HOW TO MAKE A LIVING WHILE TRAVELLING THE WORLD

in #travel7 years ago (edited)

Remember the days when family members, friends or teachers asked you what you would like to do when you’d grow up? I bet you all dreamt of some reputable careers and your answers named professions such as: doctor, firefighter, mechanic, teacher, astronaut or something that involved a regular job.

My answer to this question always puzzled those who asked it. That’s because my dream was to be a guest. You’re probably laughing now reading this. Yes, I was the only child that I know who saw himself as professional guest.


Image source: here

Who does not like being a guest somewhere, enjoying all the benefits and attention, discovering new people, habits and places? I found it fascinating. During my childhood years I wished for a machine that could make me wake up in a different location each morning.

Later on, within my adult life I realized that my dream was not quite mission impossible. It was doable. My long dreamt profession existed and it had a name: nomad. To be more precise, digital nomad.

You don’t have to be a software engineer or a programmer to become a digital nomad.
Actually you don’t even need a background in IT. All that you need is a steady Internet connection, some writing skills and fluency in one more language, other than English. Though, the latter is not mandatory but it certainly helps.


Image source: here

After trying a few careers, I discovered there was a way to see my dream come true.
Obviously it involved a few major changes and a leap of faith as I dove into the unknown. Luckily within the previous years I have downsized twice, thanks to my Lyme disease. Thus I did not have to worry too much about my Earthly possessions.

Once I have rented my property, I jumped into a plane and that was the first day of my new life. Thanks to my writing skills and a supportive partner, I was able to be on the road for almost six years. Six years filled with adventures and unexpected surprises. I have met some incredible people who helped me to grow and see life through a different lens.

Along the way I discovered new ways to make a living while being on the road. I expanded my writing into new fields; I ventured into content writing, rewriting articles, doing research on certain topics, creating user manuals and so on. Once I finished my first technical user guide, I could not believe that I have done that. I am not a technical person at all! In a nutshell, I explored most of the available online jobs on Freelancer , ShareDesk, Indeed or UpWork that allowed me to work remotely.

Being multilingual helped as well, as I was able to address a wider audience and get a better understanding of the local communities where I lived. It enabled me to fully immerse myself into the each one of the new locations and promote my services.


Image source: here

If you are contemplating the idea of embracing a nomadic life, here are some suggestions that you might find valuable while being abroad:

ENGAGE / FOSTER COMMUNICATION

Engage with people everywhere: at the market, the business centre, on the street, in the park, etc. Besides the fact that you are improving your language skills, you can make new friends. Be friendly and let people know what you have to offer. Someone will be interested at one point to have their websites revamped or translated into English in order to match the competition. Or they might pass on your contacts to someone who needs your services.

IMMERSE WITHIN THE LOCAL COMMUNITY

If you bothered to travel across the world, don’t hide yourself inside the house. Go out, discover the area, meet new people. Get involved in one of the local projects. A new set of arms or another pair of eyes is always welcomed, even if you are not a subject matter expert in the field.

PROMOTE YOUR SERVICES

Be proactive. Don’t expect clients to come knocking on your door. Leave shyness aside and dress your best P.R. suit while you plan your marketing strategy. Find out which are the major and middle -sized companies within your area and contact them in order to offer your services. You’d be surprised to see how easy it’s to get an appointment with the higher management members. Prepare your presentation and tell them what you can do for them.

WORK PRO BONO

Once in a way, depending on the size of the project, offer to work for free. It will help you make contacts and get your name out there. You might not get a contract right away, but you will be in their database.

BE OPEN-MINDED

Be opened to new ideas and collaborations. Take full advantage of your skills and you may land on different contracts for various types of work. Depending on the length of time that you would spend in one location, your knowledge of the area and connections you make, you could find work as a translator, interpreter, content writer, English or French Tutor, editor, etc.

CHARGE LESS

When you finally got a client, don’t charge an arm and a leg. Forget about your North American hourly rate, because no one would be able to afford it. Go with half or even less than that. Life is significantly cheaper abroad.

OFFER QUALITY SERVICES

Word of the mouth is what can get you customers in a new location. If one client is satisfied with your services, you will definitely have others landing on your path. Thus, ensure your client is satisfied with the work. Before completion, contact him to make sure you have a full understanding of what he needs.

BE FRIENDLY

Despite of what you’d hear or read on the government side about travelling in third world countries, people are very friendly and helpful. If they see that you take an interest in speaking their language or learning more about their life, they will help you. Thus, be friendly and show respect towards their traditions and cultural norms or values.

Now that you read what I had to say, tell me what do you want to be when you grow up?

Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed it! Feel free to resteemit or upvote it!
Please leave your feedback in the comments, I would love to hear your thoughts!

@2018 The Lyme Poet. All rights reserved.

IOW COLOR LOGO.png
art and flair courtesy of @PegasusPhysics


TGP_Light_Banner.jpg

Sort:  

Digital nomadism is definitely one of my goals- steemit's a big part of my plan for making enough money to do it.

It's doable! I wish Steemit was there when I took this road ;-)

That's my dream job, travelling the world without having to be in one location to work. Has it all been sunshine and roses though thus far?

Nice to have you back, @alvinauh! Each destination brought a new challenge. But that was what made this journey more memorable. There's always something to learn, no matter where you are.

Congratulations! This post has been chosen as one of the daily Whistle Stops for The STEEM Engine!

You can see your post's place along the track here: The Daily Whistle Stops, Issue # 78 (3/19/18)

The STEEM Engine is an initiative dedicated to promoting meaningful engagement across Steemit. Find out more about us and join us today!

@lymepoet,

This reinforces my belief that it's possible for any creative individual to live the nomadic blogger lifestyle.

Thanks.

Namaste,

JaiChai

I used to believe that only those working in IT or the stock traders were able to do it. ;-)

I've always wanted to be a digital nomad and move somewhere with a view and preferably where life is cheaper and slower.
I'm at that point in my life that I am burn out by the rat race called career. I love my job and what I do its the politics that is killing me.

I like how you gave these tips and it seems doable.

What I loved the most about being on the road was the feeling of freedom and the fact I had more time for my family. In Asia and South America the cost of living is cheaper and there is a totally different pace. It might seem weird in the beginning, but you get used to it. You learn to unwind and set a new pace.

This is exactly the type of post iv'e been looking for! Def. one of my main goals in life to make a living while travelling the world. i'm an avid hiker and share my posts on Steemit, your post has given me some different ideas! thank you so much for sharing!!!

Did I see your name in The Daily Whistle recently? I think so. Nice to meet you. Glad you found something helpful in it. I loved your photos!

This is fantastic! Big help for myself in the future, it's exactly what I want to be doing. I have had enough being stuck on this island where nothing happens.

I liked how you highlighted some great points when you are out in the digital nomad life, they are very helpful.

As always, superb writing. Looking forward to seeing more.

Great to have you back here, @calumam! Thank you. What island are you on? Small communities have their charm as well.

These are some great tips! They apply to those that just want to work online, and be their own boss, without the nomadic lifestyle. BUT, I would love to travel the world and take my laptop with me to continue supporting myself. I wish I had thought to do more of that before I had children!

I travelled my son for almost three years. He loved it. Though, I can see what you mean. If they are older and attending school, then you will have to consider homeschooling, which is a big commitment.

Having done a fair amount of traveling (both in the US and on a sailboat in the Caribbean) I can agree that this is awesome advice. I was fortunate enough in our first round of travels, that I had my mother to look to for advice, as she traveled a lot painting on motorcycles and that was what we did as well.

Writing sounds like a great plan as well. I hope to work up my writing skills that have gotten very rusty over the years so that we can do more traveling in the future.

Great post!

I think anyone can do it. Anyone possess a skill that can be used and built upon. I have met people who have been on the road for close to twenty years while others were newbies, just like me. What most of the people find difficult to let go is their comfort. They think that they won't be able to live if they are not surrounded by all the stuff they keep on buying.

I think anyone who enjoys it or is passionate about doing it can do it. It's definitely not for everybody, but that's perfectly fine. We're all good. My daughter made money on the boat by performing music. My son made some by fixing computers, diving for lost items and helping out with construction type stuff in places that we stopped. I think the key (as you said) is getting out there and giving it a go and promoting yourself (and sometimes thinking outside of the box when it comes to a "job"!)

Exactly my point! What you shared above about your kids working, using their own talents, showed to everyone that it can be done.

That sounds like a dream! Well, it is reality at the same time. Truly inspiring. I hope to spend some years travelling aronud like this :)

It does not cost a fortune to do it. Especially if you are travelling without kids, things are much easier. Less worries.

Yeah, but then we have other ties. I want to get my education out of the way. Education does cost a fortune, unfortunately.

I know, I agree with you. I am glad I passed that stage. Though it does come with a lot of fun.

Yeah. I have a lifetime to fulfil dreams, so I don't want to rush them all and do them now. Moreover, with what I'm aiming with my education, it could help me out if I do this kind of nomadism, so I'm more excited.

Coin Marketplace

STEEM 0.17
TRX 0.15
JST 0.028
BTC 61651.16
ETH 2369.36
USDT 1.00
SBD 2.50