Every thought of writing a book? Karen van der Zee has 34 published books now with more on the way. She has a gift for telling great stories, which most bloggers, including myself can learn a lot from. Karen talks about how the publishing industry has changed over the years, living around the world and gives some writing advice in this fantastic interview.

Please tell us about yourself?

Hello dear readers, I am Miss Footloose, aka Karen van der Zee. I hail from the Netherlands, land of wooden shoes, dikes, bikes, windmills, and cheese, aka Holland. I never owned a pair of wooden shoes, but I did possess a bike or two and I ate and eat plenty of cheese. I am a writer and my husband is an agricultural development economist and works on foreign aid projects in developing countries. Right now we live in Moldova, Eastern Europe.

Please tell us about your travel background?

My first expat experience was as a foreign exchange student to the US where I lived with a family for a year and was introduced to life as a teenager in an American high school. Talk about culture shock. Later I met my American husband-to-be in Amsterdam, a very romantic place! A year later I followed him to exotic Kenya where he was a Peace Corps volunteer. We were married there in a bizarre wedding ceremony. You can read about it here: How (Not) to Get Married in Kenya. Fortunately it stuck, and I’m still the first and only wife.

That was the beginning of our travels. After Kenya, my husband’s work has taken us to Ghana, twice, for a total of almost 8 years, Indonesia for 2 years, Palestine for 1.5 years, Armenia for 6 years, and now we are in Moldova. In between we’ve lived in the US, which for much of that time was an expat location for me. Now I have dual citizenship so it is home.

What is it that you like or dislike about living as an expat in Moldova?

Moldova is a former Soviet Union Republic in Eastern Europe and not the most exotic of locations, but it’s generally considered an easy and safe country for expats. It’s a fertile country with a low hilly landscape and the vineyards produce some really nice wines. I live in the capital Chisinau and the people are friendly and helpful. There are good supermarkets and good restaurants. The center of town, where I live, is a very walkable place, and in the summer streets and parks are green and pleasant. In the winter the ugly Soviet-style apartment blocks are more obvious and the place looks less cheery.

I can’t think of anything that I particularly “dislike.” Moldova is a poor country and you see on occasion old men and women begging in the streets, which is hard to take, especially in the winter when it’s cold. Chisinau is not a large metropolis and some call it a rather sleepy place. The expat community is small and not very diversified.

How expensive is it there?

The cost of living in Moldova really depends on your lifestyle. It can be much lower than the US if you live and eat “on the local economy,” but not many expats here do, since most of them are employed by embassies, international companies and so forth, and have a “foreign” income.

As in many capital cities, there are at least two housing markets here, and the one for expats is very pricy. Rents for expat housing are high by American standards (and again, that depends on location). A three bedroom house in the suburbs can cost you US$ 3,000 or much more a month.

Housing can be much, much lower on the local market, but kitchens are basic and by American and Western European standards, furniture is often of what we might call the great-grandma variety or over the top “fake fancy.” If you’re interested in reading about my own expat housing saga in Moldova, read my tale How to Bond With Your Bidet.

Food: Again, the cost depends on how you live. You can live perfectly fine on the local diet, but it is not France, Spain or Italy here. However, buying imported foods can run up the grocery bills. I’m a bit of a foodie and love – for instance – French, Italian and Dutch cheeses, and I am lucky to be able to get them here, but they’re expensive. There is plenty of decent local cheese, so you don’t have to do without if you don’t want to buy the imported varieties.

Public transportation in Chisinau, the capital, is excellent and cheap, and although a car is nice, it is not essential.

The restaurants come in varying price levels and decent meals are available at prices much lower than in the US and Western Europe. Meals in upscale restaurants here are still lower than comparable ones in the US and Western Europe.

How many books have you written so far?

I’ve written 34 romance novels published by Harlequin Books. I’ve also written non-fiction tales about my (mis)adventures living abroad and some of my articles have been published in the Washington Post, the travel-humor anthology I Should Have Just Stayed Home, the anthology Female Nomad and Friends by Rita Golden Gelman, and various ezines.

I am presently working on a longer novel and have a finished non-fiction book with lighthearted stories about my (mis)adventures living in foreign countries. I am looking for an agent or publisher for this opus, which is not an easy task and very time-consuming.

How did you get started as an author?

Even as a kid I filled notebooks with stories and drawings. By the time I moved to Kenya I’d had a few small successes in Holland, but once I was married to my American globetrotter I knew I had better shift over into English, which was a second language for me, and needed some work.

A few years later I wrote my first romance novel in Ghana, West Africa, inspired by reading a romance novel I found at a friend’s house. I had no idea what I was doing and boldly sent the manuscript to the London address I found inside the book: Mills & Boon Ltd (now Harlequin Mills & Boon). It took a year before I even got an answer. My manuscript had been discovered in the slush pile and deemed worthy of publication. I was off and running and kept writing more novels, which they kept publishing, so I had my portable career.

The world of publishing has changed enormously, and I was very lucky to get started when I did, which was at the beginning of the “romance novel explosion.”

How many hours a day do you spend writing?

When our children were young I would start after they were off to school and I stopped when they came home. It was the perfect job for raising a family. I was quite disciplined, which you have to be as a writer because you are your own boss, but it still gives me flexibility in terms of vacation and holidays. I still spend most of my days behind the computer.

Is writing fiction more lucrative than non-fiction?

It all depends on how you get published, what is in your contract, what kind of deal you manage to get, how famous you are (not) and in the final analysis how many readers will actually pay money to buy your work. There is no simple answer.

How has blogging and social media affected your writing over the years?

I stopped writing romance novels a few years ago to work on a longer women’s fiction book, and to write my non-fiction opus about my life abroad (which is now finished). I do not enjoy marketing myself, working the social media, and self promotion. I’m terrible at it and wish I could simply spend my time writing and not mess with it. I do enjoy the blogging because it is writing my stories, and perhaps eventually this might help in promoting my books. I am on Facebook (Karen van der Zee) and Twitter (@missfootloose) and the challenge there is to not let these media take over your life.

Having a large blogging audience doesn’t hurt, but when you start talking about building an “author’s platform” it takes much more than that, such as acquiring speaking engagements that deal with your topic, having articles published in magazines or papers, and getting interviewed on radio or TV. It’s more and more clear that writing talent alone is not enough; you have to be a business person with marketing savvy. I have to admit that I have not gone very far down that business road yet.

Do you see yourself shifting from traditional publishing to blogging?

My blog is not meant to be or become an income generating affair and to take the place of traditional publishing. I prefer traditional publishing over self-publishing; it is what I’ve been used to. Self-publishing itself is easy. Finding readers to buy the book is not. It’s an enormous amount of work, and if you’re not famous already, or have 250,000 fans, it’s not likely to make you a living wage. At least that’s what the word is on the street. Besides, I’d rather be writing than marketing. Unfortunately, even when you get published the traditional way, publishers now also expect writers to do a lot of self-promotion.

You are a great story teller, can you give some writing advice for novice writers or bloggers? Most travel bloggers write about facts, not compelling stories. Can you please offer some advice?

Writing as Miss Footloose, I started my blog LIFE IN THE EXPAT LANE as an additional outlet for my non-fiction stories, and to connect with other expat writers and people who enjoy reading expat stories.

When I write about my own (mis)adventures, I use my fiction writing techniques. I never intended to write “reports” about places or events as seen from an objective journalistic viewpoint. I write about events and places as I experience them, as these affect me, subjectively. I see them as stories, not reports.

Advice for novice writers or bloggers? First of all, read the sort of writing that you like and study and analyze how the writer has handled the material. Secondly, since my own experience tells me that my fiction writing knowledge is invaluable in writing my non-fiction, I suggest new writers and bloggers learn about fiction techniques (unless they’re writing straight academic material). There are many online articles and materials and even courses that are free. You have to love the writing itself to want to learn how to do it better. And it is a never ending process. I’m still learning.

For support and advice, join a writers group and/or critique group. Writing can be a lonely business.

What is the best way for an aspiring author to break into book publishing?

How I wish I had the magic answer! I’d be rich! I started writing before the Internet and e-book era and the publishing scene has changed drastically. It’s a jungle out there in the publishing world. There is much talk about the need to have an “author’s platform” before an agent or a publisher will even look at your work, which is totally depressing because creating a platform is an entire job in itself. The Internet is awash with books, articles and blog posts about how to get into book publishing and how to build the dreaded platform. As an example, check out this article by Arielle Ford on the Huffington Post blog about platform building.

In short, there is no easy answer, no “best way,” and no magic trick. My advice is to do your research, study the subject and have patience. And if the gods are with you, you’ll be successful!

Links
Life in the Expat Lane – Karen van der Zee’s blog – (Great storytelling and writing style here!)
Karen van der Zee on Facebook
Follow Karen on Twitter (@missfootloose)

We are coming upon two years since we sold our business, house and got rid of almost all our possessions.  Do we have any regrets or did we make any huge mistakes? You will have to read to find out.

We are in Thailand

At the beginning of January we have come back to Asia for a few months. We started off in Japan and are now in Thailand. We will be here for a couple of months before going to Australia and then Japan again. I need to get some dental work done, and Thailand is a great, inexpensive country for dentists.

Home Base

We have been based out of my home city of Calgary, on and off for the last couple of years. We stay in Calgary because we have family there and an inexpensive place to stay.

As much as we love being abroad, we don’t like to travel so much. Constantly moving to new locations take a lot of time and effort. By being based in Calgary, we have been able to forge some great new friendships, organize a conference and monthly meet-up groups, volunteer, go to the gym regularly, meet old friends, enjoy familiar cafes, cycle a lot and do many more activities that demand some stability.

At the same time, I was born and raised in Calgary, so I am keen to live in and experience other cities around the world. Calgary is convenient for us, but I don’t think we will ever put down roots there.

How We Have Become Rich

Our old business in Japan provided us a great standard of living. We had enough money to do or buy anything we wanted with almost three months of vacation time per year. The only problem was that it was no longer challenging us. Everything became so routine that we were mentally stagnating.

We did what most consumers do, we bought new and expensive things to bring excitement to our lives. However, the novelty of anything you can buy soon fades. Expensive restaurants, travel, alcohol, furniture and electronics might make you feel better about yourself temporarily, but they only mask the root cause of an unfulfilled life.

We now live on less than 20% of the monthly expenses of our old lifestyle, however we feel much, much richer. If you don’t own a big house, you don’t need to buy furniture, do yard maintenance, pay expensive mortgages and bills.

If you don’t own cars, you don’t need to pay for insurance, gas, parking, maintenance, repairs and monthly payments. I calculated the total monthly costs of the last car we owned in Japan to be close to $800 per month, after factoring in the purchase and final selling price. It is not only the cost, cycling and walking everywhere helps us to stay in shape and enjoy the commute much more. We won’t own a car again anytime in the near future.

Not spending much money is obviously good for the bank balance, but the real value has been the freed up mental energy. When you are not thinking about buying things, maintaining things, cleaning things, moving things and protecting things, you have a lot more mental space for friends, hobbies, personal projects and career goals.

How we Earn Income

In Calgary, I did some part-time freelance marketing work that paid well and more than covered our living expenses last year. However, there are not many businesses that I truly believe in. Life is too short to work for uninspiring companies.

We still don’t have a decent online business, but I haven’t really been trying to monetize the work I have been doing. We have enough savings to fund our simple lifestyle for the foreseeable future, so we are not in a huge rush to find a stable income.

I am still searching for something meaningful to contribute to the world. Selling expensive ebooks, affiliate programs, membership sites, or consumer goods just doesn’t cut it for me. I am very interested in the non-profit sector but I haven’t figured out how to best contribute.

I am making a few hundred dollars per month on some of my websites through Adsense and selling advertisements. I have only recently started actively developing some old websites I have been sitting on thanks to the advice of James Clark of NomadicNotes.com. This site is a great vehicle to connect with and meet other like minded people around the world, so I don’t want to cheapen those relationships by hawking expensive ebooks and affiliate programs.

My teaching English abroad website has been getting some good traffic so that will be our immediate focus.

Do We Have Regrets?

We definitely made some mistakes getting to this point, but I can’t say we have any major regrets. Buying a house in Japan was foolish. If we didn’t buy that house, we would easily have another $100,000 or more in the bank now. I don’t have a very good track record in the stock market either. It is much better to invest in my own business projects. Live and learn I guess.

Other than that, giving up everything to live life on our own terms has been fantastic. We have learned just how little money and possessions we need to have a quality life. All the previous stresses of our past life are completely gone. It has been so liberating.

I haven’t focused very well on all the projects I have been working on, but that is changing. I hate spending more than I am earning, and that will need to end soon. It shouldn’t be too hard to get to a break even level because our expenses are relatively low. I will let you know how everything is going in the near future.

My wife and I have finally gotten settled in Chiang Mai, Thailand. We spent a few days in Bangkok and are now going to stay here for 7 weeks before heading to Australia.

It has been about 6 years since we have been to Thailand, but this is first time we made the trip up north to Chiang Mai.

Why Chiang Mai is Popular for Retirees, Expats and Long-term Travellers

Every long term traveller makes it to Chiang Mai sooner or later, and for good reasons. Great food, great weather and great prices make it a hard city to top.

At only 1.6 million people, Chiang Mai is a little tamer than the raucous streets of Bangkok and its 9.1 million inhabitants. The lack of any public transportation system keeps the traffic a little crazy, but it is also possible to escape to the mountains or to nearby towns.

Chiang Mai Living Expenses

There is no denying that the cost of living is a huge factor in attracting foreign visitors and retirees. My wife and I have an hotel style apartment for $360 per month. My uncle is renting a three bedroom house outside the city for only $200. I recently met up with Nomadic Matt and he was paying $7 a night for a guest house. Really posh flats can be found for $500 to $1000 if you wanted to splurge, even cheaper if you rent for a year.

Meals typically range from $1 a dish in a cafeteria style restaurant or food stand to $3 dollars for a nicer sit down restaurant. Everything is made fresh so the food is fantastic.

Fresh fruit shakes are about $1.25 and a beer in a bar is $2 – $3 for the large 750 ml bottle.

There are endless markets and shops selling inexpensive tourist items, clothing and bootleg software and DVDs. Cafes are everywhere from McDonald’s, Starbucks, Doi Chang and many nicer local shops with good coffee at half the price of the franchises.

I am getting some major dental work done here at about 10% of the cost of Canada. The money I save on the dentist alone will more than pay for our entire stay and airfare.

Retire in Thailand

If you were frugal, Chiang Mai could quite possible be a great city to retire on $500 per month. Eating out two meals a day, going to a cafe every day and not really watching our budget, I estimate that my wife and I can quite comfortably live on less than $1500 a month here. If we were to stay here for the long term, travel less and spend more time at home, we could easily get it under $1000 per month for the two of us. That would get us under that elusive $500 a month retirement budget.

Over all it is a fantastic place to set up a home base for a couple of months.

I have already met Nomadic Matt, like I mentioned but I also have plans to connect with Erin and Simon from NeverEndingVoyage.com, Mary and Warren Talbot of Married with Luggage, James Clark of Nomadic Notes, and possibly even Cody Mckibben of ThrillingHeroics.com.

We haven’t done much work in the last couple of weeks, but hopefully that will change starting now. I will provide a more detail update on our plans, cost of living in Thailand and hopefully some videos very soon.

Will takes in the views over the Spanish countryside

The top problem for most aspiring long-term travellers is how to earn enough income on the road. Travelling off of savings is great way to start, but what happens when you run out of money. If your travel bug is going to turn into a location independent lifestyle, you will need to start working on the road.

More often than not, that means doing some type of freelancing work. Many also try their hand at travel writing, for their own blogs or other sites. Will Peach does all of the above. In this interview, Will shares his experiences working for sites like Gap Daemon and Vagabundo Magazine, as well as SEO article writing and consulting. He shows that you don’t need to earn much money on abroad if you can keep your costs low.

Please tell us about your travel background?

Hi guys! First off let me envelop you all in a nice warm “Will Peach” hug and wish you all the best for the year ahead. Right, now that the sexual tension is out the way, let’s continue onward.

I started travelling as a wee nipper making my first trip abroad a few short years after having sprung from the womb. Growing up under the heavy influence of my travel-curious dad, I had the fortune of going on vacation to quite a few destinations during my childhood. Stand out trips include a month long tour of Australia at the age of 12, holidaying in Kenya at 14 and a tour of California in my awkward teenage years. I hardly saw much of my native England!
Needless to say this taste of travel spilled over into my adulthood. At university I was lucky enough to do a year abroad at the University of Miami and after graduating I upped sticks and went to live in Vietnam for a year and a half. I’m still not done yet!

Where are you now?

The past few months I’ve been living in a little city called Cáceres in Extremadura, Spain (quite close to the Portuguese border). I came to live in Spain primarily because I had the crazy ambition of becoming the first person in my family to become fluent in a language other than English (and, if I choose to believe my grandmother, Irish). Since moving here however I’ve found that Spain really floats my boat. Right now I’m back in London for the holidays but, depending on when you read this, I’ll be back out in Spain in a new location working on my goal. If you’re interested in reading about my experiences and checking out my progress check out my site My Spanish Adventure.

Will enjoying Caceres' old quarter

What are you living expenses in Spain?

A lot cheaper than when I was living in London! In Cáceres I was paying just 100 Euros a month in rent (for a room in a shared apartment). For food I was probably paying around another 180 Euros a month (eating out maybe a couple of times a week) and for entertainment (which there wasn’t a great deal of maybe 200 Euros). I spent most of my “entertainment” money on travelling around the area getting to see cool places like Seville and Mérida.

How do you earn an income now?

Ah this is the bit where I give away all my secrets isn’t it? Well the bulk of my money I earn from my role as an editor at Gap Daemon (that accounts for maybe 50% of my monthly income). Then I work with a few different clients in the SEO world and provide writing for them on a freelance basis. My earnings per month vary wildly (depending on how much freelance stuff gets sent my way) but have always been enough to cover my outgoings.
Recently I’ve been working on other projects designed to bring in some income further down the line. I’m trying to push my SEO writing work more into consultancy (willpeach.com is my base for this) and also running a few different travel sites in the hope of monetisation in the coming months. I’ve also taken an editorial role at Vagabundo Magazine, which I hope will help prop me up too.

My earnings are still very much a work in progress and I’ll be the first to admit I’m no expert in this area. Still I love being the master of my own fate and this way of living is certainly the one for me.

Please tell us more about Gap Daemon and Vagabundo

Gap Daemon is a gap year website for backpackers and young travellers that provides people with a network to help record and prepare their travels as well as meet other people while out on the road. I actually got involved with them over a year ago when I worked in a full time capacity as a site editor in their London offices. Deciding to go travelling myself I was fortunate enough to have them support me. Right now I’m helping to add to their ever-increasing information resource by writing articles and recording podcasts with travellers around the world. It’s pretty cool work!

Vagabundo Magazine is an online travel magazine run by Brendan Van Son, a pretty well known Canadian photographer and travel writer. I got involved with them after writing a few articles for the digital magazine and asking Brendan if there was anything more I could help out with. Right now Brendan and I are working together to bring Vagabundo Magazine to the masses by expanding our activity on social media (particularly Twitter) and continuing to provide great travel stories and inside destination guides from around the world. Be sure to check it out!

How did you find those job opportunities?

I found the opportunity at Gap Daemon after working in the trade press here in London for a while (I had a big portfolio of travel writing and blogs from my time in Vietnam to help support my application). Back then they were just starting out so I had the good fortune of joining them after only a few months of operation.

Vagabundo Magazine came off the back of me writing for it and contacting Brendan. If I had to give any advice to people looking for similar opportunities I’d say networking with bloggers or writers in the field (simply by shooting them emails and telling them you’re fans of their work) is definitely the way to go.

In one of the frustrating moments of learning Spanish abroad!

Is this work 100% remote?

The work is 100% remote with the only stipulation that I check-in via emails regularly and take the occasional Skype call.

Are there good opportunities for travel writers at companies like Gap Daemon and Vagabundo?

Both these publications have great opportunities for travel writers looking to make a break in the field. Unlike other sites of a similar nature, Vagabundo Magazine and Gap Daemon both pay for good content from decent travel writers. Granted you won’t make anything near as much as you would writing for national papers or magazines but it’s still a great way to start.
If you’re interested in writing for the Gap Daemon blog I’d suggest thinking carefully about what you can offer and then pitching to chief editor Nadia. You can get in contact with her via Twitter.

The process is similar with Vagabundo. Check out the site, familiarise yourself with the content then have a read of the contributors guidelines.

Why do you work for other companies rather than focusing on your own sites?

That’s a really good question but one that’s easily answered by saying that I’m still very much a beginner and new to this world. Working with people like Gap Daemon and Vagabundo gives me a very solid start (not to mention great contacts) and also two solid online brands behind that of my own name.
Working with these sites also reinforces just how great it is to be part of a team. That’s a feeling I often miss running my own independent project!

Please tell us about your search engine optimization services

SEO is new to me but something that I’m growing increasingly passionate about. I learned a lot from my time at Gap Daemon but have explored it more over the past few months, thanks largely to communities like Sean Ogle’s Location Rebel.

Right now I work primarily as a SEO writer, freelancing with SEO companies who outsource this type of work. For these firms I generally write on a whole host of topics, which can range from anything like telecommunications, to business agents to real estate dealings. Finding work in this field can be tricky (given the competition) but there are plenty of opportunities for people on sites like Elance.

I find most of my work based on referrals from previous clients or networking. More recently I’ve expressed an interest in moving away from the writing and more into consultancy.

SEO writing: Will's usual expression

Are there good opportunities to do SEO work for small businesses?

I’d say there’s a healthy amount. It’s all about taking action, contacting the types of business you want to work with and telling them what you can do for them. Chances are, if you’ve studied the subject, you’ll know more than most small business owners. The next thing you need to do is to convince them to pay you for it, even if that means doing some unpaid work first!

Can you give some advice for travellers looking to do SEO freelance work?

The first thing you want to do is find other people who are doing it and ask them about it – unfortunately I can’t relay all the details in an interview or it would go on forever! Ask those people if they wouldn’t mind Skyping or something and then take it from there.

I’d suggest starting out by simply reading about the subject and getting a feel for what it’s all about (the learning curve isn’t all that big!). From there I’d find SEO companies, web design firms or small businesses that you like the look or sound of and just start pitching to them.

It needn’t be too hard!

Do you have any advice for aspiring long-term travellers?

The only advice I’d feel qualified to give is make sure it’s your dream and don’t let anything hold you back. You don’t need massive savings, you don’t need specific skills and you don’t need to be that well prepared. All you need to be is a capable person and willing to take a few risks.
Oh and remember to give back by doing interviews such as these!

About Will Peach

Will is one of the site editors over at Gap Daemon, the gap year travel website for backpackers and young travellers. He also works as a freelance SEO writer as well as tackling the subject of what to see in Spain over on his travel site My Spanish Adventure. Follow will on Twitter.

I have said it many times before, teaching English abroad is a great away to see the world. Having a secure income and an employer that helps you get set up in a foreign country takes away most of the risk and expense of moving abroad. Samuel Jeffery of NomadicSamuel.com has used teaching English in Korea as a spring board to live abroad for 6 years and travel the world. In this interview, he talks about what it is like to teach English in Korea and provides some insight into his travels, website and future plans.

Please tell us about your travels.

I’ve now been abroad for six consecutive years alternating between teaching English in Korea and backpacking around Asia and the Americas.  I decided to go abroad for the first time after I became an ESL tutor on campus as a university student.  I became close friends with my students and the seeds of teaching and travelling abroad were firmly planted around this time.

Where are you now?

I’m currently in a transitional phase visiting family at home in Fredericton, Canada. I’m considering teaching English in a country other than South Korea and I’m also considering backpacking for half or a full year. I will have more clarity on the issue sometime in the New Year.

What are your most and least favourite countries and why?

My two favourite countries that I’ve visited are India and Argentina. India is just an incredible country that has no rivals in terms of diversity. I’ve never felt more stimulated travelling than I have while exploring India. Argentina is an amazing country with wonderful food, scenery and diverse landscape. The two countries I didn’t enjoy quite as much as others were Ecuador and Brunei. In Ecuador, I witnessed some violent events and security issues at the time. While in Brunei, I found it expensive and somewhat under-stimulating compared to other nearby countries in SE Asia.

Have you had any major problems on your travels?

I’ve been quite lucky in that I’ve never had anything debilitating happen to me on the road. My worst experience was an infection I developed while travelling in Malaysia that landed me in the hospital for several days. I’ve had my iPod stolen and a few other minor things. I’ve been lucky enough to never have any big ticket items (such as my camera or netbook) stolen.

What do you estimate your expenses are when you travel?

I’ve generally been able to travel on roughly $1000 a month. When I’m backpacking in Asia my budget is typically between $800 to $1000 a month and in South America I’ve expanded it slightly to $1000 to $1200. Certain countries stand out for one reason or another. When I was backpacking in India I only spent $600 a month whereas when I was in Argentina my budget stretched to $1500. I think generally speaking a frugal backpacker can enjoy travelling in developing countries for $1000 a month. I’ve only done limited travel in North America and I’ve never set foot in Europe. I know $1000 a month would not cut it in those regions.

How long do you plan on continuing this lifestyle?

I see myself continuing on with my nomadic ways for the indefinite future.  I haven’t even come close to scratching the itch I have to explore most of the world.  I feel my life overseas is now more of a lifestyle than a temporary phase.  I’m excited about what’s around the corner.

How was teaching English in Korea?

When I was tutoring English in University the majority of my students were from South Korea.  They encouraged me to consider trying teaching English after I finished my degree and the idea really grew on me over time.  In hindsight, it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made in my life.  I’ve had really good experiences in Korea and I now consider it my home away from home.  I’ve found over time that my skills as a teacher have improved and I’ve always found the students to be a joy to teach.  Korea has a lot to offer in terms of culture, food and interesting destinations to explore.

What is the quality of life of an English teacher in Korea?

The quality of a life for an English teacher is generally very high provided they’ve secured a reputable job.  A typical contract includes return airfare, a free apartment, severance bonuses and low tax rate.  A teacher is typically left with a lot of disposable income after payday.  If a teacher is frugal and lives like a local, there is a potential to save between 50-75% of their salary each month.  Overall, in larger cities there is a vibrant expat community with plenty of opportunities to enjoy a variety of different activities.  One of the true highlights of living in Korea is the diverse cuisine.  Some of my favourite dishes are as spicy as any I’ve tried in Asia.

What are the typical salaries for English teachers in Korea in US dollars?

The average salary for a starting teacher would be anywhere between $1700 to $2200 per month with a free apartment, depending on experience, qualifications and the level which one is teaching (private, public, university). For more experienced teachers the average salary would be between $2100 to $2500. Finally, for those who are working at a prestigious university, large company or doing research or development the sky is the limit. I’ve heard of individuals pulling in between $5000 to 10,000 but this is very rare and only for those who have advanced qualifications such as a Masters degree and lots of experience teaching in Korea.

Would you teach English again?

I would definitely teach English overseas again.  I think it’s a wonderful opportunity to experience a new culture, travel and save money.  Unlike backpacking, it offers one the opportunity to feel as though they are part of the local community.  The one tip I would suggest is to carefully research your potential school before signing any contract.  Although there are excellent schools, the ESL industry is also rife with dodgy operators who have little concern for the welfare of their teachers or students.

Please tell us about your blog.

I launched Nomadic Samuel on July 1, 2011.  Although my website is relatively new, I’ve been fervently taking photos and videos for several years.  My blog is largely based on travel photos and videos, although I do write about quirky travel stories, destinations, ESL tips and photography tips.  In 2012, I will have completed all of my youtube projects which will allow me to spend a lot more time writing.  Eventually I would like to earn a full-time income from my travel blog and travel related projects.  It’s a work in progress and something that I’ll be pursuing with a lot of intensity over the next few years until it becomes a reality.

NomadicSamuel.com is quite popular for only starting in July, can you share how you have attracted so much interest in such a short time?

I’m very flattered and humbled by how well my website and other travel related projects have done in a short period of time. I think a few factors have helped contribute to the success of my website. Firstly, I’ve been overseas for six consecutive years and I’ve accumulated a wealth of different experiences over that period of time. Secondly, I’ve become quite an avid photographer over the last several years. One of the advantages of not having a blog (until recently) was that I was out taking a lot of photos just about every single day I was backpacking. Finally, I’ve been putting in a lot of effort into my materials (posting frequently on my site and my youtube channel) along with taking an advantage of opportunities to do interviews or guest posts on other sites.

What are some goals you have with your website?

Over the next couple of years I’d like to finish up projects I have on my youtube channel as well as continue to blog regularly on Nomadic Samuel. I have two new websites that I plan to eventually launch in the New Year related to travel photography and teaching English overseas (Travel Photography Tips & Teach English Travel Overseas). Eventually, I’d like to be on the road as a full-time digital nomad. I’m in the process of transitioning from teaching to a location independent lifestyle.

Links

Samuel Jeffery is the wizard behind the curtain pulling the strings of NomadicSamuel.com, a travel blog that is miles away from ordinary…dripping with sarcasm. As a long term vagabond (6 consecutive years on the road) Samuel is sharing his photos, videos & quirky travel stories along with photography tips, interviews, ESL tips, reviews and general travel advice as a way to vicariously experience what it is like to backpack or to plan your own journey of a lifetime.  Additionally, Samuel runs Travel Photography Tips and Teach English Travel Overseas.  Get in touch with Samuel by following him on his Facebook Fan Page , Twitter , StumbleUpon , Youtube & Google + .

What does it really take to make a location independent travel lifestyle work? Many people assume that it is okay for single people in their early twenties to take a gap year to travel the world, but what if you are getting older and need to focus on a career? What if you are travelling as a couple? How do you make a living? Simon Fairbairn and Erin McNeaney of NeverEndingVoyage.com share their experiences transitioning to a life of long-term travel in this interview.

Please tell us about yourselves.

We are a British couple who’ve been together since we were 18 (we’re now 30). Our first backpacking trip together was around Europe when we were 19 and we’ve continued to travel ever since. Simon has worked his way through varied careers as a musician (the highlight was playing at the Glastonbury Festival), legal caseworker to help asylum seekers stay in the UK, and web designer. I worked for a community arts organisation working with refugees to organise arts projects and events including an annual multi-cultural festival attended by 10,000 people.

How did you decide to embark on a nomadic lifestyle of long term travel?

Although we had taken one month backpacking trips around Europe and I spent three months volunteering in Sri Lanka after university, I always knew that I wanted to do a year-long round the world trip and after working for a few years I was keen to head off. It took a bit of effort to convince Simon but as soon as we set off at the end of 2007 he was hooked. We spent an amazing year travelling around Asia, Australia, the South Pacific and the US and had more incredible experiences that year than we had in the previous ten.

Returning to the UK was hard and we struggled to fit back into the dull routine of working 9-5. We had been back a few months when I discovered the world of digital nomads – people who could work and live anywhere in the world. This seemed perfect for us, especially as Simon was developing his web design career at the time (after designing websites for fun for 10 years) – an ideal location independent job. It was a natural step for us and wasn’t really a difficult decision to make. We decided to save as much as we could in nine months (as we were already experienced at saving for our previous trip we managed to save 75% of our income, sell everything we own and then hit the road. We left England with a one way flight to Rio de Janeiro on 1st March 2010.

What countries have you visited so far?

On our first trip we visited Sri Lanka, India, Nepal, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, the Cook Islands and the US.

This time we spent our first year travelling mostly overland in South America: Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Bolivia, Peru and Colombia; then Panama and Costa Rica. From there we moved on to the US, Canada, England, Hong Kong, Japan and now Thailand.

What are your most and least favourite countries so far?

Our favourite country is India. It’s a country of extremes, vibrant, colourful, challenging but never boring. We also loved the food and as vegetarians it’s one of the few places in the world where we can eat local food without worrying that it contains meat.

Our least favourite is New Zealand, which is a bit controversial as most people love it. For us it was too much like England and it didn’t help that we were there during the winter and it rained constantly, so we couldn’t do a lot of the outdoor activities that it’s famous for. That said, least favourite is relative and we still enjoyed snowboarding and heli-hiking on a glacier.

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

Our living expenses vary widely – when we are house sitting and have free accommodation we spend very little, but then other months can be expensive when we are travelling around places like Japan and have to buy international flights. During our first year in South America we averaged £1500 a month for the two of us. Our second year so far is working out at £2000 a month on average as we have travelled to more expensive places like the US, Canada and Japan, and we’ve spent a lot on international flights. As we don’t plan our travels very far in advance we buy one way tickets and these often aren’t much cheaper than returns so flights have been a big expense this year.

We have shared detailed breakdowns on our blog of our travel expenses in Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay; Bolivia and Peru; and Japan.

These days we don’t travel that frugally, although we are flashpackers rather than luxury travellers. We always stay in private en-suite rooms, and as we spend a lot of time working in them we can be quite fussy. We also spend quite a lot of money on food, but we don’t drink very much. After a few months travelling we often need a break from moving around to get some work done so we rent apartments for a few months. We usually end up choosing quite luxurious places as we want somewhere comfortable to work. These cost anywhere from $650 a month in Thailand, $800 in Argentina up to $1200 in Colombia.

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

As UK citizens we don’t need health insurance but we do have travel insurance which covers medical emergencies while we are travelling. We manage all our finances through online banking and access our money by withdrawing cash using debit cards at ATMs. We also have a few credit cards for emergencies. It’s important to have a number of different cards in case one gets stolen (which has happened to us). We also carry a few hundred US dollars just in case.

Although we don’t have a home base it’s impossible to manage without an address so we use a relative’s address where our banking and tax related mail gets sent.

Do you return to the UK often?

We’ve been back to the UK once in 20 months for a friend’s wedding and to visit family. We don’t know when we’ll next go back, it’ll depend if a visit works out with our travel plans. While we were there we stayed with various family members.

We sold almost everything we owned before we left and don’t have anything in storage. We keep two small boxes at Simon’s mum’s house with some documents and photo albums.

Do you still own a house there?

Unfortunately we do still own a house in the UK, which we are desperately trying to get rid of. The market is awful at the moment so we haven’t been able to sell it, so we’ve just put it on the rental market. We don’t like having the tie, and there’s always the worry that something will go wrong with the house (ours is over 100 years old) and it’ll cost us a lot to fix it. Dealing with the house from abroad is a bit of a pain, and we are lucky to have a friend and relative nearby who have helped us out a lot. If we find a tenant then we’ll have the estate agent manage it for us. Ideally we’ll rent it out for six months and try selling it again next year.

Do you travel with a lot of possessions?

We travel with a carry-on size backpack each plus a travel guitar. We love travelling with just carry on luggage – we save time at airports and always have our bags with us on planes and buses. It’s also much easier not having to lug a big backpack around when looking for accommodation. You can see exactly what we travel with on our packing list post. People are fascinated by that and it has been our most popular post for the 20 months we’ve been running the blog.

What are the essential items you must travel with?

Really the only essential item for us is a laptop, which we need to work on. Simon has a Macbook Pro and I have an Asus EeePC netbook (although I have my eye on a Macbook Air). I also love my Kindle – being able to travel with hundreds of books on a device smaller than a paperback is amazing.

Have you had any serious travel problems?

Not really. Simon got pick-pocketed in Costa Rica but he only lost $30 and one of our debit cards (which we had a backup for). We tend not to keep too much in the wallet we use daily just in case it gets stolen. On travel days our passport, cards and money are in money belts and our backpacks are lockable so it prevents anyone being able to get to the laptops easily.

How do you earn an income now?

Our main source of income is Line-In the WordPress web design and development business that Simon runs. We only started monetising the Never Ending Voyage blog three months ago and now have some income from that and another travel website I run, from selling links, advertising and affiliate products. I’ve been surprised at how lucrative it can be and although those sites are making about £900 a month at the moment, I have no idea how long it will last.

We aren’t currently making quite enough to cover our expenses (we saved up before we left to give ourselves a cushion) but to be honest we haven’t tried that hard, and have often been distracted by travel. We aren’t particularly good business people, and Simon loves what he does so much that he tends to over deliver way more than clients have paid him for. It turns out being a perfectionist isn’t so good for business!

Ultimately client work isn’t scalable so we are currently settled in Chiang Mai, Thailand for three months to develop some products to sell including Premium WordPress Themes. We aim to have income coming in from multiple sources.

What are some of the downsides of a location independent lifestyle?

Sometimes we get tired of moving around and we miss home comforts like a couch, a comfy bed and having a kitchen. That never makes us want to return to the UK though, instead we just rent an apartment for a few months or look for a house sitting opportunity. After a few months of comfort we get itchy feet and are ready to hit the road again.

Our biggest challenge has been building a business as we don’t have any experience with that.

Is it difficult to travel as a couple?

We don’t find it difficult at all and argue less on the road than we did at home when we were stressed with work and commuting. We rarely have any time apart, and that’s not a problem for us, although it is nice to have an apartment with two rooms so that I can sleep if Simon’s working late!

Do you plan on settling down in one country as a home base?

We have no plans to settle down permanently. There isn’t one place in the world that we want to commit to, although we’d be quite happy to spend a few months each year in San Francisco. The world’s a big place and there are still too many places we want to visit. Even if we begin to travel more slowly we are still addicted to the freedom of this lifestyle.

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

Do it! Get control of your finances, cut down your unnecessary spending and start saving now. It’s important to set a start date for your trip, even if it’s two or three years from now. It gives you something to work towards and helps keep you motivated while you save.

Links
Neverendingvoyage.com
Follow @nevendingvoyage on Twitter
Follow on  Facebook

Finding comfortable and affordable accommodations is one of the most difficult aspects of long-term travel. What if you could find quality, furnished apartments and stay for free? House sitting might be the answer. Professional house sitter, Teresa Roberts, author of the book Finding the Gypsy In Me – Tales of An International House Sitter, shares her experiences house sitting around the world in this interview.

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.

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 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