Jun
Twitter Length Answers To Common Location Independent Questions
These are common questions we frequently ask ourselves (and are asked) as we gad about the globe and live the working nomad, location independent lifestyle.
As we’re both pushed for time at the moment (lots of new business projects at Project Woodward HQ plus my ‘other’ job here in South Africa), rather than write long, in-depth answers to each question, we’ve gone Twitter-style…140 character responses for each answer.
If you want us to elaborate, leave a comment and feel free to leave your answers in the comments too…
Planning
Q: Should I plan my route or should I just see where I end up?
A: It depends…upon the type of person you are, how you like to operate & how you run your business.
Q: How far in advance should I plan my route?
A: If you want to cross continents, planning further ahead can help you take advantage of better flight deals. We plan 3-6 months ahead.
Q: What are the important criteria for choosing a location?
A: For us, it’s weather, cost of living, people, environment. For you, it’s probably different.
Accommodation
Q: Is it worth booking a medium/long term apartment in advance over the internet?
A: Not unless you’re happy to be stuck living somewhere less than ideal. Wait, arrive, then book!
Q: Do I really need internet-enabled accommodation?
A: It depends on how you generate income. If you need it, it’s a pain not to have internet where you’re staying & gets very frustrating.
Q: Where do I find the best accommodation?
A: Start with the obvious…a Google search, then ask your personal/professional online network, then move to forums.
Travel & Transport
Q: How do I get the best flight deals?
A: Know the routes, know the schedules and keep trying different flight configurations, if lowest cost is important to you.
Q: Should I join the airline loyalty programmes?
A: Yes - if you’re likely to be flying with the airline fairly regularly (or at least once or twice a year).
Q: Is it worth flying business class?
A: Yes if you’re like me & can’t stand to fly! If you can get a good route (there’s an art), then it’s worth it if you can afford it.
Business & Finances
Q: How much money do you make whilst being location independent?
A: Less than we used to (as high fliers in London) but as much as we need to now.
Q: How hard do you work?
A: We *have* to work far less than we used to; we *choose* to work far more; we could get by on about 10-15 hours/week; we probably do 20-30.
Q: Where do you get clients & how do they pay you?
A: Purely from online marketing & networking and clients pay us via Paypal, direct bank transfers and cheque.
If there are further questions you’d like answers to, leave us a comment…
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Do you miss your friends and family from back home?
Why do you want to travel so much?
The biggest challenge I would see is ensuring a steady stream of online based work. Have you ever encountered any issues relating to this?
@Ross - good questions!!!
“Do you miss your friends and family from back home?”
Honestly? No, not that much. For me, it might be different if my Mum were still alive but my Dad’s always lived overseas, as have many of my friends so not being around my friends & family is not particularly different for me. Jonathan’s slightly different - he’s probably the most-travelled person in his family but I don’t think he misses his family too much - he speaks to them almost every week and when we’re not limited with internet, video chats…which is probably more than he did when we lived in London (and they lived in another city).
“Why do you want to travel so much?”
We originally left the UK because we knew we didn’t want to settle there permanently but we didn’t know where else to settle. Then we realised that we get bored when we stay in one place for a long period of time (when in the UK, we moved house 3-4 times in about the last 2-3 years) so this kind of lifestyle is ideal for us. We try not to move around too much though - and aim to spend at least 2 months in each place.
Looking forward to Thailand??
@Matt - the only time we did was during the first yeat when I stopped doing one-to-one business coaching but hadn’t really decided what else I wanted to do instead. Fortunately book sales and Jonathan’s corporate design work saw us through but our income level dropped below what we like it to be at. Generally, work and projects always come through when we want them…I like to think it’s due to a combination of our marketing efforts plus the law of attraction, but that’s just me!
@Lea good answers!
I’ll start getting excited about it when I’m in the car on the way to the airport in 10 hours - better get some sleep!