Quit Your Job, Sell Your Stuff And Be A Digital Nomad? NO. Not Yet!

Last Updated: Sep 30, 2019 @ 8:35 AM

should l quit my job travel blogger
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Florence, Italy Skyline – one of the places you can work as a nomad from.. supposedly!

*Update: Even though this post was originally written over 3 years ago, these shenanigans still happen where gullible people are being taken advantage of. Even experienced bloggers have fallen victim to the scam of the quit your job and live like a millionaire from all the passive income you will be making.

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Quit your job, sell your stuff and become a digital nomad:

Right now, on FB, there is a closed page that only bloggers who have been scammed by a particular *snake charmer* guru can join. I’m talking about thousands of $ from each member. There are over 400 people in the group currently. Let that sink in!*

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After blogging for a few years now, l have seen numerous travel blogs start up, then flounder. It seems everywhere l look, there are bloggers and other digital nomads trying to sell the dream. The thrust of the pitch:

Quit job to become a digital nomad:

“Ditch your boring lifestyle and 9-5 job, join the rest of your tribe in exotic far flung places like Thailand, Spain and South Africa”. Images of sun tanned bodies lying on beaches, cocktail at the ready confronts you at every turn, making you feel so incompetent and constantly questioning yourself.

What are you doing wrong? After all, these are people your age who have figured things out. It all sounds so lovely. Yes! you say to yourself, l can do it too. I am giving my two week notice. Hello World, here l come!!!! Everything is going to be just perfect from now on you think.

The beach life is for me.. digital nomad life
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The beach life is for me.. quit your job, sell your crap and become a beach bunny!

Quit your job:

Not so fast! Before you pull the plug and do something you might regret, you need to consider a few things. Check out the sources of all these wonderful articles. Reading through a lot of these blogs, a familiar pattern starts to evolve. Read between the lines, and it gets even more telling. I will list some of the ways you are encouraged to make your living online.

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Some examples of digital nomad marketing (often by scammers) talking points:

Make money online with your blog:

While l have no doubt that is indeed possible, it is important to remember that only a chosen few actually make it to the point of seriously monetizing their blog  and making enough to live entirely off its proceeds. Sure, you can do the Adsense, Amazon and other affiliate links, but are your commissions enough to live on? Enough to rent an apartment, pay for your utilities, food and other expenses that accrue?

More than likely, the answer will be a resounding NO! You know how a lot of the top-tier bloggers make money? By selling the “make money online” dream. In other words, it’s a fancy name for pyramid scheme. The blogging world is littered with people that have been disappointed, not to mention losing quite a bit of money in the process.

A typical example:

Jane is a top blogger, with great social media numbers. She writes awe-inspiring articles about how she can afford to travel based solely on the money derived from her blog. She talks about all the paid press trips that she gets. Complimentary hotel stays, meals included! Intriguing right? Of course it is, who wouldn’t want to know her secret?

To find out that secret, all you have to do is pay $400 for her course, and before you know it, you are on your way to the good life.$400 seems like a reasonable price to pay for such wonderful knowledge, so you buy it. At the end of it all, you discover the secret is to start a blog, and…wait for it….get others to buy your “make money online” package.

Sell a few of those monthly, and you too can make a good living. It doesn’t take a genius to have a blog nowadays, everybody and their mother has one. How do you stand out from the pack? Sounds familiar doesn’t it? It’s like when your friends try to rope you into buying whatever crap they are shilling, electricity, candles etc. You only make money by pulling in others. It doesn’t sound like a great plan to me.

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should you quit your job travel blogger
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Make money with your photos! Mostly lies! don’t quit your job just yet.

Photography profession as a digital nomad:

This is another one you see with regular frequency. Make money with your awesome photography they say. As someone married to a professional photographer, l can tell you right now. Forget about it :-). It’s difficult enough to make money as a photographer. My husband diversified into wedding photography having started out in fashion photography. These days, everyone with an iPhone or point and shoot camera considers themselves expert photographers.

Few people want to pay for photography anymore, not even for weddings. I can’t tell you how many times he’s been asked to shoot for free in exchange for exposure! If only exposure could pay the bills, we would be golden. The only exposure you would get would be other bums looking for free photography as well. They might tell you that stock photography is where it’s at. That may be true, but you would definitely need a gazillion great pictures in your library to make money enough to live on.

You usually make just a few cents for each image. Figure out how many you’d need to live on..yep..forget it. More than likely you would be told to invest a few dollars in a photography course that will soon have you making a living as a travel photographer. So you plunk down your $300 for the course. Guess what? most of the time, the ultimate secret is to sell your own photography course..same old, same old..

Inspired writing with this view.
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Inspired writing with this view. Should you quit your job? Think wisely.

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Freelance Writer job as a digital nomad:

I do agree that this is possible. What l don’t agree about is the fact that it is touted as an easy thing to accomplish. Writing is hard, even for journalists. Getting paid for your writing is even harder. A lot of the established news outlets like Huffington Post do not pay bloggers, or pay very little. You are expected to provide content in exchange for..yep..dear old standby “exposure’. While l have no doubt that you will get lots of exposure, what does it really amount to?

Think about how many times you read a great story on a news outlet. How many times do you then click on the author’s name (assuming it’s an embedded link) to check out more of their stuff?, then go on to buy what they were selling or consider hiring them if you could?. That’s what l thought. It looks great on the blogger’s resume, and it might be helpful when you pitch for an actual paying job.

It certainly lends an air of credibility to the portfolio. Let’s face facts though. A lot of people are atrocious at writing. The cream eventually rises to the top. You need to figure out if you can hang in there long enough to make a good living at it. A lot of companies will offer you anywhere from $10-200 for an article (definitely more on the lower end though). How much do you have to hustle to make enough to live on? A lot of companies do not hesitate to hire from fiverr.

Yes, they usually get what they pay for, but they are mostly looking for link juice, so l don’t think they dwell on the content too much. Holly is an example of someone who makes a great living working from home and traveling as often as she can.

Some Solutions: How to become a digital nomad

The point of this article is not to discourage you from pursuing your dreams of living a nomadic lifestyle. It is to caution you from making decisions that you might regret later on in life. Life is short, yes..but it can also be long. Before you set off into the wild blue yonder, get your ducks in a row. It can still be done with careful planning. Here are some helpful tips:

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Savings:

Save, save, save, then save some more. Have enough to live on for at least 6 months, preferably a year. Things are going to be rough at first. You will be in foreign lands, having to learn a different language maybe. You need enough to exist on before your find your footing in your new home. It’s important that you have enough to fly or get yourself back home in case things do not work out.

You might decide the grass is not greener after all.  The way l think, grass is grass, water and feed yours, and it will be just as green as the one on the other side :-). The standard of living in the new country may be sub-par to what you are accustomed to. Moving to Chiang Mai from Boston for instance might cause a big culture shock, and no matter how many people tell you that you can live on $500 a month, it may not be fun living like a local.

Maybe that $500 gets you a room in a house, and you have to share a bathroom with 10 other people in the building. If you have to severely compromise your standard of living just to exist, your life is more than likely going to suck big time! Check out Chris and Angela and see how to do things right..(just noticed the their tagline 🙂 ).

 

malta barrakka view
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View from gorgeous Valletta Malta.

Baby Steps:

Use your vacation time to test out new places, new countries that you have considered living in. It may not give you a clear picture of what life would be like there, but it helps. Try and book a local apartment instead of a hotel and try cooking instead of eating out to get an idea of costs. Ask questions, try to make friends. Sometimes, just that is enough to help you decide. You might miss home and your loved ones so much, it might diminish your desire. On the other hand, it just might make you lust more for the digital nomad life, which is a good thing.

Exchange Programs:

Look into the kinds of exchange programs that are accessible to you. Perhaps it’s a language exchange program from your University. This would make it possible to live in a different country as part of your education, and whilst there, you can secure a position that would enable you to return. This can be the start of your new life, and as you adjust, you can look for more opportunities, including a full digital nomad life.

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TEFL or CELTA:

Another popular way to ease into the life of the digital nomad is to get certified as an English teacher. You could then apply to teach English as a Foreign Language with your certificate in hand. This is a very popular way to eventually become a digital nomad. You would work during the school terms, leaving you with over 3 months of holiday a year.

You might just decide that life is for you, or you can look for other ways to make money. Oneika is a perfect example of someone who combined teaching with her love for travel. Years of skin in the game has now made her one of the most successful African American bloggers with regular a regular TV gig as well as a Youtube show.

train ride
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Quit your job and you can have all this.. but can you?

Get a job that lets you travel:

It is not unusual for bloggers to lead tours as a way to make money. What better way to see the world and you get to hang around a lot of cool people too . Claus does this very well !. You could also consider jobs like airline steward or stewardess or maybe  work on a cruise ship. You get to go places and be paid for it as well.

These are all doable things that can free you up to see the world at your own pace without all the stress that comes with being a digital nomad. Joining the military service is another way to serve your country and travel. That is how Erick started out, and is now well on his way to being the first African American to travel to every country.

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Work to acquire your social security points:

I see so many younger people getting seduced by this glorified dream. One thing that everybody kind of forgets is the security that comes with a regular paycheck. The health coverage, and most importantly… working enough to earn full Social Security points. In order to qualify for full social security benefits, anyone born after 1929 needs a total of at least 10 years of work to qualify. You can earn up to 4 points a year if you work full time.

Obviously working less hours will take more years. Call me crazy, but l think anyone who considers a digital nomadic lifestyle should  seriously consider working full time for 10 years. This will give you a great foundation. You will also have the 40 points necessary to qualify for full benefits. Forget all that if you have rich parents or have a hefty inheritance (don’t we all wish!).

– You would have money saved.

– You would have a better idea what you can offer as a freelancer with your experience.

– You would have hopefully contributed to your 401k retirement plan during your working years, then let it simmer till retirement.

Let’s assume at 28, you get a job that pays $40,000 a year. Along with your company match, your total contribution is 10%, so

$4,000 x 10 years is $40,000 total saved in the 401k plan.

Assuming you leave it untouched, and do not contribute another penny towards it, you would have a projected balance of $192,893.84 at the age of 65! Combine that with your fully accrued Social Security benefits (roughly $1700.00 monthly), and l think you would be in a much better situation that most of the country with a total payout of just over $3,000 per month total between the two.  Sure, people say Social Security might not be around then, but l choose to be optimistic!

 

quit your job and sell your stuff sailboat with flag waving
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Living the dream on yachts after you quit your job!

A great age to become a digital nomad:

Just think, in the above scenario, working the ten years after college would put you at the ripe old age of about 35! It’s almost a perfect age to be a digital nomad. There is a calmness about you, knowing that at least part of your future is secured. At that age, you also know yourself much better. You would still be in the prime of your life, not the traditional picture of a 65 year old looking to travel the world after retirement,  and in poor health.

Yummy Greek salad..
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Yummy Greek salad. Having your “cake” or in this case a greek salad  and getting to eat it too.

 

The perfect gin and tonic!
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The perfect gin and tonic! Living the good life after you quit your job. The rewards come after careful planning and lots of hard work.

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Passive Income and the digital nomad life:

This is where you have revenue coming in monthly. For instance, you might live off dividends from a stock portfolio, or perhaps rental property income that covers your monthly expenses and then some. We fall into this category. Of course, this requires prior planning and a lot of hard work.

There is a whole community that is geared towards reaching financial independence at an early age so as to be able to do what you please, including travel. Jed and his family bucked the trend, and lived in Spain  for two years, waking up daily to the view of the Alhambra with this strategy. Frank and Lissette do a wonderful combination lifestyle.

Digital nomad lifestyle: Thoughts

l would like you to know that there is absolutely nothing wrong with working 9-5 and loving the life that you live. The important part is to be happy and fulfilled. A lot of people love their jobs. A lot of people like us have done, and lived to tell the tale.. :-). Most importantly, there is a peace of mind knowing that, more often than not, when you leave work, you are done for the day. You can go home, relax and know that the time is yours until the next work day.

A digital nomad usually has to hustle, sometimes seven days a week. More than likely, no hustle, no money. You are basically a one man/woman operation. Emails, social media, pitching, writing, and a whole host of other things. It all begins and ends with you. That is usually a recipe for a burnout.

It is a rare kind of person that can do that..day in, day out. For years, because, lets face it, only a few will make it that far. Think carefully before you quit your job, your good job for a life of uncertainty.

paradise found London bridge
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London Bridge – some shyster will try and sell it to you 🙂

So, the next time you see the martini on the beach, the selfie in paradise and are encouraged to quit your job, take a hard look between the lines. It’s not all sun and fun, there is usually the scramble to find a bed for the night, the stress, the tears, the frustration, the dollar menu lunches, not to mention the loneliness.

Remember, misery loves company :-).  Get your ducks in a row and the world can be your oyster :-). Do not quit your job till you’re good and ready. Start off digital nomad life as a passion project, not to make money in 2 months. Perseverance, a lot of hard work, and time..those are the secrets.

What do you think of this advice? Am l being too harsh? Should l encourage people to follow their dreams as soon as they can, and throw caution to the wind? Have you quit your job to become a digital nomad? If you did, has it been as exciting and fulfilling as you thought? Would you encourage others to do the same? Perhaps l am just an old fuddy duddy :-).

Pinnable:

Update:

Here are some more sites to check out if you are interested in finding out how to fund your digital nomad lifestyle, directly from people who are doing so… full and part time.. As l discover more, l will update the post.

Jetsetting Fools

The British Berliner

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100 thoughts on “Quit Your Job, Sell Your Stuff And Be A Digital Nomad? NO. Not Yet!”

  1. What a great article! I completely agree with it, I agree with everything you said. I too dream about becoming a digital nomad sooner rather than later and I took a few steps in this direction, trying this and that out. But all I can agree with is that it’s insanely difficult. I am blogging since 2008 and I’m still not earning enough to afford living this type of life together with my family even though I did and I keep doing my best.

    It’s even more difficult if you are not a native English speaker – even if your English is good, you will still lack in terms of vocabulary, finding the right expressions, making it sound like a native and that reflects in your earnings: all high income freelancers I know are native English speakers. If a company is willing to pay $200 for an article, they will surely want the best possible quality and the truth is that it comes from a native speaker. And, as you said, there are extremely few who pay that much. Even $10 is a lot in most cases and most jobs you will see online are for $1 – $5 range per article. So definitely difficult to achieve this.

    And then there’s one more thing: unless you are really one of the lucky few who gets mostly passive income, then you have to work a lot, daily. That and constant traveling don’t mix well because you will end up being horribly tired and miserable. I tried to do this during our one month workation, but after the first week I stopped working because it was impossible to keep up with the insane pace. Sure, you can take a few nice photos and make some people envy you, but the reality will be different. It’s tough – it’s insanely difficult, so unless you already have an income or enough savings to guarantee that you will be able to do this, don’t jump head first into the water. There’s a 99.99% chance you’ll get hurt.

    Reply
    • Thanks C. How nice to have someone who is in the thick of things so to speak chime in. Unfortunately, people want to believe that there is a magic pill somewhere that they can just take, and the money and free hotels, and food etc..will come. It just doesn’t happen that way as you know. I had forgotten about the fact that it is even more difficult to make it if English is not your primary language. Yeah…for $200, l think the companies should expect top notch posts. No matter how much you google translate, it doesn’t quite cut it, does it? Just think, you only have to do 200 of the $5 posts, and you can almost live on it. I have known you a while, and l know how hard you work. You know l am firmly in your corner, and hope that it happens for you..again!You have given some good advice there in the end, l hope people listen.

      Reply
      • I just read an article on Buzzfeed about a South African couple who quit their jobs and started the digital nomad lifestyle, posting photos from idyllic locations and living the dream. But on their blog they said what you basically said: that it’s really difficult – they are also scrubbing toilets to make ends meet (and other similar low jobs), they eat crackers and jam and other unhealthy stuff and so on… so it’s definitely not easy 🙂

        Reply
        • Woah! I have to dig that up and read. Holy smokes!!! What would possess someone, never mind two to quit their jobs. Like l said, if you are going to be living a worse life than you started out with, what makes it worth it? Yeah, l know you gain life experience, but that kind of sound stupid to me. I have to find that article. Wow! That totally sucks!!! :-(.

          Reply
        • I’ve now read the article. That is just sad. I wonder how Buzzfeed got the information. I do hope the couple does comment, as l would love to hear how what plans they had made before taking the leap, assuming they had made any at all :-). It doesn’t even sound like they have the money to get back home. People come from third world countries, paying mules and risking their lives daily to have a chance for a better life. Yes, one could say this couple is doing honorable work scrubbing toilets etc, but l have yet to see one person from a first world country going “Wow! I think it’s so great that you scrub toilets for a living, l think l want to live just like that”. What really pushed me into writing this was reading of a blogger whose sole strategy for staying on the road was the kindness of strangers. She eats by hanging around restaurants who would give her scraps of food, and sleeps on park benches, sometimes, someone would offer her a place for the night. That’s not nomad life, that’s the life of a bum in my book.

          Reply
          • I’m damn proud of them. I think it’s more of an indictment on those who turn their noses up at them for doing that kind of volunteer work. I’ve heard the same about those who teach. If a person or group of people aren’t hurting anyone and telling a truthful story then i’m all for it. If someone wants to live like a bum who are we to judge? Honestly. Don’t get me start on the “I quite my six figure job to travel the world” privilege crew. I JUST got into a huge dust up because I called out someones privilege. I actually find it mildly offensive when trust fund babies or those who came from high paying jobs plays the “you can do it” narrative than those who scrape by. At least these two in question are getting their hands dirty and doing something anyone can do. And if we’re being completely honest, those of us who served in the military were trained to kill people to fund our travels. What’s really more admirable? Apologies, I’m in a bit of a mood lately about blogging. I think it’s about time to write a new piece. lol

          • Truthfully, l can’t say l am proud of them.The reason being that l would like to hear their comment like l said. The article didn’t say that they were doing volunteer work. I think if that had been the case, they would have publicized it right along with their pretty pictures, so they were not telling the whole truth. From what l gleamed, it seems they can not go back home (no money), but would like to. Maybe l am wrong with that assessment, but l would love to hear their side. There is nothing wrong with wanting to do volunteer work, but don’t they provide you someplace to stay in exchange? I also think that is slightly different than someone who is led to believe that life is all beaches and martini because of their blog. They know what they are going off to do. You’re right, l can’t judge if someone wants to be a bum, but l can have my opinion. I also don’t feel anyone has to apologize for quitting their six figure job and traveling, as long as they are upfront about it and not saying they did it solely on the strength of the blog. Yep, its a tough one with the jobs in the military, without them…none of us might be able to just up and move, money or no money.. :-). Travel is a privilege, and l am looking for genuine ways for people to make a livelihood for it. Look at Gloria Atanmo for one. She is in her 20’s so younger people can relate. She blogs, she travels, she’s coming into her one. She did a bunch of hustles and made great use of her one year study in Barcelona, including playing minor league volleyball etc. I am sure there are more like her making it work, without the six figures, without the trust fund. When you’re living paycheck to paycheck, it’s so unfair to get scammed into giving up cash you don’t have to buy into the good life travel pipe dream. That is what we need to caution about. Hah hah! nice that you’re all fired up.. no worries, l know how passionate you are :-).

          • Here you go. I have not read their journey save for this piece though..
            http://www.buzzfeed.com/stephaniemcneal/reality-check#.lua4pw1zO
            Hah..okay.. I see the where they say they do not regret their choice down at the end. For some reason l had not noticed that before, so Erick was right. It seems like they did choose to do this for life experience. Good for them, even though l think they might have done with better planning as it sounds like they have no lodging provided with these various works. Amending this again to add their post about the experience so you can see it in the right context. Seems like they have a good attitude about the whole experience, and was meant not as a complaint, but as a “see what you can do if you set your mind to traveling”. The Buzzfeed one seems more like a bait.
            http://howfarfromhome.com/2015/08/31/why-we-quit-our-jobs-in-advertising-to-scrub-toilets/

  2. Wow. You certainly might start a brush fire with this one. lol. Appreciate the shout out. I agree with you on most points but kind of disagree on a few and if you don’t mind would love to offer my advice as someone that’s been in this game a little bit longer.

    The issue with most bloggers is they don’t understand the very basics of business going in. Even the “big” bloggers seem not to understand business after being in the game so long. Kind of baffling how much money they leave on the table. I don’t like others counting my money so I never disclose what I make from this BUT I’ll tell you the simple truth. Money in blogging is dead and as you pointed out the ones making a good living are those at the top selling the dream. Some putting on a damn good front. But do I think people can do this? Yes I do and here’s a few points to piggyback off you a bit.

    Quit Your Job: No. Just no. I’m all about not doing a thankless job but we have to be smart. I had an uncle who was a career criminal yet extremely intelligent. He taught me you to ALWAYS have three sources of income. Even if the others only paid for a hobby. Saving or preparing for travel is the same. Many will claim not to have time but anyone touching social media can do something on the side to make a few extra dollars and develop another skill set. For me, it was photography and selling clothes on Ebay back in the mid 2000s.

    Photography: Like your husband I started in fashion and beauty. I then transitioned into wedding work. This is largely debatable but I never had much of a problem finding clients and was booked most weekends from March-September in Texas. The markets difference on the area but it’s a matter of knowing that. As far as travel photography goes it’s about how you choose to position yourself. The days of selling a shot of footprints in the sand are over. But a professional travel photographer has to develop the skills to acquire shots someone with an iPhone can’t. Image quality isn’t the question. Content is.

    Freelance Writing: Ouch. The wasteland of creativity. lol. Personally, I refuse to write click bait articles on my site BUT have written it for others. No one wants to read other top 10 list about Spain geared towards middle class white travelers. But if you can find a specific niche that’s not being filled or sparsely so, you can definitely find work. I’ve written for quite a few companies purely on the strength of my niche and unique voice. Point is, develop a unique voice and you’ll get paid. The reason these companies lowball is because they have options. I can find anyone to write a decent top ten list on Barcelona. But not anyone can write it from a Gay perspective. Or a vegan perspective. Or a family perspective. Or a martial artists perspective.

    I agree with all of your Solutions. I would also like to add Domestic tourism. Too often we overlook all of the amazing destinations close to home. I believe the US is EASILY the best travel country on the planet yet we don’t explore it enough. Exploring whats close to you in an excellent way to gauge ones travel desires and saving ability.

    This life isn’t for everyone. After being out here without a base for almost 4 years now I can tell you it’s draining at times. Both emotionally and financially. BUT I’m that kind of person that embraces and enjoys this. I recommend anyone looking to become a digital nomad take some time off and try it out. You might be surprised to find out somethings about yourself.

    Reply
    • Thanks for weighing in on this Erick! Your uncle sounds like a real charmer.. :-). He’s right about the side hustles though. That is a big thing in the Financial blogging community. I had to laugh out loud at your Ebay comment..Mine was buying old motorcycle posters, and cooking utensil stuff from the Rose Bowl and selling them on Ebay in the good old days. My husband loves fashion photography more than anything, and that was his bread and butter. When we moved from L.A to Houston and he started doing weddings, it was fine for a while, but the prices got lower, and we loved to travel..so he did not do a ton by choice. It became a crowded market where we were, believe it or not, my street with only 9 houses had 3 professional photographers.. :-). Unfortunately, you’re right, image quality is no longer a requirement. Nowadays, you’re better off being a skilled retoucher than photographer.
      Nice tips you have there for people considering doing this. Find a niche, and a unique voice. Stand out from the pack, and good things might happen. Sometimes, it takes a while to find that niche, and that is where perseverance comes in..
      Domestic tourism: Explore your own backyard – very true about the U.S being perfect to explore. A cross country trip would expose you to so much, and definitely give you an idea of whether that life would suit you.
      Thanks for chiming in and offering up some useful advice. Let’s hope people take it in the right spirit :-).

      Reply
      • I made a mint selling those ugly Ed Hardy clothes when Jersey Shore first started. I couldn’t get them in fast enough. hahahaha.

        Houston definitely is a crowded photographers market. I believe I didn’t clarify my point before. Image QUALITY is required. It’s that technology has gotten to a level where the camera is doing much of the work once requiring years of training. I still think we’re at a point where people need to realize a photographer and retoucher aren’t two different people. When I learned photography I manipulated images in a darkroom. As digital tech grew I went to the computer. Same same to me. Clients pay for quality. They don’t care how it got there.

        Finding a niche shouldn’t be that hard honestly. Figure out what you’re passionate about, see if the information is out there, and if not provide it. That’s why solo female and gay travel exploded. Because no on was really writing about it. Hell I would say black travel is the “new niche”. Drives me crazy when I see my name on a list of “black travel bloggers” and I’m the only brother. So much room to grow in this game.

        Reply
        • Oh no you didn’t!!! Those Ed Hardy clothes really were ugly..truly ugly :-). People were laughing at my post from the second to last Friday with the flashback photo, but l think compared to the Ed Hardy, my outfit was almost better..almost.. :-). No, no.. I understand what you meant about quality, as far as wedding photography. Absolutely! Federico started out before the digital explosion, with film. What l meant was nowadays, l see people getting paid for crappy images. Hah hah! Change takes time :-). It’s a good thing for now that your name is the only one on the list, soon, there will be so many..and then the newcomers would have to find another niche. I am so happy to be older. If l had to make a living solely doing this, l so would not like it. Brr.. I’m still shaking at the Ed Hardy.. 🙂 🙂 :-). I remember there was his store on Melrose and l hated even passing by it for how ugly l considered it.. :-).

          Reply
          • I saw a picture of myself a couple months ago with a dragon on my ass………..I just shook my head. Damn Ed HARDY!!! HAHAHAHAHA. I couldn’t pass that insane 300% markup though. lol

            Thank god I did stuff like selling in eBay before I started in this. The lessons learned in traditional business have gone a long way. I remember one of the first times a brand pitched me for “exposure”. I’m like ohhhh no. I went through this for years as a photographer already. Kick rocks. Pay me. lol.

          • OMG! You need to share that photo :-). I think l speak for everyone when l say “promise not to laugh” with a straight face. :-). Yeah..exposure is a pretty common payment for so many industries nowadays. He says the same thing, thanks..but no thanks. Those days are long gone. Bwwwawwwaa..a dragon! :-).

  3. I absolutely love this post kemkem. Get ready to roll your sleeves up from the digital police LOL!
    Seriously though, I agree with most of your points. You CAN give everything up but as you say you really need to be smart and know what “everything” is. Most people don’t. You can’t just rush out and take to the open road unless you’re a certain type of person. And without savings you’re a dead duck.
    I did my GAP year and travelled for a year but blogging didn’t exisit in those days and even if it had, I wouldn’t have used it to make an income. The point is to have a life and have some fun. Worrying about every penny spent isn’t going to do that. I worked really hard in my old London job and saved up for what I felt would do for a year. In the end, it lasted me 10 years LOL!
    And that’s the point. I’m a great advocate for being smart and not being stupid. For many people travel is a pipe-dream and it shouldn’t be, so I try to show how you can live a life, have a family, have a job that you like or love, and still be able to afford a life of travel.
    You really don’t have to choose between having it all and having nothing at all, and you definitely don’t have to quit your lifestyle!
    Bravo!

    Reply
    • You Brits sure have a way of putting things :-). I love how you said “dead duck”! Gap year is a great way to discover the world. My nieces did that after University. They started in New Zealand and worked backwards circling back to London. You’re right, stressing about money would not be my idea of a great travel experience. You worked hard, saved, and then traveled. People expecting a panacea for rolling in the dough are going to be in for a huge disappointment.You are a great example as how how to manage it all, with the Tall Young Gentleman, work and hubby. I just don’t like it when impressionable people are mislead into thinking that it’s super easy. It’s not to discourage people from following their dreams, just to caution them. People who work a regular job should not be made to feel bad either. It’s honorable, and a means to an end. Thanks for weighing in.

      Reply
      • You’re very welcome!
        You’ve obviously struck a nerve but that’s OK because you’re right. It’s all very well bloggers writing about “living the dream” as long as one doesn’t look down on others who prefer to “live their own dream.” I’m British and a European to boot. I’m all for choices and letting people find their own way in their own time. By all means, people should write about their lifeststyle and how and what they did, but what they shouldn’t do is declare that it is the best and only way to live a life of happiness and pleasure. Be a guide, don’t be a god!
        And for goodness sake, keep it as “real” as you can. Sure nobody wants to read that Western bloggers live in a home of filth and stench and can only afford one measly meal per day or worse, can’t go “home” but neither should they act as if they drink cocktails evey day when they can’t even afford a glass of milk!
        In Germany, we sometimes watch documentaries of Germans who go to the Spanish islands looking for an “easy life” on the beach. Most were unemployed and living on state benefits when they left, and were utterly surprised to find out that being down on your luck in Spain is by far worse than being down on your luck in Germany.
        They ended up not only living a life of hell but being thrown out of their crappy flats and living in caves. On the beach! I don’t doubt that it wasn’t nice. It wasn’t nice at all.

        Reply
        • Oh my.. you’re all fired up! 🙂 . I don’t blame you one bit. It’s always the most gullible people unfortunately that get sucked into these schemes, and they are the ones that truly need to save their money. I was just pissed off when l saw more and more of it.I wrote the draft, but l was hesitant like l said to actually publish it. Yeah, it’s important to have the balanced picture. I’ve heard of those shows like a lace in the sun etc. but l have yet to see any of them. The easy life..sounds anything but 🙂 . I wonder if they have those shows on Netflix, l would love to see them. Look at what C. and Julius have said, it’s hard work, there is just no way around it. Funny, before l read your comment, l had just received another invitation to “learn the secret of making thousands per month, like Richard and his pregnant wife who made $605,000 their first year!” Apparently, l could be making a million, maybe more. The first thing l thought was.. if l was making a million, there is no freaking way l was going to share it with like thousands of people, thereby cutting my share to $50 or something. I am not that nice or generous!!! 🙂 🙂 :-). Anyway, l think l am okay with striking a nerve. Right now, my obligation is to the public, not bloggers.

          Reply
  4. Love this post Kemkem and only sad because you beat me to it 🙂 And thanks for mentioning us in the article!

    One thing you’ve referred to that is never, ever mentioned is ‘opportunity cost’ which is simplistically defined as the loss of other alternatives when one alternative is chosen. Oh yes, quit your job for a life of travel and scrape a living off teaching English, free lance writing, affiliate sales…but what are you giving up? You could be giving up a good stable job, a pension plan, and the opportunity to buy real estate. Most people with money have gained their wealth through real estate. But besides the economic foundation that you are giving up to travel (and make money in the ways you’ve mentioned above) you’re also not building up your professional foundation. Besides our savings and rental property, one of the reasons we can travel the way we do is that Lissette worked for her company 20 years previous to now continuing her work with them overseas. What company would let a new employee work digitally? None. Not for decent bucks. You have to prove yourself and gain their trust, because asking an employer to trust you to fill in your hours when you are somewhere where they can’t monitor you demands a lot of trust.

    But how about the opportunity cost of non-financial things such as having a family or relationship? You might not value these things so much right now but how about in 20 years from now when you’re sick of barely making ends meet in some 3rd world shit hole? Then you just may look back at your life and wonder where you screwed up.

    I’ve had a bug up my butt about these expert bloggers and their advice for a while. I have a 21 year old son and I know its tough to make it these days. He’s working his way through university and its not easy. But when an expert blogger comes along and lights up his eyes about how he doesn’t need that when he can just start a blog? I find its irresponsible on the verge of deceitful.

    I like that you have that photo of Budapest. Our home for the last month.

    There are a lot of digital nomads and its hard to generalize everyone. There are industries out there where you can be an independent digital nomad and have a career. But the whole idea of buying a blog and making money off that is crazy. One thing I’ve realized is that nobody wants to spend money on anything, anywhere. People love freebies but people don’t spend anymore. My advice to anyone young: invest in your education and/or career. Travel for vacation. One day, if you save properly, you can travel as a digital nomad or maybe even continue doing your work from overseas as we do. And you can travel with a bit more style. You don’t want to go to a 3rd world country and stay in a metal shack. I know a few bloggers who do. Its just sad. In the end, nothing comes easy – learn, work, save, invest. That’s the path to financial freedom.

    Fede looks like one mean MF in that photo 🙂

    Anyway, love the post Kemkem. I hope it reaches a lot of people – not to pop people’s bubble, but just to set them straight on some of the fabrications out there.

    Frank (bbqboy)

    Reply
    • Oh Frank! You slay me!!! You always have a way to put things that cracks me up no end. I found myself laughing at what you wrote, and l think l will add that people should read the comments as well because you guys have really added some good advice that should be heeded. People don’t give stable job, pension plan (a rare thing in the U.S nowadays, sadly) enough credit. Working a regular job is not a dirty thing, and look at the benefit, Lissette for instance being able to work from the road. She paid her dues for many years, and l know she will continue being a digital nomad for as long as she wishes. Hah hah! I hope the bug up your butt gets a bit smaller now that you have gotten this out of your system a bit 🙂 :-). If l were a 21 year old, l could easily get swayed into thinking that the nomad life would be great with just my blog. It is definitely much tougher for young people nowadays. They get pulled so many different ways. You are totally right about people not wanting to spend money. It’s almost gotten to the point where people don’t even appreciate freebies. A metal shack? that’s a new one for me. It kind of sucks to go from a decent life to that. That would depress me no end. Your standard of living should at least be the same in my opinion. I have traveled for over 35 years..yeah..2 weeks a year vacations suck, but make it work. I like what you said..
      “In the end, nothing comes easy – learn, work, save, invest. That’s the path to financial freedom.” Truer words have never been spoken. Once again, the whole point of this article is not to burst any bubbles, it’s just to make you put on your bullshit detector :-). There are ways to do it right, and l love the top bloggers that are doing so, and helping others along the way, sharing their knowledge, like Bret and Mary at Greenglobaltravel.I would love to read your post on this when you write one. There are so many people selling snake-oil, there should be a few selling reality :-). A clear and balanced picture, so people can make the right choices.

      Reply
    • I have to disagree with you Frank. And here’s why. You’re advocating for the same repetitive westernized idea of “life” and success. The typical 9-5 grind that sees people waiting until they’re 40 to follow their dreams and aspirations. Granted, it’s a sound plan yet disparaging those who choose not to live that repetitive existence isn’t just disrespectful it’s antiquated. Especially from an American perspective where companies don’t give a damn about you and those who live in At Will states. You give 15 years “building a career” and then they drop you. Nahhhhh.

      I’m with you on education. However, as someone with a box full of degrees I can tell you it’s not 1995 anymore. Those days of Masters guaranteeing a 6 figure income are gone. The American dream is quickly shifting. Hell I have friends scraping by working for Oracle and Microsoft because of loans and high cost of living. A far better investment is learning to develop a marketable skill or ability which will allow you to determine your worth. Not some faceless corporation. THIS is why people are unhappy back home. This “practical” approach to life where no one takes any risks or bets on themselves. Learn to code. Study engineering. Study medicine.

      Now i’m not for the “Anyone can get paid to travel” rhetoric. But I am for the idea that tons of jobs exist that people can do to not only travel but make a difference in the world. One day may never come. A family friend died two days ago at 25. It breaks my heart he never got to experience all the things he wanted to. You lay out one path to financial freedom. Learn, work, save, invest. While sound advice, not entirely true. This digital nomad lifestyle IS possible. I’m proving it and I don’t sell a thing on my blog. Not one banner ad. Nothing.

      I get your frustration. But if someone lays out a valid path to financial freedom how is that bad? if it’s plausible? And the fact is YES, you can be a digital nomad. That’s a fact. Is it easy? Hell no. And I think anyone whose honest will state that. No everyone teaching people how to live as digital nomads are bad.

      Reply
      • Hi Minority Nomad,
        I have said that there are people out there who can make a living digitally and I 100% agree with you that marketable skills or abilities are the way to go. In fact I advised my son not to go to University (for some of the examples you cite) but instead enter a technical college for some hard skills. No everyone has it to go to university: be a plumber or electrician or some kind of specialized technician. You’ll never be out of a job and you’ll make money. You say learn to code, study engineering or medicine. Of course! Most degrees today not worth anything so totally agree with hard skills.

        But even the examples you cite; are you going to do engineering or medicine digitally? I didn’t say the digital lifestyle is impossible, but lets say that, unless you have real skills you can offer in a global marketplace (which is what you are talking about) will be highly competitive and marginally successful if at all. I don’t know what you do and I’m happy for you if your successful at it. But I’ll be willing to bet that 99% of people reading all those posts on becoming digital nomads would be unsuccessful because they’ve been given an entirely false idea of the difficulties of it. I think I’d take my chances on a good (and well guided) education to anyone making it online selling photos or doing freelance writing.

        There’s also the time value of money that works against people who don’t save young. Maybe someone can get by and make a living travelling. If so, can they also put money away for the future? Because one day those same people will be older and their priorities will be different. And they won’t have a cent to their name. Learn, work, save, invest. I’m sorry to be boring, but those are the realities of finance. I totally agree with you on a ‘valid path to financial freedom’ but that path, apart from the income stream, has to include saving and investing.

        ‘One day may never come’. Of course. That’s been a fact of life since man was born and nobody would ever have accomplished anything if he/she thought they would die tomorrow.

        I’m glad you can do what you do. But this post was not about the possibility of a digital nomad lifestyle (of which their are a million variations of – including us) but the viability of most people being successful without any hard skills to offer. People filled with illusions about being the next Nomadic Matt. That’s why I think its good to be honest about possibilities and expectations.

        Frank

        Reply
        • I feel what you’re saying. And I think we agree on most points. But can most jobs allow you to live, travel, and save? Especially when factoring the rising cost of education in the US? You also have to factor in that some people do have the same priorities when their older. If someone is going to be suck in a terrible job where they barely can make ends meet then why not head out into the world and do the same thing but get the added benefit of travel and cultural exploration. As you said, not everyone is cut out for college. Not everyone wants the house and kids.

          I think the idea of investing and saving is a fluid one rather than rigid. I invest in myself and in my abilities as many people should. Savings is slightly more rigid but I think that all depends on each individuals risk tolerance. lol. Not to mention the quality of life they want to live. Once upon a time people lived off SS. Not looking like that’s viable now. Again, solid advice.

          “the viability of most people being successful without any hard skills to offer. People filled with illusions about being the next Nomadic Matt. That’s why I think its good to be honest about possibilities and expectations.” Fully agree. I think many of these “gurus” had a leg up in many ways but I’m not hating on them. I think it can be said that someone with a high work ethic can largely be successful in whatever they decide to do. It’s all about effort in my opinion.

          “But I’ll be willing to bet that 99% of people reading all those posts on becoming digital nomads would be unsuccessful because they’ve been given an entirely false idea of the difficulties of it.” 100% AGREE.

          Reply
          • Yes, I think we mostly agree 🙂 And I’m not hating on any of the successful bloggers, they were smart enough to get into the game at the right time which is always the key to success. But that doesn’t mean that they can’t be called out on bullshit. And that’s why I appreciate that Kemkem had the balls to write something many think but are too politically correct to say.
            Frank

          • Kemkem. Final thoughts. Since you had the cojones to tackle this subject, how about a future post about how annoying it is seeing bloggers jumping up in the air. You know, the standard ‘arms and heels in the air’ photo? And maybe another on female bloggers showing themselves off in bikinis on every 2nd photo. Lots of porn on the internet, seeing pictures of boobies and bikini won’t make me read anybody’s blog.
            Maybe I’ll come back with more ideas of stuff you can write about 🙂
            Frank

          • Oh no!!! I’m not touching the bikini poses with a ten foot pole! :-). I read more financial blogs than l do travel ones, but l am not touching those topics, not even with a ten foot pole..hah hah! I’m sort of okay with the jumping thing if it’s done every once in a while. The bikini photos? Not going there.. :-). I guess you gotta use whatever weapons you got..and nope..don’t even think about it.. I know what you’re going to say :-).

  5. One other thing I meant to add Kemkem. There are too many blogs out there feeding off that ‘Quit your Job, sell your stuff and be a digital nomad’ livestyle. They’re leeches and they don’t even pretend to cater towards someone reading about travel – they cater specifically on bloggers and selling them useless e-books. You notice that any posts on the subject get so many comments? All bloggers. So I appreciate your Jane example, you smacked it on the head.
    Frank

    Reply
    • What? Are you saying you won’t buy my upcoming ebook .. “How to quit your day job and make millions a day living the life of luxury from a heavenly location” :-). I don’t think they are all leeches, some may truly have been in the right place, at the right time. For instance, a few years ago, the landscape was pretty barren as far as the number of bloggers. Those who hung in there and survived might have had it easy and were able to pick up jobs and make money with little effort. That would never work now. There are just way too many people, you can’t keep telling them that it’s easy. 5 years is almost a lifetime ago in the new world.

      Reply
      • i can give you a couple of examples of people living in Metal shacks as well as the Snake oil salesmen. One day we meet up and share some gossip! 🙂
        Frank

        Reply
        • Kemkem – we had shared your post on our facebook page. One of our followers sent us this:(broken link) Not far off from living in metal shacks huh? Honestly, don’t know how you go from being an executive to scrubbing toilets.

          Reply
          • Hey Frank, thanks for sharing. I read that article after C. has mentioned it further down in the comments, even though the one l read first was the Buzzfeed article that was a bit of a click bait job. Upon reading their website article, it seems they actually chose to do this. The only thing that really doesn’t compute for me is that they make it seem as if they just volunteer and get nothing in return, and from what l gather, you usually volunteer in exchange for lodging. It also seemed like they made good money with their jobs, weird that they would be penniless already. I don’t know, l just feel we’re not getting the whole story..they could pick up freelance work with their background easier than most. Advertising executive jobs would have made a lot of contacts.. 🙂 .

  6. I agree blogging isn’t a way to make money quick. I smirked when I read most top bloggers are selling a pyramid scheme. I do notice that most top bloggers are just promoting products and trying to get you to buy them. Selling ecourses right now seems to be the hot thing to do.

    Reply
    • Aahhh! If only it was that easy to live off the blog, everybody would be doing it. :-). I just think there should be a balanced view of things. I always remember watching those get rich quick commercials on late night TV that promises you thousands in a week or something. They make money because people don’t read between the lines. The old saying “if it looks too good..” Comes into play every time. I didn’t know what else to call it but pyramid scheme :-). I can’t tell you how many friends l warned about getting pulled in to that stuff. One of my interns could get free electricity and make huge amounts of money, but only if she got like 35 people to cough up money to join and so on and so forth… :-). It never ends. Thanks for commenting..

      Reply
  7. Thanks so much for the mention!
    Yeah, I often wonder how our life would be different if we didn’t have kids. We would probably live a nomadic lifestyle, for sure. I love to travel too much. But I also like having a home base and obviously having children =)

    Reply
    • Love reading about what you guys are up to. You are a fine example of how to do things the right way. A nice combination of travel and living the digital nomad life, especially now that Greg has joined you. I wish you guys continued success. What l hope is that someone looking to join this lifestyle would check out the websites mentioned and see that it can be done only with hard work, and not popcorn dreams.

      Reply
  8. Great article and fabulous comments. It was like being in a conversational salon. I hated for it to end. However, I appreciate the alternative and realistic perspectives offered by you, Frank, and Erick. it’s not just young people who are lured into the hopes of chucking it all… great reminder to plan and save before running away from it all. Life continues in cycles and if it’s your time, you have to work to make it work. Thanks again!!

    Reply
    • Thanks for joining the discussion Susan. You are absolutely right, it is not just young people that get sucked in. I like “conversational salon” :-). It’s always nice when people can listen to what others have to say even if they might not agree. I enjoyed their exchange as well as both sides had great points. Things get lost in translation sometimes. Hopefully both young and old can find something worthwhile from this conversation. A little work, and the results can be golden, be it now..or a little down the line.

      Reply
  9. A-freaking-men! “Do you know how a lot of the top-tier bloggers make money? By selling the “make money online” dream.” So true! You really can’t make a lot of money unless you are one hell of a writer, or you SELL something on your blog. I know so many people getting roped into courses that in all honesty, they could figure out themselves after some googling, or looking up FREE tutorials on youtube. But “they” want you to believe they know some kind of secret.

    I was almost going to post something the other day about how it really comes down to hard work and active patience. I have a friend who is CONSTANTLY trying to sell me on some kind of pyramid scheme. First, it’s a “health shake” that she claims has “changed her life so much.” Yet I still see her at the gym not putting in effort and she is not in good health overall. Yeah, you REALLY convinced me there! Then she tried selling me on “secrets of the millionaire mind.” OMG, if someone tries to tell me they will let me in on “the secret’ if I pay tons of money, I’m going to punch a dolphin in the face. And by the way, I also happen to know she is still dead broke and has not paid her taxes in three years. If you’re going to talk the talk you better walk the walk.

    There is not substitute for hard work and determination. I guess there is “weight loss surgery” as an example of a quick fix, but how many of those people end up gaining the weight back?

    Reply
    • Hah hah! Tell me how you really really feel.. :-). I think it’s okay if you have something tangible to sell, but selling that dream life, that’s so uncool. Nothing is going to beat hard work, be it writing, selling, working. I have to admit that a lot, a whole lot of information that are being packaged and sold are really things you can get answers to for free. One lady on FB said “google is your friend” when she got tired of the same questions being asked over and over again, and she got such flak for it. Erick had said once to me that people are always “fronting” and l got a kick out of it and said l was going to start using that from now on.. :-). One should always take everything with a grain of salt. There is no magic pill..except for working and saving. I know nowadays, life moves so fast and it’s hard feeling left out, like what am l doing wrong. More than likely the answer is nothing, every one has their own path, l just think it’s important to have both sides of the story. Hah hah..your friend sounds like one of those that will never stop trying to find that magic bullet. I wouldn’t want to be her when the IRS eventually comes calling. Death and taxes are the only guarantees. 🙂

      Reply
  10. I was prepared to hate this post. (Why so quick to quash people’s dream? You can do it, but other’s can’t? these were my initial reactions. haha.) But, once I read it through, I think you are right on target! We didn’t just throw caution to the wind and quit our jobs the instant we made our plan. We actually planned….for two years. We saved (and saved and saved), I got my TEFL certificate, we researched. We have a timeline, a back up plan and a back up to the back up plan (which includes living with my mother, so it’s more like a last resort only to be commenced in a seriously dire situation). My age when we left? 35. I don’t know if that is the ‘right age’ or not, but it was the right time for us. We’ve been traveling for a 1.5 years. Are we making ‘a living’? Nope. Are we making unforgettable memories and opening our minds to possibilities we never before considered? Oh yeah. Do I think other people should quit their jobs to travel the world? Only if it is what they want. I don’t think travel is for everyone. I do think people should seek out whatever fulfills them and go for it, make a living at it. Too many people wallow in debt and cattle-like mentality. If you don’t like your job, actively pursue a new one that you will like! If you feel strapped by debt, stop buying unneccessary things! If you don’t like where you live, move! But, make a plan and do the research; making knee-jerk decisions can put you in the same place you were before.

    Reply
    • Okay, in the words of David Cassidy “I think l love you!” :-). This is the kind of comment that warms me up as much as the rest. Thank you for taking the time to read through the whole thing before coming to a conclusion. I love the way you guys did your transition to nomad life. You researched, planned, had a back up plan. You know, instead of “fronting”, you guys were “backing” (just made that up). A back up to the back up, even. You are absolutely right, travel is not for everyone. I once had a technician at one of the stores l floated through who had never at the age of 40+, traveled from the suburb she was born in to Houston! She had absolutely no reason to go she said, and did not care to travel that far.. :-). She however qualified for a home loan through some Harris County funding thing and had to present herself in Houston. She was terrified, but she went. Afterwards, she said she had done it (travel), and had no desire to do it again. Houston was only 22 miles from her, and she thought l was crazy driving back and forth daily. I don’t want to crush anybody’s dream, I encourage it. I just think they should plan just a bit. Change rarely happens overnight, and if you are in a rut, you have to try and keep on trying, no matter how much life throws you in the wringer. You know, l think an an addition to the post with more links to websites that people can go to for inspiration is needed. Thank you so much for adding your voice and giving one more fine example of how it can be done without selling “the pipe dream”.

      Reply
  11. Lol at “old fuddy duddy.” I agree that it takes a certain kind of person to be a digital nomad. You truly have to be an entrepreneur. Personally,as someone who’s recently started a business, I’m glad that I’ve done so with the security of my job to keep funding my business until it’s generating sufficient income for me to quit. I know that my time to quit is coming soon. Every entrepreneur at some point has to take the leap to leave their 9 to 5 in order to truly grow their business and take it to the next level. It’s a double edged sword. On the one hand, it seems like it would be easier to take the leap knowing that you have some sort of security in the form of savings and a 401k. On the other hand, when you don’t have anything to lose to begin with, I find that those are the entrepreneurs who are willing to take more risks that often yield the greatest rewards. I think the key is having a good business model, and I agree that blogging isn’t it. And freelancing is a hard hustle of constantly pitching and being rejected. I’ve made some pretty good checks from freelancing, but definitely not enough to live off of. The other thing to consider is what you ultimately want out of life. For me, starting a family, having a house, etc. are just as important as having the freedom to travel. Ultimately, I want my money to work for me. The dream is obtainable, but it requires digital nomads to be strategic, innovative, and unrelenting. Such a thought-provoking piece on an issue that I’ve often thought about, Kemkem. Love it!

    Reply
    • I really thought most would agree that maybe it’s because l am older that l don’t want people to follow their dreams :-). I know at the age of 20, even someone who’s 30 seems ancient to you, and you don’t think anything they have to say is relevant to your life. I love hearing from people in the thick of things. You have also planned your exit from the 9-5 and are easing into your own business. You have traveled as often as you could, and now the desire to start a family is strong. Good for you! People should not be made to feel bad because they want to do just that. There is no reason to suggest that the “normal” life is shite! That if you’re not out there exploring, you are a loser! Different strokes for different folks.
      The dream is obtainable, but it requires digital nomads to be strategic, innovative, and unrelenting. BOOM!!! Thanks for the comment, Dana!

      Reply
  12. I loved this post, it was honest. I think a lot of times people forget that picking up to travel requires work. That work maybe different for different people but it requires it. Many don’t have the funds to fall back on so you have to be realistic in how you plan to support yourself and keep your dream of being a digital nomad alive. For me, it was taking a leave from my 9 to 5 to go to Spain for a year; it was the best decision of my life and allowed me to get a feel of what I need to do if I want to make it more permanent. Being that I am older and have years of work behind me… I know that continuing to build my retirement and savings along with getting a degree in TESOL is key in order for me to enjoy the nomad life later on.
    I always say pursue your dreams and do what makes you happy just be sure you have some plan so that you can continue to be happy.

    Reply
    • Thanks Christine. I’m glad you like the post :-). Thanks for adding your wisdom. You’re right, everyone should be able to follow their dreams (with some elbow grease). It must have been nice having that year in Spain to judge how you would like things would be. I’m glad it did just that for you. Whereabouts in Spain were you? Yep, it definitely helps to be able to teach English as a supplement to savings. So much heartache can be saved with a little planning ahead.

      Reply
  13. Wow, that was an insightful, hard hitting article! Much respect for honesty and telling some home truths that sadly, so many bloggers gloss over or hide! I love travel and have been to a quite a few countries over the years and I also love reading about (and living vicariously through) people who give up the 9-5 routine, move abroad and (seemingly), live the beach/cocktails/amazing view dream. As a mum with two kids, a job, a mortgage & a pension plan I sometimes feel stuck in a rut & bored , the typical grass is greener mentality. Oh how I would sometimes envy that footloose blogger lying on a warm beach sipping something fruity and alcoholic at 12 noon and who’s most pressing concern is which seaside café to have Lunch!:-)
    Of course on the whole I am grateful for what I have and love my family to bits. Moreso after reading your article today. It’s not all roses and rose`s and though it’s not nice to feel satisfaction that the picture perfect dream isn’t exactly true, It does make one feel a tad better;-)
    Clearly a lot of respect goes to the bloggers who did make it happen but now I know I’m not plain lazy or unmotivated when I cannot work myself up to quit everything and ‘follow my heart’! Which is the message one can sometimes get subliminally – as if to say ‘how can you NOT want this beach life? You’re just not ‘passionate’ enough to go for it!’
    Sigh.
    Thanks again and here’s to more tough love articles!

    Oh and I absolutely agree with Frank- I now unfollow bloggers or instagram accounts who post gratuitous bikini shots- what is this, Maxim magazine? What exactly are you (trying to) sell here? Next to unfollow- the jumpers 😀

    L

    Reply
    • I know what you mean about living vicariously through others.. hah hah! There are some luxury bloggers out there who are really living it up. At least l think so :-). It took us a few years to put the plan into action, and the waiting was sometimes very frustrating. I couldn’t even imagine doing it with two kids :-). Our two dogs were hard enough, and l swear their tickets always cost more than ours..hah hah! Ooooh.. I truly envy you your pension plan, it is such a scarce thing nowadays. I would totally hold on to it..noose or not..It’s human nature to feel a little bit of satisfaction, and no! You are not lazy or unmotivated. It takes a lot of work and sacrifice. Certainly the grass is not always greener, laundry still has to be done, bills paid..same old..same old..just in a different place. Thanks for the chuckle about the bikini shots.. 🙂 🙂 🙂 .

      Reply
  14. Love, love, love this article, Kemkem! I was laughing as I read through, cause SO true! I’ve purchased a few of these e-books/courses to know that what they sell you is the idea that you, too, must sell to become rich!;-) I think your tips of saving big (and also perhaps finding a career that allows you to have the time off for traveling…say teaching or nursing) are a great alternative to just dropping it all and taking off. Still allows you to explore the world a bit at a time, but not have to suffer while doing it.

    Reply
    • Oh no! Jess..say it isn’t so…that you got roped in 🙂 . Nursing is also a very good idea. I actually met a blogger who lives in London who does that. Her schedule allows her to explore the world, which is totally cool. I know myself, and know that l would not be happy living what would be a sub par life for me, just to travel. It wouldn’t be worth it to me. I do admit it might work for some, but l like the creature comforts, and l would be miserable. I hope you didn’t laugh hard enough for the baby to kick you..hah hah!

      Reply
  15. Well, I don’t like this article at all! I am trying to live without working from 9-5 since 2007. Last year I finally decided to leave the job after 8 years and to start working for myself only. But 8 months passed and I am still not earning enough. So your article reminded me how hard it is and what additional work is still waiting for me. But I had to try this, hopefully once I’ll do it right! 🙂

    Reply
    • Hah hah! Julius! The reason why you are not earning enough is because you don’t know the secret. Tell you what, send me $499 and l will share that secret with you. Before you know it, you will be earning thousands a month 🙂 🙂 🙂 . Seriously though, thanks for chiming in to say it is hard work. You took a leap of faith, after 8 years of a regular job. Just the knowledge alone from experience puts you ahead of the pack. There’s a bit more work ahead, and l wish you the best.

      Reply
  16. I enjoyed this. It doesn’t really apply to me as a nomad (but as a blogger/person who writes–it does), but it was fun to read and read the comments. I came over from And Three to Go. I will try to follow along and pipe in when I can. 🙂 –Terri

    Reply
  17. It’s all about hard work! But, I would say that if someone takes time to produce content that I feel is valuable to me and decide to purchase it-that’s capitalism. And that’s ok. Why shouldn’t they be compensated for their work if I’m smart enough/dumb enough to purchase LOL? I think that most people who become super successful at anything put in years of free work and share a lot of free content=needing to work for pay before the money comes in from those heart projects (if the money ever comes in). I would also agree that there is absolutely nothing wrong with a 9-5 but would counter that life is always uncertain. People should not have all their eggs in one basket when it comes to their work. Especially in the U.S. where business rights come before workers. Ultimately most people will work hard to survive even if their decision isn’t well thought out. Great post!

    Reply
    • Thanks for adding your voice Michelle :-). I totally agree with you about charging for good content, We lived in Malta for a year and a half, and l had always written about things to do etc..plus answered a lot of emails. I was happy to do it. When l wrote an ebook about moving/settling there, l felt l needed to be compensated for it. It was information l wish l had known beforehand but couldn’t find with all my research. I just get mad at the people that sell the pull your best friends and family into the secret so you can make your money back schemes :-). Hard work is key, that’s the part that these people forget to mention..(who wants to hear that?..right?), you yourself, are also an example of that. I know how exhausted and stressed you were at your old job. You set about your exit with planning, got your ducks in a row so to speak, and are now working for yourself. This has made you a happier person. Life is uncertain, l probably would still be at my job if my sister hadn’t lost her battle with cancer, thereby giving me the kick in the pants that l needed. That being said, it would also be irresponsible to just take off and live a nomad lifestyle without proper planning. You know how life works, those would be the people that live to be like 120 or something 🙂 and be a burden to society..hah hah! Thanks for the comment..and l enjoy your podcasts. Continued success..

      Reply
  18. This post is timely! But I must say ‘To each his own!’ Travel blogging is not easy and it is not hard..I reckon for one to be successful, you need to be extremely sharp in this wide world web, and the desire to travel must come from within. I’ve spent more money than I’ve earned on my blog and travels but I have absolutely no regrets..because firstly, I’m no longer in my 20s, secondly, I have very strong degrees and a writing ability to fall back on if things go bust, and thirdly views of places like Angkor Wat, Tiger temple, Stari Mosi, Mogadishu and so forth, not forgetting conversations had with people on my trips are forever etched in my memory..and it’s like every time I’m back, I already start preparing for my next trip..my reasoning is the more trips I take, the more I will have to say and possibly someday I hope to be a consultant offering folks help with the trips they plan to take. For the 20-something’s, gap years are important, though I wouldn’t advise anyone to ditch their education to travel full-time. For now, I plan to cover a few continents before I can sit still in one place, possibly the country of my birth..or another land who knows.

    Reply
    • I love what you say about being successful, that you need to be sharp about the web. That is so true. If you’re not, you can so easily be taken in by the people that promise you money from this online business, basically moving the pyramid scheme from the real world to the online world. I just want people to be aware that not everyone has good intentions. My favorite thing that you said was that you wouldn’t advise anyone to ditch their education..I totally and completely agree with you. Education l still feel is the best bet for a solid future. Get things squared away with a useful degree, and you can have something to fall back on. You want to live with no regrets. It’s a very intricate dance, the desire to travel hits a lot of people, and it’s a good thing, just a little preparation goes a long way :-). Thanks so much for commenting. I really do hope people keep all this information in mind and think a bit before quitting a good job, just because they feel they are missing out.

      Reply
  19. Thanks so much for mentioning us in your article. It really resonates with us. Too many people are swept up in the exaggerated claims of how easy it is to make an online income.

    So yes, our blog tagline does read “Quit Your Job, Sell Your Stuff, and Travel Abroad”, because, well, that is exactly what we did (after a full year of serious planning, research, and preparation). What we don’t do is make any promises or gimmicky claims about how easy it is going to be. We also don’t cater to other bloggers. We are geared toward providing tips and advice based on how we have adjusted to life as expats in Thailand.

    We will never create and/or sell a product (ebook, ecourse, etc.) that promises to teach people how to make money. It seems like such a desperate marketing scheme, and we feel that most people doing this do so simply because they haven’t been able to create another way of earning an online income. Yes, we do have a small free ebook that tells people some of the ways that we have been able to earn an income (online and off) abroad. We did this simply to answer a frequently asked question while also encouraging people to subscribe. This saves us time and helps grow our audience. Although, we imagine that some might be disappointed when they find out that we don’t offer a get-rich-quick scheme.

    Living a location-independent or expat lifestyle isn’t going to be good choice for everyone, but the possibility to create opportunities for oneself is certainly there. From our experience in order to do this as a blogger, you must painstakingly establish yourself as a trusted authority in a very specific niche…and that can take a long time. We have been living in Chiang Mai and blogging for 2.5 years and we are just getting to the point where we are starting to make a modest income from our blog. It is sporadic, but we things are going in the right direction. It is important to mention that we would have never had the opportunity to make it this far if we hadn’t spent the year before our move saving our money, selling our stuff, and paying off our debt. Not to mention, Angela taught English for our first year in Thailand (the most difficult/low paying job she has ever held) while we grew our blog. Sacrifices must be made, but even still, the chances of becoming a self-sustaining blogger seem very small these days. More than likely bloggers will need to find other ways to supplement their incomes.

    Just some insight as to what we have experienced as bloggers so far.

    Great post and gorgeous photos! You will undoubtedly save a few naive dreamers some major heartache and hardship. Thanks for keeping it real!

    Reply
    • I am so glad you guys decided to chime in 🙂 . None of the bloggers mentioned in this post were ever contacted to say that l was writing about them. I have been like one of those sponges that just sit in the corner, making my observations and seeing who is blowing smoke up peoples butts so to speak, and who are genuinely in it to help. You guys do an amazing job of telling it like it is. You are young, but when you decided to do this, you made solid plans, and then acted on it. I figured people might read this and blow it off, saying..”yeah..but she is wicked old..so..who cares?” 🙂 . It will be very hard for them to say the same about you young ‘uns .. hah hah. Chiang Mai, especially, seems to be the place that bloggers harp about that you can live on $500 per month. Yeah..you probably can, but at what cost?. Most of the bloggers selling that line also claim the beach life, etc.etc. The people reading that think it’s true, and are hoping for a better life there, not the reality, which is worse than they started off with. I know you have an excellent post detailing the costs monthly. I feel like a mother goose because l am so proud of you guys. I know what you mean about people being disappointed when they find out that you don’t have a get rich scheme..just hard work and sacrifice. Yep..our audience is people, not bloggers. We just want people to think twice before making that leap. I wish you guys continued success. 🙂 🙂 🙂 .

      Reply
  20. Great article Kemkem!

    Agree maybe 97% with a small dissent of about 3%. Most people would do better to work a decade (SS credits for full SS and medicare for one thing), gain some life and work skills, and then figure out what they want to do when they grow up along the way. Along the way, save up money and make a plan to go nomad if that suits your lifestyle. Having a nice stash of cash to live on for a year or two (or ten) will certainly make life on the road a lot easier and more comfortable. Then go for it if you want.

    Maybe you strike it rich as a freelance writer, travel blogger, nomad blogger, photographer, etc. Or maybe you don’t and get tired of life on the trail and head back home one day, richer in experience and wisdom.

    The 3% of me that dissents and that says “F it all, just go do it if you want to” is probably a voice you shouldn’t listen to. But in essence, you could try to strike out on your own and live overseas. It’s an experience that very well might disappoint unless you get lucky. You might end up doing really crappy work (like the toilet scrubbers mentioned in the comments) just to buy a plane ticket home so you can start from scratch. It’s not the end of the world, but would certainly set you back in terms of wealth building and being able to travel on your own terms with a comfortable lifestyle.

    And as a blogger that’s sort of managed to monetize my blog decently , I constantly tell people it’s a shit way to make a living. And a very fickle shit way. 🙂 I’d hate to be relying on the inconstant stream of payments from the half dozen advertisement networks/affiliates I work with. instead, I followed the 97% of my thoughts and worked the 10 years, got my SS eligibility and a sizable seven figure portfolio that pays the bills and enables loooong trips abroad or even permanent travel if I wanted it. Without having to do sketchy stuff on my blog or write clickbait top 10 freelance articles to make a living.

    But the 3% of my mind says “F that 97%-er. YOLO and to each their own!”. Just ignore that 3%. 🙂

    Take care and keep enjoying the life of leisure!!

    Reply
    • First of all…what??? Only 3% of you has the F**k it attitude??? 🙂 . I swear mine was like 70% (time for the truth) and it usually won..but l thank God that l did not listen to it..hah..hah. I would have been totally unprepared. You also laid your ground work for your escape from the 9-5. You retired at 33!!!, but before doing that you made sure to have the credits, and saved..and saved..and saved some more. With that big portfolio and the dividends that it produces, you are able to live life on your own terms. I would advise anyone who wants to do the same to check out http://rootofgood.com and see how Justin did it. It’s so great to hear from people who have active blogs sharing the word, and sometimes the little rewards that go into it. The general consensus is that the blog should start out as a side hustle project that might pay off in the future. Before it does, you have to put in the work, but have enough to live on. My first job was as a maid at a chain hotel in Boston, l scrubbed a lot of toilets, and l would never want to do that again..by choice. I guess that is why l find it hard to believe that someone actually chooses to do it the opposite way, but to each their own. Thanks so much for the comment Justin :-). I took a look at the food you guys had on your lloooonnnggg trip to Mexico. It had me drooling!

      Reply
      • Ok, maybe it’s 5%. 🙂

        I’ve scrubbed toilets while making $5.25 minimum wage and I don’t plan on doing that ever again.

        Glad you enjoyed the food post. Some seriously good eats! Pretty different from Spain but delicious nonetheless. We even had some Spanish chorizo and jamon serrano our last few days in Mexico. Definitely makes me want to visit Spain some time!

        Reply
        • Yeah! I think Spain would definitely agree with you, all ways. I love the spicy chorizo here, esecially when sliced very thin. Okay.. I’ll take 5%.. hah hah.. I feel super old as l earned $3.95 hourly in Boston then for back breaking work. 🙂 .

          Reply
  21. I loved this article. Finally, someone who actually explains things in a way, that makes sense!

    There are (usually) no shortcuts in life, and anything worth having is going to be hard to get.

    Reply
    • Thank you so much. I ‘m glad it was able to come across the way it was intended 🙂 . I like how you put usually in parentheses.. hah hah! If it’s worth having, it usually involves hard work. I used to ride a motorcycle 🙂 (cruiser), so totally love what you’re doing!

      Reply
      • Well… there are some loopholes in life muahahahaaa! >:-D Like torrenting sites and jaywalking. What kind of cruiser? I LOVE cruisers! Especially Harley Davidsons and Indian Motorcycles

        Reply
        • I’m not a big fan of Harley. I got a chance to test ride one and l was not a fan. Ooohh the Indian motorcycles are so cool. My favorite in the Norton Triumph. I had a Kawasaki Vulcan and a Suzuki Intruder. They were cool!

          Reply
          • Oh the Kawasaki Vulcan was on the list of bikes I was interested in getting : D I got the Ninja 250 because the insurance was the most reasonable

          • Oh, you have good taste! The Vulcan is sweet, my only mistake was l had a Suzuki GS 450 before that and got the Vulcan 500, so l did not really get a zoom in power. I then went overboard with the Intruder which was 1400cc. Looking back, had l not been an idiot, l would have just gotten the Vulcan 800 which would have been just perfect. Yeah, the insurance costs matter 🙂 .

  22. Hey! Interesting article which I both agree and disagree with.

    I agree with comment above that running a financially successful blog is running a business and the reality is that most bloggers don’t want to approach it with a business mindset or do tasks they don’t want to do.

    I also find most people I come across that want to be digital nomads put their travel experience first and growing a business second.

    You are completely right that it takes a lot of effort but I object to any mention of the word luck. I have had success because I put effort into finding a strategy that would work and then worked hard at implementing it. I didn’t go for the normal formula at the time because I knew it would not meet my lifestyle goals and lead to burn out like you mention. I did this for a better lifestyle not to work harder or earn more money.

    I actually did become a digital nomad at exactly 35! Good age in some respects but also a hard one with little kids which add a whole lot of other complications. We did try to leave with 6 months of living costs although it ended up being only 4.

    We are back home now as that suits us better but we live solely off our online earnings. My travel blog alone is enough

    I think there is something great about going all in though and it’s more likely to lead to success when you really need to make it happen rather than working away on it on the side.

    I am someone who encourages people to follow their dreams because I know it is possible. I never try to hide the fact that it’s hard work but it is completely achievable

    Reply
    • “I am someone who encourages people to follow their dreams because I know it is possible. I never try to hide the fact that it’s hard work but it is completely achievable” . I think this quote resonates with me best from your comment. For those not in the know, Sharon is one of the most successful bloggers out there who lives completely off her online earnings. I know she works really hard. I belong to her Facebook page and l am always amazed how she has the time and energy to be everywhere at the same time and still be willing to help others. She doesn’t promise the quick or easy money. That makes a huge difference from the snake oil sellers. Hard work is always going to be the ingredient that’s missing from most peoples plans.
      I know. I’ve been trying to take the word luck out of my vocabulary when it comes to blogging and success in general :-). I bristle when people say we’re lucky to be able to travel so much. I get where it’s coming from but know that luck had little to do with it and it was more like 29 years, 11 months and 2 weeks of hard work and saving like a scrooge to get us there. Your sacrifice included moving away for a while and dedicating yourself to success which is admirable. I can only imagine how much harder it was with kids. Let”s be brutally honest. A lot of people want the good life without paying the dues. Not gonna happen..unless of course you get “lucky” and win the lottery :-). Thanks for the comment Sharon.

      Reply
  23. I know I am two years late to comment on this, but I just saw the link yesterday and I really loved reading through this! I have been travel blogging for three years and it’s very difficult. Thankfully, I have been travelling on the side when I find decent deals, but even though it’s exhausting and I am starting to experience the burn out of writing, editing and so on. Mainly because I do so much for basically no financial return. Those selling the dream make me question myself all the time as well with articles like “change your mindset” and “if you don’t give it your all then you are not serious”. I am serious and I am doing my best, but developing a product isn’t what I want to do. So far the only thing that I found works in terms of making money is creating Youtube videos and especially making videos for other companies. My conclusion, blogging doesn’t make money, it is just an online portfolio to show a person to the world so that person can make money doing other things! Thank you for this!

    Reply
    • That’s the good thing about evergreen posts. Thanks for adding your voice and l’m so glad you liked the post. Burnout is very common in the blogging world. There are so many bloggers l remember meeting and were so gung-ho for it and are now gone from the landscape. It’s not an easy job, no matter how easy it looks to people. A post might take the better part of a day or more, and yep..with nothing in return to show for it..haha! The dream sellers are just bullshit artists and the m.o is to make you feel inadequate. Nice that you’re monetizing with Youtube. Good for you. You’re right, your blog is more of an online portfolio. After almost 4 years into this, I can smell the crap from afar. I always tell the readers on here that this blog is not destined for “bigness” because l just can’t write the crap that is needed to have the insane numbers. I tend to write stuff that l would like to read, not 5 places you must visit before you die etc. Here’s another fun post you might like :-). https://nextbiteoflife.com/top-pet-peeves-travel-bloggers/

      Reply
    • Thank you. I only hope people listen before they find themselves in deep doodoo! There was recently a big dust up in one of my FB groups. 2 poor girls were suckered in by a shyster blogger whose only talent apparently were these amazing ads. They both sold up and used all their money and were now stuck, one in San Fransisco and one in Mexico. They were supposed to have some mastermind classes with her that would make them tons of money and she canceled. Turns out this was her third go round of fleecing people. Someone finally wrote a post about it and all these people came forward with their own stories :-(. Buyer beware!

      Reply
  24. Hi Kemkem, what a great post – so many of your thoughts and views on this lifestyle are similar to ours and resonate with us. We look forward to talking with you when we meet up later this month. 🙂

    Reply
    • Thanks Glenn! I kept thinking maybe it was getting old, but it resonates with a lot of people, both young and old. It’s so dangerous to be spouting all this nonsense to gullible people. Looking forward to meeting you guys as well :-).

      Reply
  25. Hi Kemkem, I’m sure this is an old comment but I’m interested in Sharon’s reply. I used a blog for years to boost traffic to my online outdoor clothing business. It made a huge difference to organic traffic from Google. I now have a new blog Simply Hatch about starting a blog or business so I guess that makes me one of the vultures. In my defense I’m not making huge claims about millionaire lifestyles, I just teaching people the nuts and bolts about about setting up a blog and making a bit of money on the side.

    I have also bought courses as part of my research for Simply Hatch and have been shocked that the courses are all hype and no information. Possibly some of these people have made money really quickly but they certainly don’t know enough about the technical aspects of starting a blog to teach the skills. One course I followed basically says if you get stuck here’s our web designer. You can pay him to fix your site. I do think if you buy a course about starting a blog it should actually tell you how to set your blog up correctly!

    I quite agree you can find all the information you need to set a blog up for free online. As an engineer by training and used to digging around to get answers, it still takes a lot of time and a course can speed things up. (As long as it’s the right course).

    It’s great to hear that Sharon is making a living from her travel blog. It proves it is possible but you do have to really work at a business. My last business had a 7 figure gross income and employed 10 staff. It was a lot of hard work just like any business. Blogging and becoming a one man band, with no staff responsibilities is liberating. Now that I’m an empty-nester I can see it giving me a lot more freedom.

    I think everyone can make a bit of money from a blog. How much depends on your skill set, hard work and business attitude. It’s a huge shame that there are bloggers giving the industry a bad name by promising the earth and massively under-delivering.

    Reply
    • Hi, Happy to have your input. I think if you have something legitimate to sell, l have no problem with it. What really bothers me are the asshats that sell a dream to poor unsuspecting people who trust them and end up getting suckered out of money. The ones who have no knowledge of what they’re selling but can “pretty” things up. That really sucks. Nowadays, if you’re willing to put some time into it, you can get most of the information online, but you’re right , it does take time. People like Sharon, I really believe and in fact did get her book which has been helpful to me. I am just lazy and not willing to put in the time required because l don’t want to turn this into a job. I do however, want to make some money, at least enough to reimburse me the running costs of the blog which starts to creep up.

      Blogging is indeed a sole one man..maybe 2 man show. You have to wear all the hats. I remember one lady who sold classes to bloggers with the advice for them to just sell seminars series of books and that there was no need to write more than one chapter..like sell first and then figure it out later kind of thing. So many, many examples and it does indeed suck that these people give legit bloggers a bad name. Hopefully, new and upcoming bloggers will do their due diligence and find courses worth it. I belong to Sharon’s FB group and still learn new things.

      You’ve had quite a very interesting background which lays the foundation for helping others others. I wish you tons of luck with the venture. Sharon is pretty cool, perhaps check out her digital nomad wannabe group and l’m sure she will reply you :-).

      Reply
      • Thank you Kemkem – I also planning on spending more time in Spain which is the reason I found your site in the first place.

        I’m really enjoying helping my course members out with their blogs. People get stuck for so many different reasons and it’s fun and rewarding being able to help them. Starting a blog can be a big step for a lot of people and it helps to have somewhere to seek advice.

        I very much doubt that you’re lazy! Just in an enviable position that you don’t rely on your blog for your income!

        There is some shocking advice out there for would-be bloggers. It’s terrible that the blogging community is beginning to look like the MLM scene. I’d like to think that most people can see through the BS but often it’s people who are least suited to making money online that are enticed by the biggest scams.

        Hopefully some of us can continue to add value and keep at least part of the scene legitimate! I had a look at Sharon’s site – one of the good guys!

        Reply

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