The following is a guest post.

My love of unconventional travel started when I was 12 years old. My dad had decided that, of all the ways to spend Christmas, we should go on a cycling tour around Cuba.

And so we did it.

We figured out how to get bicycles on an Aeroflot flight from Shannon, Ireland to Havana, Cuba. Turns out, it’s pretty easy once you get your hands on a bike shipping box from your local bike shop.

With just an address as a contact on arrival, we disembarked from the airplane, put together our bikes, and cycled across Havana to our destination.

The sense of adventure, unpredictability, and the slight edge of danger hooked me immediately.

Ever since, the few packaged trips I’ve been on have been woefully boring in comparison. Sure, included flights and pre-booked accommodation and meals planned makes it effortless, and you know in advance what you’re signing up for. But it also reduces much of what makes travel so fun for me: the unpredictability, the sense of adventure, and the experience of trying new things.

Unconventional travel offers very different experiences from the ones on offer from package travel providers: working on organic farms in rural Bavaria, Germany, to living in a van along the empty Portuguese Alentejo coastline. These aren’t the options you’ll find advertised in a travel brochure, but they can be a fascinating way to see the world.

Below I’ve put together a list of experiences that I’ve tried down through the years.

Unconventional Tactic #1: WWOOFing on Organic Farms

Photo by MissMessie

Growing up on my parents’ organic farm, I came into contact with WWOOFing very early on. We had regular “WWOOFers” stay on the farm from places such as Germany, France, and the USA.

In fact, we had so many Germans stay that my siblings and I developed a mental model of Germany as a land of vegetarian, Birkenstock-wearing, ecologically-minded organic growers.

You can imagine our surprise on our first trip to Germany when we encountered the Bavarian focus on beer, large chunks of meat, and fast, expensive car.

But I didn’t let this initial shock put me off Germany. At university, I spent an exchange year abroad in Erlangen.

Coming up to a two-week mid-term break, I was thinking of how I could spend my vacation. Wanting to brush up on my German and lacking funds for an expensive road trip through Europe, I opted to spend two weeks on a small organic farm in western Bavaria close to the Alps.

WWOOF stands for Willing Workers On Organic Farms or WorldWide Opportunities On Organic Farms, depending on who you ask. Either way, it’s a network of 120 national organizations that let you work on farms around the globe in return for food and board for anywhere from a couple of days to a couple of months.

For many, it’s a way to experience the culture close up and develop relationships with locals. At the same time, you develop agricultural skill and contribute to more sustainable farming practices.

Unfortunately for my German, the family running the farm spoke a Bavarian dialect, so I spent most of the two weeks trying to get up to speed on the dialect rather than perfecting my German. However, I had a very interesting, authentic immersion into Bavarian rural culture, and I did get to learn some Bavarian dialect.

Tips for being a successful WWOOFer are to highlight to potential hosts the type of skills you could offer and to have a clear common understanding of what’s required for both sides. You don’t want to start on a farm in the midst of harvest season if you’re expecting a few quiet hours of work a day!

Unconventional Tactic #2: Couchsurfing Instead of Hotels

Neat, predictable…and boring? · Photo by Leigh Caldwell

I can’t say that I’ve ever made a life-long friend from staying in a hotel.

But I certainly can say that I have such friends via CouchSurfing.

Growing up in Ireland, my family hosted the occasional CouchSurfer who ventured down to the less touristic South East coast.

One particular CouchSurfer brought some kitesurfing gear with him to test out on a local beach. My brother and I got on so well with him thanks to our common interests that the friendship endured down through the years.

A few years later, I visited him in his hometown in Germany, and a few years after that we went on a road trip to Northern Denmark to spend a week kitesurfing at the Ringkøbing Fjord on the North Sea.

In contrast, hotels, even boutique hotels, tend to have an anonymous, lifeless feel to them. You’re just one more guest staying at the hotel. Often, you don’t get the opportunity to get to know anyone passing through.

At first glance, CouchSurfing might seem a great way to save on an expensive accommodation. That’s true, in part. However, I’d argue that you won’t be successful if you treat your CouchSurfing host as a free hotel.

Instead, I’ve found CouchSurfing to be an intense, social experience where you may end up partying late at night or learning new skills such as juggling and slacklining or going up on a road trip together. Other times, the host just left me to my own devices. In this sense, CouchSurfing will be a much more unpredictable, exciting experience than a commercial provider.

As with WWOOFing, it’s critical to send personalized messages to potential hosts about why you’d like to stay with them and introducing yourself. In my experience, when you live in a large, popular city such as Paris or Berlin, you’ll get bombarded with one-line requests asking “Can I stay at your place for 3 nights? Thanks!”

Nomadic Matt lays out some great tips for CouchSurfing, including starting as a host first to get some references, sending out personalized emails and making sure to contact multiple hosts to improve your chances of finding a right fit.

Unconventional Tactic #3: Take Advantage of Off-Season Deals

I try to structure my career around being able to travel for extended periods while still working on the road. For a few years I ran a legal translation business that let me spent a winter surfing in Guadeloupe and, another time, train with the CrossFit champion Annie Thorisdottir in Iceland.

This flexibility gives you the opportunity to take advantage of low seasons deals. The simple advantage at play here is that you get to experience destinations that would be far more expensive during the peak season.

For example, I was recently in Greece in February. After a few days in Athens, we wanted to see some more of the country. Opening up a flight comparison site, we found incredibly cheap flights to the Greek island of Santorini. We were able to stay in the near-deserted town of Oia for a fraction of the $500/night that you pay during peak season while still enjoying the sun.

Oia, Santorini, Greece · Photo by Pat Guiney

In the same vein, a couple of years back, I spent a winter surfing in Guadeloupe in the Caribbean. At the time, a local surf camp was unusually quiet for the time of year, so the owner let us stay for a highly reduced rate for a month. I was able to work every morning from the surf camp common area and then spend the afternoons surfing with the people staying at the surf camp.

Put simply, if you’re willing to travel at different times or go to different places than most people go, you’ll reap the benefits of lower cost travel and more unusual experiences.

Unconventional Tactic #4: Testing Out Van Life and Surfing

I find when I live in a new place for longer than three months, I start to get stuck into a routine.

For me, travel offers the opportunity to try out new experiences and new ways of seeing the world.

To give most my recent example, I’d been following #VanLife accounts on Instagram and was curious what it would be like to live in a camper van. Obviously, buying a van is a big step.

So, my girlfriend and I tested out the idea by renting a vintage VW transporter in Portugal for a week.

Meet Charlotte:

We spent a week driving up and down the Atlantic coast trying to find waves that were small enough for our beginner surfer skills while sampling amazing Portuguese wine and seafood.

“Bolos” (Portuguese for cakes) and Americanos

While living in a van was just an abstract idea before, now I feel like I have enough initial experience to move forward with a longer trip, perhaps a three-month tour of Europe.

Make Travel Work for You

For me, unconventional travel has let me travel for longer, see more of the world, while still making it work financially.

It’s not just about a life of leisure. Sometimes that means I have to hunker down in a cafe to hit a deadline while the surf is perfect. Other times, I’ve travelled to destinations that weren’t really all that great. For example, my girlfriend and I booked flights for three months to Guadeloupe, but we quickly realized that three months was too long for such a small island.

But at the same time, it’s amazing to reconnect months and years later with people I’ve met along the way, whether in a co-working space in Thailand or in a surf camp in Guadeloupe.

You really can create your own adventure a la carte, whether that’s spending a month hiking in the Rockies in Canada or working on a vineyard in France.

That, I think, is the essence of unconventional travel.

---

Thomas Carney writes about minimalist travel, packing lists and merino wool clothing over at MerinoWoolRocks.com

---

Email us about how you’re living differently if you’d like to be a part of this series! We’re keeping a spot open for you: staff@withoutboxes.com

The post 4 Tactics For Becoming an Unconventional Tourist appeared first on Without Boxes.

Enter Aron James:

Hair loss is something that happens to our grandfathers. It is the sign of the wisdom that comes with old age; a rite of passage into that final stage of life where people finally look at us for how we lived rather than what we look like.

A Balding Head – How Does it Affect Your Professional Image?

I was only twenty-four when I first noticed the old hairline was moving higher up my scalp. Twenty-four isn’t exactly the ripe old age of wisdom. I was still searching for the women of my dreams and trying to climb my way up the company ladder. A balding head wasn’t in line with how I imagined impressing women, and it didn’t contribute much to my professional image either.

A few months after my hairline started ditching me, the hair on top of my head began feeling strangely thin. I avoided the mirror and started searching through my old trunks of clothes to revive the backward baseball cap look.

My friends – not so affectionately – ridiculed this new “look” and relentlessly teased me about looking fifteen years old.

They speculated that the hats were covering a bad haircut, but when they finally got my hat off I was met with an awkward silence. That, coupled with the clumsy jokes that followed, made it clear to me something needed to be done about my hair loss.

What Happened When I Scrambled to Find a Solution

After hours of infomercials, I ordered a couple hundred dollars of hair loss creams, hair plugs, and pretty much every other miracle cure out there.

The result was a head where hair grew sporadically in some parts and not at all in others. It looked like a chipmunk had nibbled parts of my head. This time, my buddies were less polite with their jokes and naturally renamed me “Chia Pet.”

I had pretty much resigned myself to my sorry fate until my buddies invited me over to watch Monday Night Raw. When Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson came out to fight, however, speculations began about how I might look like The Rock (minus the otherworldly muscle mass) if I were to shave my head. After a few too many beers, I found myself in the bathroom with a shaver and promptly did away with my Chia Pet hair.

The morning after is always hardest, and when I woke up even the hangover wasn’t enough to keep me from running to the bathroom to see what I had done. Despite the bags under my puffy reds, I looked…good. It had been months since I had been able to look in the mirror and admit that.

My Transformation Started With a Quick Shave

The shaved head look transformed me from an insecure, prematurely balding weakling into a good-looking, self-confident badass.

I took a shower, drank a few cups of black coffee, and drove over to the park for my morning run. After a few laps, I noticed that the group of girls that were always playing tennis weren’t ignoring me as had been their custom. Every time I ran by the tennis courts, at least a one or two of them watched me as I passed by.

How Did Others React to My Shaved Head?

At work the next day, I was afraid that the boss man would think I looked a bit too much like a Harley Davidson biker. After I received a host of compliments on my new look from the coworkers, however, I figured my worries were unwarranted. A couple of weeks later, my boss put me in charge of a team specializing in customer relations, so I guess the shaved head wasn’t too intimidating.

What started out as a drunken prank actually changed my life. Within a month or two I went from being a shy, insecure, prematurely balding 24-year-old man to a self-confident, poised and (may I say) good looking young man. I became more assertive at work, more confident in my relations with women, and overall happier with who I was.

The Shaved Head – How it Impacted My Life and How it Can Change Your Confidence Level

It is amazing how such a simple change in image can do so much and have so much impact. But in our culture where premature balding is frowned upon, shaving my head was a way to take back control of my own destiny, my image, and my personality. It was a way for me to say to the world that I am still here and that I refuse to be cornered into unfair stereotypes.

Women are Seeing the Benefits of a Shaved Head

Shaving your head, however, isn’t just for prematurely balding men like myself.  In today’s modern world, more and more women are beginning to experiment with the bald head look.  From Sinead O´Connor in the 1990´s, to Demi Moore in the movie G.I. Jane, to more recent celebrities such as Charlize Theron and Natalie Portman, the shaved look has also a decidedly feminine tone to it as well.

A woman’s shaved head portrays the ultimate self-confidence.  Our society tries to enforce strict and limiting norms regarding how a woman must look, and the long, flowing locks of hair that characterize beauty magazines are an important part of that “accepted” image.

Women who dare to go against that cookie-cutter image imposed from the outside, however, may find liberation and self-assurance. Despite the surprise that their look may initially cause, most people will find that despite popular stereotypes, the shaved head look goes well with most women’s facial features.

For some reason or another, our society has decided that both men and women need to have a full head of hair.  By going against the grain and experimenting with the bold new look of a shaved head, many men and women are challenging that stereotype and discovering the poise and confidence that comes with believing in your own style.

My Take Away

If you have experienced the same shame that comes from premature balding, or if you simply want a new look that adds assertiveness, boldness, and self-confidence to your image, you should shave your head today . If you find that your self-confidence level has not increased, growing your hair back is option. Nevertheless, I know that you will enjoy the transformation and that your self-esteem will increase.

Aron James is the founder of StubblePatrol.com. Stubble Patrol is a site on male grooming. He loves to write about his personal experiences.

The post I Hate Hair: Reasons Why Shaving Your Head Skyrockets Confidence appeared first on Without Boxes.

Enter Hayley Turner (a.k.a. Little Foot):

I can still remember everything about that day, from waking up and walking 12 miles by noon, the dogs that I played with in the ride I hitched to Lone Pine, the coffee shop I found, the couch I sank into surrounded by wires as I charged my phone and portable chargers, to finally making the phone call that would change my life. I never wanted to be a solo-female hiker. Some may argue that I even did everything to avoid it. Somewhere in my walk in life I grew to really love my security blankets. I would only push my limits as long as I knew I had something to fall back on. But there I was, sitting in a coffee shop covered in dirt and having just quit my job, broken my year lease and broken up with my boyfriend of two-and-a-half years who was also my best friend. I was alone: No one to tell me everything will be ok, no one to get reassurance from, just me.

Last summer I ruined my life in the best possible way. I had some time off from work and had set out on a long-time dream to do a long section of the Pacific Crest Trail. I know what you’re thinking: “Great, here’s another Cheryl Strayed wanna-be.” But that’s the thing about walking day in and day out with only your inner voice to keep you company. You start to see what you want, who you are, and what you’ve been lying to yourself about. It’s a terrifyingly beautiful thing.

I had originally planned to hike 600 miles of the trail, but as I got closer to my end date something told me I wasn’t done. This trail that wrecked my feet and bruised my body had more to teach me, and I had to listen, so I decided to walk 800 more miles.

There I was in the coffee shop, a solo-female hiker, and I was terrified. I stood up, wiped the tears from my cheeks threw my pack onto my back and started my journey.

What was to follow was an amazing whirl-wind experience of starting to find my wild natural self. I learned to be patient and take risks. That as a female I had great intuition and to rely on that. After the trail I was determined to share my love for nature with anyone I could. I became a ski instructor in Telluride, CO, and in the summers I work as a Hike Master in Estes Park, CO. Sure, to some I live an unconventional, unstable life, but to me I’m living my life to the fullest as a solo-female hiker!

The funny thing about being a female in the outdoor industry is that people often think we are afraid to get into the outdoors alone. While I do believe we get quizzed more than our male friends (“Are you taking pepper-spray?,” “Aren’t you scared of creepy people?” and my personal favorite, “What does your poor mother think of this?!”), I think women have just as much of a thirst to explore the outdoors as men. Who doesn’t want to see breath-taking sunsets over beautiful vistas, and swim in high alpine lakes surrounded by wildflowers? While in years past outdoor activities like thru-hiking, camping, fishing, and rock climbing were reserved for young strapping men, times are a changin’.

While hiking the PCT I had the privilege of meeting people from all walks of life, from eight years old to 67 years old, men, women, engineers, photographers, writers, lawyers, and we all had a right to be there. It doesn’t matter if you have been hiking since you could walk or if you’ve never stepped foot in the outdoors. When we explore we grow an appreciation for the Earth and how it works. I think that is an amazing and valuable thing for all to experience.

So here you are, with a thirst for adventure, you’re ready to hit the trail! But you’ve read the news lines, Lost hiker, Missing person found after surviving two weeks alone in the backcountry, and all of the other headlines that outdoors women and men like us want to avoid. The most important thing about going into the backcountry is knowing how to do so safely. There are thousands of different opinions on how to be a safe outdoors women. The advice below is just how I did it and my personal experience on how to be a solo-female hiker.

Know Before you Go:

Be brave

As a female you have an amazing intuition. Learn to listen and trust that voice in your head. If you have a bad feeling, there is probably a reason. As adventurers we want to push our limits.

Pushing limits a great way to grow and learn about yourself; just make sure you do it wisely.

Take a Wilderness First Aid course (WFA)

The backcountry is called wilderness for a reason. It is wild and unpredictable. It is extremely important that we are as educated as possible to keep ourselves safe. Hopefully you will never have to use it, but better safe than sorry!

Learn to use a map and compass

We live in a time where technology is relied on for everything, including our adventures. While GPS devices are amazing and I relied on one heavily, knowing how to use a map and compass is a useful skill to have. We all know technology can fail.

On the PCT I used an app that told me where I was on the trail and how far I was from destinations. I went to check it at one point and realized I had some how accidentally erased it from my phone. I had also once temporarily lost my portable chargers in Yosemite. Trust me, maps and compasses must haves, as well as the knowledge on how to use them.

Never forget your three W’s

As we all learned from our friend Aaron Ralston (the guy who got his arm stuck under a boulder and made a movie out of it, 127 Hours) telling people where you are going can be the difference between life and death.

Telling a friend:

1. Where you are going,
2. Who you are going with (if anyone) and
3. When you will return is a great habit to get into.

I have a friend I always text and she always texts me when we go into the backcountry. That way if I don’t return, people will know where to look for me.

Check the weather

You’ll learn in your WFA class how important it is to dress and bring the appropriate layers on your adventure. Hypothermia is no joke and can come on quickly. Bringing layers and extra clothes will keep you dry and happy. Knowing the weather will also let you plan your day. If storms are supposed to role in the afternoon, you probably don’t want to be climbing above tree-line after lunch.

Get advice

Don’t be afraid to ask people advice on good hikes and gear. Hikers love to share their experiences and you can save yourself a lot of time on Amazon reading reviews by asking your friends.

Keep in mind however, that these are their opinions. I once sat on a bus for half an hour listening to a guy tell me all of the gear I bought for the PCT was worthless and that I needed to return it immediately. He left me convinced I was going to die on the trail never to be found or seen again.

Here I am, healthy, happy and with 1,500 PCT miles under my belt. The only piece of gear I replaced was my tent. So take advice with a grain of salt and don’t let anyone make you feel dumb. It is all a learning experience and almost every hiker out there will tell you they have gone out looking ridiculous with too much gear or not the right kind of gear, but wearing a huge smile. Be patient and take your time to learn whats right for you.

Go Shopping!

I may not relish the idea of walking around a mall shopping for cute clothes but put me in a gear store and you won’t see me for hours.

Pamper your feet

Our feet are amazing things that carry us over mountains and through deserts. Don’t ignore them. I met another solo-female hiker on the trail who taught me the importance of proper footwear. We all have different feet so something that works for me may not work for you. Go to an outfitter that knows what it’s doing and get properly fitted for a shoe. All too often hiker get off trail because of foot ailments.

Get fitted for a pack

Your pack will become your worst enemy and best friend. It will carry everything you need and act as a back rest when you take a break. Chose wisely. You want something comfortable that will distribute weight evenly. Once again packs fit people differently, so get the right one for you.

Give your mom some peace of mind

Thanks to technology our moms don’t have to worry about where we are because they can check our locations at anytime. No, not the iPhone location tracker. Get a GPS like a S.P.O.T so your family can go online and see where you are at as well as receive pre-written text messages. You can also alert search and rescue if you find yourself in an emergency.

Clothes

Like I mentioned before, you want to have the right clothes. Try to stick with moisture wicking clothes that will keep you dry. I hiked with a Solomon running shirt, running shorts I bought at Target, Patagonia hiking pants, a pair of wool toe socks from Injinji, compression running socks from Feetures, and a North Face puffy and rain jacket. I also had thermals to sleep in and for those colder days.

Make it yours

You’re a female in the outdoors. If you want things to be colorful do it! If you want neutral colors do it! Maybe you want to be outdoor chic or you could care less what you look like as long as it works its your hike. This is your experience. I personally like colorful packs and my thermals had the galaxy on them, but that’s me.

Hike Your Own Hike

Hikers say it all the time on the trail. When you go into the outdoors it is about how you commune with nature. There is no right or wrong. OK, when it comes to safety there is, but hopefully if you’ve taken your first aid course you will be educated on the do’s and don’ts of safety in the outdoors.

Everyone will experience the outdoors differently. Some people want to make miles and bag peaks, others want to meander, enjoy the flowers and sit by alpine lakes. Some people like to do both. Part way through my hike last summer I got really tired of hearing about hikers trying to make miles. I ran into another solo-female hiker and we decided to hitchhike up the trail and hike south for a while. This is not a traditional way of doing things, but it worked for what we wanted to get out of our hike. Some days we hiked 12 miles; others we hiked 30. That’s just how I hike. Like they say, “You do you.”

Like I said I never planned on being a solo-female hiker, but I am so grateful I became one. I still struggle with trying to create security blankets, but I’m getting better at not letting them form. I have learned so much about myself by getting outside alone, not just thru-hiking, but from trail running, day hiking and even just sitting by a lake alone.

I’ve also made some amazing friendships while being out alone. There is a deep connection between solo-females in the outdoors. We are very encouraging and supportive of each other. Usually after a time alone in the wilderness I love talking to these women about what I find about myself.

So that is how I became a solo-female hiker, what I’ve learned and how I’ve grown as an outdoors women. My journey is not over. Don’t let fear hold you back, get out there, push your limits, but listen to your intuition, pack your pack, lace up your shoes, hit the trail and #hikelikeagirl!

The post How to Be a Solo-Female Hiker: Put One Foot in Front of the Other appeared first on Without Boxes.

Café Neko is a small coffee shop in Vienna that allows cats to wander freely. My girlfriend and I sat next to the window with the beds where the cats enjoyed laying in the sun. We sipped our espressos while bemoaning the number of visitors who would clumsily reach over our table to interrupt the napping cats.

How adorable the cats were is beside the point.

These two were different. They were clearly on a school tour and made interesting conversation with us. One topic led to another and the girl wanted to know: In all my travels, what did I get out of it?

It’s a Gradual Process

Being able to travel constantly comes in gradual steps. Much like the myth of overnight success, few people wake up from a normal life and suddenly decide to jump on the next flight without ever looking back. It’s just not that simple. Believe it or not, there’s many things anchoring you to one place. Each needs to be addressed before you can move on.

Learning to part with things over and over again is a process. It can be both physically and emotionally tasking. It forces you to constantly prioritize only a few things.

Every day you have to intentionally ask, “Is this worth keeping in my life?”

Travel is outside most people’s comfort zone in this way. Even a temporary trip makes you evaluate what is important, in the act of packing. How much stuff do you really need to survive for a weekend trip? A week trip? A month trip? Does it change after a year?

The more often you travel, the more you wonder what it is you need all that extra stuff for.

Travel Can Be Spiritual (But Doesn’t Have to Be)

There’s the holiday high everyone gets after escaping the normal world for a while. Like any high, these exhilarating feelings wear off after a while. As a frequent traveler, you learn to look past those highs for something a little deeper. What is it that makes each place unique? What is the underlying belief system and mindset in each new place?

Whether you are religious doesn’t matter. Traveling gives you the opportunity to see life from the perspective of others.

Think about the wide spectrum of color.

People who don’t pay attention can only identify basic groupings like blue, red, and green. If you take a class on color theory, you start learning about all the shades in between. You notice nuance and tone, or start to see how these subtle changes impact the feeling of a room or even change behaviors, such as your choice of food. You see a huge range of color everywhere you go, long after the class is over. Those colors were always there, you just didn’t know how to see them before.

Travel is kind of like this.

The more you travel, the more stories you hear and the more lifestyles you are exposed to. You begin to realize that you were living in a one-dimensional space based on the perspectives you were raised with. Your perspectives aren’t necessarily wrong, but they’re not the only ones out there, and they’re not the only ones that are valid.

This realization can be intensely powerful. Just because you were born into one way of life doesn’t mean that it’s the best fit for your personality and core ethics.

While traveling, some find meaning and purpose in another way of life—for example, learning that you love life on a farm. Others discover a belief system that works for them. Still others gain a fuller appreciation for the complexity of human nature. There is so much out there we don’t know, things we may connect with that change our entire outlook on life.

These experiences all range in intensity on the religious/spiritual/self actualization scale. One way or another, the colors of this world become more vivid.

You Are Regularly Forced Out of Your Comfort Zone

If you follow the same routines every day, it’s not often that the boundaries of your comfort zone are pushed. This isn’t to say boundaries aren’t important, because they are.

However, toeing the lines of your comfort zone is the fast track to self improvement.

Questioning why your boundaries are what they are forces you to do a lot of self evaluation.

• Do I do or believe this because society expects me to? Because I was trained into it?
• Is it to impress the people who I want to respect me? Or do I do this because I truly believe this is the right way?
• Why do I believe this is the right way?
• What does the “right way” mean to me?
• If this is the right way for me, do I think everyone else should do it exactly how I would?

…and so on. It starts getting existential pretty fast. Think of it like boot camp for your morals, values, and ethics. The thing to remember is you’re not here to prove anything. You’re asking these questions to become a better person.

You Begin to Understand Privilege

Kat and I often joke about our typical middle-class white girl concerns. Of course these are the things we’re concerned about; it’s par for the course. Unfortunately, our curse is being self aware enough to realize that finding ourselves is our privilege to do. (Please note that “curse” here is used with some sarcasm.)

Having depression and anxiety, being queer—all of these things have not been fun for me to deal with in the real world.

But seeing the daily lives of others all around the world provides me with some perspective. I cannot apologize for the lot in life I was given, but I can do good with it. For me, that means helping others and providing a platform where people can share their own voices.

“The more you know, the less you understand.” –Lao-Tse

As I travel, the more I realize that things are wildly beyond my control. It is not in my power to fix the world. Most days, I can only try to fix myself. Meanwhile I try to be a voice for something better, to set an example for how people can pass on their own privilege.

Travel offers a unique opportunity to shape yourself into want to become with every passing day. You’re constantly in a new place with a fresh audience. But honestly, who is to say you can’t do that anywhere? You find yourself wherever you start looking for yourself.

So what I guess I’m saying is, if anything: You don’t find yourself when you travel. You lose who you thought you were entirely.

What about you?

Do you “find yourself” when you travel? Do you think I’m way off? I’d love to hear your thoughts and opinions. Let’s talk it out in the comments below.

The post Do You Really “Find Yourself” When You Travel? appeared first on Without Boxes.

Enter Jen:

As a kid, I was told that I was lucky that I already knew what I wanted to do with my life. From age four, I knew I wanted to be a veterinarian for pets and that I wanted to study at the University of Guelph.

By my sophomore year in college, I had second thoughts. The classes in my program were attractive, because they were about animals, but each physiology course soon bored me. I was frustrated, unhappy and no longer dreamt of owning my own clinic. It still wasn’t until my roommate at the time asked me, “Why are you even in this program?” that I realized I needed to find a new path.

A often  start heading down a path thinking we know where it will lead us. Some miles later, it’s not quite what we expected. This is why it’s always important to keep options open and make changes as necessary!

My passion has always focused on work with animals, but I eventually realized that [symple_highlight color=”yellow”] I was looking in the wrong place.[/symple_highlight] I went from feeling disheartened to having a new direction, and these were the steps I took to follow it.

Step 1: Make a Change

Exactly halfway through university, I switched to studying wildlife biology.

The program was still leading me into work involving animals, but this direction had more to do with ecology, evolution, and conservation. I began to discover more and fell right into research and fieldwork.

I started to realize a little more about what I wanted to do in the future. I spent an amazing year interning and volunteering in wildlife rehabilitation, sometimes working 60 hours/week unpaid. During summer 2015, our wildlife center had received several orphaned bats that needed constant care, including six daily feedings. I helped take them in, sometimes fostering them at home, and grew fairly attached to these little winged animals. All but one survived, and we released them just before fall.

This experience gave me a newborn fascination with bats. I now found a research focus that I want to pursue. My internship at the wildlife rehab center ended and I was struggling to find a paid job related to my degree, but things were starting to look up.

What did I learn?

By taking a step back and considering other options, I started finding things that were working for me. I never would have guessed five years ago that I would be going from a “crazy cat lady” to a “crazy bat lady.” You can open up your world to a whole new line of experiences you didn’t even know existed before.

It can still take a few tries, so don’t be discouraged.

Step 2: Find Opportunities

Earlier this year, I began to network. I emailed professors from local universities who had backgrounds in bat ecology to express my interest in the field and ask for advice. I kept in touch with coworkers and my undergraduate professors, regularly seeking their opinions and support of my ideas. Just from building connections, I had an offer to travel to Honduras as a bat research assistant. Another offer came from a professor who wanted to be my advisor and guide me through a PhD in bat biology. I was not planning on yet applying to grad school, but I was thrilled for the opportunity and decided to go for it.

By spring, I had lost the trip to Honduras, since there were not enough people hired for the research team, and I had been rejected by the university to which I applied.

After crawling back to the drawing board, I found an ad from the SW Research Station seeking volunteers for the summer in Portal, Arizona. Because of a long-distance relationship and close friendships in Arizona, I was already visiting the state frequently. But—I had never been to the southeast end. I also love the desert and its biodiversity, so I was eager to apply… and was so glad that I did!

What did I learn?

Once you’ve really narrowed down what it is you want to do, it’s up to you to go out and find opportunities to practice it. If I hadn’t reached out to the people in my field, I’d never have had this kind of opportunity. Just because your first try doesn’t pan out doesn’t mean you’re not meant to do this.

If something makes you happy, keep at it.

Step 3: Show Up

I was fortunate enough to have a car to borrow and a place to stay in Phoenix. On the morning of my birthday, I set out to drive through the desert into Portal, right along the AZ-NM state line, where the research station’s office worker Erin awaited my arrival at 4:00pm.

And I arrived closer to 6:00pm.

Knowing myself and my luck, it was no surprise that I got lost. I had no idea, however, that I would find myself winding through roads, cursing my breath away, while surrounded by nothing but mountains and an absolute lack of phone signal, which I’d left at the main freeway. Even now, after having explored the whole town and forests, I still don’t understand how I had gotten so lost. By the time I had finally made it onto the station’s grounds and stepped into the office’s door, Erin had skipped all the hellos and welcomes, and instead just exclaimed, “THANK GOD.”

My time at the SW Research Station was continuous adventure from there.

The volunteer gig required 24 hours of work per week at the station, which housed numerous biologists and researchers from all over the continent. Portal, Arizona, is a very tiny town where everybody knows everybody, and it houses a diverse population of hardworking people. It’s surrounded by the beautiful Chiricahua Mountains and lots of endemic species. Over the six weeks that I stayed there, I saw many different animals that were on my list to see and photograph, and there are still so many that I have left for next year.

During the day, I would finish my scheduled work, then head out to help a researcher or two with their fieldwork.

Initially a lot of the work I did was with reptiles (lizards, snakes) and learning how to catch them. What I was really looking forward to was shadowing researchers from Bat Conservation International and helping a PhD student with her work with Mexican Jays.

What did I learn?

When you first get your hands on work, you might not be able to do exactly what it was you were hoping for. That doesn’t mean it’s not worth your time or that you shouldn’t take the opportunity. These experiences will be invaluable down the line, and you’ll be making relationships that count just as much, if not possibly more.

Step 4: Be Flexible

Again, things didn’t go as expected.

The PhD student working on Mexican Jays underwent a complicated labour with her newborn son and never arrived. The researchers from Bat Conservation International had so many other students (who paid to take their course) to teach that it was tough for me to gain focus. I still enjoyed working with lizards and learning from those who were willing to help, but I still really wanted to learn how to set up a mistnet for bats. Thankfully, bats are not the only thing you catch with a mistnet!

Two researchers from Hawkwatch International, who primarily worked with owls, arrived shortly after. They were not only willing to teach me to mistnet, but they showed me multiple techniques, like what knots to practice, and allowed me to accompany them in the evenings during owl captures. It was an incredible learning experience, and the entire group was fun to work with!

For the majority of my time, I still chose to assist in lizard studies, and learned how to capture the three main species that stayed around the station. I was offered to co-author a scientific research article and I worked with a PhD student to capture whiptail lizards for our own project studying their chemosensory responses to prey.

Aside from these opportunities that will inevitably now help my academic career, I learned how to better spot wildlife—from countless nights spent driving up and down a highway searching for snakes and moving them off the road—and how to better understand my camera through all my astro, landscape, and wildlife photography practice. I learned new species identification skills, how to handle reptiles, and how to drive an ATV into the mountains. By learning the paths and interests of others, I have also been inspired to study for the GRE and research new paths for grad school, start rock climbing, and refocus my love for photography… all things that make me a better person and more confident in how I face future challenges. Not to mention, I want to work with both reptiles (something I had stubbornly said I would not do) and bats now.

What did I learn?

By finding overlap in the skills I wanted to develop, I was still able to gain necessary skills for my ultimate goal of working with bats. Not to mention, I learned a lot about myself and what stimulates my creativity! I even found another potential line of work I’d be interested in pursuing. Flexibility can turn a “bad” situation into a learning situation, and even into an outright positive one.

What is your passion?

Things hardly ever work out the way we expect, and that’s okay! We are constantly given chances to learn and change. Besides, there are a variety of ways to recapture your passion and direct it somewhere it can grow.

Networking with people is as easy as expressing interest in someone’s work, but finding people that are genuinely willing to help you in your own progress will prove the most valuable. If you are a newly graduated student like me, someone just getting back on their feet, or a person making a dramatic career switch, my advice to you is to go out and find those people. Volunteering is a great way to travel, step out of your comfort zone, and meet people… but it can also just start with an email. If you have read about someone, or a few people, doing your dream job or studying your favorite species, let them know and ask for advice. It may not lead you to the desert or mountains, but if you’ve found yourself in a position where you don’t want to leave or turn back, then there’s your passion.

We want to know what you’re currently struggling with. Talk it out with us in the comments below. We’re here to help you think outside the box, and point your passion in the right direction!

The post When Not Everything Goes as Planned, It Still Goes: A Story About Finding Your Passion appeared first on Without Boxes.

So you wanna be a digital nomad. I’m not surprised: the future is bright for freelancers and location independent workers.

Statistics show 40% of Americans will be contingent workers by 2020. That’s a lot of potential for digital nomads! Yet there’s no hands-on guide on how to transition from office employee to nomadic freedom. Where does the savvy to work while moving about the globe at will come from? Right now it’s scattered across a gazillion blogs in a bunch of tiny pieces.

Digital nomadism is not for the faint of heart. Before starting your journey, become familiar with the ups and downs and the unique challenges, I also recommend to check theguidr.com so you can read some reviews. Learn what you’ll need to handle those situations when they arise. It’s always trial by fire in the end, but there’s no harm in donning a flame retardant suit before jumping in. Safety first.

What you see here is an ultra guide, mega resource, and all-around master post for aspiring digital nomads. One might even call it a roadmap of sorts.

As this is such a long post (you might bookmark it for later), I’ve broken it up into several clear sections. These are:

1. What is a Digital Nomad?
2. Examples of Digital Nomads
3. Advice and Inspiration
4. Challenges and Difficulties
5. The Basic Requirements
6. How to Get Started

Ready to move toward personal freedom, global exploration, and a generally kickass kinda life? Let’s go.

What is a Digital Nomad?

Digital nomads leverage the power of telecommunications to work and travel anywhere around the world.

The term “office” starts being really flexible.

It takes the idea of road warrior to a whole new level and puts the more common telecommute on steroids.

Fun fact: Did you know techno gypsie is a term some use for the art-focused digital nomad types? I’m into this term because it sounds like it involves super powers. Maybe pixie dust.

There’s no doubt location independence has captured the imaginations of thousands. Yet it remains an unattainable reality for many people interested in ditching their cubicles. Digital nomadism, though practiced all around the world, is still coming into definition. Those who have gone ahead are still blazing the trail.

“It always seems impossible until it’s done.”

– Nelson Mandela

Things we once thought were impossible, once we see them done, are quite achievable. Almost as if our psychology limits our abilities until something shows us it’s completely possible.

How Do You Imagine Life as a Digital Nomad?

I asked a few people what their vision of “digital nomad” is, and what’s stopping them. Here’s what they said:

“[Being a digital nomad is] living normal life, chatting to the local shopkeeper, going for my morning jog around the neighborhood, doing some work, eating out at my favorite local food joint, enjoying the company of the people around me – just – in a completely different location / country / culture every few months.

My biggest challenge is negotiating a relationship in which our goals don’t completely line up. My partner wants to work on the road also, but he has very different goals. […] This involves a lot of patience, a bit of waiting around, being flexible with plans, but also knowing when it’s time to just do you. I have learned (albeit rather slowly) where the line is and how to defend my own experience while still being open to experiences with my partner if the opportunity presents.”

– Stephanie Kelly

---

“I always wanted to see more of the world than my little corner. I understand I will be spending a lot of time working, especially at first. But anytime I am not working I will get to see something new everyday instead of sat watching TV or the usual mundane things that people do after a day at work.

Leaving my safe job in a factory where I have worked for 25 years will be the hardest thing I have ever done. I will be putting it off until after I purchase my first one way ticket. I have a lot of life-long friends I may never see again. At this exactly moment I am finding clearing my house out to sell overwhelming as I have collected so much rubbish over the years. Trying to fit a three bedroom house into a backpack is going to be a bit of a squeeze.”

– Marc

---

But what does it really look like, to be a digital nomad in practice?

Each successful digital nomad out there sharing their experiences makes it easier to follow suit. The road is different for each of us, but the core problems we face are so often the same. Knowing it’s possible for the digital nomads already out there makes it possible for us.

If the best way is to see how it’s done, let’s follow the folks who have already paved the way.

Examples of Digital Nomads

The most famous of digital nomads have built entire brands and businesses around their travels. You’ll know these names if this topic has interested you for a long time.

But there’s also the quieter digital nomads out there minding their own business. They’re just as inspiring. In fact, I find them to be even more so. You can still follow their experiences through social media and their personal blogs. So, without further ado, here’s a list of self-proclaimed digital nomads both big and small.

Matthew Kepnes

• Who? Nomadic Matt, USA
• What does he do? Teaches people how to travel cheaply.
• Where can I follow him? Facebook, Twitter, Instagram

Jodi Ettenberg

• Who? Legal Nomads, USA
• What does she do? Left her job as a lawyer in New York to travel and blog about how food shapes our world.
• Where can I follow her? Facebook, Twitter, Instagram

Stuart McDonald

• Who? Travel Fish, Australia
• What does he do? Travel planning in Southeast Asia.
• Where can I follow him? Facebook, Twitter, Instagram

Dan Andrews

• Who? Tropical MBA, USA
• What does he do? Applies old-school tactics to modern business, all while traveling permanently.
• Where can I follow him? Twitter, Podcasts

Colin Wright

• Who? Exile Lifestyle, USA
• What does he do? Talks about the life of entrepreneurship and travel.
• Where can I follow him? Facebook, Twitter, Instagram

Natalie Sisson

• Who? The Suitcase Entrepreneur, New Zealand
• What does she do? Helps entrepreneurs create lifestyle freedom.
• Where can I follow her? Facebook, Twitter, Instagram

Anne Dorko

• Who? (Me!) Without Boxes, USA
• What does she do? Supports herself with freelance writing and web development. Teaches the art of turning obstacles into opportunity, a.k.a. achieving lifestyle freedom.
• Where can I follow her? Facebook, Twitter, Instagram

Natasha Murashev

• Who? Natasha the Nomad, USA
• What does she do? Travels the world while running her own business. She is passionate about food, adventures, learning new things, meeting new people, health, and figuring out how to do this all in a sustainable way for the long-term.
• Where can I follow her? Twitter, Instagram

Glen De Cauwsemaecker

• Who? Glen DC, Belgium
• What does he do? Freelance programming on the road.
• Where can I follow him? Twitter

Danny Flood

• Who? Open World Magazine, USA
• What does he do? Run a businesses while living all over the world, and helps others do the same.
• Where can I follow him? Facebook, Twitter

Rachel Stuckey

• Who? The Nomadic Editor, Canada
• What does she do? Freelance writer and editor working on the road.
• Where can I follow her? Facebook, Twitter

Michael Noland

• Who? mnr0x, USA.
• What does he do? Consulting and online marketing for entreprenuers.
• Where can I follow him? Twitter

Gaby Kamp

• Who? Global Nomad Coaching, the Netherlands
• What does she do? Supports people who are moving, living, and working abroad by helping them tackle the challenges and transitions that come with a global lifestyle.
• Where can I follow her? Facebook, Twitter

Chris Hughes

• Who? The CPA Surfer
• What does he do? Blogs about life, travel, and business.
• Where can I follow him? Facebook, Twitter

Hannah O’Brien

• Who? The Traveling VA, Australia
• What does she do? Started a virtual assistant business on the road and shares that journey.
• Where can I follow her? Twitter, Instagram

Kristin & Shadi

• Who? The Vacation Couple, Canada
• What do they do? Travel vlogging with a focus on luxury resorts.
• Where can I follow them? Twitter, YouTube

There are so many more out there, but this will get you started.

So there you have it! A curated list of inspirational digital nomads to follow. Now that you can nerd out on these guys, it’s time to see what they have to say about the lifestyle.

Note: Images pulled from social media accounts and public blogs! Please notify us if any need to be removed.

Advice and Inspiration

Every digital nomad comes with their own brand of wild and crazy tales, along with lessons learned.

It’s exciting, I know. You can dig into their adventures on your own time later. I’ve done the hard work of pulling out the meat and potatoes for you. Here are the stories, quotes, and advice coming straight from the digital nomads themselves that I’ve selected to share with you!

Advice For a New Digital Nomad

“Get to know yourself really, really well; don’t get tempted by doing everything or what everyone else is doing.

Know your limits and take care of yourself. Be sustainable in your travel. Here is the compass I created when I first set out—I’ve gotten in trouble every time I deviated too much from this (but this compass comes from years of knowing myself really well).”

– Natasha Murashev

---

“To live is to learn. I see no other way. The day you stop learning is the day you stop living. Forget about all concepts of success or failure. If you give it your best and learn something, then you’re successful. So it’s impossible to fail. Err on the side of action. Try that new thing, build out your new idea, go somewhere you’ve never been before. Money does not equal wealth. Living each day the you were meant to, the way that you want to, is wealth. Make it happen now; don’t wait. Putting things off until the future will postpone your dreams forever.”

– Danny Flood

---

“I’m all for getting a mentor who is where you want to be at. Just do exactly what they tell you to do to build up a business. A lot of digital nomads I’ve met are still just freelancers and forget to see how they can step into the owner role of a business and start thinking about leveraging other people to build up their businesses and do the work.

Virtual assistants are the reason I’m able to live the life I’ve led so far and I highly recommend hiring people to free up time.”

– Chris Hughes

---

“I’m a big fan of old sales, marketing, and self-help stuff. When I was a kid my mom had some Zig Ziglar cassette tapes and on one of them Zig Ziglar said “You can have everything in life you want, if you will just help other people get what they want.”

I was a dumbass, so it took until I was in my mid-20s for what he was saying to sink in. Before then I had been trying the “me first” thing and it had gotten me nowhere. Once I made the switch from trying to force my thing to helping other people do their things, everything started to click.”

– Michael Noland

---

“My word of advice to anyone wanting the digital nomad lifestyle is to dream big. Be bold, but realistic at the same time. Always follow your dreams, but expect to work really hard to get there. If your focus lies mainly on traveling, then make sure you have enough savings to back you up. Marketing your services takes up a lot of time and energy in the beginning.”

– Gaby Kamp

A Few Digital Nomad Stories

“No matter where I go, I find amazing people (or they find me). Every step of the way, from my first working trip in 1995 to Naknek, Alaska, to my years in Peru to my recent time in rural Southern Missouri caring for my aging dad, when I need cool people in my life they appear. Without fail.

Part of this is because I do research and start networking online before I go somewhere, and another is I ‘get amongst’, as my Kiwi buddy Shane says. For example, my first morning in Lima I had arranged to meet for coffee with an expat who rented out this luxury apartment overlooking the ocean. We didn’t hit it off, but a friend of his who joined us that morning has become a great friend of mine, and through him I had a social circle on day one.

After living in Lima for several years, I went out into the jungle for a while to help a local curandero start his traditional healing center. When I made it back to Lima many of my friends had gotten married, moved on, or whatever, and I didn’t have my social circle anymore. So I decided to build my own.

I started up the English Club of Lima, a social club for people to practice conversational English in Parque Kennedy in Miraflores. An ex-girlfriend introduced me to a beautiful Danish girl who liked the idea and wanted to help. Her magnetic personality attracted people like moths to a flame, and soon I was meeting up to 50 new people each weekend.

I’ve found that if somebody is doing something cool or fun, you can count on there being like-minded people around. Find interesting things other people are doing and offer to help. Better yet, come up with a project of your own and invite others to join in. For me, it’s working like a charm.”

— Michael Noland

---

“My main reason for becoming a digital nomad is because I got tired of starting over in each country I travelled to. I’ve worked in Nigeria, China, Argentina, and now Belfast, and each time I had to find a new job or project and start over. I wanted to build up a steady career which would allow me to be location independent so I can work, make money, and continue with my reason for traveling (which is immersing myself and learning about cultures, preferably non-western cultures).

I also created my business because I saw a need among the expats and digital nomads in the various countries I visited. I have a background in counseling & training and I got to talking with quite a few Global Nomads who were all eager to have someone to talk to who understands their lifestyle. With Global Nomad Coaching I have created a platform where Nomads can voice their life experiences and struggles, share with others, and, for those who are not sure where to next, find a way to move ahead. The Nomads I’ve met want to know if they are the only ones struggling with various issues and figuring out how to deal with the many life transitions that come with their nomadic lifestyle.”

– Gaby Kamp

Challenges and Difficulties

Digital nomadism comes with unordinary challenges. This is especially so when you take the freelance route. Choosing total self reliance also means running a small business.

It is a journey filled with introspection while you battle your deepest fears on a daily basis. A side serving of self doubt, anyone? All this for the freedom to take independence to a whole new level. Every single day is trial and error.

Not to freak you out, but I’ve compiled a short list that touches on the common challenges faced within the digital nomad community:

• Internet access
• Cash flow (or lack thereof)
• Currency conversions, ATM, and banking fees
• International insurance
• Productivity and time management
• How to handle a home address without one
• Romance and dating on the go
• Always temporary housing complications
• Visa and border control issues
• Global cell coverage
• Language barriers

A mortgage might start looking good about now. Nah…

I can’t promise to solve all your problems, but I can point you in the right direction. At least you’ll be aware of the common pitfalls before you find yourself in a serious pinch!

Rookie mistake: Trying to fly into London without a minute-by-minute pre-booked itinerary.

Becoming a savvy digital nomad comes in two parts. First, learning to travel smart. Second, learning how to work on the road. If you chose the freelance route, you get a third tier: learning how to run a business.

The following advice will not make you an expert on these matters. Instead it will open your eyes to the typical problems of the digital nomad world. And in a world where you must expect the unexpected, it’s best to learn as much as possible so you’re never caught completely unaware.

Internet Access

A digital nomad needs internet. It is an integral part of the gig.

Your every waking moment can quickly become a scramble for how and when you’ll be getting decent service again. Your work and your clients need you.

A few quick fixes:

• The obvious spots are coffee shops, libraries, and public hotspots.
• Try coworking and otherwise shared or temporary office spaces.

Real solution:

Time management. Learn to batch your work into the times you have great internet connection, and you can spend days at a time not worrying about the next time a wifi hotspot will show itself.

Cash Flow

Learning to keep a budget is hard work, all on its own.

Ideally you should be able to run off of emergency cash for at least three months in the event that your contract ends or you lose your job. That means you should be throwing your spare change into a savings account whenever possible.

If you run a freelance gig, you’re going to need to take your accounting and marketing outreach more seriously. Tracking your exact income and outcome will help you predict what you’ll be able to afford and how much more cash you’ll need to make  (or stop spending) monthly to reach your goals.

Currency Conversions, ATM, and Banking Fees

Every bank is a bit different, and some offer great foreign policies or even ATM refunds (with limits). In the meantime, it’s also a good idea to research the local banks in the country you’re currently staying to discover who charges the least ATM usage fees.

Be sure to look for:

• Currency conversion rates and fees levied by cash exchange companies
• Foreign banking and reporting it appropriately for taxes in your home country
• Cost to withdraw/spend money abroad with your bank or credit card

For example, I use USAA. They refund ATM fees up to $15 USD per month and offer competitive exchange rates.

General Risk Assessment

Life as a digital nomad means a lot of risks. Learning how to assess those risks quickly can end up being the difference between life and death… or at the very least, a good deal or getting ripped off.

To be fair, many of your risk assessments are more geared towards things like choosing the right insurance levels. Others will be how to time the purchase of plane tickets, pick out a reliable AirBnB apartment, or find a safe CouchSurfing host. From there, you’re in the markets making sure your pockets don’t get picked, learning when and where your laptop is safely stored, and mostly just hoping for the best around every corner.

It’s best to keep your eyes open and intentionally learn the lessons they teach along the way.

Insurance

Getting insurance can be a royal pain.

It took me more than 2 months to successfully communicate my insurance needs, choose a plan, and get the paperwork completed when I first began my journey to a more permanent visa in Germany.

There’s a few steps to choosing the right insurance:

• Know your own medical needs and start by researching companies that cover any of your pre-existing conditions
• Know that comprehensive insurance is expensive

Additionally, you may want to invest in some travel insurance, and/or rental insurance that covers switching international locations. Not everyone travels by hotel every day of the week (that’s expensive and exhausting), so there’s a good chance you’ll find yourself in a semi-permanent residence for a few months at a time.

Also worth researching:

• Travel insurance
• Rental insurance when you have a more long-term apartment

Handling Productivity

Productivity is a problem in most people’s lives, but whether we learn to successfully manage it becomes a critical survival point for a digital nomad. Without being able to prioritize our time, we lose out both on valuable work and amazing life experiences, both of which make us feel guilty about the other.

Here’s a top 18 list of productivity advice by other digital nomads to try for yourself.

International Cell Phone Coverage

Ugh, and you thought you had troubles with your service at home. Traveling only makes this even more complicated.

Depending on how long you plan to be in any given area, you have two options:

• Get an international plan from your home country (I use T-Mobile’s Simple Choice plan)
• Buy a local SIM from each country as you go

My best advice is to get a data plan with some basic texting included. Grab yourself a Google Voice number, route all your messages there, and make your phone calls over data. That way you don’t have to memorize every new number you get your hands on.

Visa and Border Control Issues

Having an abnormal stream of income, low bank accounts, or traveling “without a plan” can become problematic as soon as anyone begins asking questions.

• Always travel with the right visa permits
• Try to have over $2,000 in your bank account at a minimum
• Know in advance how strict the country is on having booked hotels, hostels, and/or a ticket out of the country

There’s always an element of risk, and at the end of the day you’re at the mercy of the agent at border patrol.

In general, it’s good practice to have these on hand when you get to the border:

• Name and address of where you’ll be staying when you arrive
• About how many days/weeks/months you will be staying
• The date and flight number of your exit flight (or train information, etc)
• Know the airport (Port of Exit) you flew from
• Keep your ticket stub, you usually need the flight number
• Your emergency contact information
• A screenshot of your bank account balance from the last 24 hours (live access is fine, but wifi/service isn’t always available)

If you don’t do it right, you could wind up like me and get interrogated for four hours in the middle of the night without real cause… all because the lady didn’t like that you weren’t on top of everything.

Complex Housing Situations

Apartment shopping can be hard to begin with, but matters get worse when you’re always looking at short term.

Many times you’ll need to think outside the box. Here’s a list of the usual suspects:

• Short term rentals (using the local listings or sites like AirBnb)
• Long stay hotels
• Shared hostel rooms
• CouchSurfing (don’t assume more than a three to four day stay per couch)
• WorkAway for two to four week stays or more (check local government regulations)

Love, Romance, and Dating

Dating as a digital nomad is incredibly complicated. You’re never sure how long you’ll be in one place or who you’ll meet along the way.

If you thought love and romance was hard already… buckle up. It’s a whole new level when you’re a digital nomad. You’ll need to really know what you want from life, or you’ll quickly find yourself compromising for others.

You can try to warn your potential mates with this article about dating a freelancer.

Language Barriers

Speaking of interpersonal complications, always dealing in foreign languages takes any daily activity and makes it 1000x harder.

Here’s our guide to living in a foreign city when you don’t speak the language. The tips work even if you’re just traveling through.

Consistently Handling Snail Mail

Snail mail is unfortunately still a reality we must deal with.

If you’re lucky, you have family members who are willing to take on this task for you. If not, you’ll want to look into mail services that can sort, scan, and forward your mail as appropriate.

This is still a relatively new service that local government has not yet caught up with. You should make sure to note any local laws that would make updating or changing your address to use one of these services will not cause issues for you down the road.

The Venturists wrote a great post covering every option currently out there to handle your mail forwarding.

Lots of Legal Gray Area

The legal world is simply not structured for digital nomads and while we’re not usually going against the spirit of the law, it can become problematic when it comes time to really define what’s going on. Whether it’s having a local mailing address or knowing which is the right visa to apply for, all the fine print can make for a confusing situation.

You simply do your best to stay above board, keep to the local laws and get the appropriate visa.

Basic Requirements

There are three basic requirements that you’ll need to successfully become a digital nomad.

1. Basic Computer Skills

The first part of the term is “digital,” which indicates at least a basic knowledge of computers. In some cases, you really do just need a basic knowledge.

To jumpstart your knowledge, here’s a flowchart:

2. Critical Thinking Skills

In general, you’ll be expected to handle your digital life and work with grace and timeliness. Otherwise you’ll find yourself without pay or a means to support yourself.

You need to be clever about the way you manage (and charge for) your time, as well as finding out what works best for you to make you happy. In the end, this is all about freedom.

This means:

• Fighting the impostor syndrome. Every day, most of the time.
• Charging an appropriate amount for your time and skills.
• Experimenting with productivity techniques until you find what works for your personality.

3. Willingness to Struggle and Forgo Nicer Things

Sometimes you’ll find yourself in a situation where things didn’t pan out quite like you wanted.

There are extremes. Like getting yourself stuck in a Norwegian bus-station overnight in winter or homeless in Liverpool on a Friday night while you watch the local drunks throw burgers around a fast food restaurant.

More likely you’re stuck in an airport overnight after a missed flight or the couch you’re surfing on isn’t quite as comfortable as you expected. There’s any number of niceties you’ll have to forgo on your journey. That doesn’t even get into the possessions you may need to leave behind in the first place!

I talk a lot more about this over at Leaving Work Behind, and what it takes to really live the dream.

How to Become a Digital Nomad

If you’re not hugging your cubicle wall at this point, sobbing for forgiveness that you ever planned to leave… Congratulations! You just might be cut out for the digital nomad lifestyle.

Now that you’re prepped for reality, it’s time to crack down on actually making it happen.

Step 1: Make a Dream Plan

You’re probably already imagining what your life as a digital nomad looks like.

Brainstorm like crazy here. Nothing is off limits. You want money flowing into your bank account daily with your feet kicked up in front of the ocean? Done. Thinking about jetting away to a far off land on a whim? No problem.

Go big. Write it all down.

After awhile, take pause. Try to find the underlying motivations behind your passionate scribbles. Is this about seeing new places? The novelty of travel? Impressing people? Learning cultures and languages?

Look inward and try to understand what it is you want. Think about who you are and what you enjoy on a daily basis.

Tropical islands sound great on paper, but do you even know why that’s what you want? What if it turns out you hate heat and humidity so much that you can’t stand it?

If you don’t know what’s important to you, you cannot know how to adjust your game plan down the line.

How I Did It

When I started working towards becoming a digital nomad, I had no idea the term even existed.

My real origin story began back when I first quit my job and took a crazy road-trip, but that was more akin to Peter Parker in that I was bit hard by the travel bug. All I knew, was I couldn’t settle for normal.

Things really kicked off as I plotted out a one year trip around the world, in which I would study a variety of skills in different places. At the time, I had no realistic idea of how to make something like this happen. But it was my dream goal.

Step 2: Break Your Dream Into Realistic Pieces

Let’s say you want the financial freedom that $100,000 per year gives you. It’s time to whip out the calculator to see how much you need to earn before taxes. These numbers will all sound insane and out of reach. Keep with it.

Now comes the fun part. Devise a plan to reach that number. Hatch a plot. Make a scheme. Go wild!

You’re here for the freedom. Using your imagination to create a better future is crucial for success. Let your mind go wild with the power. Think of every single possibility.

Okay. Was that fun? (Don’t lie, I know it was.)

Now you’re warmed up. It’s time to get down to business. Take all those wild schemes and generate at least a few semi-viable ideas. Got some?

Pick your favorite.

Okay, take that plan and break it into its most basic steps. It’s easiest to break things down on paper. Start by writing the ultimate goal on the top, like $100k annual income.

Write your scheme beneath that. What are the basic requirements to make that realistic?

Write them down next on the list.

Of those requirements, which are you most capable of acquiring first?

Circle it.

What steps would you need to take to get it?

Jot down everything that you need. Write it all down. You’re almost ready to start rocking it out.

How I Did It

I knew to get where I wanted to go, I needed a direction to start in. Even though I had taken on a decent job teaching at my alumni college, staying in my hometown made me feel stuck in a rut.

When my dream was to move around, see the world, and experience new things—staying in place felt counter-intuitive.

• I started looking for other places to live, to move me out of my comfort zone.
• I began making new connections and friends, even working weird jobs to build new experiences and save up cash.

This led me to moving to Austin, TX and starting everything fresh.

Step 3: Take The Next Step! Do That Again… And Again… And

By this point you should be looking at a lot of action points.

You can order them in a few ways, which all depend on your current situation.

1. Chronological plus urgency. If your action points need to go in a certain order because of reasons, start here.
2. Affordability. Sometimes your action points involve expensive things, and you might not have the cash. Start small. While you’re at it, use that imagination again and get creative to work around these cash problems.
3. Easy wins. There’s nothing more motivating than feeling like you’ve already started making progress! Get some momentum going by knocking out items that make it easiest to feel accomplished.

There should be some clear next steps you can take. Find one you can do right now. Do it.

Did it feel good? Awesome. Do another one.

Okay, now keep doing that.

How I Did It

Everything was a day-by-day procedure. I was also dealing with a huge bout of depression, so this literally meant focusing on my basic needs (like eating) some days. Other days, it meant actively chasing my round-the-world dreams.

• Whenever I had the motivation, I took huge strides.
• If I was having an off period, I let myself retreat and recharge.
• I always kept in mind the ultimate goal: being able to up and relocate at the drop of a hat.

I was constantly pushing myself out of my shell by going out to bars, social and networking events, working those weird jobs, and eventually meeting some interesting people with similar goals. Meanwhile, I regularly reduced the number of belongings I had so I would be ready for travel one day.

Step 4: Take (Calculated) Risks

From here on out, it’s a matter of adjusting that compass and knowing when it’s worth forging onward—and when it’s time to fall back.

Always remember what your ultimate goal is. You’re the only one who can judge whether those risks are worth it.

How I Did It

Knowing what I really wanted kept me focused. It helped me know when a sacrifice was worth it.

When someone I met through these connections offered me the opportunity to travel the world, I knew it was in line with my dream and worth dropping everything else for.

All I had left to do was say “Yes!” and pack my bags. The journey was never easy (even after taking off); there’s always a price for these things. But, the adventure never could have happened if I hadn’t taken all the steps that led me up to that point.

Since then, I’ve traveled around the globe, found the courage to do a solo bicycle tour, and even moved to Germany to embrace a new culture and start learning a new language. My original vision of “one year around the world” has changed, but the motivations behind it are still the same, and I’m actively making it happen with each new step.

Ways to Become a Digital Nomad

There’s no one correct way to be a digital nomad. The point is to have autonomy and freedom to be where you want, when you want.

Here are some of the things you can do to get there:

Learn the Right Skills

Digital nomads all have one thing in common: they use the power of digital tools to make a living. Here are a few topics that come in handy when you open your door up to the entire world.

• Event planning
• How to run a business
• Marketing
• Basic sales
• Computer basics
• Social media
• Designing a website
• Writing a blog post
• Taking and editing photos

Put Your Skills to Work

So with all those types of skills, what can you do?

• Become a contractor/freelancer (here’s an intro on how)
• Teach online (at places like Udemy)
• Buy an existing online business
• Move to a digital nomad hub (here’s a few)
• Work abroad (some sites cater to this, like GoAbroad and Overseas Jobs)
• Move your existing business online
• Start an online business (here’s a good rundown)

Do you (still) want to be a digital nomad?

There’s a lot to take in here, but I sincerely hope it helps you take on this enormous adventure.

If you have additional resources, links to great posts, or know a digital nomad we should add to this list, let us know! Meanwhile, if you have more questions or concerns, we’d be happy to discuss them with you in the comments below.

P.S. Anne recently launched a new program dedicated to helping people learn how to become location independent. Go check it out!

The post The Digital Nomad’s Roadmap – A Complete Guide: Successfully Live, Work, and Travel Anywhere appeared first on Without Boxes.

You know your limitations far better than I do. This article’s goal is not to pretend your limitations don’t exist, nor is it to find ways to eliminate your limitations. Instead, it’s supposed to jumpstart your thinking on how to work within your limitations.

Often we have “all-or-nothing” attitudes about our goals and it’s easy to overlook the smaller opportunities in front of us.

While big goals might seem more exciting, smaller opportunities are fulfilling as well, and often times more attainable. Don’t let an intimidating barrier stop you from getting creative! In this post we’ll primarily focus on the limitations of a 9–5 job and how you can still work toward your goals.

1. Determine Your Limitations and Goals
2. Help Others Achieve Their Goals
3. Make Your Job Yours
4. Look At Your Career Options in a Different Light
5. Make A Goal List
6. Get Rid of the Internet

Determine Your Limitations and Goals

Everyone’s limitations are different. Even if someone has a similar limitation as you, they will likely approach it differently than you do. It’s important to remember that each person’s comfort level is different and to be respectful of their comfort level.

Here are some examples of goals and limitations from people I know:

“I’d love to run a marathon, but I have issues with my knee.”

“I’d love to travel to all 50 states, but I have bills to pay.”

“I’d love to go back to school, but don’t know what I would study or if I could afford it.”

Your turn:

“I’d love to ___________________, but I have______________________.”

Mine looks like this:

“I’d love to spend my time outdoors and pursuing creative projects (like writing and photography), but I have a full-time job.”

Each barrier or limitation comes with its own problems.

While I definitely can’t speak about all limitations, I can speak on a very basic one that most people face: the 9–5 job. For me, my particular 9­–5 job is a choice. I know I can—and have—worked seasonal jobs that allow me to make a similar salary while spending a lot of time outdoors and focusing on creative projects. However, I love nonprofit administration work (think: volunteer coordinating, grant writing, and marketing), which requires a lot of office time at a desk in front of a computer screen.

Right now this is the type of job I want and I accept that these types of positions will limit my time spent outdoors and pursuing creative projects. Regardless of whether your limitation is a choice or not, you can still find ways to work toward achieving parts of your goal while working within your limits.

Help Others Achieve Their Goals

Maybe you can’t achieve your big goal now, but you definitely can help people achieve theirs!

Thanks to the Internet there are tons of ways to meet like-minded folks. Remember, making dreams become reality is only possible thanks to the generosity of many people, so pay it forward before you get started on your own!

Plus, you’ll gain lots of neat tips, tricks, suggestions, and opportunities from the people you encounter.

Have a spare bedroom, couch, or some extra floor space?

Sign up for Couchsurfing and give folks traveling through your neck of the woods a place to crash. Chances are they’ll not only have some cool stories to share, they’ll also want to hear what you can offer. Disclaimer: I met Anne, founder of the Without Boxes blog, through Couchsurfing and she’s definitely shaken my life up a bit.

You can also try similar communities like Warm Showers and Work Away. Depending on your city, you might be able to become a Lyft or Uber driver, which allows you to meet some pretty interesting people (and earn a little money on the side!).

Volunteer your time with a local nonprofit.

Most nonprofits are in need of dedicated, hardworking volunteers.

Volunteering is a great way to network while sharing your skills with a group in need. While scrolling through my Facebook newsfeed one day, I noticed a post from a nonprofit that needed volunteer photographers. Suddenly I found myself with a volunteer gig photographing monthly art discussion forums. I met a number of people through that volunteer gig and, because of that, was able to get my artwork into two local shows.

Don’t think you have time to volunteer? Carefully go over your weekly schedule. How much time a week do you spend watching TV? Attending happy hour? Surfing the Internet? Consider giving up one of these activities once a month and sharing this time with a nonprofit.

Check out sites like VolunteerMatch.org or call United Way at 2-1-1 to see what’s available in your area.

Make Your Job Yours

Sometimes you can’t quit your 9–5 job, even if you want to. So, what are ways to mold your 9–5 job to your interests?

Because otherwise, you wind up looking like this at work.

Even the most mundane or grunt-work positions have the opportunity to become a little more interesting and a little more you. Not only that, when you can find ways to pursue your interests during tough times, it makes it so much easier to do it in better times!

Pitch a project.

Many bosses are receptive to projects, especially projects that improve on an area of weakness or highlight a company’s mission.

Be sure to have a clear vision and be willing to take responsibility of the project. A group of people I met through my volunteer photography gig were hosting a local art show and wanting nonprofits to participate. I met with my boss and pitched my idea of an interactive art project, offering to take full responsibility of the project from conception to completion.

By the time the art show rolled around, 150 people had contributed to this project and we introduced our mission and work to many more who attended the show.

Start a group for your coworkers.

Many companies look for ways to encourage team building.

A friend of mine worked as a bank teller for a number of years­. It wasn’t her dream job, but it paid the bills. Her coworkers often talked about how hard it was to find the time and energy to exercise, so she created a lunchtime running group and weekly fitness newsletter.

The group caught the attention of senior management, and she was asked to implement the running group company-wide.

Learn a new skill that helps you do your job more efficiently.

This one can be basic or complex. I recently learned how to run the office laminator because a) there’s a lot of stuff to laminate, b) very few people know how to work the machine, and c) it looked super fun. Sure, it’s a small skill, but it makes me feel a little more knowledgeable. (And it is super fun to do!)

Tap into your company or coworkers’ connections.

Many times companies and coworkers have wide networks of people who may be willing to share their time and advice with you. Make it a point to get to know these connections.

If you choose to reach out to one of these people, be sure to have your list of questions ready and follow up with a thank-you note or email. In Memphis I worked at a nonprofit with some incredible connections. The nonprofit also encouraged personal work projects, so I designed a photo story project (a focus on Memphians’ health stories), prepared a one-sheet overview, and passed out copies to my coworkers.

Over the course of four months, I interviewed and photographed around 25 incredible people about their health stories.

Engage your users or customers.

Sometimes molding your job to your interests gets tricky if you are required to follow a strict routine.

For instance, retail or food service. Positions like these might require you to think outside the box while keeping your company’s rules in mind. In college my friends and I worked the six a.m. shift at a small convenience store/fast food joint on campus. To make mornings go faster, we started memorizing our customers’ orders and asking them a question of the day. Two small things, but these actions opened the doors to meaningful conversations.

Remember: [symple_highlight color=”yellow”] networking is key when pursuing your goals! [/symple_highlight]

Look at Alternative 9–5 Career Options

Maybe you keep your 9–5 job because you want experience in your field. Perhaps you keep it out of loyalty to your company, or you feel nervous about quitting your job and having to explain a resume gap. You might have a strong network of family and friends nearby. Not to mention there is a lot of security in a regular paycheck and (possibly) health insurance.

Whatever your reason, I’m sure it’s valid!

I know because I’ve felt these ways at one time or another. However valid these reasons are, though, it doesn’t mean you’re stuck. Look for temporary positions that allow you to have that stability and security, but also have a definite end date that you can plan around.

Although scary, definite end dates really allow you to pursue your long-term goals more vigorously.

Apply for AmeriCorps.

Programs like AmeriCorps offer temporary jobs at nonprofits.

Although these programs offer little in the way of compensation, they may offer other perks like student loan deferment, good job experience, and year-end awards. Other similar programs include Jesuit Corps, Lutheran Volunteer Corps, and Episcopal Corps.

Or, Google “gap year programs” and see what pops up. While many are geared toward recent college graduates, a number, like AmeriCorps, accept people of a variety of ages.

Grant positions with timelines.

There are a number of grant-funded positions out there. This usually means an organization has been given money that must be spent during a specific time period and on a specific focus.

Try your hand at temp work.

Many towns have temp agencies that can temporarily hook you up with a local company. These positions tend to last for a few weeks to a few months, with some having the option for permanent placement.

Last year I did data entry for a few months. The position paid well, my temp agency offered a health insurance option, and I got some new work experience. Plus, since I was able to completely leave my job at the office, I was able to focus my free time on various personal projects. I’ve even heard stories of people who’ve made a “career” out of temp work.

Work a few temp jobs to save up money, take a few steps toward your goal, and repeat!

Make a Small Goal List

We’ve talked a lot about jobs. Let’s take some time to talk about those hours outside 9–5. While some of these hours are undoubtedly spent on necessity tasks, like grocery store runs, hopefully you have a little spare time to dedicate to you!

One thing I’ve found to be helpful is to create a list with attainable goals and attach a deadline to the list.

You might find it easiest to coincide your lists with the seasons. For example, I have a summer goal list of 15 different small goals that all add up to my larger goals of spending more time outside and focusing on creative projects. I want to accomplish each item between May 1^st and Sept. 1^st.

Here are a few items from my list:

• Write 250 words per day five days a week
• Write and mail one letter per week
• Read one book per month
• Backpack five times this summer
• Run twice a week

If you notice, [symple_highlight color=”yellow”]most of these items are not time consuming.[/symple_highlight]

The important part is to pick attainable goals. Often we find ourselves immediately chasing big goals and quickly getting worn out. The point of this exercise is to get us more comfortable with chasing those big goals. Start small.

Get Rid of the Internet

Quick: Make a list of the top five websites that you visit daily using your home Internet and the time you spend on each.

Now look them over. Which sites claim the most of your time? If Hulu, Netflix, Amazon Prime, Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and/or any similar site sit high on your list, consider getting rid of your Internet.

Yep, that’s right. Get rid of your Internet connection. Pick your jaw up off the floor—it’s going to be OK.

Living without Internet forces you to prioritize in ways living with Internet doesn’t let you. Let’s break it down with an example:

You want to start baking all of your bread from scratch, but when you get home from your 9–5 job, you’re pretty tired and Netflix looks really good. So now you can watch Netflix or bake bread. Without Internet, you don’t have that choice. Sure, maybe you still won’t bake bread, but you’ll still have to find something offline to fill your time.

I’m going to be honest: The first few days or weeks without Internet can be hard. The Internet is what we turn to for relaxation, entertainment, and a host of other reasons. I’m still known to scam my neighbor’s Internet shamelessly (like I’m doing right now) when deadlines are looming and I can’t get to a coffee shop.

Pursuing dreams means prioritizing and sometimes prioritizing means cutting out distractions in your life.

Pro tip: If you want to be especially daring, ditch the smart phone, too.

Recap

Each of us has a big goal, but might face limitations that prevent us from reaching that goal.

One of the most common limitations is that 9–5 job which takes up much of your day. It leaves little time for us to pursue our own goals and interests. Rather than give up, we can look for small opportunities to seize.

Here are a few key takeaways:

• Help others achieve their goals, even if you are faced with a limitation.
• Mold your job in whatever way you can to fit your interests and passions.
• Network! Gain advice and support from people leading the way.
• Look for temporary work that allows can you extra free time.
• Set small, attainable goals and attach deadlines to them.
• Prioritize! Do you need to cut something out of your life in order to be more productive?

What limitations do you face when pursuing your goals? How have you continued to work toward your goals with these limitations in mind? Tell us about your journey below! We’d like to be a part of your support team.

The post Limitations: Why the 9–5 Job Doesn’t Need To Stop You appeared first on Without Boxes.

Enter Katherine Stimson:

“You can’t steal second base with one foot still on first.”

In the spring of 2010, a Facebook ad posted by a total stranger caught my attention: Dallas Artist Mastermind Group at Buzzbrews Kitchen. Led by Dallas/Los Angeles photographer Michael Jackson, the mastermind group of artists, photographers, musicians, playwrights, etc. met weekly that spring. We shared ideas for marketing, branding, and self promotion, and, more importantly, how to get out of the “9-5 day job” pace of life. How could we (and I) earn a full-time income from our chosen art or arts-related career, on our own terms? What would that life look like?

One week, PR/marketing guru Jeff Crilley joined the group as a guest speaker. He told us about his journey from a full-time gig anchoring TV news; to anchoring TV news, writing a book, and juggling book promotion; to walking away from the TV news world to found his own PR firm.  One sentence of the evening stuck with me:

You can’t steal second base with one foot still on first.

Literally: WHAT is the point you decide to take a risk, get both feet fully off first base, in order to get to the next phase of your life?

In my case, something happened in my mid-twenties (and to many of my friends). I was comfortable, complacent, and I had stopped truly experiencing life: Trying new things, having new experiences, going outside of my comfort zone.  I had stopped taking risks.

I had equated quality of life with a successful career and financial stability.

With self-employment, I was determined to seize opportunities to try something new at every chance I could.

So how did I do it? A challenge! Michael of the Artist Mastermind Group challenged us to come up with a 30-day plan: In 30 days, how could you change your life to live the life you’ve always wanted to have? I took on the challenge, and later that summer, I was no longer working the “9-5 day job.”

I had made the leap from first to second base.

How can YOU do it?

Take a risk, but make it a calculated risk.

With Michael’s challenge, I assembled a “tool box” of what I would need to “steal second base:”

• Client list already in place: Start with one client, but then add another.[symple_highlight color=”yellow”] The more sources of diverse income you can have, the better. [/symple_highlight]You want to have several clients already secured before “making the leap!”

• Humility and nothing is above you! I suggest having some “side gigs” you can do while income is dry. They may not be glamorous or anything related to what you want to do, but should get you cash when you need it. Ideally, these would be “quick and easy” work with a flexible or on demand schedule so the side gigs don’t consume your time. I recommend bartending and brand ambassador work. For me, I bartended wine promotions for a few years until I had steady income from my freelancing. I was able to make $15-$20/hour doing it, set my own schedule… and learned lots about wine!

• Marketing plan: Develop a marketing plan specific for your business. Identify your niche: What are you offering that no one else is? What sets you apart? For example, I specialize in entertainment production for marathons. It’s a niche market, with multiple repeat clients that pay regularly. You want to offer something unique and valuable that one else is…and that clients will keep coming back for.

• Website: Your “calling card” to current and potential clients. I’m a fan of SquareSpace for a professional looking DIY website for a low hosting cost per month.

• Human capital and “Call in the Troops”: Join the FreelancersUnion.org (it’s free). It’s a great networking opportunity online and offline with fellow freelancers. They also offer opportunities for group health insurance, long-term disability insurance, legal advice, and financial/tax advice.

• Get out of your comfort zone – and I don’t mean in work.

Go jump out of a perfectly good airplane, go zip-lining, take a solo road trip cross country and Couchsurf. Do something to get out of your comfort zone…as a freelancer you’ll need to be doing lots of it. And your next business partner may come from where you least expect it, such as random stranger you hosted in your guest room from Couchsurfing.org.

Here’s what you should get out there and learn:

• Public speaking skills: Join a local Toastmasters.org club to improve public speaking skills. In addition to practicing prepared and impromptu speaking and talking about your business, it’s a great networking opportunity/possible source for new clients.

• How to make an invoice, a contract, and W9: Have a basic contract, invoice, and completed W9 ready to email out to any client on demand. Don’t assume they have a contract ready to send you, because most won’t. And “he who speaks first” gets the best deal. By leading off negotiations with your own contract first, its much easier to modify your own document than a bunch of legalese that’s handed to you and hard to understand!

• Safety Net: Six months of savings in the bank before quitting the day job is ideal. Or, back to having those “side gigs” lined up!

• Reassess your financial means and live within your means: I may drive a used Honda, live in a modest apartment, and have no shame about dumpster diving. Find everything that’s low cost/free to do in town, take a picnic & BYOB.

• Passion: Four years later, and at the risk of sounding cliché, I can honestly say I wake up every day excited to “go to work” and grateful for the life I’m fortunate to have. Some days “work” may be at home in Dallas, on the road in the middle of a spontaneous road trip to visit friends, or at a marathon in Hawaii at 4am.   Or, I may take a day off on a Wednesday to go to the beach or study dance.[symple_highlight color=”yellow”] If you’re not passionate about what you’re about to embark on, don’t do it. [/symple_highlight]

• …And a deadline: 30 days, two months, six months? I truly believe nothing gets done without a deadline in mind. I challenge YOU to “assemble the toolbox” and to set the deadline of when your “9 to 5” ends and freelancing begins.

“You can’t steal second base with one foot still on first.”

About Katherine

How do we know Katherine knows what she’s talking about? Well, just take a look at her resume. It’s pretty impressive what she’s been able to do using these same exact tips.

Katherine Stimson, CSEP

Katherine Stimson, CSEP, is an entertainment and event professional based in Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas. Her work experience includes coordinating entertainment and talent for the cruise industry, corporate, social events, and experiential marketing campaigns.

Through her company, K Stimson Events, LLC, she works as a freelance live entertainment producer. Her clients include: Continental Event and Sports Management Group, LLC, the producers of the award-winning Divas Half Marathon series (Honolulu, Puerto Rico, San Francisco, Long Island, North Myrtle Beach, Branson, Peachtree City, DC Wine Country, and Galveston), and the NC Half Marathon and Myrtle Beach Mini Marathon; Life Time Fitness Athletic Events (the producers of the Miami Marathon, Publix Georgia Marathon, Chicago Half Marathon, First Watch Sarasota Half Marathon, New Jersey Marathon, and the Michelob Ultra 13.1 Marathon series.

She received the Certified Special Events Professional (CSEP) designation from the International Special Events Society (ISES) in 2014. She is also an Adjunct Instructor in the Travel, Exposition and Meeting Management Program at Richland College in Dallas.

Image credits: Kai Oberhäuser, Katherine Stimson by Ivan Palacios

The post Stealing Second Base: From Side Gig to Self Employed Full Time appeared first on Without Boxes.

By the second month, things are starting to feel a little brighter.

But my guess is that you’re not reading this because you want to sit in a cubicle. What if your dream is bigger than this? Mine was to explore and see the world. I started in an office, but soon decided it was a pirate’s life for me. I left that cubicle and everything I knew behind again and time again until I found what I was looking for. It’s the nature of exploration!

It all came back to the fact I had a clear treasure map. The clues were vague and shrouded in mystery, sure. But the treasure? That was clear as day. My ultimate treasure was lifestyle freedom, the ability to be wherever I wanted for as long as I wanted. I knew what I wanted to see the world, and the world certainly wasn’t going to come and find me.

It took years to get here, but now I’m finally loading my found treasure onto the ship and figuring out what to do with it.

Today I’d like to show you how to take off on your own high seas adventure so you can find that spark you’ve been waiting for, something to ignite your life and light your way.

It all starts with your treasure map. After that, all you need is the courage to launch on your voyage.

The Signs You Need a Treasure Map

Imagine yourself as the character in a pirate story.

You look drearily up from your innkeeper’s desk as a dark stranger walks through the front door. He asks your name. You give it to him.

“I have something for you,” he says, placing a small parchment in front of you. Before you can even reach out to touch it, he’s gone.

Your heart beats loudly in your ears. Your fingers tremble as you open the letter: It’s a treasure map.

Cut back to the real world. There is no one out there documenting your life goals on a secret parchment. There is no one arriving at your door with a secret mission for you. The closest thing you’ve got is me telling you it’s time to get started.

You know better than anyone what you want. That one thing that you’ve been too afraid of. Something that could change your entire life. Are you waiting for a sign? This is it.

It is time.

Create Your Treasure Map From Scratch

In any story, a treasure map changes everything. It takes someone normal and launches them down a path that turns their entire world upside down.

Adventure is calling. Will you answer?

A treasure map tells you a few things:

• The treasure exists
• Where to look for it
• Clues to help you along the way

In other words, your treasure map is your guide to change.

Since this is the real world, you have to discover it on your own. The best part is that you can draw it yourself.

I wasted a lot of time thinking I knew how to change my own life, but thinking that I had to wait for the right time. I had a lot of general ideas about what I wanted, but no specific plan of action. It kept my treasure intangible and unreachable. Then I uncovered a dark secret. To change my life I would need a clear image of my goal, but I had no idea what my dream life might realistically look like, so how could I ever find it?

Since that discovery, I have had quite a few life changing experiences. I quit a full-time job, took a seven-month American road trip, lived right on the beach, flew around the world, and went on a month-long solo bicycle tour. And that’s just the summarized version! A pirate’s life for me, indeed.

How did I go from being cooped up in the office and slowly losing faith in humanity to gallivanting all over the world? It all comes back to my treasure map, a clear image of what I wanted in life.

There are long- and short-term dreams, big and small dreams. Only you know what is the right fit for your life. I find it helps to sit down to consider what it is you want before even starting to design a treasure map.

The structure that works for me all comes back to a six-month timeframe.

This is a perfect timeframe because six months is enough time to enact big changes, but short enough that you’re forced to get the ball rolling right away.

Once I decided that I wanted to work on the road, making the choice to freelance full time was a no-brainer. It gave me the confidence to quit my job. This allowed me to prepare for my open-ended road trip to see all 48 contiguous states.

As that trip came to a close, I knew I wanted to experience life right by the beach. This gave me the clear directive to arrange a beachside apartment as soon as I pulled back into San Diego.

Each time, these directives took my abstract idea of “lifestyle freedom” and transformed it into specific action for what I wanted to see happen in the next six months.

The same concept went for my move to Austin, my worldwide trip, my bicycle tour, and now – moving to Germany. Each step of the way was unpredictable even a year beforehand! But by using the sixth-month timeframe, I was able to make decisions confidently and effectively.

If you didn’t notice, there’s a pattern emerging:

When you have a treasure map, your path is clear. You know what direction to move towards, and having conviction means you will make it happen.

So I’ll ask you: [symple_highlight color=”yellow”] What’s your dream life? [/symple_highlight] What changes could you make to realize that dream in the next six months?

Prepare for Your Voyage

Step back into our pirate tale.

After what feels like an hour, you carefully fold the parchment and slide it into your breast pocket.

You wonder, did anyone notice your interaction? The room is quiet, making your chair seem to squeak even louder than usual as you push away from the oak desk. You try to remember which direction the man went as he left.

Maybe he went to the docks. Soon you find yourself pacing in a salty breeze, watching busy crewman load and unload a sloop.

You realize you have many preparations to put in order.

See, you can’t just sit on a treasure map. If simply owning a treasure map were all it took to putting that treasure in your hands, there would be no such thing as adventures.

As far as we know, teleportation hasn’t been invented and goals don’t achieve themselves.

On my road trip, I played most things by ear. But that only worked because I created a structured plan beforehand that held the dream together.

The process looked something like this:

1. Pursue enough freelance gigs that I could afford to quit my job. (Note: I asked my boss at the time whether I could work remotely before quitting. The answer was no.)
2. Actually quit my job.
3. Go through everything I own and either get rid of it or pack it away.
4. Get my car checked out to make sure I wasn’t driving away in a time bomb.
5. Make sure I addressed any legal issues that come with having no permanent address or regular employment. (How I would handle important mail, insurance, etc.)

It seems like an obvious list, but so often it’s the obvious things we tend to neglect. You have to focus on each issue specifically, or something important will get overlooked. Preparing well beforehand means the journey is much more likely to go smoothly.

Note that my clear treasure map made creating this list simple.

If your action list to freedom isn’t clear, you need to go back to the drawing board. For example, wanting to become a digital nomad is a life dream, but not enough to draw a treasure map from. Treasure is a specific reward you can reach in the next six months – like moving to Thailand and opening a web design business.

If your treasure map isn’t made of measurable goals, you’ll never find your treasure.

Find Yourself a Crew

The salty breeze fills your nostrils as you continue to watch the sloops. These men on the dock work together to lift heavy crates. You realize you won’t be able to go on a voyage without a crew of your own. It takes a lot of work to man a ship, swab the deck and, not to mention, help you bring the treasure home.

A shiver runs down your spine as the cold wind kicks up. You turn back to the closest pub. A poster there catches your eye: “Hands for hire.”

Your face splits into a grin as you push open the swinging doors to walk inside.

Having a crew is more important than you realize.

Pictured: Awesome crew members.

Willpower and intrinsic motivation comes in short supply. Most of us don’t have what it takes to go alone. We each need our support team: People who keep you accountable and back you up when strong storms blow in.

For example, I partnered up on my road trip. Meanwhile, I communicated my plans with friends and family.

When things were hard or money was tight, I had people to remind me of the goal. I wanted road-bound freedom, to see the world and take on the impossible.

It was easy to get caught up in the details or get depressed over the little things that went wrong leading up to the trip. Not to mention that making such huge life changes comes with a lot of added anxiety.

Without that accountability, it’s hard to say whether I would have seen it through.

I was even more grateful to have learned that lesson by the time I went on my solo bicycle tour! Without the backing and constant encouragement of my family and friends back home, I’m not sure how far I would have made it.

Sometimes you’re unable to surround yourself with people who support you. Other times, they simply don’t understand what you’re trying to achieve. It can be hard to find a true support team. Thankfully, there are entire communities online and off that you can seek out. The important part is that you find them.

Begin Your Voyage

The shore begins to disappear off in the distance as you stand proudly above your very own sloop.

The first mate taps you on the shoulder, startling you out of your pensive state. You almost lose balance as you swing around to face him, your sea legs still adjusting to the slow rock of the boat. “What’s the word, Captain?” he asks.

His words seem to bare your soul. This is the moment of truth. What’s your first order as captain?

You drew a treasure map and created a game plan to put everything in motion.

You got yourself a support team. Everything is in order for the journey.

Life is good… except you forgot to think about the details of your first steps. There’s a lot more to worry about when you’re at the helm. Stepping into control of your own life is exhilarating. But the truth is that it takes time to get used to this control. Sometimes we get so excited about living life on our own terms we forget that we’re still just learning.

When you falter, that’s when you bring out the treasure map again, which is your ultimate tool to guide you where you need to be.

“Follow your dreams. They know the way.”
Kobi Yamada

In Conclusion

Your dream will never become reality unless you put a plan and action behind it. No one is just going to hand it to you.

For me, I package my dreams into six-month treasures with actionable steps I can take to achieve it. Sometimes I find better treasure along the way and change course – but the point is that it keeps me moving. I am constantly discovering new and wonderful things. In the end, that’s the lifestyle I want for myself.

Here are the basic steps to follow:

• Realize that now is the best time to begin your adventure.
• Create your own treasure map because your treasure is unique to you.
• Make preparations to go after the treasure.
• Hire yourself a crew, i.e., build yourself a support team.
• Set sail and start chasing your dream.

What treasure do you want to achieve next? How does it line up with the life you want for yourself?

Tell us about your journey in the comments below. We’d like to be part of your support team.

Featured image: Steven Johnson

The post Dreams Are Like Pirate Treasure: Hard to Find, But Worth the Risk appeared first on Without Boxes.

I want to start over. I need a new life. I want to go somewhere far away.

You’ve reached a major turning point in your life. For one reason or another, you want to say goodbye to your old life and start a new chapter. This is not a decision to be made lightly, but at this point I’ll assume you already know it’s what you want. Trust me, I’ve been there.

Making this kind of change is never easy. But you can help mitigate your anxiety with some good old-fashioned preparation.

So, how do I start over?

I have gone through many huge life changes, all of which required leaving behind an old lifestyle and embracing a new one.

You know what I think? It’s kind of like being a spy. When I was a kid, I thought being a spy would be pretty neat, so in a way I’ve kind of achieved that.

Here’s what I’ve learned from my own experiences of starting a new life:

Inspect and Strategize Your Resources

If you’re able to be flexible, you can still go far while having little to your name. The worst aspect is taking inventory and accepting whatever that is.

It’s not always a lot.

Knowing what you have available to you will help you to make this work to your favor. Remember the spy analogy? Spies are known for their ability to get in and out of any situation. How do they do this? They know what they have, what they don’t, and how to use their resources creatively to get what they want.

Here’s my personal checklist for this:

1. The Monthly Budget

Money is the source of all stress.

Visa, loan, application, <your example here> denied? 98% of the time you didn’t have enough money.

Despite what they say, money can help you buy happiness. It helps you feel secure in the simple things like eating and sleeping with a roof over your head.

Start by counting up all your assets to see how long your cash would last you as you currently live without any more income. Then, try to see how far you could stretch it to make it last as long as possible. Think of it as a mental exercise. Which expenses do you absolutely need? Which ones can you get rid of? Perhaps your cell phone is a must-have item, but your daily cup of Starbucks can go.

Afterwards, ask yourself how you can start increasing your monthly income in this new life of yours.

2. The Skills

Your skills are an asset.

Can you write? Draw? Photograph? Organize? Bathe pets? Clean a house? Make beds? Program iOS apps?

Write down all your skills, big and small. Whatever you can do, you should consider it an asset. Work can be traded for accommodation, food, and money. These are all important to your future.

Don’t sell yourself short. Just because you don’t have a college education doesn’t mean you’re not worth being paid for a job. Write it all down.

These are the things you have at your disposal to make more money down the line.

Have a skill you don’t know yet, but really want to add to your repertoire? I recommend going all out and use the obsessive learning technique I love to talk about so much. (That’s more of a pirate thing though.)

3. The Debts

There is an astonishing amount of personal debt, and it can be incredibly stressful to deal with.

List your debts in order from smallest to biggest. Research the legal rights you still have if you are unable to pay any of them. Are your debts deferrable? Is there a liable asset of yours that they can seize?

Know your rights.

Paying down your debts is your fastest route to financial freedom. My recommendation in your new life is to live on minimal expenses, dedicating every last penny to getting rid of your debts, snowball style. That means paying off your smaller debts first and then worry about the big ones.

Plan for Best Case, Worst Case Scenarios

One of my biggest fears is that everything is going to go dreadfully wrong.

That’s why, at any given point, I have two or three wildly different plans for what I’ll do if something goes sideways.

Here’s a few examples from my own life:

Backup Plan: Visa Application Edition

Talk about international intrigue! Adventure! I’m currently applying for a visa to stay in Germany.

Of course, there’s no guarantee it will work out the way I hoped. To deal with this, I have two alternative plans to follow in the event my long term visa application is rejected.

Plan 1: I can either fly onward and hop my way around the world, spending a measly $350/mo on flights and still be home to visit family for Christmas.

Plan 2: If that doesn’t work, I can fly directly back to the States, move to a cheap city and pick up work while I save up for the next big adventure.

Backup Plan: Bicycle Tour Edition

Last year, I planned an insane solo bicycle tour from San Diego to Salt Lake City. There were a lot of unknown variables. Any grand plan will – it’s inevitable. Plans are just guesses, anyways.

The questions about the viability of my trip piled up.

Could I make it in time to start my summer job? Could I survive at all, since I’m normally a total couch potato? What if something went terribly wrong?

Before heading off, I researched every possible backup plan for transportation. Every step of the way, I knew the closest shuttle or bus system that could take care of me. I made sure that my friend picking me up at the end could drive down a little farther south to meet me, in case I wasn’t where I expected to be by the end.

Spoiler alert: I totally made it!

What’s Your Backup Plan?

When you leave everything behind, you also leave behind comfort and predictability.

A spy is ready for every situation, good or bad. It involves a lot of thinking on your feet and practicing the art of devising creative escape routes.

Think out the worst-case scenarios, such as:

• Your new job lets you go
• Your house burns down in flames
• The airline loses all your things
• Your visa doesn’t get approved
• The bicycle you’re living on falls to pieces

What will you do if something like that happens? Where will you go? Who will you turn to?

This is the point where most people panic. That’s a completely normal initial reaction. But the truth of the matter is, sometimes this stuff happens. Panic about it for a minute now, and then take a step back to think through a rational second plan of action.

Think outside the box! As they say, when one door closes, another opens. Or maybe it’s time to climb out the window.

Maybe you can pursue an entirely different career. Or you can volunteer on a WWOOFing farm. Teaching English in South Korea sounds like fun. Seriously, get crazy with it. Having a wild alternative to turn to has a strangely calming effect. There is so much to do out there in the world. It’s a huge place.

By the way, are you keeping backups of your important documents? If your vital paperwork is destroyed or stolen, caches and digital backups can do you a lot of good.

In any case, taking the time to dream out completely different courses of action helps in a couple of ways:

1. You don’t feel boxed in by your immediate circumstances. There are always alternatives.
2. You’ve already created rational courses of action to tackle unpredictable situations.

Backup plans help to take out the element of surprise and risk. That said, don’t let your fears get the best of you. The point is to be prepared in case of emergency, but don’t let these concerns dictate your life!

Use your backup plan as a safety net to ease the anxiety, and then let it be.

Choose How to Commemorate Your Things

Letting go of stuff is hard. We create a deep emotional identity in our belongings. When you’re new to the practice, it’s especially difficult.

But when it’s time to move forward and leave your old life behind, you have to learn to let belongings go. In my opinion, there’s a reason every society is steeped in rituals. Rituals help us cope with what is outside of our control.

In the same way I recommend you create a ritual to deal with letting your belongings go.

It doesn’t need to involve an altar or idol, but pick out a few methodical steps to walk through before making your way to the dumpster or donation center.

Here’s one of my own rituals:

1. Take a moment with the item. Look over it, think about the times and memories associated with it.
2. Write down anything that really stands out. Describe the item in textured detail. Chronicle your favorite story. Talk about how it came into your possession. Mark down why it feels so important.
3. Take a digital photo.
4. Put it in a special, clean trash bag before throwing it away or donating it.

Evaluate What Home Means to You

The idea of home is an evasive one.

Is home a physical location? A feeling? A person? I believe there are many definitions and types of emotional homes, much in the same way we have different physical homes. However, it’s not a question you ever ask yourself until you move away from… home. Whatever that means to you.

Sometimes it’s just having a decent bed to sleep on.

Much like our belongings, home plays a lot into our identities.  When you live somewhere else and are surrounded by new culture and different ideas, you change. Not necessarily for better or worse, but a new version of you will emerge.

You may never pin down what home means to you, but knowing that we all search for it helps to cope with the weird feelings you get.

The best part is if you begin to identify what little pieces feel like home for you, you can learn to put them back together wherever you are in the world. Because even adventurous spies get homesick sometimes.

Learn to Appreciate Family

Family.

The people who raised you, grew up with you, were there for you in your times of need.

When you leave everything behind, it can also mean you’re leaving everyone behind. Whatever your reasons are for starting a new life, leaving behind everyone you know can be a very lonely experience.

This is where the idea of a rogue spy goes sideways. Being a lone wolf isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

Feeling alone and rejected is not healthy for us as humans. Just because you’re moving on in the world does not mean you should ever feel this way.

Starting over often comes with sudden clarity as to who your real family is. In some cases, you needed a fresh start to get away from bad relationships. When you can, hold onto those you left behind – you don’t need to completely start over. In any case, family doesn’t need to be blood related, and you do need to create a support system for yourself wherever you wind up.

Thankfully you can keep in touch with the friends and family you already have via services like Skype, WhatsApp, Facebook, and email.

And sometimes, they come to visit you in your new home.

But what about the people around you after the move? Being able to meet up with other people to talk, love, and play with is also important. In your new life, it’s useful to learn how to form new friends. Start by exploring your new city and meeting people.

In the end, don’t forget about the people you grew up with and the people who will miss you. At the same time, keep an open mind and heart for the new souls you’ll meet as you move on.

What Does This All Mean?

Starting over is a practice in introspection. You will be forced to re-evaluate your beliefs, actions, and behaviors. Who are you when you are stripped bare of your usual environment? How do you behave when left to your own devices when no one you know is watching you?

There’s no one right way to leave everything you know behind and start over new. However, a few things are certain.

When you take the time to:

• Evaluate your resources,
• prepare for worst case scenarios,
• ask yourself what home means to you, and
• value the relationships in your life.

You’ll be much better prepared to tackle the new life ahead of you. Kind of like a badass spy.

Have you ever had to start over fresh? What helped you get through the change?

Are you about to go through a big life change right now? What questions do you still have about the process? Let us know your stories and worries for the future in the comments below.

Photo credits: Seriously Inspired

The post A Modern-Day Nomad’s Guide: How to Leave Everything Behind and Start Over appeared first on Without Boxes.