and pursue the life of an entrepreneur, which eventually led to a life of travel.

Real estate can be a good investment vehicle if done correctly. FamilyonBikes.com actually used real estate investments to fund a major portion of their bike trip from Alaska to Argentina.

Did you manage to get out before the crash?

No. We began…

Many people wonder how my wife and I can afford our location independent lifestyle. Savings are part of it, I also do some part-time consulting. However, the key ingredient is that we don’t spend much money. This is a difficult concept for many to grasp: you don’t have to work much if you don’t spend money. My wife and I cut our expenses to about a quarter of what they used to be, now I have the flexibility to only work on projects I care about.

Long-term traveler, Roni Weiss has perfected the art of frugality. By keeping his living expenses extremely low he can maintain a travel lifestyle that is only a dream to most. Roni shares his story in this interview.

Please tell us about your travels.

My first big solo backpacking trip was in 2004, two months in Western and Central Europe. It could have been longer, but I chose not to bring a laptop, something I changed two trips later. Sharing hostel computers is for the birds. Now, I have been to 70+ countries, including every country in Europe, as well as every continent except Antarctica. 40% of the countries in the world.

How many months of the year are you

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I often hear people say they wish they could travel more. This is usually followed by how family, career and money prevent them from realizing their dreams. Others like Caz and Craig Makepeace, couldn’t imagine letting anything get in the way of their travel experiences. Marriage, a child and more than a decade of travel haven’t reduced their wanderlust  Caz shares her family’s story in this interview.

Please tell us about your travels.

I started travelling in 1997 three days after I graduated from University. I backpacked Indonesia for a few months before relocating to London to live for two and a half years to teach. I travelled Europe and lived in Dublin for a summer before returning home. This is where I met and married Craig. Three days after we married we took off for a five year honeymoon. We lived in Bangkok, Dublin, Western Australia, and Raleigh, North Carolina. In this time we also backpacked through Asia, Africa and the USA. Our daughter was born in Queensland, Australia and when she was nine months we moved back to the States. We took her to Fiji, Puerto Rico and places within the US. We are now back in…

My wife and I were in Japan during the earthquake and tsunami but were in Nara at the time so we were far from any danger. Just after the earthquake happened I tweeted, “Just had a small earthquake in Japan.” I didn’t think much of it because Japan has earthquakes all the time. I experienced some pretty scary shakes and this one barely registered where I was. It wasn’t until I saw the news a couple of hours later that I learned that this wasn’t a “small earthquake.”

In the following days life in the places I visited were still pretty much normal. People were still working, shopping and going sightseeing in Nara, Kyoto and Osaka. It didn’t really feel like anything happened.

The news shows a different story though. I really can’t imagine what it must be like for the people affected. Many lost their lives, others lost loved ones and/or everything they owned. Now they are dealing with the mounting nuclear crisis.

Japan is Special

One side of the disaster that I believe is under-reported is the patience and goodwill of the Japanese people. There is no looting or mass panic in the streets. Delayed commuters patiently…

Is it possible to make a living doing what you love AND travel the world at the same time? Mark Shea of Overlander.TV is proving that it is indeed possible to follow your passion and have a location independent lifestyle. He shares his experiences as a traveling videographer and offers some great advice in this interview.

Please tell us about Overlander.tv.

I got involved in video in the mid 90′s when the advent of mini DV cameras opened up broadcast quality TV production to everyone….supposedly. I bought my copy of ‘Rebel without a Crew’ and set out to learn how to do everything from script to screen. I cut my teeth filming weddings on the weekends.

In my 20′s, I traveled a lot and wanted to find a way to continue doing this. From the time I was a young boy I had this desire to see the world, to understand it. I always had my head in the encyclopedia reading about some far off tribe.

I watched a lot of travel programming and found it dull. It was just like ads for resorts. Another beautiful presenter in a bikini, once again telling the viewer, ‘This is my favorite…

Long time adventurist, Dave Thompson of DavesTravelCorner.com shares his experiences traveling the world and earning a living online. Dave gives an honest account of what it is like to earn money blogging and offers some great advice for aspiring travel writers.

Please tell us about your travels.

My first major trip was to Nepal in 1996. This was the trip that hooked me onto International travel for a variety of reasons. It was my first trip to a part of the world that wasn’t western centric and my eyes were opened by the culture, food, the Himalayas and the authentic experiences. I became super ill from altitude sickness and food poisoning around 5200 meters in the middle of the night. I had to be carried down on our guide’s shoulders for 2 hours to a lower altitude where I vomited for the rest of the night filling up a large bowl which was frozen solid in the morning. I became so weak I could not walk and a lady who I was with carried me down the mountain for most of the ensuing day on her shoulders/back with a sling we put together from a sleeping bag. Unfortunately she had…

It is a common dream to set up a guest house in a foreign country and live in paradise. I certainly have considered it. Wouldn’t it be great to live in a tropical climate and have a profitable business funding your lifestyle? However, running a business, especially one in a foreign country, is not always glamorous and exciting. In this interview, I talk to Mike Henry, who has recently bought a guest house in Bali with his wife. He shares what it is really like to own and run a guest house. (Also, check out this 2009 interview with Mike when he just arrived in Bali.)

Please tell us about your guest house in Bali.

Our guesthouse is located on the north coast of Bali in the village of Anturan and about 6km from Singaraja, Bali’s second largest city. It comprises of just four guestrooms, a restaurant, a pool and our own house.

What is Bali like?

I have lived in Bali for nearly two years. There are many things I like about Bali, the weather, the culture, the easy going nature of the people and the scenery. There is still a very strong…