Working Nomad

Since, it was my idea to open up the blog to other Working Nomad forum members, I thought I should get around to making my first post here.

I think I first came across the Working Nomad website from the Lonely Planet travel forum and I joined on the 19th of April, 2006.  I only know this because it is listed in your profile on the forum.  It is amazing how time flies!  At the time I was working in a regular IT job in Japan.  I had already started blogging and building my own websites around 2005.

I was getting stressed from my job and I hated having to show up to work every day.  Seeing Webby’s blog gave me inspiration to pack it all in and quit my job and travel full-time.  I had always had dreams of making a big overland trip through Asia, where I would travel everywhere by buses and boats without catching any planes.  After checking the blog and forum daily from my job, I quit my job in December 2006.

I think my family didn’t realize I would be away traveling for so long.  They still don’t really get how I can make money online, even after many explanations!

I spent about six months in Beijing last year for the Olympics and this year I have lived mostly in Indonesia.  I am now living in Bali where I am working on a website for Bali expats.

Well I think I should say thank you to Webby for starting this website.  I like the great community in the forum and the mix of travel and making money online information.

Tulum Ruins, Mexico

Well it’s now been four long years to the week since I last worked in a proper office, surrounded by proper people and doing proper work. Well that’s not entirely fair, I do work with people these days and I do consider my work to be kind of proper. What has changed is the way I look at weekends.

I can remember the time when Monday morning was something that filled me with dread, along with the thought that I still had five more days before the weekend. The one job I did when I occasionally had to work weekends is something I now consider as equally bad as having worked in Victorian Mills during the 19th century.

I have to admit that I valued my weekends a little more than I do now and as a result I don’t think I always make the most of my Saturday and Sunday. In fact it’s not uncommon for me to end up with a weekend where work and play just seems to merge into one. That could also be true of the weekdays themselves!

So what I am trying to do now is recapture my weekends and make them special again, and that means avoiding keyboards and world wide webs. This way I can focus more during the week on work.

I recently had a short trip to Mexico which was very enjoyable despite the fact my Spanish, or lack of it, made it a little frustrating at times, however it has made me further determined to learn more Spanish and a winter break destination will most likely be to a Spanish speaking region.

I have invited people from the forum to write blog so you may see unfamiliar posts now and again but they should help revitalize the site and I thank the new contributors.

Why not? If you are already living in Florida or in the States for that matter Southern Florida as a destination may not be as appealing to you, as someone living in the UK. If you coming from Europe like I did the idea of winters in the sun and all those other attractive things we see on the TV may make Miami’s South Beach look like paradise. If you live in a cold northern climate South Florida could definitely be described as somewhat exotic and attractive when faced with another harsh winter.

For all those setting out on their first nomadic venture with the tight budget that normally accompanies one’s first attempt at making a living from the web whilst traveling, South Florida may not be the best of choices, on the other hand if you’re a seasoned nomad. And you have a better sense of your likely monthly earnings staying consistent and been more than just enough to just scrape by, Florida has a lot to offer to the working nomad.

Contrary to your first probable reaction the United States is not an expensive destination add to that you could throw in Safe, Cheap Flights, Fast Internet, Easy to find accommodation, I nearly forgot the electric hardly ever goes down and we have a wonderful climate year-round.

I was first introduced to this website back in 2006. I had already made a start and had a small website that was just sitting there and doing nothing I had all the ideas but was doing nothing with them, traveling has always been something high on my list and the idea that I could travel and support myself from the web was already on my mind. Not knowing where to start I did the next best thing and typed something like “travel and work” in to Google and found this website intrigued, I dug a little deeper. Here was a guy doing exactly what I had been thinking about. I quickly found his first post and started to read, a few hours later I was up to date with all the old posts. I was hooked instantly.

I need to say here and now webby.  Thank you!

Three years on, I’m still stuck in Florida, but have a decent residual income each month from the web. I could also say stuck in Florida by choice, I could leave tomorrow and hop on over to Asia or any other Country I choose. At present though I have a multitude of reasons to stay here, the most important is that after careful consideration, I realized South Florida is an excellent destination / home base for a working nomad.

This is my first post on here, and as you can see I will be focusing on why you may want to consider South Florida as a destination where you can hunker down for a few months and do some serious work on your websites. I will cover topics like Visa’s, Accommodation and the different local areas and what they have to offer. I will also touch on some of my own experiences as they relate to building a truly residual income from the web.

It has been a  while since I have updated the site but to be honest not too much has been going on. I have in fact been living in Bristol for nearly 7 months now and in that time have only been abroad once to Madrid for a weekend.

Apart from a stint in Auckland this is the longest I have stayed anywhere for a few years and I’d be a liar if I said I wasn’t happy being where I am. I have forged some great friendships in a relatively short space of time and this alone makes the thought of leaving difficult.

Having said all that I do believe I will always have itchy feet and I am still fascinated by people that travel for long periods or live nomadic lives. It must be in my blood.

It was only driving home from the Gower on Sunday that I heard about cheap flights from my local airport to Cancun, Mexico and I pretty much decided to book there and then. I am avoiding Cancun itself and will be moving around the Yucatan and maybe Belize for just two weeks before heading home. It will only be a short trip but it should quench my desire to roam.

I am not great at making long term plans, preferring to do things on impulse, so it is impossible to say where I will be next year. I am already planning on being away for some of the UK winter but it will be in shorter bursts as I want to keep my flat on in Bristol. I hope to visit Bali and also looking at Latin America where I hope to develop my Spanish.

Work is still ticking along and I have a couple of people who work for me now on a casual basis. I will continue to be involved in websites while it provides me with an income.

I am slowly learning that living in the moment is the way forward.

Seasonal migration is not just for birds

One of the decisions that a mobile worker has to make is where to hang out. The pattern I have adopted over the last few years is to be in Europe from around March to October and then head to the Tropics and Southern Hemisphere during the winter.

Locations that interest me are places with warm climates, good access to outdoor activities, cheaper cost of living and places where there are like minded people, which is very important. For instance I avoid family orientated places.

I suppose I am like a migratory bird, seeking out warmer destinations when things start turning dark and cool. I am guessing that anyone interested in winter sports might do the complete opposite to me.

People often ask me about my job, where I have lived, where I go etc and I wonder what they really think when I tell them I have been escaping from the UK winter. Most people seem impressed with the idea but would they really do it themselves if given the opportunity?

So I am interested in feedback, particularly from those in steady careers, as to whether they would go away and work remotely during a certain part of the year. If you would go away then where would you head and why?