How To Live A Life Of Travel
A few folks have asked me in recent months why I don’t put together some kind of how-to guide or online course to generate income, instead of relying so heavily on freelance web design to make ends meet.
Simple answer: There are already solid offerings out there for folks who want to know what I know or live how I live, offerings I’m happy to recommend.
For example, if you want to learn how to become location independent, there’s Sean Ogle’s Location Rebel 1. I could try create a similar course myself, but I doubt the end result would offer anything more than what Sean’s put together.
A couple of weeks ago, my buddy Wandering Earl released a comprehensive guide on how to live a life of travel 2. I hung out and smoked shisha with the chap a few months back in snowy Bucharest. He’s been traveling pretty much non-stop now for 13 years. My travel knowledge and experience pales massively in comparison to his. And having had a thorough look through his aforementioned guide, I’ve abandoned any ideas I had of creating similar myself. There’s just no way my offering would provide as much value as his.
So instead of spending lots of time and energy creating my own travel guide, I’ll simply go ahead and recommend Earl’s to anyone looking to learn more about the vagabonding lifestyle. The motivation, the money, the logistics, the preparation, the mindset, the resources, and even how to handle friends and family members who’ll think you’re nuts for taking off on an indefinite trip around the world… it’s all there in Earl’s guide (use discount code disrupt20 to get 20% off).
Win a free copy of How To Live A Life Of Travel
Generous chap that he is, Earl not only sent me the above discount code for his guide, but also provided two copies for me to give away here on the blog. To be in with a chance of winning a copy, I’ll need you to do two things:
- Leave a brief comment below (no essays, please) telling me why you want to live a life of travel.
- Share this post on your favorite social network (you should see share buttons to the left or at the bottom of the post).
I’ll let the contest run until midnight on Wednesday, GMT. Winners will be chosen and notified by Friday.
Travel Webinar
While I’m at it, I might as well try something I’ve never tried before: In a couple of weeks (exact date to be announced) I’ll host an hour-long live webinar for the two contest winners and anyone who purchases How To Live A Life Of Travel through one of the affiliate links above. For the latter folks, simply forward your email receipt along to himself@ndoherty.com so I can keep track.
On the webinar, I’ll answer whatever travel questions you might have. Although there’s a good chance you won’t have any if you’ve read through Earl’s guide by then :-/
Regardless, it should be fun. If nothing else, I’ll share a few of my own travel stories that I’ve yet to mention here on the blog. And if that gets boring, we can talk about excessive dairy consumption and the mystery of toilet-trained street dogs in Kathmandu.
…
P.S. Thanks to Andrew Caldwell who took on the role of cameraman for the video atop this post. Check out his 365 Photo Project for some amazing photos he’s taken on his travels.
Hi! I’d love to be able to travel and work from anywhere. Actually, I can; I’m a freelance writer, so as long as I have an Internet connection, I’m good to go. And we homeschool, so the kids are also location-independent. Unfortunately, my husband’s job is dependent on him actually being here, and I’m not yet at the point of being able to support us on my own. Someday! I’d love to read the book, though.
Since I started traveling for work back in 2000, I love getting to know people and places. I believe it makes the whole life experience complete, and expands our view of the world in a way that can’t be described, has to be discovered.
Also, we homeschool and are being trained in the minimalistic ways, so it should be easy to live on the road with little income.
Cheers man! I missed you!
Niall I think you’re doing well enough seeing as you’ve been at this for a short while. My question is are you at some point going to address a retirement plan? Your late 20′s and early 30′s are a time when you should be laying the groundwork for your financial future, knowing that historically speaking your investments (most likely in mutual funds) will compound and allow you to have a safe and relatively worry-free retirement.
Are you at all concerned about your living situation in 10, 20, 50 years? Personally I could not sleep well at night knowing that I was already behind and falling ever further behind each passing month.
So much is written about how to travel for young, primarily single people, but I really want to explore the idea of travel with a family. I’ve found a few other families who’ve taken on the adventure, but I think it’s less accepted and talked about. I’d love to see what I can learn from the adventurers you mentioned to apply it to a suburban family of 4!
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If there are other reasons, then the one main reason I want to live a life of travel is simple; To find myself.
Many people do not find themselves in life for various reasons. I believe that if I was to travel, be it short term or long term, I will no only build up a vast inner library of stories and experiences, but also come to myself and what makes me tick much better than if I never left my home town at all.
I’m a believer in life being a journey and that you should enjoy the ride. What better way to do this than to travel?
The world’s a big place. I want to have new experiences everyday. Location independence lets me do so.
My reason that I would like to travel the world continuously, is actually quite simple. After moving to a different country as teenager, I’ve had some trouble fitting in. I have friends, and that sort of thing, but I feel like I am in a “void” between the UK (where I grew up), and the US (where I am now). I feel that traveling would help me towards really understanding myself, and could help me to pull myself out of the “void” and into a place that I feel that I belong. Even if I don’t win the competition, I want to let you know that I really enjoy your videos, and use them as inspiration daily. Unfortunately, I do not have any social networking website accounts so I cannot share this, but I have told some of my co-workers about your videos and shared your website address with them. Thanks again!
Easy question. Because every day is different. Because you are exposed to new experiences, culture, languages, people every day, and that’s the most wonderful thing in the world. Because it challenges you and puts in difficult and/or uncomfortable situations sometimes from which you have the opportunity to learn. Because you grow and your mind widens. Because you can start afresh if you want with every new location which is fun. Because you see amazing landscapes which stay in your memory forever. Because you meet amazing people which stay in your memory forever if not in your life. That’s why!
PS: I’ve been your camerawoman few times, didn’t I deserve some credit… or some scrambled eggs??? Ungrateful!!!
Hey Nial
So I went backpacking for 7 months back in 2004. And like all of the other previous comments, I did the finding myself, learning, engaging, participating etc. It was great.
When I came back to my former life, I had outgrown it, but forced myself back into it (like taking your shoes off on a plane and then putting them on again before landing)
This time around, I am making plans so that I am not forced to come back home and that I wont HAVE to shoehorn my post-travel mind back into my pre-travel life.
And I love reading this stuff.
My boyfriend and I have planned a life of travel, we’re taking the plunge come 11th of September (cheapest date to set off!). But we haven’t worked out all the finer details we just thought let’s do it and we will learn along the way… Why waste time planning when we can be living the life that we want and have an amazing adventure along the way.
Experience and get to know the world, as well as meeting awesome people and help them break free from their chains just like you do.
Two weeks from now I will begin my journey, riding my bike through europe, free of a job that ties me to my hometown, free of any big commitments. Part of my journey will be to learn how to travel indefenitely. So even if I don’t win the book I’ll gonna get me a copy.
Hi Niall:) I want to travel so I can understand other cultures. I love to learn, to expand my horizons. I want to learn at least three new languages, but I am working on just two now. I am taking my third year of Spanish this year, and I am learning Japanese on my own. Traveling, and knowing the local language, seems so exciting to me. I have traveled all over the US, but I have never been out of the country. I’ve loved every moment of travel, and I can’t wait to start on a lifelong trip to learn and understand the world’s languages and cultures.
Great post as always Niall. After spending $30,000 on my degree, I set out for 2 unforgettable months on my first solo journey. I was wrong. Travel is the best education I could ever invest in. I am ready to ditch the corporate world to travel, volunteer in an orphanage, and make a difference in a developing country. I follow your journey so I can lead my own.
Hey Niall,
The biggest reason I want a life of travel is because it’s a big, beautiful world out there, and I want to experience it.
Another reason is because I want to challenge myself daily by: traveling slowing, spending little money, making friends with strangers.
I met a homeless man two days ago, traveling across the US by bike. I’ll share with you the tip he gave me for my trip: Stay in the small towns and away from the big cities (so I don’t get lost in the crowd.)
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Wow, I would love to live a life of travel. Unfortunately the little voice in my head always comes up with reasons it’s a crazy idea! “you have a job, a mortgage, too much crap, bills to pay, people that need you…..” It would be great to have a plan to help me overcome these objections and set myself free out there in the big wide world.
I used to eat lots of unhygienic junk foods when i was a kid. My health was degrading day by day but i wasn’t aware of it. so one day i had a very bad stomach ache and then later I couldn’t breathe normally(it was hard for me to breathe). I was unconscious for some moment and then I was taken to the hospital. I was seriously ill at that moment and didn’t thought i would see the next day. And at that moment i could see, hear and feel my loved ones worrying about me. When i was opening my eyes i could only see the blur ceiling in the hospital room i was kept in. That was the only thing i could see and that was the exact time i thought to myself and said, “I could die here watching the ceiling and never get to see another day in my life. Is this life? I have never seen or visited any other places in this world and now i am close to death in this young age.” I had realized something very important in that moment which i wouldn’t regret doing till the moment i die. That was to live my life to the fullest extent which was only possible through the life of travel.
Since all this happened I have started taking good care of my health so that one day i will be able to start and live a life of travel. I am pretty much sure this realization is going to be the most precious realization in my whole life.
I want to live a life of travel because every country and culture has a different perspective on life. I want to learn as much as I can!
“Most Men Live Lives of Quiet Desperation” – Emerson? said that and that is why I want to travel. I want to travel to get out of the drudgery of the 9-5 rat race that so much of us spend so much of our time doing, me included. Time is the most precious commodity and I’d like to travel to take back the time.