Mt. Everest Base Camp

Looking to explore the world, but don’t have the bank account to match your ambitions? Consider teaching English. It is the fastest and easiest way to go abroad and you don’t need special qualifications other than a university degree. Nicky Wetzelberger and Rhys Farrow, have funded their travel bug by teaching English in both Korea and Vietnam. They share their experiences and offer advice in this interview.

Please tell us about your travel background?

I’m Nicky and have been traveling alongside my boyfriend Rhys for the past 2 years. We left home in 2009 with a one way ticket to Bangkok and traveled all over South East Asia for 3.5 months before moving to South Korea to teach English. We finished our one year contracts for public schools in Ulsan before hitting the road again through India for nine weeks and then on to Nepal for a month. We are currently living and working in Ho Chi Minh City, teaching and traveling once again, but this time in Vietnam.

What was the impetus to move abroad?

Our Trans-Atlantic relationship wouldn’t allow us to do anything besides move away and travel the world together. I am from Maryland, USA and Rhys is from Cardiff, Wales. It’s strange that it is 100% easier for us to live in Asia than either one of our actual homes! Damn immigration laws. Plus, when I was a junior in college I took the leap to study abroad in England, and from that moment on I was hooked. The travel bug has never stopped crawling through me making me itch to get on the road and explore! Then Rhys Farrow, the Welshman, happened and once we started dating there were two options. Either runaway to Asia, or get married. So, duh..the choice was easy, go runaway to ASIA!

Where are you now?

For now, home is Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Life was like a cake walk teaching in Korea, everything was set up for us. Life was almost too easy, and after two months struggling through India we were ready for an adventure. We did some research and quickly realized Vietnam was our very own land of opportunity. With hundreds of English Schools scattered across the city, teachers are in high demand. We moved here and in less than a month had three jobs each, two motorbikes, and an apartment. It was as easy as ABC. We had traveled through South East Asia two years before, and fell in love with the endless abundance of sunshine, beautiful beaches, and tropical fruits so making the move back to South East Asia was pretty brainless.

Here’s a post about our initial move to Vietnam.

How do you earn an income now?

Teaching is the way to go if you’re desperate to travel but don’t have anything in your savings account. When we left home nearly three years ago we had no idea what would happen. If you would have told me I’d still be in Asia three years later I probably would have laughed at the idea. But, teaching to travel and traveling to teach has somehow landed itself as our own little travel slogan. The pay is great, work is minimal, and life is a vacation. I teach kindergarten and third grade at an elementary school (all subjects) and Rhys teaches law and geography at a high school. By the way, neither of us are teachers at home. We’ve got bachelor’s degrees and that’s it. No need to worry about CELTA’s and TEFL’s.

You taught English in both Korea and Vietnam, which do you like better?

Eeek! The question that gets asked all of the time. What’s better? Vietnam or Korea? Comparing Vietnam and Korea is nearly impossible. Both experiences are entirely different. The cultures, people, and work. Korea is easy. If this is your first move to Asia and first time teaching English, go to Korea. Life is amazing, you’ll get hooked up with unforgettable friends upon arrival and will watch your bank account continue to grow with little effort exerted.

Need a challenge? Come to Vietnam. It’s an extremely rewarding experience when everything falls on your shoulders. We moved here with a handful of resumes and a bag of clothes. No apartment waiting, no friendly face to greet us at the airport, just Rhys and I. Life is harder because it is a developing country, but we will walk away with experiences so true that offer a whole new outlook on life because Saigon is truly one of a kind.

This post goes into the nitty gritty about teaching in Vietnam and South Korea:

 Which country offers a better quality of life?

Quality of life is high in each country. Saigon is really dirty, crowded, and polluted but there is a huge expat scene here that helps you forget you live in such a chaotic city. South Korea is so advanced and technology creeps into everything. Seoul, South Korea is nicer than most US cities. My monthly pay in Vietnam is higher than it was in South Korea. However, in South Korea both of my flights (in and out) were paid for, we received completion of contract bonuses, and I swear every time I blinked we were getting handed money  for some small brainless task we completed. Our monthly wage is higher in Vietnam but we have to pay for things like flights and apartment, while bonuses are non-existent. In each country you can walk away with $15-20,000 saved up for the next adventure or backpack trip!

What are you living expenses in Vietnam?

In Vietnam everything seems to cost pennies. I eat dinner for $1-5 and buy beer for $1. Rent is $400, and my motorbike costs $4 to fill the tank up. I can go out for the best massage I’ve ever had at the nicest place with all the right incences burning and music playing for $20. Or I can get a massage from the little place over the train tracks that last three hours for $2. Dinners and fancy Western bars are everywhere and affordable, if that’s what you want or need to feel like you live a somewhat normal chaos-free life for an evening.

Is it easier or more difficult travelling as a couple?

I’m all about girl power and not having to rely on anyone but yourself, but I’d be a liar if I didn’t say I was so glad to have Rhys by my side. After our insane time in India, I am certain we can take on anything life throws at us. We’ve slept on filthy train station floors and used book pages for toilet paper, nothing really phases us too much anymore! Advice for couples: avoid hungry, angry situations at all costs especially when you’re trucking your backpack around on your back and it is 100 degrees. Have a snack ready for all hungry, angry situations, it keeps you thinking rational!

How long do you plan on living abroad?

It looks like we will be living abroad until we feel it’s time to take the plunge and marry. Which were not planning on anytime soon! Some days I think, ‘man life would be so much easier to just move home where language barriers aren’t a problem’… but then I look out my apartment window at motorbike traffic weaving in and out, shops taking over the sidewalks, the fruit lady selling mango for $0.50, and kids playing in flooded streets from the recent monsoon rainstorm and don’t know how life at home would ever be able to compare again!

Do you have any advice for aspiring English teachers?

Patience. Patience. Patience. Like any job some days I’m the happiest girl in the world, and other days I feel like kicking every student out of my class. In the end though, I feel live I’m living a dream in a country that was so alien to me at first, and now makes more sense than home does at times. Oh, yeah and don’t smile for the first week because then they know you mean business!

 Links
2Nomads1Narrative.com – Nicky and Rhys’s Blog
Follow Nicky and Rhys on Twitter

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.

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 + .

Are you dreaming of taking a year off from work to travel around the world? Emanuele and Romana Siracusa share their experiences and offer detailed advice for future world travellers. Should you purchase around-the-world airfare? How much money do you need? Where should you go? What kind of travel insurance do you need? It is all covered in this interview.

Please tell us about your around the world trip?

We left in November 2010 and stayed away until the first half of July. We kicked-off our around the world trip with a flight from London to Delhi . After 6 weeks of travelling within India we flew to SE Asia, where we stayed until the second week of May. We did Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia and finally Bali, Indonesia. Then we went to Australia and New Zealand for some winter time and some great camper-van road trips. Finally, we spent some time in Fiji and a short week in California before catching the flight back to London.

What were your most and least favourite countries?

Bali will always have a special place in our heart – we managed to stay away from the loud tourist triangle of Kuta-Legian-Seminyak and tried to keep off the beaten path. We also explored some of the most beautiful parts of the country by motorbike. What an experience! Oh, and Bali is also where our soon-to-be-born baby was conceived Apart from Bali, we also loved India and Vietnam. India is a very complex reality and it deserves a longer travel-time than our 6 weeks. India is also extremely photogenic and our camera has some unfinished business with this country, so I guess we’ll be back some time. Vietnam was a sort of surprise – a positive one. After hearing so many bad stories (scams, etc.) we only planned a short stay in the country, however we got so sucked into it that we ended up staying almost 2 months. We met very interesting people, ate great food and saw so many nice places, including the UNESCO World Heritage Site Hoi An. It’s hard to put something on the least favourite end of the spectrum but if we have to we’d pick Australia. It’s not really about the country, because Australia has a lot of natural beauty to offer and it’s a great country to live too (based on what some friends tell us). But after almost 7 months in Asia we weren’t excited about re-entering the so-called western world. However we still enjoyed meeting some old and new friends and embarked, as I said, on two great road trips: Sydney to Melbourne via the Princes Highway, and the Great Ocean Road.

Why did you choose long-term travel rather than the typical short annual vacation?

We started flirting with the idea of long-term travel during a couple of years of taking small city breaks in Europe, taking advantage of the low fares offered by some no-frills air companies. At that time we were living in Ireland and neither of us are Irish (I’m Italian and Romana is Portuguese). We were wondering whether we would leave the country one day or we would end up staying for good. We had some decent paying jobs – I worked as an instructional designer and Romana was a customer service team leader with a multinational company – and we could afford to save a good portion of our monthly salaries. One day we realized we had a decent amount of money in our savings account, but the ‘right time’ to leave never seemed to arrive. So at some stage we said to each other: it’s either we leave now, or we quit the idea and start a mortgage, etc. and settle in Ireland. A few weeks later we had a RTW ticket in our hands – well, in our inbox, since it was an e-ticket.

How much did you spend in total on your trip?

We spent approximately 18,000 euros (total, not per person) during the trip, plus approx. 2300 each for the RTW fare, but we spent more in 2 months between Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and California, than in 6+ months in Asia

How long did it take to plan and save for your trip?

On and off, we saved about 1000 euros each per month for more than three years – but we also paid for our wedding in 2009 with part of that money. Also, keep in mind that because we didn’t have a job waiting for us on our return, we also had to save for the post-trip period to make sure we wouldn’t run out of money while settling back home.

In terms of planning it’s difficult to say how long it took – we started reading around the world guide books and  blogs as soon as as we started fantasizing about taking an around the world trip. But once we became serious about leaving we got the planning out of the way in only a couple of months.

Did you have to change your lifestyle to save for the trip?

The first thing we did was to create a spreadsheet to keep track of our daily expenses. Analyzing the spreadsheet gave us an idea of where we could cut. The first thing was eating out – a budget buster in Dublin, Ireland, at that time. Following, we quit smoking, which was good for our health as well as our pockets. Another thing we found beneficial was to make grocery lists rather than going on impromptu grocery shopping expeditions. Also we started avoiding the expensive supermarkets close to home in favour of cheaper (but farther away) supermarkets. On another note, we’ve never been fans of big, expensive cars or luxury in general (we had a small second-hand car), and generally we tend to buy only what we can afford. This way we have no debts – no mortgages, no outstanding loans, no credit card balances, nothing. That made things a lot easier for us. But that was our philosophy even before we started thinking of taking the trip, so I can’t really talk about lifestyle ‘changes’ here.

How did you manage your money while travelling?

We had two separate bank accounts (with two different banks) and international bank cards (both debit and credit cards, where the credit cards were on different networks, i.e. one VISA and one Mastercard) – This is a good thing to do, because if something goes wrong with a bank or network you always have a second chance, and a backup plan. Oh, and things did go wrong with a card (and a bank) a couple of times while we were on the road, but in those cases we always had another card (and bank) to rely on.

Please tell us about your around the world air tickets.

We bought the around the world air ticket with roundtheworldexperts.co.uk and as I said it was about 2300 euros including taxes. The ticket included 7 flights: London-Delhi, Mumbai-Singapore-Bangkok, Bali-Sydney, Melbourne-Christchurch, Auckland-Nadi (Fiji), Nadi-Los Angeles, San Francisco-London. We were satisfied with the service offered by Round the World Experts for two main reasons: they have  good customer service and they don’t charge in case you want to change the dates of your flights – and we changed our dates constantly!

Would you recommend around the world airfare for other travellers?

Buying an around the world ticket forces a lot of structure to your travels – it allows for some flexibility but it doesn’t give you freedom. This is not good or bad per se. Travellers are different and have different styles and needs, but the good thing about buying an around the world ticket is the price. What you pay for around-the-world airfare is generally less than you’d pay if you had to buy single flights one after another. Having said that, if you want to go, say, to SE Asia only, then it probably makes more sense to buy a return ticket to Bangkok and take it from there. We were okay with the around the world airfare, but to be honest if we didn’t buy it, we would have stayed in Asia for the whole trip, leaving Australia and the Pacific for later in life.

Did you have any major problems on your trip?

Nothing apart from a bus accident in India, on the way to Mumbai from Goa.  (If you want to read the story, check our post ‘A troubled trip to Mumbai.’ )

What travel insurance company did you use?

We had two different types of insurance: travel insurance and a special type of photography insurance for non-professionals, which covered our travel photography gear, including our laptop. Buying insurance is a good idea when you’re setting off for long journeys. Plus, if you travel with expensive camera equipment that your normal travel insurance alone won’t cover, then buying a separate insurance for your photography gear is worth every cent and will give you peace of mind. For the travel insurance we used multitrip.com, for the photography insurance we used a UK based insurance broker called Aaduki.

Do you feel the travel has changed you?

Apart from being an awesome life and learning experience, this trip has certainly broadened our views and re-enforced our feeling of being in control of our lives. It made us understand what we really value in life, what we should make a priority and what type of lifestyle we want for ourselves in the near future – this is great because every effort we’re making now is aimed at organizing our lives according to our vision, rather than looking for easy compromises.

As individuals it certainly made us even more frugal and minimal than we used to be – as a couple it made us stronger, in so many ways (e.g. conflict resolution, communication, expectation management). Finally, as soon-to-be parents (we’re having a baby in January), we’ll make it a priority to help our son understand the value of diversity and the beauty of a multicultural world.

Do you have advice for others considering an around the world trip?

Here are a few tips we’d give to anyone considering an around the world trip:

• It’s easy to become too ambitious with your travel plans when you take an around the world trip. Travel slow and enjoy yourself – It’s better to do fewer places, but doing them well, rather than doing too many places in a hit-and-run fashion.
• Always have a plan B at hand. You’re not always in control of the circumstances and it’s good to have alternatives in mind and a certain degree of flexibility.
• Stay frugal but splurge from time to time.
• Set a budget for unforeseen expenses when you’re trying to figure out how much you need. Also set a budget for after the trip if you don’t have a job waiting for you on your return.
• Do it now. The more you hesitate, the more excuses you’ll make with yourself (e.g. waiting for the right time, etc.), the more unlikely you are to take the trip of a lifetime!

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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.

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