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…
I am a huge fan of great, simple ideas. When I first heard of the TropicalMBA, I thought it was a brilliant concept with lots of potential. Just the name alone, conveys all the information you need to know. What better way to learn about business, then interning with a successful entrepreneur in an exotic country? In this interview, Dan Andrew talks about how he started the TropicalMBA, how he makes money and gives advice for aspiring entrepreneurs.
Please tell us about yourself
After studying philosophy in college, I sort of blindly jumped in to business because I assumed that business guys had a lot of freedom in terms of how they spent their time and where they can be located. I didn’t really have a plan, but in retrospect I think I was right about the business thing. Being an entrepreneur allows me a great deal of freedom in how I spend my time and I also get to be creative, which is really important to me.
It took me a little while to figure out how to get the kind of freedom I was looking for. I started my business…
How would you like to be self-employed, while having the income and freedom to travel the world? Jason Batansky, has created exactly that lifestyle for himself and he is only 22 years old. He gives a fantastic account into his life with detailed information on exactly how earns his income in this interview.
Please tell us about your travels.
I started traveling independently around 4 ½ years ago in the summer of 2007 to South America. I expected to work four days per week at a non-profit organization in Ecuador in advertising and marketing to attract new members to the organization. I arranged this internship directly with the entity rather than going through a third party company so that I could have full control of my trip. I lived out of a hostel for months and traveled on the weekends. I eventually decided to quit the internship a month early. With my extra time, I took a trip to the Galapagos and skipped over the border to Colombia. That month was my first real taste of what I wanted to do full-time in the future.
Since then, I’ve visited and lived in countries in South America, Western and Eastern…
I have a house in Japan that is currently empty. I am still debating renting it out or possibly making it available for travelers and digital nomads. It would be a completely set up house, with high-speed internet, a proper kitchen, furniture and bedding, etc. for up to about 6 people comfortably. The rent would be relatively inexpensive as I am just looking to cover costs.
I would like to keep my house in Japan as a place to return every year, but I don’t want to pay for a full year to only stay there for two or three months. If I can rent it out for at least an additional 3 or 4 months per year, then I will re-furnish the house and get it ready for others to stay there.
Japan is actually not that expensive, particularly if you have reasonably priced accommodations and don’t live in a major center like Tokyo.
Don’t have enough money to travel? Raam Dev went on a six month trip after bankruptcy, living on about $500 per month. He then went on to coordinate an ebook, Small Ways to Make a Big Difference, with 40 contributing authors that has been downloaded 27,000 times. He is another great example of what can be accomplished with the right mindset, talent and hardwork. Raam Dev is a fantastic writer with thoughtful and inspiring blog posts. I highly recommend subscribing to his blog at raamdev.com.
Please tell us about yourself.
In my late teens I decided to skip college and focus on building a career in the IT industry. Self-directed education wasn’t new to me: I had been home-schooled my entire childhood and began teaching myself at the 8th grade when my parents became too busy with the growing family business.
Technology has always come naturally for me so a career in the IT industry seemed like the best opportunity. I have since held titles like Lead Support Engineer and Software Developer. Although technology is what I’m good at, what I truly love is spending time outdoors,…
Today’s interview is with Craig Martin of IndieTravelPodast.com. Craig and his wife Linda have been travelling full-time for more than 5 years now and are funding their adventure through their websites, podcasts and the occasional English teaching. Craig talks about how they got started and how they have bulit their location independent lifestyle.
0:22 Tell us about your travels, where are you now and where have you been?
(Currently in Vietnam, their first time in S.E. Asia. They have been to 22 countries this year including South America, Europe and New York. Craig shares how he and his wife funded their travels by working hard to save money and then teaching English around the world. )
1:48 Do you have a homebase?
(Only a P.O Box where Linda’s father collects mail. “Home is where the backpack is.” He talks about why they started their travels in Malta. )
3:26 What did you do in Malta?
(They taught English. They got into English teaching in order to work around the world.)
4:24 Is Malta a good country to teach English?
(“Not if you want to earn any money.” Two weeks teaching in Italy earned the same amount…
It has been 8 months now that Motoko and I left Japan. We are having a great time with our lives but this is also not an idyllic lifestyle. It is great to be able to see the world and have complete freedom, but we are really starting to miss having a regular routine in our lives. Here is a short summary of our current situation.
We are in Istanbul
We are currently in Istanbul and loving it here. The hospitality of Turkish people has been amazing. Turkey is very unique in that it is a bridge between European and Middle Eastern cultures. It is so different then anywhere else we have been but I will write more about the country later.
Our Financial Situation
We haven’t been able to sell our house in Japan because of the terrible real estate market there, so we have been paying bills and a mortgage for an empty house. It would have been nice to get rid of that obligation, but such is life. We are now thinking of spending a few months every year in Japan. Unfortunately, we got rid of all of…
I had an opportunity to meet up with and interview the charismatic Benny Lewis from Fluentin3Months.com in Budapest recently. Those of you following the location independent and travel blogger crowd will likely already be well acquainted with Benny. His blog and recent language hacking guides have been extremely popular. Currently fluent in 8 languages and proficient in many others, Benny definitely knows what he is talking about. What I admire most about him is the intense focus of his blog and language missions in different countries. Travel, lifestyle design and location independence are all very saturated topics, Benny managed to find an unique angle and he sticks with it. He is the Language Hacker Polyglot.
Here is a very brief summary of the video.
00:20 Start off by introducing yourself.
(He studied electronic engineering. Has been travelling for 8 years. Started his blog 1.5 years ago with a language focus. Every three months or so travels to a new country to learn the language.)
1:45 Why three months?
(It is not a magic number. It depends on the person. Three months is good for him.)
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 guest house in Bali.
I am a huge fan of great, simple ideas. When I first heard of the 
