foXnoMad

An Amateur’s Guide to Location Independence [Part 3 of 3]

Anil P. — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 06:00:12 +0000

In Part 1 you got the basic hardware and software to get started working and in Part 2 took it to the next level with virtual machines and off site backups. Today for the 3rd and final part of the series I’ll run down some basic security and budget tools as well as good online time wasters for your location independent mobile office.

Security

There are a number of other laptop anti-theft, tracking, and cool security software that I wanted to include, but weren’t essential for a mobile office. If you’re curious, send me an email or ask away in the comments. I highly recommend TrueCrypt for all laptops and if you’ve got a Windows machine don’t leave it without anti-virus software.

TrueCrypt – Encrypt your entire hard drive, specific files and folders, as well as USB drives (for free). The only overhead you’ll have is an extra password for access.
Avast! Anti-Virus and SuperAntiSpyware – For Windows only (both free). On Macs and Linux machines you can forgo these types of programs, for now.

Budgets

Mint - The popular online budgeting application Mint was suggested to me by Alan Perlman who writes The 9 to 5 Alternative. Mint lets you create a simple travel budget, track your expenditures, pay bills and much more – all for free (noticing a trend?)

Wasting Time

Everyone who works in front of a computer wastes time, whether you’re location independent or not. You don’t want your mobile office to be lacking of this essential creative zoning out time so waste time efficiently.

Twitter – Even the most reluctant realize how useful yet what a time pit Twitter can be. There are so many different ways to absorb it and TweetDeck and TwitterFox are only 2 examples. Come find me on Twitter if you haven’t already.
TravBuddies GeoQuiz – Dan who will be leaving the UK in August to travel the world, which you can read about on his travel blog Dan’s Adventure, suggests this fun online time waster. See how much your travels have taught you about the world and test your knowledge while avoiding actual work.
Flip Through Pictures - Dan (who’s been a big help in this series) suggests looking at geotagged photos from Flickr and loc.alize.us (which has a bit more variety). Aside from his blog, you can find more useful tips from Dan by following him on Twitter @DansAdventure.
Be Lazier – Read my other blog for ways to do less and not feel guilty about it.

Here are 10 other online time wasters – how do you pass the time online when you’re not working or traveling?

More Information On Location Independence

There are a number of good resources, blogs, and websites to help you with your technical and other questions about the location independent lifestyle and digital nomad tips. Here are just some of the few, and I invite you to drop your links in the comments if you recommend yourself or others.

LocationIndependent.com (Founder Lea Woodward’s blog is another good resource.)
ThrillingHeroics.com (The first edition of the location independent blog carnival has lots and lots of great links.)

Location Independence is A Few Clicks Away

While this series on an amateur’s guide to location independence is by no means comprehensive it will cover most of your basic location independent office needs. For (almost) nothing you can convert your laptop into a powerful IT department with the best manager you have with you – yourself.

All you need to work and travel fits in your backpack and rests within your head.

[photos by: zzatras777, Spencer Finnley]

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For personal updates, highlights from recent posts, and stories and pictures that don't always make it to my blog check out my bimonthly newsletter.

An Amateur’s Guide to Location Independence [Part 2 of 3]

Anil P. — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 06:00:50 +0000

In Part 1 you got set up with your basic hardware and software tools to begin working, writing, and editing pictures. Today I’d like to show you how to expand your hardware with virtual machines and backup your data off site in case of trouble.

Virtual Machines

Virtual machines are a lot like they sound – little independent software computers that you can run on your laptop. Virtual machines let you install multiple operating systems and test bootleg software to make sure it won’t screw up your actual laptop.

There are two good free virtual machine programs you can use to run, for example, Windows on your Mac, or Linux on your Windows machine, or just set up a virtual computer to play around with.

Virtual PC – This program makes it easy to set up new virtual computers. Virtual PC is probably the simplest virtual machine software you’ll find, it’s free, and runs on Mac too.
VMware Player – Gives you more configuration options than Virtual PC, VMware lets you have more control over your hardware devices. It’s also free.
Parallels – It’s not free but Parallels is the best program for Mac to run Windows virtual machines. It costs $80 but if you’ll be using Windows often on your Mac, Parallels makes better use of your computer resources than Virtual PC.

Keep in mind that while the virtual machine software might be free you still would need to pay for any additional operating system (i.e. Windows) licenses. Most Linux distributions can be downloaded for free but you’ll still need to get a hold of them – the virtual machine software won’t come preloaded with an OS in most cases. (Thanks Dan, I had forgotten to add this important point.)

Backups

So often neglected until your laptop is confiscated by the TSA or you forget to save your personal drafts, backups are crucial because your hard drives will fail, your laptop will get wet, and you’ll plain misplace files and accidentally delete stuff.

When big companies backup they data they do so at a separate location from where the data is processed. For you amateur digital nomads this means not just backing up things to your laptop – because if your laptop dies then your backups are gone too – but storing them in a secure location somewhere else. You don’t need to deal with physical backups, there are several options for backing up your data online.

SyncBackSE – If you have a self-hosted blog you can use the storage space you have there. Set up automated daily backups via FTP on your Windows machines using this free program.
- On Macs, Time Machine works well to backup to external drives but can’t backup via FTP. Mac users should check out Transmit (also free).
Mozy - Free up to 2GB of storage over an encrypted channel Mozy is an excellent off site backup tool. For $4.95 a month you get unlimited storage space.
Gmail - They’ve recently increased the amount of space you can send and receive to 25 megabytes. Windows users you can backup your Gmail emails and attachments using the free Gmail Backup tool.

Blog Backups

Travel bloggers, if you’re using Wordpress your can use the plugin WP DB-Backup to schedule automatic backups of your blog posts, comments, and settings. Wordpress versions 2.8 and above come with the plugin included, all you need to do is activate and set it up (Tools > Backups).

Backups are critical, don’t wait until your hard drive crashes and you lose all of your data to learn this lesson - especially if your laptop is your financial lifeline! In Part 3 I’ll wrap up this series with security essentials, sound budgeting advice, and (as if you need it) other ways to waste time take a break online during a busy day of location independent work.

[photos by: zzatras777, alpoma, alexmuse]

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An Amateur’s Guide to Location Independence [Part 1 of 3]

Anil P. — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 06:00:50 +0000

You can set up a virtual office anywhere in the world and maintain it like a professional IT department and become a location independent worker. Whether you plan on doing freelance work, are traveling on business, or trying to make money with your travel blog, your entire mobile office can fit into your backpack while giving you everything a fancy corporate IT department can.

Being your own location independent IT department includes getting the right hardware and software, staying connected, and keeping things going in case of a disaster. On a very small travelers budget you can do all of this and more.

Hardware

Depending on what kind of work you do your needs will vary, but for the majority of digital nomads you don’t need a lot of computing power or expensive devices to work and get paid while you travel. These are the bare bones you’ll need for your mobile office.

Essentials

Laptop – An obvious and essential component of any location independent office. (As for what laptop to buy it varies based on your budget and situation. The comments are a good place to ask other travelers about their recommendations.)
A Cheap Cell Phone – Get yourself the cheapest Nokia you can find it and learn how to unlock it.
Long Range USB Antenna – Extend the wi-fi range of your laptop to snag more wireless networks (that are hopefully open). These antennas are a good way to bum wi-fi signals from the road.
USB Drive - The biggest capacity you can afford – good for quick backups, running applications, and keeping personal data secure.

I’d also consider a webcam to be close to essential for your mobile office. It helps business when your clients can not only hear your voice but see you from time to time. Office morale (aka. your morale) is also important and a webcam can keep your family and friends close, even when you’re not. (Just make sure to get your mom one too.)

Software

I’ve written previously about the essential software tools for digital nomads and 12 applications that fit on a USB drive for travelers. There are a few other free software tools that will help you get your work done.

Writing

Openoffice.org – This suite similar to Microsoft’s Office has a text editor (like Word), versatile spreadsheet program (like Excel), and presentation software (like PowerPoint) is absolutely free.
Thunderbird - Mozilla’s answer to Microsoft Outlook, Thunderbird is free and can be used to set up multiple email accounts. Gmail can also be used to create temporary email travel accounts over a secured channel in 5 easy steps.

Photo Editing

Paint.NET – Instead of shelling out a ton of cash on Adobe’s Photoshop, this free photo editing software does a bit more than the basic paint program that comes with Windows. Paint is good enough for amateur photo editing and is very easy to use.
GIMP – More powerful than Paint.NET this free program comes in a portable version that you can run from your USB drive.
Artweaver – Admittedly, once you’ve used Photoshop for any length of time it’s hard to get used to a new program. Artweaver is free and looks and feels a lot like Photoshop.

Bootleg Software

While I don’t advocate purchasing bootleg or illegal software which can be found in many countries quite easily, many of you do and will anyway. Protect your laptop from viruses, malicious software, and other nasty programs that often accompany pirated programs and DVDs by learning about virtual machines.

This basic hardware and software will get your mobile office up and running, connected, and working with a few downloads.

Tomorrow in Part 2 I’ll show you what virtual machines are and how to use them to protect yourself from bootleg software and create virtual environments to get more work done. I’ll also share some free and easy ways to backup your data in a safe location.

[photos by: zzathras777, alex-s]

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Daily Email Updates Improved

Anil P. — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 17:00:34 +0000

I was going to post last Thursday that all of my attempts at improving the daily email updates with post titles instead of generic subject lines simply didn’t work. I had worked hard to make this possible but it was creating too many problems – then…Google solved the problem for me.

So for those of you currently subscribed you’ll notice that my daily email updates will now have the subject line ‘Daily Update: [Post Title]‘. Many of you had written me asking for to make this change and I’m glad it finally happened.

If you’d like to have my posts sent to you via email daily (and find out about my next contest this week) you can sign up below.

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Galapagos Basics

Anil P. — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 06:00:02 +0000

This guest post is by Ker & Downey. A luxury travel company servicing not only South America, but other exotic locations around the world.

Known for being the first place to be named a UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization) World Heritage Site, the Galapagos Islands sit roughly 600 miles west of Ecuador in the Pacific Ocean. The inspiration behind Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution, the islands have an immense amount of wildlife spread across the 19 different islands.

Lovers of wildlife will want to explore every inch of the island chain. Every bit of uninhabited land is part of a national park, and the islands possess the second largest marine reserve in the world, smaller only to the Great Barrier Reef. The islands are also a whale sanctuary, as well as contain some unique species of animal such as the Galapagos tortoise, blue-footed booby, waved albatross, and Galapagos sea lions. A cornucopia of flora and fauna await your exploration at Galapagos!

If it’s the flora you’re after, Galapagos has four distinct zones: humid, transition, dry and coastal. Each zone contains it’s own species of life different than the others. Marshlands and other water loving plants inhabit the humid zone. The dry zone leaves the land fairly clear of vegetation, but allows you to examine the volcanic properties that make up the islands. The coastal zones make up all of the land around beaches, and contain their own special areas of flora.

The islands were first discovered in the late 1600s by pirate Ambrose Cowley, who proceeded to name some of the 19 discovered islands after one of his fellow pirates: Baltra, Bartolome, Darwin, Espanola, Fernandina, Floreana, Genovesa, Isabela, Marchena, North Seymour, Pinzon, Pinta, Rabida, San Cristobal, Santa Cruz, Santa Fe, Santiago, South Plaza, and Wolf. Each island holds it’s own special flora and fauna unique to itself. Espanola Island is the oldest of them all, ringing in at 3.5 million years old, and it is also the southernmost island in the archipelago. The waved albatross make their home on this particular island, and use it’s topography to aid their flight to the Ecuadorian coast for feeding time.

While the islands to hug the equator, that doesn’t mean that everything you would associate with a temperate climate are located on the islands. Ever think you’d see a penguin on your island getaway? The Galapagos penguin make their homes on Bartolome, Fernandia, San Cristobal and Santa Cruz islands, and can be seen diving for food. The marine iguana can also be sen on Bartolome, Santa Cruz and Santiago islands, and is the only marine lizard in the world!

The best way to explore the islands is, of course, aboard a cruise. A ship like the M/V Galapagos Legend isn’t what you might think a typical cruise ship is like: there is only room for 100 passengers on the M/V Galapagos Legend, and even room for less than that on some of the other ships, ensuring that your once in a lifetime getaway to Galapagos won’t be hectic and overcrowded. What better way to take a luxury vacation and explore a part of the world on the shortlist to become a part of the seven wonders of the world.

[photo by: dn lpnsk]

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3 Ways To Celebrate The 4th of July Outside of the US

Anil P. — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 06:00:52 +0000

This is probably old news for expatriates and long-term travelers but if you’re on vacation or just set out on the road outside of the US, you don’t have to miss out on the 4th of July (Independence Day). There are 3 good ways to get in touch with Americans abroad who are celebrating the 4th of July and join in with them.

1. Call the US Embassy or Consulate

They will most certainly have a party or get together to celebrate. Where it’s possible, you might even get to see some fireworks, have drinks, food, and meet up with other travelers who might be from your hometown. If you happen to be far from an embassy or consulate you can still give them a call and they’ll let you know if there are any 4th of July meet ups or organized parties going on near you.

2. US Army Bases

It depends on where you are in the world and the nature of the base but generally if you give the embassy a call you can find out if there’s a 4th of July bash going on at a nearby army base (i.e. Germany, Turkey, Japan). If you do find one don’t forget to bring your US passport.

3. Find Expats

Groups of expatriates (US citizens living abroad) often organize 4th of July parties which are a good way to mix up your travel routine, meet new people, and add unique experiences to your trip. Start with some Google hacking and a search should yield some expat groups around you. Transitions Abroad has a good list of expatriate resources and Twitter is also an excellent resource. Do a search (’Find People’) and type “expat” and see is any of the results are close to you.

Two Other Good Options

Have your own party or go out and celebrate like the locals do.
Contact big US companies or charities close by who usually have parties for their employees.

Celebrating the 4th of July abroad is a good way for Americans to make a trip or vacation more memorable, especially if you party like the locals. I’d be interested to hear how you American expats will be celebrating the 4th of July this year and any tips you’d like to add. Much of this advice isn’t limited to the 4th of July or for American holidays for that matter – you can adapt them to your country and national holidays and celebrate wherever you are traveling.

[photos by: foxypar4, joshua_d]

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St. Petersburg in 48 Hours -Day 2

Anil P. — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 06:00:59 +0000

This is a guest post from Priyank, a traveler who is preparing to explore the whole world some day. He keeps a detailed account of his travel stories, pictures and experiences on his blog: Final Transit. For the past 2 weeks, Priyank and I have exchanged imaginary posts about St. Petersburg and Manila. Catch up with day 1 in St. Petersburg if you haven’t already and head over to Final Transit to catch my guest post, Manila from perception to reality part 2.

After exploring the central street of St. Petersburg (Nevsky Prospect) on Day 1 (previous post), I spent the next day walking around the city trying to get a feel of the place and seeing various sights it had to offer. The weather was not the best, but the day was very enjoyable.

Metro

St. Petersburg’s deep Metro system

To get to the downtown, I took the Metro. St. Petersburg’s metro was built in 1955 and is one of the deepest metros in the world and also among the most elaborately decorated. I got off at the Admiralteyskaya subway station, 105 meters below the surface, and the escalator seemed to take forever to get to the surface. The city is well networked by subway, buses and trams and you don’t need a taxi to go visit touristic areas.

Cathedral of Peter and Paul

The Cathedral of Peter and Paul (golden) seen as a backdrop

Founded on the small ‘Hare’ island on the north bank of the Neva, the fortress of Peter and Paul. St. Petersburg was built in 1703 CE to protect the city during the Northern War. St. Petersburg has no skyscrapers and this is the tallest building (122.5m) in the city. If you are curious about Russian Orthodox Church services, this is a good place to go and I especially liked the musical chanting by priests.

Aurora

Aurora, the symbol of the Russian revolution

After the Cathedral, I visited the warship Aurora, which is a symbol of the Communist Revolution. Aurora’s crew took part in the October revolution by firing a blank shot at the Winter Palace, which signaled the victory of the Red Army. The ship is preserved as a museum today, and one can get on board and feel its size and strength.

Night

Rostral column with a figure representing Dnieper River

Kunstkamera, from the from Dvortsovy (Palace) Bridge

Church of the Savior on Blood

St. Petersburg literally glitters at night. The city does a great job of highlighting its decorative architecture, sometimes giving the impression that the whole city is a museum. The city has a great nightlife and an overall artsy feel. I found St. Petersburgers very friendly and relaxed, compared to Moscowites who seemed to be in a rush.

Then You Eat

After a long day its imperative to relax and enjoy some Russian food. I met some friends there and there were a variety of things to eat. After a couple of shots of Vodka, everything tastes even better. Adding anything to Vodka (lime juice, soda, etc.) is considered blasphemous. There is a specific way of drinking Vodka too, and it’s best to learn it in person rather than me describing it here.

You’ll thoroughly enjoy St. Petersburg despite its weather. I did!

About This Post

Over a month ago, Anil came up with this idea of ‘imaginary travel’ as part of which he wrote 2 posts about his imaginary trip to St. Petersburg and I wrote about Manila. We then followed this up my real experiences in St. Petersburg and his real experiences in Manila. It was interesting to see the perceptions and realities in a creative and fun manner. Thanks Anil!

Thank you Priyank, it wouldn’t have worked out as well as it did without your excellent writing and amazing pictures! -Anil

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How To Drink Raki Like A Turk

Anil P. — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 06:00:03 +0000

”The best accompaniment to Raki is good conversation.”

-Mustafa Kemal Ataturk

Raki, the unofficial national drink of Turkey is more than a glass of alcohol, it’s an experience in itself. There is an entire culture around this strong, anise-flavored liqueur that is very popular throughout Turkey. Visitors to Turkey often wonder what that milky stuff in narrow glasses is and leave without a taste.

If you’re heading to Turkey any time soon, savor the food, conversation, and drink raki like a Turk.

Ordering a ‘Kadeh’

Raki is served in a small narrow glass that is specifically used for the drink. The glass is half filled with raki and ice or water completes the rest. At restaurants you can let the waiter know how much for a stronger or weaker drink. The addition of water turns the drink a cloudy white, which is where the nickname “lion’s milk” comes from.

Melon and Feta Cheese

Raki is traditionally served as an aperitif, to be slowly enjoyed with several appetizers. The traditional raki meal varies and can include anything from kebabs to salads. The two essentials however are yellow melon and feta cheese.

Ice and Water

Don’t be surprised to see a bowl of ice on the table. You can plop a fresh one into your drink as needed and the water will help take the edge off of your stomach. It’s also common to see a raki glass filled with water sitting next to everyone’s raki – also to be sipped on.

Sip, Don’t Chug

Raki is a drink that is best savored and you want to sip and drink it slowly. Be prepared to eat for hours, if you’re eating out you’ll be served food and drink all night until you’re done. Don’t worry, you’ll still get drunk in time (it’s 90 proof) but you won’t get the most important thing out of the drink.

A Good Conversation

That’s what drinking raki is all about - not so much the drink but the ambiance that is created around it. Have some raki with friends and spend hours of talking, laughing, reminiscing, and of course eating.

Raki is a has a strong anise flavor (much like Greek ouzo or French pastis) and you might be put off on your first taste, which will be easily forgotten as you finish up your first glass and get to a second.

Turkey Travel Planner has a good guide to ordering raki and more about the traditional ‘raki sofrasi‘. So, if you’ve got 48 hours in Istanbul spend an evening out and have a kadeh, some melon, more food, and of course, good conversation.

Written as part of Lifecruiser and Travel Experta’s drinks around the world series.

[photos by: colm.mcmullen, arteunporro, karstenkneese, stevendepolo, meg and rahul, Shutter Pea]

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The Best Comments Of The Month: June 2009

Anil P. — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 06:00:41 +0000

In case you don’t get a chance to follow the latest comments in the sidebar, or read through a viewer, here are some of the best comments of the month.

It’s been a busy month with lots of new commenters, here are just some of my favorites from June.

Lyn agrees that the Philippines is a country you should visit by might be scared to and gives us even more reasons to go.
Kim Kinrade made me laugh with his reasons for sitting at the back of the plane.
Kind words of encouragement about foXnoMad from Final_Transit, Erica, Marina K. Villatoro, Kim Kinrade, and Cuckoo. Thank you all!
Some great hitchhiking book recommendations from Nomadic Pete.
I had forgotten one good way to beat shady taxi drivers – good thing Dan reminded me. Also, Jen’s right, the picture on that post is classic and my favorite part about it.
Mark and I both use a variation of the 5 row rule. I’m glad I’m not the only one, I don’t feel as weird!
Accept bargaining as part of the shopping process for a smoother experience. I agree with Mary R.
My most popular blog post ever was the best places to travel on a weak dollar. Carla and Susan have been reading ever since and I really appreciate you sticking with me!

There are a lot of links in this month’s edition and so many more I couldn’t get to. Thank you everyone for all of you comments, keep them coming and I’ll try to get links back to all of you. What were some of your favorite comments?

[photo by: redcherryhill]

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Some More Travel Blogs You Should Read

Anil P. — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 06:00:42 +0000

The past few months have been blogging for me and one of the benefits has been meeting a number of new travel bloggers who specialize in a number of travel niches. If you love to read about travel, these blogs are worth checking out.

Istanbul Trails – Max Forlani’s blog (recently featured) is dedicated to helping people making the most of their stay in Istanbul.
Africa Freak – Although Michael Theys is on vacation now, his blog about everything African safari is a fun and informative read.
My Melange – A travel blog specializing in Italian and French culture, food, and wine which also lead me to this video on how to use a squat toilet.
Have Pack – I see a lot of myself in Jeffery’s writing style. Have Pack, Will Travel aims to help independent travelers experience the world on their own terms.
Dan’s Adventure – He’s 27, Scottish, and left the UK in February 2009 to travel the world.
Dream a Little Dream – It’s always inspiring to read about couples who pack up the 9-to-5 life and travel the world. Scott and Dee just did so you can read about their adventures as they begin.
Travel Sights With Lilly – A new travel blog following Lilly’s general travel advice and adventures learning Turkish.
Two Go RTW – In August 2008 Daniel and Kathryn traded in their clotheslines for Tibetan prayer flags.
The Brooklyn Nomad – Andrew is obsessed with travel and constantly on the look out for a great deal to…well anywhere.
Ever The Nomad – Anja Mutić travels to make a living, writes to travel, and lives to take the next trip. Born in Zagreb, Croatia, she’s lived, worked and traveled on all the continents, except Antarctica.
Wild Junket – Join Nellie in her roller coaster ride around the world, as she explores every nook and cranny of the Earth… just for the fun of it!

EDITED [6/30]: Max has a scoop for us and is announcing Istanbul Trails Photo here first. Go check out his great pictures from Istanbul!

I hope that you’ll take a look at some of these travel blogs that might interest you. I inevitably left out some great travel blogs. For some more links check out some of the travel blogs I read regularly, some travel blogs I discovered recently, or my full list of links. If you have a travel blog and aren’t on any of those lists, contact me and drop your link below in the comments to introduce yourself.

[photo by: Keenahn]

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For personal updates, highlights from recent posts, and stories and pictures that don't always make it to my blog check out my bimonthly newsletter.