Ever since 2008, which is when I decided to stop working on board cruise ships, something I had been doing on and off for several years prior, I’ve known no other work but the kind that can be done on the internet. But at the same time, I understand that saying “I work online” doesn’t really give others much insight into how I actually earn my money and consequently, how I fund my travels these days.

The question that a lot of people want to know is: “What does ‘working online’ really mean?”

First, let me give you a quick background about how I got started. After saving up a decent amount of money during my time on cruise ships, as soon as I ended that stage of life I immediately decided to put all of that money into a savings account that was not to be touched for a long time. This forced me to start looking for new income opportunities right away because it was as if I had almost no money at all. This really put the pressure on and so I started reading a few books about other people who managed to earn money while traveling.

And it was the books about those people who were able to make money online that really caught my attention and so, I decided to give it a try myself. I chose a couple of options that appealed to me (there are thousands of ways to earn money online) and got to work.

For the first 4 months I failed miserably. I earned a grand total of $0.00 during that period of time, something that certainly made me doubt my decision. I was working/learning every day for at least 8-10 hours but my efforts yielded no results. However, it has always been my belief that those who fail at something are those who give up and that if you can push through the obstacles and continue to learn as much as possible, success will eventually be achieved.

Fast forward a few years and here I am, earning all of my income online, an income that allows me to continue traveling around the world as much as I want.

And now I’m going to try and explain exactly where that money comes from as best I can in the hopes of giving you a clearer picture of how ‘working online’ works for me.

It Starts With The Blog

This blog is actually my main online project and as a result, the main source of my income these days. I work on my blog almost every day and I could easily spend 50+ hours per week on this one website alone, writing posts, promoting posts, being active on all social media channels, answering emails and comments, updating my eBooks, adding new pages of information and on and on. Blogging is a ton of work, far more work than most aspiring bloggers ever imagine, especially if you want your blog to earn you some money.

Through the blog, I earn my income in a few ways…

eBooks

To begin with, there are the eBooks/Travel Resources that I have written. These books are designed to help others achieve their travel goals using the knowledge I’ve gained over the years, and they also help me earn an income. I spent months working on each one, pouring a ton of energy and effort into the content, and I am constantly updating the material as well in order to make sure that each product is always as relevant and useful as possible.

But despite this setup, every now and then I receive an email from a reader who is disgusted that my eBooks need to be purchased. Usually their argument is that this is just a travel blog and as a result, all of the information should be free. In addition, they claim that if I really wanted to help others achieve their travel goals, then I would release all information openly, at no cost whatsoever. Fair enough, I certainly understand their point.


However, here’s how it really works. If I didn’t charge money for my eBooks, there would be no WanderingEarl.com, and as a result, I wouldn’t be helping anyone at all achieve their travel goals. As I stated above, maintaining this website is no joke, it takes up the majority of my time and I work mighty hard to keep this site going. If I didn’t earn any money from the blog, it, and I, wouldn’t survive. Everyone needs some sort of income to live. It’s as simple as that.

Also, one thing I’ve always tried to do on this site is to keep advertising to a minimum. While I will promote certain companies that I truly believe in, I actually turn away approximately 95% of the advertising offers that I do receive in my inbox. Recently I decided to estimate how much money I have given up by not putting much advertising on my site over the past 4 years. The figure I came to was $40,000 USD.

But since I’m a firm believer that a site flooded with advertising is a site that isn’t going to last very long at all, I plan to continue giving up this income. I’ll take a little here and there but that’s it.

So, that’s why I charge some money for my eBooks, in order to maintain and grow this site (which also involves me being able to travel). And if the feedback I receive every week is any indication, the amount I do charge for these products is well worth what you receive in return, which is the balance I have always worked hard to achieve.

Wandering Earl Tours

While Wandering Earl Tours is a relatively new project of mine, something I started only towards the end of last year, I’m quite blown away by the success so far. I have already led three tours and I have three more planned for this year, all of which are sold out at this point. I absolutely love organizing and running these tours and I can’t wait to start choosing destinations for next year’s trips as well.

Of course, at the same time, organizing these tours involves a great deal of work, not only during the actual tour as I travel around with the group, but in the months leading up to the tours when I am extremely busy with the preparations, bookings and overall organization. Tack this work on top of my normal blogging workload, as well as trying to travel to new places in between, and I barely have a free moment these days.

Am I earning a fortune from these tours? No way. That’s not my goal. Besides, I told myself that for the first year of Wandering Earl Tours, I just wanted to break even and maybe enjoy a tiny bit extra for my efforts if possible. And as the tours hopefully continue to grow, which will involve another increase in workload, I do plan to try and compensate myself fairly for all of the effort that I do put into each and every trip. Again, the plan is not to become rich from this project, but to offer affordable trips to various countries in exchange for a modest income.

Advertising

When it comes to blogging, you will find an endless debate about whether or not there should be any advertising on such a site. I’ll tell you this. When you start a new blog and suddenly an advertiser is offering you $50 to place a link on your site somewhere or $100 to place a banner ad, it’s hard to turn that cash away. You now have a chance to make money online and of course you’re going to be excited!

Every blogger needs to tackle this topic on their own and decide how much advertising, if any, works for them. Yes, the money is tempting, but I’ve seen far too many bloggers who begin accepting as many advertising deals as they can only to lose their audience completely, simply because readers don’t want to see a site loaded with ads. Then, once your readers are gone, the advertising offers will stop coming and any other chance you have of earning money through your site most often goes out the window with them.

On this site, I made a decision when I first started to not accept any advertising for the first two years and I stuck to that.

These days, I’ve decided to accept minimal advertising here on the blog, usually in the form a small banner ad in the sidebar for a company/service/website that I have used or tested out myself and that I believe is indeed useful for travelers. I don’t place any sponsored posts on this site at all but I might, on occasion, add a short blurb at the end of a post promoting something that, again, I truly believe is really worth checking out.

The reality is that if I accepted all of the advertising offers that come into my inbox each day at the moment, I could probably earn $3000+ per month in advertising alone. But I don’t. As I said, I turn away 95% of those offers and as a result, I usually earn just a small amount of ‘pocket cash’ instead. The thing is that I really want all of you to stick around this site and to continue being a part of this community, so there’s no way I’m going to plaster ads all over the place and try to squeeze out as much advertising income as I can. I’m sure that’s not what you want to see and therefore, it won’t happen.

Sponsorships

On occasion, I have an opportunity to create a sponsorship deal, something that typically nets more money that a simple advertisement. I enter into such deals only when it’s a product/service that I absolutely support and love, something that I really want to share with all of you, such as the XShot Camera Extender. Should I be taking money for promoting these products/services? There’s certainly a debate in that as well but again, the way I see it is that given the amount of effort it takes to maintain the site, the odd sponsorship deal here and there doesn’t hurt, especially if I believe in what I’m promoting.

As you see though, I don’t do these deals often so it’s not a huge money maker either, just some another small stream of income in the end.

Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate links are links on this site that, if you click on them and purchase a product/service on the other end, provide me with a small commission. The biggest, and almost exclusive example of affiliate links on WanderingEarl.com, can be found on my Travel Gear page where I link to the Amazon.com sales page for all of the gear that I actually travel with and that I think are great items. If you were to click on any of the links and then purchase something on Amazon (doesn’t have to be the item you clicked on, it can be anything on the entire site), I receive about a 6% commission. It’s not much but as you’ve probably figured out by now, it’s another source of income that, when combined with all of the other small sources of income, eventually adds up to an income that helps keep me traveling around the world.

Other Stuff

Apart from the blog, I also work on many other online projects from time to time. But to tell you the truth, most of these projects fail or they don’t lead to any income. That’s just a part of working online. You need to experiment all the time in the hopes of finding something that works, and eventually, some do pan out.

For me, some of my more successful projects have included freelance work as a writer, some basic website building, writing/selling a couple of non-travel related eBooks on other websites, affiliate marketing and some blog consulting. Almost all of these opportunities resulted from networking with other travelers or people in the travel industry and up until this year, when I decided to stop some of these projects in order to concentrate more fully on the blog, they kept me busy most of the time.

Each of the above also offered another stream of income to add to the pile.

And trying to grow that pile is what it takes to make money online.

Do I receive a fixed income every month? Nope. In fact, I never know how much I’ll earn each month at all. I have great months, terrible months and average months and I also never know if the extra effort I put into anything will actually yield better results. But, I am earning an income in the end and somehow, over the past few years, this income has allowed me to continue traveling around without having to tap into my savings. It has also allowed me to continue working on this blog and to try my best to highlight the benefits of travel while proving that long-term travel is more posible to achieve than most people think. And after all, this is the core reason this blog even exists.

Everything I do is intertwined…without travel there would be no blog, without the blog there would be no travel. And luckily, earning my income online, which hopefully I’ve managed to explain somewhat clearly above, allows me to keep it all flowing together.

Any questions about how I work online or about working online in general? Let me know below and I’ll be happy to answer!

How do you choose your next destination when you have the ability to choose almost anywhere in the world? Then, once you decide where to go, what do you do to prepare for your travels? And finally, for those who don’t have a limited number of days for their trip, how on earth do you decide how long to stick around each place you visit?

The above questions were asked in the comments section of my last post when I asked all readers of the blog to specify what you want me to write about. They are great questions because, if you’re planning on spending a significant amount of time traveling the world, you will have to answer them over and over again. And since I’ve needed to ask myself these questions all the time over the past 14 years as I’ve moved around the world from place to place, always trying to figure out where I should go next, I figured it would be a good idea to provide my answers in a post.

Let’s begin…

Choosing a Destination

Very rarely do I know where I’ll be more than one month in advance. I’ve never been much of a planner and with the current lifestyle that I’ve carved for myself, it is almost impossible to make future plans without having to change them once, twice or several times.

So, I don’t plan.

I prefer to use that simple method of ‘going with the flow’, making decisions last minute whenever I feel the inspiration or need to move on to a new country. Sometimes I’ll choose to visit a country because of something I read recently, other times I’ll choose based on something I want to learn or people I want to see. All I know is that if I were to wake up tomorrow with this burning desire to traverse the remote plains of Mongolia as soon as possible, I’d start looking for flights…and chances are I’d be in Mongolia relatively soon, even though the thought of going to Mongolia was nowhere to be found in my head today.

Choosing my next destination really is quite random for me.

With that said, I do believe that traveling must have a purpose. Without a purpose or goal, traveling can get boring quite quickly (hard to believe but it’s true!). As a result, I try not to choose destinations just for the sake of seeing a new country. Instead, I choose destinations because there is something I want to do there, some goal I want to achieve.

An example would be my recent trip to Yemen. That trip materialized in about two weeks after the thought of really visiting Yemen came to mind. And my reason for going was to visit a country that sees very few visitors so that I could hopefully shed even a tiny bit of light on this land and its people. I also wanted to visit Socotra Island because I had a feeling that it would be an incredible place to organize a Wandering Earl Tour and of course, I wanted to see it first-hand before organizing such a trip. (And yes, I’m still working on the details of that tour. Should be finalized very soon!)

Again, purpose. Travel needs a purpose. This doesn’t mean that you need to spend years thinking of some grand goal you’d like to achieve and which country would be the most ideal for you to achieve that goal, but having a goal, any goal, in mind certainly helps narrow down your options. I certainly wouldn’t go to China in order to learn Spanish and I wouldn’t go to Mexico to learn about European history.

Think about your interests in life and that will help you choose your travel destinations. Do you want to learn a language? Do you have friends somewhere in the world you want to visit? Is there a particular sight you’ve always wanted to see with your own eyes? Do you prefer to spend some time surrounded by nature or in a big city or on the beach?

Ask those kind of questions, which is what I do all the time, and deciding where to go next won’t be as daunting of a challenge.

Preparing to Visit a New Country

This is an easy one for me because I really don’t prepare much at all. Since I do choose my destinations at the last minute, I just don’t have time to do much research before I land somewhere new. And since I no longer use guidebooks (nothing against them, I just prefer to travel without them these days), I typically land somewhere knowing very little beyond what I already know just from being a traveler who is interested in the world in general.

If I know of a travel blogger who has recently been to the same place, I might check their blog or send them a quick email before I begin my trip in the hopes of finding some good recommendations, maybe for a place to stay or perhaps a location/experience that was particularly memorable. And on occasion I’ll head over to the WikiTravel page for the city I’m landing in and have a quick read, maybe to get a list of a few budget hotels to check out when I arrive. But that’s about it.

Overall, the reason I prefer this type of minimal preparation is because it allows me to travel with as few expectations as possible. If I don’t read a ton of stuff about where I’m headed, I feel that I’m more open-minded as I travel around. Filling my head with too many details, stories, news articles, etc. before I arrive would diminish my ability to treat every moment without prejudice.

On the other hand, doing almost no research can often lead to a longer adjustment period upon arrival. I will certainly need more time to figure out ‘how things work’ and there will be more surprises along the way, some potentially unpleasant. It can be a harder to find accommodation, find places to eat, learn how to get from one point to another or anything else you need to do while traveling if you need to learn it all as you go.

My recommendation is to do what you are most comfortable with. And if you’re just starting out traveling, definitely do some research before visiting a new country. I certainly did when I first started out. I had a guidebook in hand almost everywhere I went for the first few years. Then, once you become more experienced, you won’t feel the need to rely on a guidebook as much because you’ll have gained a travel confidence that is hard to explain until it happens. Strange situations just won’t seem strange after a while and the fear and worry that you once had when traveling to new destinations will eventually disappear, leaving you feeling as if you don’t need to conduct as much pre-trip research as you once did.

How Long Do I Stick Around?

Deciding whether I should stay in a particular country for a day, a week, a month or even longer is, unsurprisingly by this point, something that I also don’t plan out in advance. As I seldom have somewhere to be, I am able to just show up and see how things go. If I enjoy a town, city or country, I stick around until I’m ready to see something new. If I don’t enjoy a place so much, I move on much sooner.

However, these days, I am not the same traveler I was in the beginning when I would strap on my backpack and set off for months at a time in a particular region of the world. Now that I work online and have things I need to get done in order to earn a living (more details on this in a future post), I can’t keep up that same pace. I need to travel slowly at times so that I can get things accomplished and sometimes slowly even means staying in one destination for a few months or more.

So, what I started doing (when I first began working online) was alternating between periods of normal backpacking where I would visit a few countries for a couple of months and periods when I would stay put in one particular destination for a month or two. This allowed me to continue working online, to put some real energy into this blog and to still see more of the world in the process.

It also helped keep my costs down because whenever I do stay in one place for a longer period of time, I am able to rent an apartment quite cheaply, making it much less expensive than staying in a private room at a hostel, guesthouse or budget hotel.

Eventually, though, my travel style changed once again and became what it is today. Now I prefer to have a long-term base, a location where I can really be comfortable and somewhat ‘settled’ while also being in a convenient location so that I am able to jet out for weeks or even a month or two at a time to new places. This ideal setup allows me to create stronger friendships, gain a deeper understanding of the local culture and of course, get more work done while at my ‘base’. I also have a comfortable and familiar place to return to after spending some time away.

The first place I used as a long-term base was Playa del Carmen, Mexico and now it’s been Bucharest, Romania for the past 18 months. I’m still traveling all the time but having a place to return to, a place where I can leave my stuff, has made a huge difference in helping me maintain my excitement about this traveling lifestyle. It’s just too difficult to build a blog and to really work on anything while constantly moving around the world from new country to new country.

How did I end up choosing Bucharest? It was actually completely unplanned. I showed up in Romania towards the end of 2011 as part of a Eurail trip I took around Europe and my plan was to stay for about 10 days before moving on to Bulgaria and Istanbul. But after a week in Romania I had met such wonderful people and had really enjoyed every place I visited that I simply made a sudden decision to stop and throw down my bags for a while. And I chose Bucharest because that’s where most of the people I met were living.

I certainly never imagined that I would end up spending so much time in Romania but that’s the beauty of travel – there’s always surprises and you never know what will happen once you cross the border into your next destination!

Any questions about choosing a destination, preparing for a destination or deciding how long to stay in one place? Let me know in the comments!

Over the past few months there has been a great surge of traffic here on the blog and along with it has come an influx of new readers. And from what I can tell, you are all people I’d love to see stick around for a while!

So first, I’d like to welcome everyone who has recently come across the site (and to thank everyone who has helped spread the word about the site as well!). I’m very happy to have you here and I certainly look forward to interacting and talking travel with you, whether through the comments, via email or through the Facebook fan page.

Second, considering that the aim of this site involves helping others achieve their own travel goals, encouraging people to get out of their comfort zones and learn about the people and places of this world first-hand and trying to convince you that “a life of travel is not a crazy fantasy, but a realistic lifestyle option instead”, I just want to make sure I’m still on the right track.

Let me begin with a summary of what I’ve been up to over the past 14 years…

In 1999 I took a 3-month trip to Southeast Asia with only $1500 to my name and that trip has never really ended. Ever since, I’ve been living, working, backpacking and volunteering overseas, having spent time in 84 countries around the world so far. I’ve taught English in Thailand and India, worked on board cruise ships as a Tour Manager for several years and since 2008 I’ve been earning a living online, through a variety of projects. I’ve been blogging since December 2009 and the truth is, I would have never imagined that this blog would actually have readers or that it become such a major part of my life. These days, the blog is what I spend most of my time working on, whether writing posts, promoting the site, interacting on social media, answering emails, updating my eBooks and also organizing and leading my Wandering Earl Tours. And I do all of this while continuing to travel, something that generally involves me having a base somewhere (it’s been Bucharest, Romania for the past 1.5 years) and exploring more of the world from there.

That’s how my life has been going. It’s a very basic summary of the past 14 years of course, but hopefully that gives you a quick idea of why I label this blog “The Life of a Permanent Nomad”.

Question – What Do You Want to Know?

Now that you know what I’ve been up to, here’s what I’d like to do. To begin with, let me state again that it is indeed my desire to help you achieve your own travel goals and I do believe that I have enough travel/life experience to make that happen. However, I’ve realized that the only way for me to provide you with the most useful information possible is to know exactly what you’re looking for.

And while there are over 200 blog posts on this site (the most popular/useful being listed on my “Getting Started” page), I know that there is so much more for me to talk about, discuss and share from my years of travel. But instead of just guessing, I’d really love to know what topics you would actually like to read about (or see on video!).

So, I’d like to ask…

What would you like me to talk about? What do you want to know about travel? What do you want to see? How can I help you travel?

I invite you to leave a comment below, telling me whatever it is you want me to put on this site. And I promise that if you do leave a comment, I will answer and provide the information you are looking for in an upcoming post.

Also, it doesn’t only have to be a request for practical ‘how-to’ information. It could be a request for additional details about any of the countries I’ve been to or about any of the experiences I’ve had. It could be about the logistics of long-term travel or short-term travel, asking for certain advice or recommendations, questions about the people I meet or about my own personal travel style or even about my life in general…absolutely anything!

What do you want to know?

(I’m looking forward to the comments on this one as I’m excited to give you the information you are truly seeking in order to help get you started with your own travels!)

Yes, it was.

Why?

My Macbook Pro works. Simple as that.

It’s efficient, stable and it’s infinitely more user-friendly than any other laptop I’ve ever owned, which includes an HP, a couple of Acer machines and a Sony Vaio. And my Macbook is also incredibly fun to use, something that, for someone who spends as much time online as I do, makes a major difference. When everything looks and works perfectly, tackling a list of 50 ‘Things to Do’ each day, regardless of how boring or uninspiring each task may be, is a complete breeze, an enjoyable breeze actually.

The Macbook I settled on, after three weeks of research and ten lengthy visits to the Apple Store, is the 13.3” inch Macbook Pro with Retina. It has 500 GB of memory, 8 GB of RAM and a 3.0 Ghz dual-core i7 processor. I bought it refurbished directly from Apple’s online store for $1650 USD, a price tag that definitely comes with a painful sting, but when compared to buying a Macbook Pro with Retina, non-refurbished version (which goes for $2199), the $1650 actually looks quite attractive. That’s how I justified it anyway!

I am clearly aware that I could have bought a Windows laptop with the same or better specifications for less money but still, no Windows laptop that I have tested (and I tested dozens during my research), comes even close to the feel of the Macbook. The Macbook is just such a smooth, impressively fine-tuned machine that I actually get excited to turn it on each day, especially considering that it only takes a half of a second to wake it up from its sleep mode. And all of this makes it worth dishing out some extra money for, at least to me.

With that said, I still stand by my earlier claims that my previous laptop, the Acer Aspire Timeline-X AS1830T-6651, is almost as good as it gets when it comes to travel laptops, for most people. The power, speed, weight and price of the Acer are all more than ideal, creating what can only be considered an undeniably impressive package. But for me, these days, I need something a bit more powerful, a bit more ‘professional’, a bit, well, smoother and, in all honesty, enjoyable to use.

And that’s exactly what I landed with my Macbook.

I turn it on and it does everything it should in a way that allows me to get more done in a shorter period of time and to enjoy getting that stuff done as well. Based on that alone, buying a Macbook Pro was a wise work decision for me and I really am quite happy that I made the change.

But I haven’t been fully converted yet. I still prefer my Android phone over an iPhone!

What do you think? Is it Mac or Windows for you? Care to share why you prefer one over the other?

Ever since I arrived back in Bucharest some ten days ago, my level of motivation has been at an all-time high, so much so that even the gray communist-style apartment blocks scattered all over this city seem inspiring these days.

Where does all of this motivation come from?

As I often state as my answer to many questions….it’s all about the people.

Lately, I have been meeting such inspirational people that I can barely sit still, leaving me with a constant need to brainstorm, to create, to work on new ideas. Everyone I’m coming across, whether in person or online, just seems to have such inspiring travel stories to share and it’s pumping me up as well.


These people are not only interested in also turning travel into an actual lifestyle, they are dedicating themselves wholeheartedly to making it a reality.

Some of those I’ve met have already succeeded, others are well on their way. A few more have just started, completely fired up about the adventure ahead and completely unwilling to accept anything but the achievement of their goals.

And talking with each of them has undoubtedly increased my own motivation. Now I want to pass that motivation on to you by showing exactly what these people that I’ve met are currently up to. It is my sincerest hope that these examples will help convince you that you could do the same. Let us see…

Cruise Ship Work – One of my Romanian friends has just returned from working on board a cruise ship in Tahiti for the past four months where she admittedly worked very hard but also enjoyed the experience immensely, not to mention the several thousand dollars she saved, all of the French Polynesian islands she had a chance to visit and the friends and contacts she made as well. Not a bad way to boost the bank account and now she’s ready for even more travel and adventure, knowing that she could return to ‘ship life‘ at any time.

Starting a Hostel & Tour Company – A very motivated young guy, and passionate traveler, has recently started a chain of hostels here in Romania, along with a tour company designed to offer one-of-a-kind trips all over this country that focus on giving people as unique an experience as possible. He wants this concept to work so much that you can see the determination in his eyes when he talks about it. This is one person who won’t accept anything but success and if you spend just five minutes with him you’ll certainly find all the motivation you need to tackle your own life goals!

Taking the First Step – Despite working in a decent computer programming job for the past few months, another guy I met has made the decision to travel for one year starting next January. The decision is final and he’s about to book his flight now that he has started getting some freelance clients, whose projects he can work on from the road. This guy has always wanted to travel and he won’t let anything stop him, knowing full well that he has what it takes to make his dreams a reality.

Photographs & Documentaries – They’re a couple and they’ve taken their passions – photography and film-making – and turned them into an actual lifestyle. She takes the photos, which are often used in television commercials and magazines, and he shoots the documentaries which are shown on television stations around Europe. They both love to travel as well, which meshes perfectly with their skills and knowledge, allowing them to create ‘work’ as they explore different countries. And they are even planning to travel to Yemen soon where I have no doubt they’ll capture some incredible, and very sellable footage.

Escorting Groups Around the World – This creative individual worked out a deal with a travel agency in which the agency would sell small group tours to destinations around the world and he would escort those trips. He’s not the guide, but he acts as the liaison between the travelers and the local guides, hotels, transportation companies, etc., earning a decent amount of money per person while traveling for free at the same time.

Earning Money as a Waitress or Chef – Working at a resort on the island of Cypress, one girl I met spent four months there, saving up money in the process, which she then used to travel around Southeast Asia for five months. Her boyfriend worked as a chef at the same resort, where he was paid 1000 Euros per month, with apartment and meals included for free. They are thinking of heading back to Cypress for another contract in order to save up again for another trip, perhaps to South America this time around.

Using Social Media Skills to Travel – Another female I ran into has traveled around the world offering her knowledge of Twitter, Facebook and other social media sites to various hostels in exchange for a free bed and even a weekly payment. She boosts the hostels’ online presence, gets more people excited about the properties, increases their audience and more, making it a win-win situation for everyone.

Staying Put in One Place as an Au Pair – Sometimes it’s as simple as applying for a job through an Au Pair agency and before you know it, you’re taking care of a child in a foreign country. Sure, you have to work hard but you get paid as well and don’t have to pay much in terms of living expenses. One female traveler I know has been doing this in Istanbul for 5 months, allowing her to not only live almost expense-free, but to experience an amazing city more deeply than most people who simply visit for a short period of time.

Freelance Design from Anywhere – The freelance designer that I just met two days ago certainly impressed me with his story. He used his web design skills to gain clients on Elance.com, Odesk.com and other similar platforms where freelancers can find work and now he has no boss and no office. He works whenever he wants, wherever he wants and his portfolio continues to grow. With the money he earns, he can travel the world without having to worry about how to pay for his next meal or where he’s going to sleep, and he’s as happy as can be about it. (On a side note, this designer is absolutely brilliant so if you need any design work, let me know and I can put you in touch with him.)

How are you feeling right about now? Just read these stories over a few times and you’ll realize that these are all ordinary people, just like you and me, who simply had a desire to travel and a ‘nothing is going to stop me’ attitude. Yes, they were all afraid at some point, afraid to follow a path that had no clear structure or guarantees of any kind, but they summoned the courage regardless and plunged into the unknown. For all of them, it has certainly paid off, something that is quite clear from the positive energy they give off and the brilliant smiles on their faces when they talk about their projects and travel-infused lifestyles.

And those smiles are addictive and motivating, and over the past ten days, they have caused me to get incredibly excited about working on more of the crazy ideas bouncing around the inside of my own head.

I know that some of the above stories might not have the ‘wow’ factor you were possibly expecting, but that’s the point. Inspiring travel stories don’t need a ‘wow’ factor. The most important thing is to see that ordinary people have found a way to get out there and travel, often by taking simple, yet determined, steps.

Forget about ‘wow’. Look straight ahead and go for it, just as those above have already done.

How about you? Are you feeling motivated these days or are you in a rut?

Few people have even heard of this place and even fewer people have any idea where it’s located. But for those who do know and who do travel to Socotra Island, which happens to be one of the most isolated landforms on the planet, there is only one natural reaction – to wonder aloud why on earth more people aren’t visiting.

Socotra Island is a part of Yemen, however, it is far removed from anything happening on the mainland. The culture is different, the language is different and unlike the mainland, which has had to deal with separatist movements, Al-Qaeda cells and a revolution over the years, life on Socotra has remained as peaceful and quiet as can be.


However, almost nobody makes the distinction between Socotra and the Yemeni mainland and as a result, being a part of Yemen has kept travelers away. Rough estimates (according to several locals involved in the Socotra tourism industry) that in 2013 only about 1000 foreigners are expected to travel to Socotra. Just wait until you see the video below – that number will seem so absurdly low for a place so incredible.

The island is home to approximately 50,000 inhabitants, scattered among dozens of small villages, most of whom never make it off the island. There are more goats than people, hitch-hiking is the most common form of transportation, there is no crime and there’s only one internet cafe in the capital village that acts as their connection to the outside world.

This is truly a destination unlike any other and when I recently spent a few days on Socotra Island, it was the first time in my 13 years of travel that I felt as if I was on another planet altogether. It’s that magical, that bizarre, that stunning, that unbelievably remote of a destination.

And that’s why more people should travel to Socotra Island! You can even fly there directly from the United Arab Emirates so that you bypass the mainland of Yemen altogether. And once there, I guarantee that you will not want to leave.

Just have a look at this highlight video I put together from my own visit:

Note: As a I stood on Erher Beach during my last day on Socotra, looking all around me at the most beautiful water, the most beautiful sand and the most beautiful mountain landscape I had seen in a long, long time, it should be no surprise that I came up with an idea…

Announcing the “Wander Across Socotra” Tour!

I’m still working out the details but the tour, part of Wandering Earl Tours, will take place either over New Year’s (for the most unique New Year’s celebration you could possibly have anywhere) or sometime in January 2014. And since this tour will have limited space, if you might be interested, let me know so that I can add you to the list!

*For more information on travel logistics, have a read of the following written by my friend and fellow travel blogger Anil from FoxNomad.com: How to Travel to Yemen and Socotra Island

I need your help.

In the coming months, I’ll be starting work on a couple of new projects (as always!) and these projects have the potential to raise a good amount of money that I will want to give to charity. And while I have a few charities in my mind that do some excellent work out there, I wanted to hear your thoughts as well, knowing that many of you would have a favorite charity somewhere in the world that I probably have never heard of.

And since I’d like to do as much research as possible before choosing a charity or two or three to work with, I’d love for you to share your recommendations below. I know that some of you already listed your favorite organizations when I asked a similar question on my Facebook page earlier this week, and I absolutely thank you all for your quick responses. I’ve already started looking more closely at many of the charities you listed.

Right now, I’m just interested in getting even more ideas and learning about as many organizations as possible before actually making a decision.

I’m of course looking for organizations that not only claim to make a positive difference in the world but that are truly working hard to achieve their goals, organizations that use all, or the overwhelming majority, of money they receive to fund actual projects.

I’m open to anything, big or small, local or international, well-known or lesser-known causes, in any part of the world, as the projects I’m working on will hopefully have a global reach.

And while we’re at it, in order to make this post even more useful for anyone who happens to find it, please feel free to list any organizations that you have volunteered with overseas as well, organizations that offer opportunities to lend a hand without requiring you to spend a ton of money on administrative and other fees.

I’m constantly receiving emails from readers looking to volunteer with small, well-run, honest, local organizations in all corners of the planet, the kind of organizations that aren’t mentioned all over the internet. So any suggestions you may have for this as well would be greatly appreciated, not only by myself, but by your fellow readers of this blog.

And on that note, I shall look forward to reading your feedback and I thank you all very much in advance for your assistance!

So, what is your favorite charity? What is their aim? Why are they reputable? Where have you volunteered?

When I started researching how I could travel to Yemen, I must admit that I assumed it would not be possible at all. Given the strongly worded government travel warnings about this country, coupled with the fact that any positive news about Yemen seems to be in great shortage, I just figured that things such as obtaining a tourist visa and even finding good, safe accommodation options would be impossible, paving the way for only the craziest of the craziest travelers to dare venture here.

And while I’m open to doing some crazy things, I’m not sure if ‘craziest of the craziest’ was a category I wanted to be a part of.

But surprised was I when I started to learn that a few travelers are making their way to Yemen and that traveling in these parts is not nearly as difficult, or dangerous, as I had once thought.

Surrounded by Soldiers

And then, a few weeks later I was in the back of an old Toyota 4×4 with a local driver and guide, heading out of Sana’a into the Yemeni countryside. The road wound through some rocky hills, passing along the edges of valleys and eventually cruising across a massive 2000 meter high plateau. En route to our destination for the night, we stopped at the impressively situated rocktop Palace of the Imam (Dar Al-Hajar) and we wandered through the streets of Thula, an ancient, and very well-preserved, village with structures dating back some 3000 years.

After a couple of more short stops, it was time to head towards the town of Shibam.

Before entering Shibam, somewhere on the outskirts of town, our driver had to stop at a military checkpoint where he handed over a copy of the travel permits that all foreigners wanting to enter this region of Yemen must obtain. The soldier glanced at the paperwork for a moment, asked our driver a couple of questions and then, with a flick of his hand, allowed us to pass.

A few minutes later, we entered Shibam, where we had a great lunch, wandered through the friendly town and made a quick visit to the village of Kawkaban, clinging to the edge of a mountain nearby. Upon returning to our hotel in the afternoon, just in time to chew some qat of course, I realized that, not for one moment, had I felt unsafe, at all.

As I began to nibble away on some qat leaves, I asked our driver and guide about the military checkpoints, but they both brushed them off as nothing to be worried about and told me that the areas we would visit were perfectly safe. It all seemed reasonable to me…

…until the next morning when I was eating breakfast with the driver and guide in the small restaurant of the hotel.

The guide started to explain that, during the night, sometime around 11:00pm, a group of six armed government soldiers had shown up at the hotel.

“Why?” I asked.
“To protect you,” he said.
“What? I thought it was safe.”
“It is safe. But whenever there is a US citizen visiting, the government sends soldiers just in case,” he stated with a big smile on his face.

Hmmm….

And for the rest of the day, our jeep was followed by a pickup truck with six armed soldiers sitting in the back. Not only that, whenever we got out of the jeep to visit a place such as the Al-Zakati Fort or the rocky cliffs near Bokur or to walk around the town of Mahweet, the soldiers got out of their truck as well and followed us around, never wandering too far away.

Even more surprising was the fact that this was quite a well-coordinated effort. As we were driving along a lonesome mountain road at one point, the soldier-filled truck behind us suddenly stopped. But sure enough, another truck, with another group of six soldiers was waiting for us right around the corner. This happened three times, with each group ‘handing us over’ once we reached the edge of their territory.

Now, before you let this whole soldier-following-you-around thing worry you, consider this. The Yemeni government, in an attempt to remain good friends of the USA, really does provide this soldier-escort service only to US citizens. Apparently, no other nationality receives this service. So, this does make me believe that such an escort is not really needed at all and is just for show. If these parts were so dangerous, the government would either provide the escort for everyone or they would add the area to the list of regions that foreigners are not allowed to travel to.

And whenever we got out of the vehicle, with our soldiers in tow, nobody in any town treated us any differently. It was as if the soldiers weren’t there and the soldiers certainly didn’t investigate anything, except for one town where they seemed to become a little more serious about their protective duties for a few minutes.

So, Is Yemen Safe?

Yemen is the kind of country you wouldn’t visit at all if you listened to all of the travel warnings. But it’s the kind of country you would probably be ready to visit if you listened to any traveler who has recently spent time there.

Just have a read of how much easier it is to travel here than most people think in fellow travel blogger Anil’s post: How to Travel to Yemen and Socotra Island

The thing is, Yemen has its fair share of issues. With a branch of Al-Qaeda operating in certain corners of the country, a south that wants to separate from the north and some tensions among tribal groups, it might seem as if any trip to this country would be doomed from the start.

However, if you travel wisely, which doesn’t really take too much effort, the chances of anything negative happening to you are extremely slim. Yemen, for smart travelers, is as safe as most places. Again, Anil also wrote more about the safety situation in Yemen: Is It Safe To Travel To Yemen?

I personally didn’t feel as if I was in danger at any time, nor did I ever have a moment when I thought “Uh-oh, this could be trouble.” The parts of Yemen that I visited, and keep in mind that the Government of Yemen will not allow foreigners to travel to parts of the country that they deem unsafe, left me with nothing but a positive impression.

But again, I didn’t wander into the areas of Sana’a where the staff at our trusty hotel suggested we didn’t wander. I didn’t try to sneak into regions of the countryside where foreigners are not allowed to go. And I did my very best to respect and adhere to local customs wherever I went.

The Result?

All of the people I met were extremely hospitable and welcoming (and many wouldn’t let us leave without taking their photos, something you can see from Anil’s “Faces of Yemen” post) in every single town in the country. I heard not one negative reaction when I said I was from the USA, only extended hands and smiles. The number of invitations I received for meals, or even to spend the night at a local’s home, from people I only met thirty seconds before, were too many to count. Again, friendliness, not danger, was what I felt the most during my stay.

And this was the case whether I was in the once-touristy town of Manakh or having lunch at a restaurant in some dusty crossroads community where everyone around us seemed as if they had never seen a foreigner before. It was the same when I was high up in the mountains, stumbling upon tiny villages only accessible by foot, and when I was walking through the nearly hidden back lanes of the main market in the historic Old City of Sana’a.

Of course, for some travelers, the sight of soldiers and tanks, dozens upon dozens of checkpoints (there are at least ten checkpoints between the Sana’a Airport and the center of the city) and the odd kaleshnikov-carrying man walking down the street might scare you away. And while those are all present for a reason, the chance of a traveler encountering anything but a smile or nod of the head from the soldiers or any gun-carrying individual, is not very high at all in my opinion.

Is Yemen Safe for Female Travelers?

Indeed it is. Speaking with my guide on the Yemeni mainland, it seemed as if he had just as many stories about female travelers he had recently shown around the country than about male travelers. And many of the females came either on their own or in a group of a few women. Of course, I am not a female but, based on the conversations I had throughout my stay, I learned that a foreign female would have no problems traveling throughout this country.

Yemenis do understand that foreigners have a different way of life and as a result, they welcome foreign females to join in any of the activities that males would partake in, even if it is something that a local woman is not allowed to, or doesn’t normally, do. You will be treated as a traveler, and as a result, those you meet will want to show you the best of their country.

And, as a female, you would have a chance to do something that a male traveler has little chance of doing. You could speak with and interact with females, giving you a much different perspective on life in Yemen and an entirely different set of rewarding experiences. During my stay, I must admit that I only spoke with three local females the entire time. One was a schoolgirl who wanted her photo taken, one was a 20-year old divorcee in a small village and one was a 17-year old trying to sell me some jewelry. That was it unfortunately.

Also, I did meet two foreign female travelers in Yemen during my stay and they were both having an incredible time. I heard not one complaint of trouble, harassment or any other difficulty and instead, they each told me that Yemen was one of the most welcoming countries they had been to and much easier to travel around, as a foreign female, than they had ever imagined.

Socotra Island

I have something different planned for my upcoming post on incredible Socotra Island, the Yemeni island located in the Indian Ocean that I also visited on this trip. But for now, in terms of safety, I can tell you that the island is completely safe. They basically have a zero crime rate simply because it’s an isolated island. If you commit a crime, there’s absolutely nowhere to run to and everyone on the island knows each other. You can’t really find a safer destination to visit!

Travel Wisely

In conclusion, the risk of encountering any major problems in Yemen as a traveler is quite small if you travel wisely. This means staying away from spontaneous demonstrations (none of which we came across during our trip), learning which parts of the capital city to avoid, dressing appropriately, getting the necessary travel permits and most importantly perhaps, traveling with a licensed driver and guide through a reputable local company.

Traveling on your own in Yemen is not easy these days and you will find it to be quite a hassle to move around the country on public transportation and to pass through the dozens of checkpoints on every road. According to some reports, travelers are often turned away at checkpoints if they don’t have a local driver with them and just communicating with the soldiers in general (no English spoken) would be difficult. A local driver will also provide a bridge between you and the local communities, making it much easier for you to have rewarding travel experiences.

And besides, trying to organize the travel permits on your own would probably take up half your trip and conducting research in order to find reliable information on how to travel from one destination to another, where to get off the bus to visit a particular sight, how to reach the sights that are only accessible by 4×4 jeep along a non-existent road, which hotels are still in operation (many are closed now due to the lack of tourists), etc. would take up the other half.

Using a tour company to organize the visa, permits, driver and guide will ensure that you are able to see far more than you could ever see on your own, while enjoying a personally-tailored itinerary, for a price that suits your budget. And again, I’m going to recommend the tour company I used, Eternal Yemen, because they are as reliable as it gets and their team of kind, dedicated staff is what helped make my trip so memorable. (If you do use Eternal Yemen, make sure you request to have “Ali” as your driver…you won’t be disappointed!)

*Keep in mind that the above is simply my opinion and before traveling to Yemen, you should conduct additional research in order to decide if it’s the right destination for you to visit.

I’m going to make this easy.

When you visit Sana’a, the capital city of Yemen, do yourself a favor and stay at the Dawood Hotel. Now I understand that might sound like an oversimplification and it might even entice you to examine the other accommodation options that exist in this city, but believe me when I tell you that, assuming you’re not looking for 5-star accommodation, this is the best hotel in Sanaa. It’s the place to stay. It’s not just a hotel, it’s a Yemeni travel experience all in itself.

And I only need about two minutes and a few photographs to prove it to you.

Everything You Need To Know About The Dawood Hotel

Location: In the heart of the Old City of Sana’a, which, as a traveler, is exactly where you want to be. You’re less than five minutes walk from the markets, main gate, restaurants and other attractions in the Old City and the area around the hotel is quiet, friendly and full of activity.

Rooms: There are over 20 rooms at the Dawood, and each room is designed in the traditional style of a different region of the country. Some rooms are full of color, others are huge, some have sitting rooms and balconies…and they all have infinite character and an interior that makes you feel as if you are truly staying in a special place. The beds are comfortable, the bathrooms clean, the views of the Old City from the windows extraordinary and the overall ambience will entice you to spend your entire trip inside your room.

Service: Welcoming and friendly, what more do you need? From the moment we walked through the gate, which happened at 3:00am on our first day in Yemen, we were met with smiling faces and an unbelievably hospitable team of hotel staff. From the dedicated Reservations Manager Mr. Mogalli to the super-helpful Ibrahim, every single person working here was clearly keen on making this hotel the best in Sana’a. At one point I briefly met the General Manager as well and you know how you can just tell when you are in the presence of a genuinely kind and generous person? That’s exactly how I felt about Mr. Abdul Rahmed during our conversation, making me feel even better about staying here.

Atmosphere: The building itself is 7 stories tall and is several hundred years old, built in traditional Yemeni style. It was actually the family home of the hotel’s owner, who decided to turn it into a hotel back in 2004 and to maintain the building’s character in the process. The outside of the building is simply beautiful and I’ve already mentioned the atmosphere inside of the guest rooms. Now it’s time to mention the comfortable rooftop, with views over the entire city of Sana’a (incredible at night!), the large open ground-floor terrace and adjoining tent, where you can eat from the hotel’s restaurant menu, sip tea or just relax and the mufrage rooms designed for chewing qat or smoking shisha, also with similarly ideal views from every angle. It’s a fascinating world inside this hotel, almost as if you are stepping back in time, and once the experience begins, you won’t want to return to present day life.

Price: Single rooms start at about $35 USD per night and double rooms range from $45 up to $65. And while that might seem a little pricey for a budget establishment or for the budget of a budget traveler, keep in mind that good accommodation in the capital is more expensive than elsewhere in the country. Once you leave Sana’a and explore the rest of Yemen you can find good hotels (some of which I’ll be mentioning in an upcoming post) for around $12 – $20 USD per night. Paying a little more in Sana’s to stay at such a unique, welcoming, safe and centrally located hotel is well worth it in my opinion.

Okay, I’m going to stop here. After re-reading this post, I know that it sounds as if I own the hotel and I’m desperately trying to attract more customers. But that’s not the case at all. I was simply a guest at the Dawood Hotel, which I first heard about after a lengthy online search, and I truly did find my experience to be far beyond what I ever imagined.

(Rarely do I talk about hotels or hostels on this site simply because few ever really stand out so much that I feel the need to recommend them. The Dawood Hotel, however, is one of those rare cases that deserves to be mentioned. I ended up spending four nights here and the highest number of guests they had during that time was six. Thinking about that just leaves me shaking my head. This place should be full of travelers every single night and I really do hope this post encourages more people to stay here.)

How To Book A Room At The Dawood Hotel in Sanaa…

Website: Their website (dawoodhotel.com) is not really functioning so well, so the best way to get in touch with them is via email.

Email: Just send a message to both of these email addresses and a member of the staff will respond quickly – info@dawoodhotel.com / dawoodhotel@yahoo.com

Phone: You could also reach the hotel by phone at 967-1-287270/292337

If you’re planning your entire Yemen trip through a local tour operator (using a tour operator is recommended for reasons I’ll talk about in the next post) such as the very reliable company I used, Eternal Yemen, you can also request that they book your accommodation in Sana’a at the Dawood.

If there’s one word that I heard more than any other during my stay in Yemen, it is the word ‘qat’. And the reason that word is so important is because, at approximately 2pm every single day, the entire nation stops everything they are doing and focuses on qat and on qat only.

Qat is a plant that is grown all over Yemen, on what seems to be every square inch of land, whether in the valleys or on the mountainsides, that could be used to grow a plant. When the leaves of the plant are fresh, they are chewed, an activity that leads to a state of increased excitement with the possibility of mild euphoria as a bonus. This state is the result of a stimulant similar to amphetamine that is found in the plant and which, using the best description I’ve heard, acts as if you’re drinking endless cups of very strong coffee. Qat, and the substance it contains, is actually illegal in many countries and its use is mostly limited to Yemen, Somalia, Ethiopia, Djibouti and a handful of other countries in the same geographical area.

In Yemen, people chew qat while walking, sitting, talking, driving, working and just about anything else they might be doing. And when I say ‘people’, I am referring to what appears to be the entire over-18 male population of the country as well as many women, who also chew the leaves according to their husbands at least.

It’s quite traditional for Yemeni males to wear a jambiya every day, a curved ceremonial blade that is displayed in the front by wedging it into a thick belt. And when qat time comes around, most males suddenly have a huge bag of leaves hanging from the handle of their knife so that they have easy access to their qat.

This is not just some hobby. Every male I met admitted that they were addicted to qat and that the only way they could stop chewing it was if they had no money at all and couldn’t afford even the cheapest variety, which runs about 500 rials ($2 USD) for a huge bag.

Did I try it out? Of course I did. Not a day went by when a local person didn’t give me a gift of qat to chew and you know how it goes…when you receive a gift of qat, it’s certainly rude to refuse.

HOW DOES CHEWING QAT WORK?

Morning – Go to the Qat Market to buy your daily supply, choosing the best quality that you can afford. Qat typically stays fresh for one day so most people buy a new batch every day.

1:30pm – Eat a massive lunch.

2:00pm – Pull out your bag of qat, find a comfortable mufrage (sitting room designed specifically for chewing qat that can be found in every home, restaurant and hotel and may sometimes be located outside) and get into the proper qat chewing position. See below photos for an example…

2:01pm – Start chewing qat by first pulling the leaves out of the plastic bag. Then, place a few leaves and stems into your mouth and chew on them for a minute before stuffing those leaves and stems, using your tongue, into the inner cheek on one side of your mouth. Continue chewing the leaves slowly, squeezing out the juice, while stuffing more and more leaves into your mouth the entire time until you have a bulge in your cheek the size of ?????. And then you repeat the process, over and over and over and over and over again, never spitting the growing mass of leaves out of your mouth.

3:00pm – Keep on chewing qat, crunching up those leaves and growing that bulge.

4:00pm – Don’t stop now! Keep chewing.

5:00pm – You guessed it…chew away my friends!

6:00pm – The weakest qat chewers will now spit their mushy ball of chewed up leaves out of their mouth while the stronger ones will continue going for many hours more.

Some time in the night – The qat session finally comes to an end and you spit out the remaining qat from your mouth. You drink a cup of black tea and then you sit there on the cushioned floor of the mufrage, trying to engage in some conversation with the others around you until dinner is served or it’s time for sleep.

WHAT ARE THE EFFECTS OF QAT?

As mentioned above, qat users get a bit excited and as a result, they will often become extremely talkative and hyper, spitting out words in such a rapid and animated fashion to anyone who will listen. However, it also seemed to me that just as many users I met were perfectly content to sit in silence, staring at the wall and minding their own business.

Behind the scenes, your blood pressure and heart rate increase, you lose your appetite and to top it off, you become constipated. Long term effects may include cancer of the mouth, depression and psychosis, all fun stuff.

MY EXPERIENCE CHEWING QAT

It was okay. Seemed like quite an effort for such a little buzz. The qat made me a bit spacey and somewhat hyper, and I had a good time as a result, but it took four hours of chewing leaves to get there. However, with a 65% unemployment rate in Yemen, I can understand the appeal. A quick high would leave most people with very little to do all afternoon and evening. Qat fills in the day.

But for me, all that chewing was a painstaking process as the inside of my mouth became sore and raw, the stuff kept me awake at night and I’m quite sure that it messed with my digestive system. And that’s after only chewing qat for one week.

Would I do it again? Sure, simply because that’s the thing to do in Yemen and in the end, it is a social activity. Had I not chewed qat I probably would not have had the same interactions and conversations with locals that I ended up having. Qat honestly helped bridge the tourist gap, allowing me to take a few more steps closer to the culture I wanted to learn about.

I could definitely have done without the constipation though.