Please tell us about yourself.

I am 29 years old and hail from Cleveland, Ohio, USA. I studied electrical engineering, worked for an oil services company in the Middle East, then went to Spain to get an MBA (Masters in Business Administration), and then accomplished my “dream”… working in renewable energy in Scandinavia!

What was the driving impetus to quit everything to travel?

The quality of life in Scandinavia was amazing. I lived in Denmark and life was good and easy. But it just wasn’t for me. I found myself full of anxiety and stress. I’d feel pressure in my neck, my eye would twitch, and I kept getting sick. My body was rejecting the life I presented it and I had to figure out what my ideal life really was. I outline the series of events culminating in my decision to quit working in my Corporate Tool To Nomadic Idealist series.

Please tell us about your website, HappinessPlunge.com?

I call the process of self-discovery, formulating a new life, and then going after it without looking back The Happiness Plunge. You have to take the time to plan something sustainable and perfect for you and then dive headfirst into this new life.

In my case, I left behind the comfort of a six-figure corporate life to take the road less traveled. It felt like a bungee jump without the cable, yet I wasn’t nervous nor concerned whether it would work. Everything felt right and I still can’t imagine doing anything else right now.

I started the site to share my ideas about happiness initially. Then once I “took the plunge” and quit my job, I started serving as a case study for my philosophies. I don’t advocate that people pursue my nomadic life. I advocate people pursue their perfect life.

The more people out there pursuing the right life for them, the better this world will be. If I can inspire a few other people to take the plunge, and then they inspire a few people, then there will be a lot of happy and positive people out there doing amazing things, probably making the world a better place!

What is the Happy Nomad Tour?

The Happy Nomad Tour is the fun label I’ve given my Happiness Plunge. I’m a nomad, happily traveling around the world. As of mid-December 2011 I’ve been to Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, and I’ll be in Venezuela for Christmas and New Year’s Day.

Each place I go I volunteer with the goal of leaving it a bit better than how I found it. Most travelers look to take from a place, I look to give. You can see the planned Happy Nomad Tour route here.

Travelling to rural locations must pose some problems for personal supplies, internet, etc. How has it been so far?

The more rural the location, the more amazing the experience has been so far. In Panama and El Salvador I was pretty off the grid (literally and figuratively) and it was so amazing to see how they live, what they believe, and what they think of the outside world. In Honduras I helped people off the grid connect to it using 21st Century technology – a truly amazing and rewarding experience.

In terms of personal supplies, I have minimal requirements: toothpaste, toothbrush, floss, nail clippers.. not much else. So it’s no problem to keep stocked up on supplies. The internet can definitely be a problem at times and going days without it can put a strain on me. To some extent I can prepare things offline, but even with text and pictures ready, it still takes a long time to put a post together once I get online. In some places I’ve used internet cafes, regular cafes, hotel lobbies, USB modems, and even the Panama Canal watching area to get connected and keep things up to date. I am grateful to take what I can get when it’s available.

When I’m in a remote site, I live as the locals do. I eat their food, bathe their way, use the bathroom their way, etc. It’s true immersion and I love it!

How has the experience of volunteering and connecting with locals been so far?

Every experience has taught me something, made me step outside my comfort zone, and made me appreciate their way of life. In other words, it’s been amazing! I don’t want it to end as this world has so many solutions to offer in a time when cultures seem to be converging and losing distinctness.

How do you find the volunteer organizations and how do you do it for free?

I’ll be posting a series of articles about what goes on the scenes behind The Happy Nomad Tour on my website soon. I don’t want to spoil that, so stay tuned. But yes, it’s a lot of work doing it the way I do it and keeping the volunteering free!

Are you earning an income while traveling?

As of right now, I have no income at all. So no, not yet.

I don’t have any ads on my site and there are only a few affiliate links sprinkled here and there. Right now I’d say I don’t want to load my site with ads to earn an income. In time, I’d love for it to be a community of people taking the plunge, supporting each other and sharing their experiences. Let’s see.

In 2012, I’ll start looking for income opportunities. I’d love to speak at business schools to encourage their students to think outside the box and pursue their passions since I was in their shoes not too long ago and I’m doing something totally different with my MBA.

Can you give us a rough break down of your monthly living expenses?

I don’t have a budget, but I’m frugal by nature. Again, the behind the scenes post is coming covering this topic, but when you eliminate (or as I say, outsource) housing, you can really keep costs down.

Can you please tell us some administrative details about your banking, health insurance, credit cards, etc.

I use SydBank from Denmark. I never transferred my money to my U.S. bank account, though I have one there too for emergencies. Sometimes I have to try multiple ATMs to get one to work with my Danish card. Apparently, many ATMs don’t like the chip in European debit/credit cards. Only in Colombia did I give up and use my U.S. account, but I was in a rush. I’m sure it would have worked somewhere.

I use a Chase British Airways credit card since it offers 0% surcharges on foreign purchases (though I don’t think I’ve used it abroad yet though) and it gave me a very valuable 100,000 frequent flier miles.

I use worldnomads.com for my health insurance. Luckily, besides a tooth filling and a stomach bug in Honduras, I’ve been pretty healthy.

Do you travel with a lot of possessions?

You can see my gear here. It seems like a long list, but it’s really not much stuff at all. I don’t feel like I need anything less, nor more. I can fit everything inside the big green backpack, but I usually carry the small one with my electronics separately. For some reason separating them feels more comfortable.

How long do you plan to continue the Happy Nomad Tour?

Initially, I said I’d travel for two years. If I do travel for two years, then I’m already more than 1/6 through the journey and I still can’t wrap my head around how fast time is passing by!

So yes, it could easily extend longer, but it depends on money too. I’m giving myself a year to figure out how to make things sustainable given the little amount of money I need.

What are some of the downsides of constant travel?

I’ve become accustomed to a lot of things I never thought I would, but one of the biggest things is stretches of days/weeks without a good night’s sleep. I just arrived in Colombia and I swear the neighbor of the place where I’m staying (I’m couchsurfing) is running an illegal night club next door complete with loud pounding music until 3am.

I have had maybe five hot showers since I left Honduras two months ago.

Another downside is always needing to think ahead and plan where to go in the future, where to stay, where to volunteer, etc. If I were stationary, this would be eliminated, but each new place offers so much new inspiration that I don’t mind

I speak Spanish, so I’ve been fine in Latin America. I have a feeling, though, that once I get to Asia I’ll quickly tire of the language barrier. In the past, it was always short trips and I was in the comfort of the touristy area where many people spoke English.

Do you have any advice for people considering volunteer work abroad or long term travel?

Know yourself. Know your limitations, your perceived level of comfort, etc. Do your homework and find your fit.

Don’t expect long-term travel to be easy. It’s not. You have to constantly be on guard, planning, and cognizant.

Don’t expect to see results from your volunteering efforts. Change takes time, and realize that what you think might be helping could actually be harmful. Instead, don’t try to measure your volunteering efforts. And if you do, measure it differently!

Links
HappinessPlunge.com – Adam Pervez’s website
Follow HappinessPlunge on Twitter
HappinessPlunge on Facebook

Related posts:

1. Interview with Rising Star, Adam Baker of ManVsDebt
2. Volunteer Global, Interview with Sarah Van Auken
3. Interview with World Traveler, Robert Fitzsimmons

Please tell us a little about your background?

I was born and raised in the United States. I sort of grew up on the road. You might say that I inherited the gypsy blood from my father. Most of my adult life, I lived in the state of Maine. That is where I raised my two kids. For about fifty years, I was in school. That’s the truth! I was either a student, a classroom teacher, or a principal of an elementary school. No matter which category, I have been on the school schedule for most of my life. I made a decision not too long after my youngest graduated from college to retire early. I was fifty-four years old. I actually still enjoyed my career as an educator at that point, but I had a strong urge to free myself up from routine responsibilities and roam the planet. It was a powerful desire. My pension from the state of Maine, although modest, not only funds my travels, but my husband’s travels as well.

What was the impetus to retire early?

No major trauma of any kind served as the driving force behind my decision to retire early. Mostly, it was a measure of self awareness that came into play and helped me to define what I wanted to do when I finally grew up. All that I knew for sure was that I wanted two things. I wanted to experience a level of freedom from convention and certain self-imposed feelings of responsibility. I also wanted to find out what it would be like to live all over the world. I wasn’t interested in tourism, particularly. I was drawn to the quieter aspects of living in a community and having as many new cultural and natural experiences as possible.

How did you get started in house sitting?

Quite by accident, most would say. I had never heard of anyone house sitting in the way I planned on doing it. Before I got the idea to become an international house sitter, I had thought of house sitting more as a local business endeavor where someone might take care of homes in the town where they lived. So in the beginning, I traveled for almost a year, outside of the United States, by renting holiday houses and apartments. The hitch was that I usually rented those places for longer stretches, up to ninety days. That would qualify me for massive reductions in price. It was after that first year that I stumbled across house sitting on an international level. I actually found out about it online, but I have to believe that for me, personally, it wasn’t a fluke but rather the universe delivering an answer to my powerful desires.

Where have you house sat so far?

I have taken care of houses in Prague, multiple places in Mexico, England, Spain, the isle of Saba in the Dutch Antilles, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and more. I have even taken care of a 57-foot boat in Baja California. I have lived in Malta, Italy, and Ireland multiple times as well. I return regularly to Spain as a house sitter. I return regularly to Ireland and Mexico as well. Usually, I only take assignments for no less than three weeks and no more than ninety days. I am not opposed to recycled assignments.

Do you get paid to house sit?

I do not get paid. I use the bartering system. There are two things that I have discovered that make my new life possible. The first one is living without debts. The second one is bartering. For the price of an airline ticket, I can live in, let’s say Malta, for 90 days. That means that for roughly $900, I get to live in a beautiful region of the world, not as a tourist but as a community member for months on end. Only the painfully rich could afford to travel for three months. It would require thousands and thousands of dollars. Give me that money and I can do what I do for a year or more. You see, when you no longer have to pay for hotels, restaurant food and car rentals, you have a lot of money left in your pocket. I negotiate for amenities, however. I have had pools, the use of cars, maids, gardeners, tickets to the opera, keys to the wine cellar, a fully-stocked pantry and more. Money becomes much less important when all of your day to day needs are taken care of on a regular basis.

Do homeowners typically expect a lot of work to be done on their homes and yards?

Every assignment is different. That’s why I negotiate on an individual basis. I normally contract for two hours of hands-on tasks a day.

How long is the typical stay?

I prefer no less than 3 weeks and no more than 90 days. Most of the assignments that I have accepted have been in countries where I am allowed to stay for 90 days on my American passport. Except for England, Ireland and Mexico where it is possible for me stay up to six months. As a general rule, I house sit outside of the United States.

When you are house sitting, do you still have time for sight-seeing, work or other personal activities?

I definitely get to indulge myself in lots of local activities. I also will take day trips here and there, just as long as I can return at the end of the day to my assignment. After all, I have promised to remain on the premises while the home owner is gone.

Have you had any major problems while home-sitting?

No problems with owners, but then I have a specific method for selecting assignments. Most of my former clients have become friends of mine and many call me back for a repeat assignment.

I have had a few issues living abroad. I had my camera lifted on a tram in Prague. My husband lost his money belt in Malta, containing our passports and credit cards. Not true emergencies, after all. We reacted to them at the time as though they were though. We have become a lot more relaxed these days about occasional problems on the road. Most things work out in the end. However, our clients and the houses and pets that we cared for have been mostly very enjoyable.

Do you still maintain a house in the US?

We have done both. My first couple of years as an international house sitter, I still owned my home in Maine. It was not impossible to do both, but after I sold my house and 99% of all of my personal possessions, I traveled without ownership issues. That was great! It was kind of like being seventeen again with money in my pocket. When my granddaughter was born, I returned stateside and rented an apartment for a while. That is easy, too. You can just lock your apartment up and go away. No property responsibilities to drag you down!

Your website says you sold everything, does that mean you are living nomadically now?

I was living nomadically for a while and loved it. Each year has been different as my needs change. That is the beauty of being retired. There are a lot fewer rules in my life. I like living without tons of restrictions, even self-imposed ones. The fact of the matter is, there are lots of different models for traveling the way I do. I like to think that international house sitting can be a useful method of travel for all kinds of people, not just empty nesters and retirees. With a little imagination, it is encouraging what people can come up with in order to see their dreams manifested.

What do you do between house sitting gigs?

I sometimes rent holiday houses between gigs. For example, at the end of an assignment in England, I decided to return to Ireland, so I rented a holiday apartment in Killarney for two months.

You wrote a book on house-sitting, can you tell us about it?

Finding the Gypsy In Me – Tales of An International House Sitter, was published in August 2011. It can be purchased on Amazon as a Kindle book and paperback version.

I noticed that people always reacted with great interest to my adventures as an international house sitter. Most people had never heard of doing it, at least not the way I do it. They were fascinated! I usually had to drop what I was doing and explain how it worked. I loved watching their faces light up with awe. People tend to believe that only wealthy people could live the life that I have lived. When they find out that I am just an ordinary gal doing this on an ordinary income, they love it!

Yes, the book has really taken off! Lots of people are looking for creative routes to freedom these days.

Can you recommend websites to find house-sitting opportunities?

I recommend my own web site: findingthegypsyinme.com. It features my book, of course, but it has a broader theme. I want to explore creative paths to freedom. I have met loads of interesting people during my travels. These were ordinary people with ordinary incomes who found a way to live a life that they were truly intended to live. My blog is a continual exploration of this theme. I also list other recommended web sites and resources that may help people to sort through their choices, including finding house-sitting opportunities.

Can you offer any advice for people considering house-sitting for a vacation or as a more permanent way to travel?

Yeah, read my book! Gypsy is an equal mixture of inspirational storytelling and practical advice. I say in the book that by the time a person finishes reading it, they will know everything that I know. It really is full of a lot of information about how to go about being an international house sitter.

In general, stay out of debt. It will be much easier to create your own path to freedom if you are free of debt. Also, be able to articulate your dream. Make it specific. Picture yourself in the perfect location, doing the things that you are good at doing. I spent a lot of time defining that for myself. By the time I was ready to go, there was a part of me that had already arrived and was just waiting for me to catch up with it. I spend more time thinking about who I am becoming than I do about where I have been. That is where the magic lies.

Links
Finding the Gypsy in Me  – Teresa Roberts’ website
Teresa Roberts on YouTube
HouseCareers – House sitting opportunities around the world.

Related posts:

1. Interview with Bali Guest House Owner, Mike Henry
2. Interview with Author and Global Citizen, Maya Frost
3. Interview with Nomadic Entrepreneur and Author, Brian Armstrong

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 a lot of savings when you started?

I dramatically cut down on unnecessary expenses to save for the trip, but I didn’t spend years saving up like some people do. I maybe saved for a year or so. The difference is I also spent 3 years building up a business in my spare time that could support me while I was traveling. I was aiming for a certain monthly income, not a certain savings amount.

You were living and working in Hawaii before, why did you leave?

I left Hawaii for the same reasons I left the beautiful mountains of Montana, and the amazing nightlife in Miami. I got sick of those places. I needed something new. It’s my nomadic gene working, I can’t control it. It’s one of the reasons I love constant travel so much. Every day is completely new and different.

Please tell us about your website?

My travel blog was created about 6 months prior to the start of my trip. I knew I wanted to record the many travel experiences I’d have for friends & family. I was hoping that others might find it interesting too, because I always loved reading other travel blogs. Eventually I’d like to turn my travel blog into another solid source of income, but my main goal with the site is to effectively share my experiences with others in the hopes that they’ll be inspired to take some risks and explore the world on their own.

Your videos are very high quality, do you think video is more effective than text on a blog?

At the moment I use 3 different cameras to record my adventures, and all of them record HD video. I wouldn’t consider them pro cameras, but all combined they aren’t cheap. Right now it’s about $5000 worth of camera gear. All the short films on the site are edited by me, but I have no formal training. I slowly taught myself (and still have a lot more to learn). I don’t think it’s absolutely necessary to have video on a travel blog, but it certainly helps add a different dimension. My videos tend to focus on the visual experiences, I don’t talk much in them. Shooting & editing video is a TON of work, and if you don’t really enjoy it, it can be a nightmare. Luckily I enjoy it very much.

What did you do to build such a large online following?

At the moment I have over 13,000 followers on Twitter, and over 1400 fans on Facebook. One of my techniques for gathering new followers is to make it very easy for people to follow me. At the end of every blog post, I just ask people to follow if they enjoyed the story or photos. The process has to be easy & quick.

Do you make much money from your website?

I don’t make a ton of money from my travel blog yet. Maybe $300-$400 a month with some affiliate links & advertising. While I’d obviously like that to increase, I also don’t want my blog to become an ugly billboard that’s unpleasant to visit. I turn down advertisers all the time if I think their ads will degrade the experience for my readers.

How do you earn an income now?

The quick explanation is that I create membership websites. Customers pay for information or access to online courses about particular topics. The topics vary widely. I plan on writing a detailed blog post about this in the future. It’s taken me years to earn an income this way.

What are your approximate monthly living expenses?

I spend about $800-$1000 a month on living expenses while traveling. About 30% is for food, 30% for accommodation, 20% transportation, and 20% for entertainment. The breakdown can change depending where I am and what I’m doing though.

What do you dislike about always being on the road?

Generating meaningful friendships & relationships can be hard to when you’re always on the road. I plan on taking long breaks for a few months in one location every so often to help remedy that, but I’m not sure if it will work yet. I possibly see myself getting sick of the nomadic lifestyle sometime in the future. But for now, the benefits outweigh the costs.

Are you afraid of not being in the workforce for a long time?

I’m not a “career” kind of guy. I can always learn something new if I’m forced to, I think everyone can.

Have you had any serious problems on your travels?

Plenty of minor annoyances, like missed flights & buses, delayed baggage, broken cameras, cuts & sprains, etc. But so far no robberies, major accidents, illnesses, animal attacks, or things like that. I’ve had food poisoning only once in 10 months, and I drink local tap water most of the time.

How do you deal with administrative issues like banking, bills and health care?

I do my banking with Charles Schwab, a great bank for travel. They refund all your ATM fees no matter where you are. I have a catastrophic health insurance plan with Blue Cross Blue Shield in the United States that only covers major problems, and I use local doctors for other things. I also subscribe to a virtual mail-forwarding service called Earth Class Mail for cashing the occasional physical check and managing my mail.

Do you have any advice for people considering long-term traveling?

It may seem like there are too many obligations & obstacles stopping you from long-term travel, but I’ve learned that nothing is impossible. The only thing stopping you, is you. If you really want to travel, there’s always a way to make it happen. That doesn’t mean it’s going to be easy though.

To help conquer fears, I’d also like to recommend the following piece of advice from the philosopher Seneca:

“Set aside a certain number of days, during which you shall be content with the scantiest and cheapest fare, with course and rough dress, saying to yourself the while: Is this the condition that I feared?”

Links

ExpertVagabond.com
Follow Matthew  on Twitter
Matthew on Facebook

Related posts:

1. Interview with Digital Nomad, James Clark
2. Interview with Vagabond Johnny Ward
3. Interview with Successful Nomadic Entrepreneur, Dan Andrews

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 not in a hurry to tick off a list of countries.

What made you decide to begin a nomadic life?

I wouldn’t say that my nomadic lifestyle was a decision, rather it has been something that has evolved over time. My original goal was to become self employed doing a job I enjoy which I could do anywhere. At first I would travel for shorter trips, then the trips extended to the point where now I am traveling full time.

Do you have a home base somewhere that you return to?

At the moment I have no home base. When I first started out working for myself in 2003, I had a home base in Melbourne. I averaged around 6 months away and six months at home, while keeping the place I lived at. In 2010 I moved out of that house so I am now without a fixed address.

If you had to choose one country to live, what would it be?

Tough question! I think I will always call Australia home but lately I have been gravitating towards SE Asia whenever I want to stay put for a while. So out of that region I will nominate Thailand for its food, lifestyle, cost of living and good internet service.

How do you earn an income now?

I run a number of commercial travel websites which earn income from the following sources:

• Affiliate sales
• Google Adsense
• Direct Advertising

I have done web design and search engine optimization in the past for other sites, but currently I am working exclusively on my own sites.

Do you make much money from your website?

Without going into details, I make more money working for myself than when I was working for someone else, which is a satisfying feeling. I have had periods though where I wasn’t making much money at all. This is all part of the life of being self employed, a stress which is not for most people.

What is your approximate travel budget for a year?

I don’t really keep a travel budget as it is more of a living budget now. I am aware of my outgoings and I keep my expenses down by not paying for internet or staying in expensive accommodation. I recently kept track of my cost of living for a month for when I was living in Mexico as an example of how you can live well on a small budget. I spent $850 in one month while living in Playa del Carmen. This was a living budget, and not a travel budget, which has different considerations such as transportation and short term accommodation costs.

Are you getting tired of traveling?

I’m not tired of the traveling lifestyle, though I manage this by breaking up my travels with breaks in one place. As much as I love travel, I also love the work that I do as well, which is a good incentive to stay at a home base for a while rather than continuing on to the next destination.

Have you had any serious problems on your travels?

I have been denied entry to two countries in Europe for not having a visa (oops), been in a hotel fire and have had numerous flight delays and cancellations (I’m looking at you Eyjafjallajökull!) but nothing too serious (touch wood).

How do you deal with administrative issues like banking, bills and health care?

This is something that has evolved over time as well. Most of my banking is online now. I have opted out of paper statements and get e-statements instead. I have the occasional payment with cheques (yes some companies still use cheques!) so I have them sent to my parents who manage my banking as well as my quarterly business tax statements. I still maintain health care in Australia, and for travel insurance I am currently using World Nomads.

Do you have any advice for people considering long term traveling

Whether you are travelling as a working nomad or just taking a year off work to explore the world it is a good idea to start simplifying your life before you go. Get out of debt if possible and wind down any monthly standing payments like TV subscriptions. Get rid of unnecessary mail subscriptions and get anything that can be done online set up.

As for making a travel plan, I find you don’t really need one. Once you are on the road you will get into adventures that may take you destinations that weren’t on your original itinerary.

Links
Nomadic Notes - James Clark’s Blog
Follow James on Twitter
Nomadic Notes on Facebook

Related posts:

1. Chiang Mai – The Digital Nomad Capital of the World
2. Interview with Entrepreneur and Digital Nomad Corbett Barr
3. Interview with Digital Nomads from Never Ending Voyage

Benny Lewis shared this great video recently that puts this in perspective.

Instead of looking for the next mountain to climb or goal to cross off your bucket list, how about just enjoying what you are doing now?

Related posts:

1. Interview with Location Independent Irish Polyglot, Benny Lewis
2. Guaranteed Success and Happiness
3. What do you NOT want to do with your life?

Do you have to wait until you are 65 years old to retire? What would it take to quit your job and travel the world? How much money would you need and what would you do to prepare?  Wendy Justice answers those questions and offers some great advice in this interview.

How did you come to the decision to retire at age 50?

I wish that I could have retired earlier! It wasn’t until I was 50 that I felt that I had enough funds accumulated to afford relinquishing my full-time nursing job. Even then, I looked at it more as a sabbatical than a permanent lifestyle change. To me, working was always intended to be a means to an end – in this case, becoming a global traveler.

What did you do to prepare to retire?

I have always lived frugally. I don’t like being in debt, and that helped a lot when it became time to retire – my first piece of advice to someone considering this is don’t even think about it unless you’ve settled all your obligations first. The last year or two that my husband and I were working, we knew that retirement was right around the corner for us, so we avoided making any large purchases. We knew that this was something we were going to do and it was important enough to us that we never got the sense that we were sacrificing anything. The actual preparations were very time-consuming. We needed to decide which of our possessions we absolutely wanted to keep and got rid of everything that we could – we had huge yard sales! We shopped around for the best options for getting cash from abroad – all cash cards are not alike – and applied for ones that wouldn’t charge us for cash withdrawals or foreign transaction fees. I learned everything that I could to make our savings generate as much income as possible, and totally rebalanced our finances to maximize the return, while still keeping some of that money in growth-producing investments. We had to figure out what to do about our mail. We had to convert all of our business to online – banking and bills, that sort of thing. I scanned every document that I thought we could possibly need and saved it in my email, so that it would be accessible from anywhere in the world. There was a lot of preparation involved.

Please tell us about your travels.

My first real trip abroad (excluding Canada and Mexico) was to Germany in 1980, where I lived for 2 years. I returned to Europe in 2001, and by then, I had developed quite a taste for international travel. In 2003, we took a vacation to Thailand and Cambodia. It was wonderful – I had always wanted to see that part of the world. When our short vacation was finished, I was so sad! I promised myself that next time I took a vacation, it wouldn’t end until I was ready for it to end. So when we left our jobs in 2005, we had no obligation to return. We initially went to Hong Kong, with the idea that it would be our first stop on an around-the-world trip. We went to China, then to all the Southeast Asian countries. It is now 2011, and we are still busy exploring Southeast Asia! However, quite a few other countries still have my interest, and we hope to visit them in the next year or two – India, Nepal, Turkey and northern Africa are a but a few of the areas that we’d still like to see.

How long do you typically stay in one location?

Until it isn’t fun anymore! We stayed for 2 years in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and have been in Vietnam for almost 1 year now. We enjoyed living in Chiang Mai, Thailand, but tired of it after only 3 months. We stay in furnished apartments when we settle in an area, and pick up very few belongings along the way, so it’s easy to leave when the time comes. When we are on the road, we usually stay in a town for a week or so unless it is just a transfer point like Bangkok or Saigon.

Can you give us a rough idea of your yearly living expenses while traveling?

It differs greatly depending on where we are, of course. Vietnam is nice because the cost of living is very low here. We can live very comfortably for under US$1,000 per month. Kuala Lumpur was more expensive, but even there, we spent much less than we would have been able to had we stayed in the US. We’ve never lived anywhere in Southeast Asia that has cost us over US$1,500 per month to live a comfortable, middle-class life. One of the biggest expenses of a traveling lifestyle is the traveling itself – trains, planes, buses and boats can get expensive and you are never going to find the best deals, negotiate the best rates or really get a sense of where you are if you are only in a place for a few days. A young traveler we met in the mountains of China once shared his philosophy with us – “Always stay in a place for longer than it takes you to get there.” We think that is pretty good advice!

Do you earn an income at all now?

Yes, I do. When we first started traveling, we would send travel journals to our friends and family. People really enjoyed receiving them, and more than one person suggested that we consider writing professionally. We submitted an article about our travels in Tibet to Escape Artist in 2007, and they published it and paid us for it – we were very excited! Since that time, we’ve sold a few articles to other publications, but mainly we write for Live and Invest Overseas, where I hold the title of Asia Correspondent. Now when we travel, it’s always a combination of adventure and business. I look at is as a part-time job, putting in maybe 20 hours a week, though that varies considerably. Working for them, I’m always in search of ideal retirement spots, so it satisfies my desire to travel and helps to support our lifestyle, too.

I am also available for consulting – both with Asian living/retiring and preparing to retire, on a fee-per-hour basis. If you’re interested, please email me at: WendyJustice (at mark) gmail (dot) com.

Can you share how much you earn from travel writing?

I was very fortunate to get into the Live and Invest Overseas publication network, as travel writers generally are a starving group and it is a very competitive business. Let’s just say now that we are making enough to support ourselves living abroad, but not enough to get rich. However, it works out well, as our savings can grow since we can supplement most of our living expenses through writing.

With all the writing you do, why don’t you have your own blog?

Good question, John. I guess I just haven’t gotten around to it yet! Almost everything I write gets published and it’s been adequate to support us, while still giving us enough free time to relax and explore and do the things that we enjoy doing. A blog might require more time than we want to invest at this point.

Does your husband work while you are traveling?

Yes, he’s the “man behind the scenes.” He’s my copy-editor and has a great eye for catching grammatical and content errors. He’s also great with a camera, so if I write an article, he does the photography to go along with it.

Do you have children?

I have an adult daughter. I think she thinks that I’m nuts. She is very rooted with her house and family, isn’t interested in traveling much further than 100 miles from her home and doesn’t understand why on earth I would choose to live this life!

Do you keep your investments and primary finances in your home country?

Yes, I maintain a US brokerage and bank accounts. I experimented once with a bank in Singapore, but wasn’t comfortable with the differences in banking rules. I go back to the US every year or two, although at this point, it feels more like a second home in a foreign country to me.

How do you deal with banking, health care, travel insurance, doctor visits, etc?

If I need cash, I use an ATM locally. I have a debit card from Fidelity that assesses no fees at all and reimburses any foreign ATM fees that I’m charged. Charles Schwab, incidentally, offers a similar debit card for their brokerage customers, and I believe that E-Trade does, as well. Health care costs are so much less in this part of the world. When we first started traveling, we took out a travel medical policy with AU$100 deductible. But it never paid for itself, even though the premiums were quite reasonable, because pretty much every time we received any medical care, the fees were less than the deductible. So now, we don’t have any health insurance at all. So far, had we taken a policy, the premium would not have paid for itself. I had an eye infection a few months back, and saw a specialist here in Vietnam who charged me US$2.00 and gave me appropriate care. Even in Kuala Lumpur, a visit to a western trained, English-speaking doctor costs less than US$10.00. If I was in the US and had a serious medical condition, I would prefer to fly to Kuala Lumpur, Singapore or Bangkok to receive treatment. Not only would I save thousands of dollars, (even with the airfare) but I think that the care that I would receive would be superior – and this from a nurse-manager retired from the US healthcare system! I would say the same for dental care, as well – it’s cheap and of a high standard.

Do you and your husband have any regrets of not continuing your careers?

In a word: no! This is the best thing that could have happened to us.

Do you feel retiring at 50 was too young or too old?

I know many people who work until they are in their mid-60s or older, then retire and before they have a chance to travel, tragedy strikes – an illness or infirmity. And they never realize their dreams. When the kids are grown, when social security begins, when I pay off my mortgage – there’s lots of reasons why people wait. But if you wait too long…If I could do it again, I’d retire earlier. If I need to, I’ll work when I’m old!

Will you settle down in one country someday?

I can’t answer that one yet. I’m a traveler. I love staying in one place for a few months, but then I get restless and want to go elsewhere. If I was to settle permanently, I’d consider Vietnam because it’s inexpensive and I love the Vietnamese people and Vietnamese food and can speak a bit of the language now. But then, another area may beckon… If I had medical issues, I’d like to be somewhere with better health care – Vietnam is still developing in that regard. In that case, I’d consider living in Thailand.

Can you offer any advice or recommendations for people considering early retirement and/or long term travel?

People have so often looked enviously at me and said, “I wish that I could do what you’re doing.” I know that few, if any of them will ever actually take that plunge. They think that they can’t afford it – they need a million dollars, or 5 million, or whatever. Few people realize how affordable it can really be to live this kind of lifestyle. You can definitely retire comfortably for well under a million dollars, assuming that you have no debts. If you invest wisely, two people should be able to make ends meet comfortably with a nest egg of US$500,000 – especially if you know that you’ll be getting social security or a pension at some point and you head to an area with a low cost of living. Keep in mind that “low cost of living” doesn’t mean living in a dirt-floor hut! In Vietnam, we can live a solidly middle-class lifestyle on a budget of about US$850 per month – that’s living in a serviced apartment a five minute walk from one of the prettiest beaches in the world, eating almost all of our meals out, renting our own transportation, everything. I’ve written quite a bit on this topic – for more information, please see the Live and Invest Overseas website at www.liveandinvestoverseas.com to view some of my top picks for retirement as well as some detailed budgets on various Asian destinations. I’ve also written several detailed reports on various Asian destinations – Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai, Thailand; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Bali, Indonesia; Vientiane, Laos; Hanoi (and soon, Nha Trang and Hoi An), Vietnam. These feature-length reports were published in the Overseas Retirement Letter. If you’re interested, you can purchase them through the Live and Invest Overseas website. Finally, if retiring young is something that you really want to do, your determination will make it happen. You can come up with a dozen reasons why to postpone it, but in reality, the only thing really holding you back is yourself. We’ve met quite a few couples with young children who have moved to Asia. Some people drift around teaching English or working odd-jobs to support themselves. If you want it badly enough, you can make it happen.

Links to Articles by Wendy Justice
Perpetual Retirement (Why Would Someone Live Like This?)
Chiang Mai, Thailand (Super-Cheap Living)
Retire Young and Travel the World
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: Retire to Malaysia $1,223 Per Month
Hua Hin, Thailand (Top Retirement Choice in Southeast Asia)
Vietnam (An Unexpected Welcome)

Related posts:

1. Retire in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
2. Retire Young in Costa Rica – Interview with Author Nadine Hays Pisani
3. Everything You Need to Know to Travel Around the World: Interview with The Siracusas

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 think you are, we are all influenced by society, peers and family. When your friends all have the latest iPad, LED TV or trendy automobile, you start finding pressure to buy too.

My wife and I could cut back on those expenditures if we rented an apartment downtown, reducing the need for a car and lowering our accommodation fees. We could also cut down on food and entertainment if we really scrimped, so cutting these costs down wouldn’t be impossible.

On the other hand, that mortgage payment is contingent on low interest rates. Payments will easily increase a few hundred dollars per month once interest rates start to rise. Also, in a sprawling city like Calgary it is common to have at least two vehicles per family, particularly if both parents work outside of the home. That could also add another $500 or $600 in expenses.

I have also left out health and life insurance which can get quite pricey, but it won’t change much regardless of where we live.

Despite all those caveats, I don’t think that $5000 per month is too out of line for a middle aged couple like my wife and I. In Canada, assuming a 40% tax rate, $5000 per month after taxes would require a salary of $100,000 per year. (60% of 100,000 = $60,000 or $5,000 per month.)

Factoring in commuting time, lunch hours and overtime, it is very likely the total hours dedicated to work would be 50 plus hours per week each. We would do all this with the reward of about 10 statutory holidays and a couple of weeks of vacation time per year.

What if You Only Had to Work 6 Months a Year?

There is a clear trade off between time and money. You can work 60 hour weeks and make a lot of money, but if you don’t have time to enjoy your life, what is the point? If you could cut your consumption in half, you could easily free up 6 months per year of time. What could you do with half a year of free time?

From living in Japan, and traveling across Europe and Asia, we know that we can have a pretty comfortable standard of living outside of Canada for about $2,000 per month. $3,000 per month would offer a great lifestyle with money to do almost anything we want. Even as visitors in Calgary, we only spend about $1,000 per month. (This is largely due to low accommodation costs because of an empty condo my mother owns.)

Not having a permanent residence eliminates so many costs. The fact that we are location independent means we can’t buy a car, furniture, household goods, clothes, tools, etc. We have no need for them and we have no place to keep them anyway.

There are benefits from being stationary like getting higher paid work, time spent time with family and friends, the opportunity to work with other people in person, more networking opportunities, etc. I don’t want to over simplify the choice, however after living a consumerist lifestyle in the past, my wife and I are not interested in setting up that life again. Less is much, much more.

Are you willing to control your spending in order to do the things you want in life?

Related posts:

1. Interview with Location Independent Entrepreneur Brandon Pearce
2. 15 Reasons I Love a Location Independent Lifestyle
3. Interview with Location Independent Irish Polyglot, Benny Lewis

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 investing near the height of the real estate market, and while it proved lucrative for awhile, we lacked the long term experience to predict market trends. We were hit hard by the economic crash, and suffered severe financial losses.

What was the impetus for liquidating your possessions and living a nomadic lifestyle?

It started with a ‘second honeymoon’ to Mexico. It was one of my first experiences traveling outside of the U.S. We attended a local church, and I had such an incredible experience being immersed in the language and culture that I knew I wanted this for my family.

We’d talked before about moving abroad ‘someday’, but after that trip, we both knew we needed to do it know. At that time our investments were still doing very well and provided a location independent income. We rented out our model home (along with our other investments), sold our opulent furniture and personal belongings (except for our books and mementos), and made plans to drive to and live in Costa Rica.

A year later, the real estate and stock markets crashed, forcing us to return to the U.S. to find an income. Being hit hard by the economic crisis, we ‘lost’ or liquidated our real estate holdings, and lived more simply, really reducing our personal expenses. This change in our personal living expenses has really led to our nomadic lifestyle. Before our financial losses, we believed that we had to ‘keep up with the Jones’ and then try to finance travel on top of that.

After nearly losing everything, we realized what was really important to us (family time, travel and adventure) and began focusing on spending our money and time on those things, and eliminating everything else. The less we owned, the more freedom we had and the more nomadic we became.

Now we realize that we can live (and travel) on a monthly budget that is less than what we used to spend on our monthly mortgage payment in the U.S.

Tell us about your road trip to Costa Rica

It was incredible! We had an amazing experience, and it helped to expand our reality of what was possible for us and build our confidence for taking even bigger and more challenging adventures.

Did you encounter any problems on the way?

Yes and no. We did actually drive all the way to the border of Nicaragua without any passports for three of our children (you can read here how that interesting experience happened). As a result, we were ‘caught’ at the border of Nicaragua and were ‘stuck’ in Honduras for about ten days until the U.S. Embassy could have our passports expedited.

Once we crossed to Nicaragua, the roads were so bad near the borders, it was like the worst jeep road you’ve ever seen. We had to maneuver around potholes the size of VW bugs. Nicaragua was also the only place where we were stopped by police who tried to get us to pay bribes.

One policewoman blatantly asked for money. We didn’t have any cash, and told her so. She said we needed to give her something. We had just bought two sub-style sandwiches, and told her that was all we had. “Okay, I’ll take them,” was her response.

The next time we were stopped, the officer charged us with some bogus offense, took my husbands driver’s license, and told him he would need to appear at court to pay a fee before he could get his license back (this is a common tactic, the hope is you’ll say, ‘Can’t I just pay the fee to you right now?) We literally didn’t have any cash to give to him (it was the same day as the sandwich lady), and we’d prepared for the driver license situation by purchasing an International Drivers License from AAA. My husband told him he didn’t care if he took his license, and he wasn’t going to court, we were traveling on. The officer was so upset that we weren’t cowering from his threats that he eventually threw the license at my husband and told him to get out of here.

We thought it was pretty funny. But it shows that if you’re not intimidated by their threats and refuse to concede, there’s really little they can do.

Would you recommend driving through Central America to other travelers?

Absolutely! Many people have done it and are doing it. The roads are great, and the countries are safe. When we began our trip to Costa Rica, we found very little information about any families that had made a similar trip. But now it seems more common and sometimes even ‘trendy’.

How much do you think people should budget for a road trip to Central America?

It totally depends on what experience they are after. We were making a lot of money when we went down the first time, so we stayed at nice hotels and all-inclusive resorts. We ate (unfortunately) at places like KFC and McDonalds (lame, I know). That trip was very expensive. I think we spent close to $6,000 just to get to Costa Rica (including gas, hotels, food and adventures like these).

Gas can be more expensive – while we lived in Costa Rica it was about $6.00 a gallon – that was almost four years ago. Diesel is usually less, and many more vehicles run on diesel south of the border.

When we drive it this time, we’ll be camping most of the time with occasional stays at hostels and inexpensive hotels. We’re also driving a veggie powered truck which we hope to fuel with waste vegetable oil, if we can find it available south of the border (this is a new experiment for us).

We’ll be eating the local foods – locally grown fruits and vegetables, and at local restaurants.

We’re totally confident that we can live and travel this way spending less than $2,000 a month on average (we’ll be traveling very slowly though).

What is Costa Rica like?

Costa Rica is very amazing. It is like the Garden of Eden. Flowers bloom year round. You can grow fruits and vegetables nearly all year. I once read about Costa Rica that if you put a stick in the ground, it would grow. It’s literally true.

There is so much to see and do, we never did it all, even after a year. There’s waterfalls, volcanoes, surfing, beaches, cloud forests, turtle preserves, zip lines, bungee jumping…it goes on and on.

While we lived there, we stayed in the Central Valley, where a large majority of expats live. As a result the infrastructure is better, but the costs are higher. We stayed in a nice house with three bedrooms plus a loft room, and an amazing view of the Central Valley, for about $1500 a month plus utilities which ran about $200-$300 a month (internet, water, electricity). The floors were tile (most places are south of the border, carpet molds). It had two bathrooms with ‘normal’ toilets and showers and sinks that had hot and cold water. It also included a kitchen with a U.S. size stove, and a larger size (for Costa Rica) fridge.

What is a comfortable budget to live in Costa Rica for a year?

Again this depends on the type of experience you want to have. Do you want to live like an expat, enjoying familiar foods that are imported from your country? Imported foods are more expensive. But if you want to eat local foods – then you can visit the mercado and buy 100 oranges for US$2.00 and pineapples for US$.50 each.

As far as housing goes, you could live in a ‘nice’ house like I described above in the Central Valley, and pay for it. Or you could live on the outskirts, on the beaches or in the campo and pay about $350 for a furnished house that’s a little more basic (maybe it would have hot water, and your appliances might be ‘tico’ size). But that’s okay. You’re going for the experience of living abroad, not living in ‘little America’ in Costa Rica.

If we did it over again, I’m pretty confident that our family of seven could live quite comfortably on US$3,000 a month or less, including a maid.

Do you work or earn money while you are traveling?

We’ve tried a number of strategies to fund our travels. With each location we’ve taken a different approach. As mentioned before, living in Costa Rica was funded by our real estate and stock investments.

After returning to the U.S. for work, we set out again a year later, this time to the Dominican Republic, using personal savings, supplemented by a small amount of online income from freelance work, etc.

When that ran out, we returned to the U.S. again for work, this time to Atlanta, GA where we spent six months before accepting a position with a non-profit organization that took us to India. After India, we flew to Atlanta, bought a vehicle and drove to Alaska, where we had baby number five, and spent the last year.

As we set out on this next adventure from Alaska to Argentina, we’re using some savings, working along the way, and most importantly, building our online business so we can become location independent again.

Please tell us about your experiences in India.

My husband was offered a position with a non-profit organization in India, and we eagerly accepted it. For us it was a chance to see the ‘other side of the world.’

Originally it was a long term commitment – several years. But soon after arriving I realized I was pregnant. We ended up leaving (it was a mutual agreement) after only 5 months, so we could have the baby in the U.S.

Our children did enjoy living there. They had a lot of friends, because we lived on the campus of a ‘boarding’ school which housed nearly 200 students ages 4-14. But we were in a very rural part of India, which proved some difficulty in getting ‘non-Indian’ food (the Indian food didn’t agree with my pregnant belly).

It was also very, very hot. However we enjoyed the culture and riding on elephants and getting elephant blessings, wearing saris and bangles, US$.40 haircuts and US$.10 ice cream.

The steering wheel is on the right side of the vehicle, and they drive on the left side of the road – it was very confusing, I never quite got used to it. We also had a driver who did all the driving for us – the driving is crazy there, and they use their horns A LOT. Cows literally wander the streets like stray dogs do in Latin countries.

What were your living expenses in India?

We lived on campus, and so many of our expenses were covered by the non-profit organization (i.e. electricity, water, internet, housing).

We purchased our own food, IF we didn’t want to eat the three Indian meals that were prepared everyday for the campus. Fruits and vegetables were very inexpensive. A grocery bag of veggies cost about US$2.00. Clothing, textiles and services (like haircuts) are so ridiculously cheap it’s crazy.

Before leaving the country we stocked up on clothes – Prada, Banana Republic, Polo and more – super cheap.

Beef was difficult (but not impossible) to find, and more expensive. Any imported foods were crazy expensive (like US$7.00 for a box of breakfast cereal).

We also didn’t have our own car, but used one of the organizations vehicles, along with one of their drivers.

We lived in a very rural area – two hours from Chennai (formerly Madras). We did some of our grocery shopping in Chennai, but as far as living expenses – housing, utilities, hired help – I’m not sure of those costs in the cities.

Tell us about your new road trip from Alaska to Argentina?

After returning to the U.S. from India, we chose to move to Alaska to have our baby, because my mother lived there and it was a place we had always wanted to visit. We knew we wouldn’t stay there though, and so continually had on our minds where we would go next.

We considered teaching English in Thailand, or moving to Colombia. But a major concern for us was having a vehicle. In Costa Rica we had our own vehicle, and we really loved it. It gave us freedom to explore and go when and where we wanted. In the Dominican Republic, we used public transportation, and it really limited our travel within the country. We could only go when and where the buses or taxis went. So that was a major consideration when choosing our next adventure – we wanted to have a vehicle and we wanted to be able to explore extensively – since we realized that’s what we really love about travel, more than just ‘living’ in a different country.

Having already driven Central America, and already owning a vehicle, we thought – Why not just drive all the way to South America and explore the whole thing? And since we were in Alaska already, it seemed fitting to drive from the top to the bottom, don’t you think?

Are you worried about any dangerous areas on your journey?

No. All countries have safe areas and dangerous areas, ‘good’ people and ‘bad’ people. We visit the safe and avoid the dangerous anywhere we go. It’s that simple.

How did the vegetable oil powered truck come about?

While living in Alaska we became very close friends with the owner of Golden Fuel Systems, a pioneer in the vegetable oil/bio fuel industry. He convinced us to buy our current truck, and to convert it to run on veggie – and we are SO glad we did. So far we’ve paid only about $150 in diesel fuel costs.

You are now traveling with five small children, what is that like?

It is a lot of fun, and a lot of chaos (sometimes). No, they don’t always get along. Sometimes they fight, argue, whine and cry.

But for the most part, they are accustomed to being nomadic. They adjust well and quickly to being in a new place, and they love exploring and spending time playing together. And we love being able to spend time with our children, learning about the world and discovering the wonders it holds.

What do you do for health care, truck insurance, taxes and other administrative issues?

Right now our truck insurance is with State Farm. I’m going to be checking to see if their coverage is valid outside the U.S. I know when we drove through Mexico before, we purchased Mexican insurance to cover us while we were there (I think it may be required).

Our income taxes now are simple (not as complicated as when we owned real estate) and can be easily filed electronically. We are exploring further the tax benefits to living outside the country.

As for health insurance – we’ve always lived by the ‘pay for what is, not for what ifs’ philosophy. In general, we don’t usually visit a doctor. I guess we pursue more ‘alternative’ health care, and for the most part we’re pretty healthy (we eat very well and are active).

We’d rather pay for medical expenses as we need them, than send our money to an insurance company at the amount of $500 -$1400 every month! That’s $6,000 to $16,800 over a one year period. That’s a lot of money for ‘just in case’.

And yes we realize that accidents and emergencies do happen. We’re willing to take that risk. Just last year we were in a car accident in Alaska. Our total medical expenses came to about $60,000. In this case, they were covered by the automobile insurance of the other driver, who was at fault.

But even if they weren’t, our preference (and this isn’t for everyone) would be to owe that debt to the medical industry for services performed, than to owe that ‘debt’ to the insurance companies ‘in case’ it happens. We realize this approach doesn’t work for everyone, but it’s what we’ve chosen and we feel very comfortable with it.

What is next on the travel agenda after Argentina?

After we get to the bottom of Argentina, we plan to drive north again and visit Uruguay, Paraguay and then Brazil. We may stay in Brazil for a while and learn Portuguese. After that we’re really considering sailing the South Pacific.

Do you recommend your lifestyle for other families?

Yes and no.

No, because you have to really be committed to doing it, and really have the big picture in mind of ‘why’ you’re doing it, or else you may go crazy It can take some adjustment to not having a place to ‘call your own.’ But on the other hand, if it’s something you want to try, I say ‘go for it’. It’s wonderful having the freedom to go anywhere we would like, without having the ‘anchors’ (as we call them) of a home, job or bills.

This is an exchange rate we’re willing make – forsaking mortgages and bills for freedom and travel.

Follow the Denning Family’s Adventures.

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Visiting Canada

We are back in Canada now until the end of summer. My wife’s six month visa expires in September so we have to go somewhere before then. We still haven’t decided where or for how long.

Overall life is good.  We really have few complaints. I am doing some part-time marketing consulting work with a few companies which more than pays for our living expenses. We have time to regularly exercise, read a lot, meet new people and generally do anything we want. With the exception of my terrible marathon performance last month, I would even say that life is perfect.

We are Homeless

Our house in Japan was up for sale for a long time but we finally sold it a few of months ago.  Getting rid of the house will save us a lot of money every month so we are happy to lose that expense, but it also makes it difficult to return to Japan. Japan is still our home base for bank accounts, taxes, credit cards, etc. so we will return, however that will probably wait until the nuclear crisis is resolved.

In a previous post, I wrote about the idea of creating a Digital Nomad Network of accommodations to share with other location independents but only a handful of people were interested. I have a few possible locations arranged, but I think it will have to be a more closed group with close friends and family.

The Case Against Location Independence

My wife and I have been based out of Calgary, Canada for the last 5 months and it has been great to be able to build some connections and friendships. The Internet is great to connect with like-minded people, but nothing beats real world meet ups. It is a lot of work, but I have been trying to meet with several new people every week. This has been a fantastic source of ideas, new connections and even work opportunities.

If you are thinking of doing freelance work while traveling, I highly recommend building strong local connections in your home city. You can earn a lot more money selling your services to people who trust you, than to compete anonymously with the thousands of others offering the same services online.

Life is Good

Overall, life is fantastic. I can easily earn enough money to cover all of our expenses in a couple of hours per day. We are eating lots of healthy, home cooked meals, spending time with friends and family, cycling a lot, exercising everyday, and generally living a completely stress free life.

How our Lives have Changed

We no longer have the new car, big house, latest electronics and endless useless household gadgets, but that is a good thing. We also have no pressure to work. We are no longer spending our time shopping, maintaining the goods we have, or worrying about what to buy next. Less stuff really does mean more life.

Owning a house meant working in the yard, shopping for furniture and other household items, cleaning, taxes and a general mental focus geared towards possessions. Now all of those obligations and pressures are gone.

Not having a car means much less monthly expenses, not getting stressed out in traffic, more opportunities to walk and cycle. Even taking public transportation has become enjoyable. It is great to listen to an audio book while taking the bus and not have to worry about driving.

We are not sure what the future will bring, but we are not anxious to alter our current lifestyle either. Life is good.

Related posts:

1. Location Independence with 5 Children – Interview with the Denning Family
2. 8 Months in to Our Anywhere Lifestyle
3. Interview with Location Independent Entrepreneur Brandon Pearce

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 out of the country?

From 2007 until the end of 2010, I spent most of my time outside of the States. This year, I’m writing while on my first trip abroad of the year, Senegal. I’m not sure if I’ll be traversing oceans so much in 2011, but I will definitely be going to Canada and might be going to the Caribbean and parts of Latin America. It’s still in flux. Then again, I could be back in Africa in the next few months. My life isn’t so planned out.

Do you have a home base somewhere?

My home base is technically Everett, Washington. It’s where my driver’s license is, where my credit card bills go, etc. Depending on the situation, my father helps me with stuff back home, but I’ve had other people do that, as necessary. My Washington State health care does not cover me overseas, so I have bought Atlas Travel Health Insurance in the past. I’ve taken to buying the lowest coverage, with no deductible.

Please tell us about your blog, RoniWeiss.com.

I’ve had a website since 1999. My blogging before was more personal stuff, stories of my day. Though I did have movie reviews, as well. In 2008, I moved to Chile to teach business English. Around that time, my then-girlfriend and I broke up and I needed something to fill my mindspace. So I started blogging in a Web 2.0 sort of way and got involved in podcasts. My blog is mostly my travel stories and political commentary, but I go into other subjects as I feel the need. For a while, I was on wordpress.com. Once I started becoming more regular and getting more traffic, I moved over to wordpress.org. I don’t pay for hosting costs as I use my boss’s server in France. I’ve gotten offers to put ads on my site, but none felt particularly right. I had a Google Adsense ad up for a bit, but it wasn’t very prominent, so I wasn’t generating much from that. And now, I never will from them, as they banned me. I’ll probably write a post about that at some point. For now, I’m thinking I’ll stay ad-free until something makes more sense.

How do you earn an income now?

Money is a somewhat abstract concept to me. I try to spend as little as possible whenever possible. I make money through working for my boss in France, creating English language teaching materials. (Un)fortunately, I’ve been so busy with cool, unpaid things that I haven’t had time to sit and do work. I have done a lot of summer jobs in the past, wherein I get room and board paid for, don’t spend any money for months and come out of it with a few thousand dollars in my pocket. That’s served me well in the past.

Do you have many social media clients?

Right now, I’m helping with social media for the Africa Travel Association. We’ll see how much of my time in the future is doing social media and how much is freelance writing. Your guess is as good as mine.

Please tell us about your English teaching experiences?

I’ve taught English in Italy, Taiwan, France and Chile. They were all really different, based on what the jobs themselves were and what my living setup was. I did an interview about my English language teaching here.

What do you estimate your yearly expenses to be?

Wow. Uhhh. Yeah, I just don’t calculate it that way. There are days where I spend no money. There are days where I spend $5-20… And every so often I have to pay car insurance or flights. I’m so bad at this, really. When I’m traveling, I start trying to figure out how much I’m spending, but it feels like my expenditures per day fluctuate so wildly that it’s hard to say. And it depends on where I am in the world, too. If I’m Stateside, I have to pay for gas. In some countries, I ride black on the public transport; in others, I don’t. I’ve hitchhiked, but not all the time and not always successfully.

Generally, I spend nothing on accommodation, which does help. Really, it’s just such a variety. My goal is to always try to minimize expenses. The biggest challenge is trying to not let my nutrition suffer too much because of it.

How do you keep your expenses low?

I try to not spend money if I don’t absolutely have to. I stay with friends, family, people from Couchsurfing and have started doing hotel write-ups. A lot of times, friends and family give you food. They’re nice like that. That helps you save money. Hitchhiking has helped. I just started doing that more frequently at the end of last year. Recently, I’ve been putting up my Iraq hitchhiking posts.

Have you had any major problems on your travels?

I wouldn’t call them major. Getting ripped off by a taxi driver and his compatriots in Chile, which then got me on the biggest investigative journalism show in Chile. I’ve never had my life really threatened, never got beaten up or successfully mugged. In Chile, I stupidly had my money belt in my pocket. That story is here. And then there was the time at the Peru-Ecuador border…

How long do you plan on continuing this lifestyle?

My lifestyle is in flux. I’m moving away from the in-one-place English teaching and moving toward freelance writing and social media management. It’s really unclear if I’ll be spending time in Los Angeles or having enough work on the road that staying in one place doesn’t make sense.

What are your future plans for earning an income?

The hope is to earn more than just free stuff from blogging. Dunno how plausible that is. If I do spend more time in LA, I might make an effort with entertainment, too.

Do you have any advice for aspiring world travelers?

Know what you can handle in terms of creature comforts. Don’t try to drive yourself crazy being on a budget you can’t handle, but if you need to be staying at nice hotels and carrying lots of stuff with you, you’ll probably have to scale down your plans. Or just fall into debt, which I don’t recommend.

Here’s a plug: Travel Talk on Twitter. I help run a weekly Twitter event where we have five questions about a travel topic and anyone can tweet their answers. It’s every Tuesday at 9:30 AM/PM GMT. Great place to share/get ideas. And a lot of people seem to come out of it with potential plans for new places.

Links

RoniWeiss.com
Roni On Location (Roni’s YouTube travel web series.)
Follow Roni on Twitter
Facebook page
Political podcast: dontworry.tv or look for Don’t Worry About The Government (or Roni Weiss) on iTunes

Related posts:

1. Interview with Long Term Traveller, Expat and English Teacher – Nomadic Samuel Jeffery
2. Interview with Perpetual Traveller Craig Martin of IndieTravelPodcast
3. Top 6 Excuses to Avoid Long Term Travel