How You Can Afford To Travel the World Non-Stop
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Before I became a digital nomad, I remember seeing people who were off traveling for months or a year at a time and I never understood how they could afford it. Fast-forward in time and now I am one of them. I would never have thought. This was always some mystical idea to me but now that I know, I am here to share it with you so you too can travel the world for months, years, or a lifetime.
The Digital Nomads
The digital nomad essentially has a "work from home" job but instead of working from home, works in other countries. As long as the country has reliable internet, they simply lug their computers around and work from anywhere. Some of the most popular jobs for digital nomads are developers, designers, writers, marketers, customer support, freelancers, and entrepreneurs. Most people can make their job remote, make a role shift or career change to accommodate working remotely. For me, I shifted from a project manager at advertising agencies and digital shops to online marketing. I had studied business and marketing in school, so this was a logical transition for me.
Digital Nomads move frequently. The visa situation is a bit of a gray area for digital nomads. Most go on tourist visas which usually allow you to stay around 30-90 days. However, some countries such as Thailand, are cracking down and requiring digital nomads to have work visas.
Digital Nomads work for the same employer throughout their travels. They do not switch jobs with every country. Again, that would be like someone working from home, if they decided to work from a cafe instead, that doesn't mean they need to switch jobs.
You can find a remote job and become a digital nomad or go on a program or retreat to learn how to do this.
You might also like: 8 Steps on How to Become a Digital Nomad
The Expats
Expats are people who temporarily or permanently reside, as an immigrant, in a country other than their own. For example, someone from Canada who lives exclusively in Buenos Aires, Argentina and works for an Argentinian company at a specific location in that country for an extended period of time is an expat, whereas digital nomads don't typically work for people in the visiting country and move more frequently. This is the options most families take, over digital nomadism.
The English Teachers
English teachers usually take a TESOL course to get certified to teach English. My friend and I used Oxford Seminars to get certified. I ended up taking the digital nomad route, but she ended up working as an English teacher for 2 years in Korea. Once certified, teachers select a country to teach English. Usually, places in Asia are popular because they pay more, have a lower cost of living, and have the desired warm climates. Teachers usually go on contracts for about a year at a time, during the school "season". Once contracts are up, teachers have the ability to pick other locations and teach.
The Backpackers or Gap Year Students
Some people simply work for a year or two a save all their money. Typically once they have $10K-$20K saved, they will simply travel until the money runs out for either a few months or up to a year. The backpacker does this whenever, whereas the gap year student will typically do it right after graduating school.
The "Odd Job" Working Backpacker
Some people will save up a bit less money, say $5,000, then apply for a work permit in their desired country. Ie. A Canadian could save up money, then go to Australia on a work permit and do odd jobs such as being a waitress, bartender, hotel concierge, hostel staff etc.
The Nanny/Au Pair
Au Pairs work in foreign countries and typically help look after children and the upkeep of the house. In exchange, they get free accommodation with the family and a small salary to cover expenses.
The International Volunteer
There are many companies that connect travellers to volunteer opportunities. Usually, however, this requires you to save up money in advance as there is usually a fee and cost of flight required to volunteer. I volunteered in Kenya, with a program called Me to We, to help work on a school project and fundraised the $5,000 required to participate.
The WWOOFers
WWOOFing is essentially helping with farm working, in exchange for food and accommodations. The accommodations and work aren't exactly always glamorous but this works for someone on a small budget and offers a more local feel or experience. Assignments typically last a few weeks at a time, which makes this a great option for someone who really wants to explore a lot of areas. As long as you volunteer in each country for less than a month, you are usually ok to go on a tourist visa since you are volunteering.
How do you afford your travels? Leave a comment below.
Applications are open for our Oct 2017 retreat.
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