I’m Caz Makepeace from Australia. My husband, Craig, and I are founders of y Travel Blog, a site dedicated to sharing travel tips and stories to help people travel more and create better memories. We have been blogging now for 3 years. Before the travel blog, I was a primary school teacher and Craig worked in construction. We can’t begin to tell you how immensely glad that we no longer get up every day to go to those jobs. We now spend every day doing what we love and helping others to do the same. At the moment we are in Australia and will be here for the next 2 years.

 

When did you start traveling and why?

 

I first started travelling in 1997, 3 days after I graduated from University. I was dying to embrace a life of freedom on the road and experiencing the beauty of the world, meeting new people and having wild adventures. I really wanted to discover more about the world and more about myself. I was addicted after the first week and have never stopped travelling. I found a way to make it my lifestyle instead of a month long adventure here and there.

 

How do you fund your travels? Are you working abroad?

 

We have always funded our travels by working abroad. It is the best way to travel the world long-term and cheaply. I worked as a teacher and did the odd hospitality or laboring job. Craig worked in construction, for Delta airlines and also taught English in Bangkok. We would usually source out work before we arrived in a new country. We often joined agencies or special recruiting programs. As a benefit to this we often received perks such as free flights and accommodation. There were several places where we found work just by hitting the pavements and looking or through contacts we had made. Here you can read more about our working holiday life.

 

Is your travel blog making enough money to fund your travels?

 

After three years of hard work it finally is. But, we aren’t earning oodles of money, so we have to be very smart with our budget and expenses. We have 15 years’ experience of travelling on a budget, so are pretty good at finding cheap or free travel experiences. We are actually publishing our first ebook sharing all our strategies at the end of this month. It is very difficult to make money travel blogging. You have to ensure you have multiple streams of income and you must look at ways you can earn income because of your blog, not necessarily from it. We make money from advertising, sponsored posts, sponsorships, freelance content creation, and soon, our own products. Because of our blog we also receive hosted stays in destinations which reduces our travel costs. This is not free travel, however as it does involve a lot of work on our behalf. It’s more of a value exchange.

 

What's your plans for the next 3 years?

 

We are immensely excited to be taking off on a 1-3 year road trip of Australia this September. We’ll be taking our daughters and enjoying valuable family time while exploring our beautiful country and sharing it with our readers. You can follow through our blog and the hashtag #yTravelOz. Once we have finished, we will be doing the same in the US.

 

Do you think you will ever settle down and stop traveling?

 

Travel will always be a part of our lives. I have a gypsy spirit and I can’t ever try to deny or hide that. We will probably settle for a time while our children go to school. I’m not too concerned about making that something permanent until the girls are around 10 years of age. No matter what, travel will always be a part of our lives, whether we just escape on weekends or during school holidays. We are still undecided on where we would like to settle. At the moment in would be in Queensland, Australia or Raleigh, North Carolina in the States. But we blow with the wind so this can change at any time.

 

Any tips for people on how they can travel as long as possible?

 

You’ve got to want it bad enough and be willing to make the sacrifices in order for it happen. Get very clear on why you want to do it. Once you know that and you make the commitment to creating a lifestyle of travel, you will be amazed at the doors that open up for you. In 1997, I never set out with the plan to make travel a lifestyle, I just really knew why I wanted to travel. That first step turned into thousands and they’ll continue for the rest of my life. It really has felt so effortless. All I am doing is following my heart and being guided by my soul.

 

Originally from Boston in the US, I set out for 3-month trip to SE Asia shortly after graduating from university. The idea was to travel for those few months before returning home and starting a career as a Sports Agent. And the short story is that soon after arriving in SE Asia, I decided to try and find a way to travel indefinitely instead. I've now been traveling in some form - backpacking, living overseas, volunteering or working around the world - ever since. So, in my case, I never left a previous 'life' behind to become a full time traveler. It all started right after school. As for where I am right now, I'm currently based out of Bucharest, Romania, but I'm answering these questions at the airport in Istanbul before my flight to Lviv, Ukraine in a couple of hours.

 

When did you start traveling and why?

 

This long trip started back in 1999. That was when I flew to SE Asia. And the main reason I decided to travel indefinitely instead of returning home was that I had learned so much about the world in that first week of my SE Asia trip than I had in my entire life up until that point (or at least that's how it felt). I also started meeting so many people while in Asia, both other travelers and locals, people that I otherwise would never have met if I wasn't traveling. That fact alone fascinated me to the point where I couldn't imagine going home to a life that did not involve meeting, interacting with and learning from so many new people, from parts of the world I knew little about, so often.

 

How do you fund your travels? Are you working abroad?

 

When I first started, I was teaching English in Thailand and after a while, I ended up working as a Tour Manager on board cruise ships on and off for several years. I would work one contract, travel for 6-12 months and then go back for another contract, and so on. Then, in 2009, I started the blog and some other online projects and I've been funding my travels online ever since. I no longer need to look for work in the countries I visit as a result.

 

Is your travel blog making enough money to fund your travels?

 

Yes, my blog and the projects associated with it allow me to pretty much achieve any of my travel goals these days which is why I'm still constantly on the road (with a base in Bucharest)!

 

What's your plans for the next 3 years?

 

At the moment I am building my Wandering Earl Tours project in which I organize and lead laid-back, small group tours to various countries around the world for my readers (and anyone else who wishes to join!). So I plan to continue growing that tour idea by leading more and more trips each year. Apart from that, I have several other projects I'm working on at the moment but in general, I don't plan too much into the future. The reason is that, with this lifestyle, one that involves constant travel and earning an income online, you never know what kind of obstacles or opportunities tomorrow will bring. As a result, I continue building what I have while always assessing the situation/my life and changing my path accordingly.

 

Do you think you will ever settle down and stop traveling?

 

I have no idea and again, I don't think about it too much. My theory has always been to wake up each day and do what I love most. Right now, that is still travel. But if I wake up tomorrow and decide that it's time to stop and I really want to settle down, then that's what I'll do.

 

Any tips for people on how they can travel as long as possible?

 

There's so much advice to give that I could write a book about it, which I actually did (How to Live a Life of Travel) ! As many people say, the first step is the most important and you really need to build the confidence to convince yourself that your goal of long-term travel is not a crazy fantasy, but a realistic lifestyle option instead. Reading blogs and talking with other travelers certainly helps! Also, once you start traveling, some things to keep in mind are the concepts of determination, creativity and networking. If you're not determined to achieve your goals, chances are it won't happen. If you want to find ways to travel for as long as you want, you need to get creative when it comes to spending/saving money, finding work, creating opportunities, etc. And networking is perhaps the most important. The more people, both fellow travelers and locals alike, that you meet and talk with, the more you'll learn about opportunities that exist out there in the world that might help you continue traveling. You never know where a 'hello' or a simple handshake may lead so get out there and talk to as many people as you can!

 

I was born and raised in Chicago, but the Midwest couldn't quench my wanderlust. As soon as I was old enough I set off cross-country to discover the U.S. After that initial trip I settled down into a corporate career, but continued to seek the thrill of travel at every opportunity. Thirty-six years later, bedridden and seriously ill with Lyme disease, I took a hard look at my life and realized I felt like the proverbial donut - solid on the outside but empty on the inside. I had spent years building successful careers that paid the bills but brought no joy.

 

When did you start traveling and why?  

 

I promised myself that, if I could regain my health, I would find a way to pursue my true passions of writing, photography, and travel. A year later, fully recovered, I strapped on a backpack and traveled around the world solo for six months. I started my blog, Hole in the Donut Cultural Travel, so that friends and family could follow me around the world but by the time I returned to the States, I was hooked not only on travel but also on blogging. For the next three years I used my apartment in Florida as a base but soon I was traveling so much that it no longer made sense financially to maintain a base, so I gave up my home and became a perpetual traveler. These days, I return to the U.S. every December to spend the holidays with my family, but within weeks I'm back on the road again, where I seem to be happiest. At the moment I'm on an eastern European tour, where I'm nosing around Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria. In mid-October I'll head to Istanbul and continue on to Malaysia and Thailand. (A more in-depth account of my transition from corporate life to perpetual traveler can be found on my About Page.

 

How do you fund your travels? Is your travel blog making enough or do you work abroad?  

 

I do whatever I can to earn money to stay on the road. The bulk of my income comes from advertising on the blog, though I also make a small amount from freelance writing and the sale of my photos for publication. I'm also working on my first eBook, as well as a new (secret at the moment) website that I hope will produce additional revenues from my photos. Three years ago my income was sufficient to cover my travel expenses but over the past two years the Internet advertising model has changed significantly and as a result, my income has decreased. At the moment, I am supplementing from my savings, but I am also working on some corporate sponsorships that I hope will replace the lost advertising revenues. Fortunately, as income has decreased, the amount of travel assistance available from CVB's and DMO's is increasing, which lowers my cost of travel.

  

What's your plans for the next 3 years?

 

Of late, I've been doing more fast travel than I normally like, however that's because I'm visiting a slew of countries I've never been to and want to get a "taste" of each to see which I might like to spend more time in. Once I've identified my favorites I'll return for a longer stay, with the goal of spending three months in one place during the summer months, three months in a second place during the winter, and traveling for the remaining six months each year.

 

Do you think you will ever settle down and stop traveling?

 

I can't ever see myself being in one place year-round, so the answer is an easy "no." I'm pretty sure that my winter place will be Thailand, but I'm not sure about the summer place. Paris, maybe, or somewhere in Spain.

  

Any tips for people on how they can travel as long as possible? 

 

Think about what you love to do. What are you passionate about? Once you know that, get creative about how to do what you love while traveling. Can you offer a consulting service of some kind? Design websites? Write code? Develop phone apps? Be a public speaker? Teach English? Be a tutor? Serve as an Au Pair for half of each year and travel the other half? In this day and age, with abundant access to WiFi, it's possible to work remotely from anywhere in the world. The possibilities are endless; you just have to get creative.

 

I am Turner – a talentless white guy who, like most feeling loving spirits, likes to travel. I run the website Around The World In 80 Jobs, where I chronicle my trials and tribulations of finding meaningful work abroad. I hail from Seattle Washington USA, but am currently in Thailand dodging tuk tuks and lady boys. Before traveling in school – hitting the books (har har), I have always been traveling, but I did try my hand at and failed miserably at stock trading, holding down office jobs pretending not to be playing solitaire etc.

 

When did you start traveling and why?

 

Right after Uni, I hit the road full time. I travel for self-exploration, exciting new experiences and to avoid the next decade of friends’ weddings and baby showers.

 

How do you fund your travels? Are you working abroad?

 

I find work along the road, ergo the basis for my site. To find jobs I do what any respectable member of society does, harass people until they hire me. I have had jobs from copy-editing to stock trading to jobs that pay slightly less (see: nothing) like rice farming and tequila harvesting.

 

Is your travel blog making enough money to fund your travels?

 

Yes. But I do eat questionable street food most of the time.

 

What's your plans for the next 3 years?

 

Ha for real? I don’t know where I am going to be next month. Work could be anything from street juggler to a talentless artist to a milkman. I am open.

 

Do you think you will ever settle down and stop traveling?

 

Probably. As I get older and I like to sleep on surfaces that don’t have jagged springs and stains, the idea of hanging my hat somewhere for a bit longer has it appeals. I would probably live somewhere in Europe. I dig it there.

 

Any tips for people on how they can travel as long as possible?

 

It is not about how long you travel, it is more about the quality of your experience. Find what you love to do. What’s the point of traveling if you hate what you are doing to make it happen 80% of the time? Find what you enjoy for work, then either travel in your spare time or weave it into a travel lifestyle if that’s your fancy. Balance, and draft beer – it’s more economical.

 

I'm Ayngelina and a Canadian in my mid-thirties. Just over three years ago I left for a career break, I had worked at an ad agency for ten years and really wanted one last great adventure. I never went back to the career but I sometimes take contracts there in between my travels. You will usually find me in Latin America but occasionally I'm also in Europe.

 

When did you start traveling and why? 

 

The real truth is that at 32 I started wondering if this was all there was to life. I had an on and off boyfriend of 5 years and while I traveled on vacations I knew if I had kids the opportunity to travel would be over. So instead of putting a down-payment on a condo I bought a one-way ticket to Mexico and spent the next year and a half traveling down through to Argentina.

 

How do you fund your travels? Are you working abroad?

 

That's a really good question and there are many answers. I make some money through advertising on Baconismagic.ca and then I'm also the About.com South America Guide but most of my money is from contract work at my old agency. One month working there can pay for a year in most Latin American countries.

 

Is your travel blog making enough money to fund your travels? 

 

Yes. It doesn't pay enough for my apartment or life when I am in Toronto but I could easily live in South America on the money. But I prefer to keep an apartment there as I don't consider myself nomadic anymore after burning out in Spain. I may travel 8 months out of the year but I like to have a home to come back to for 4 months.

 

What's your plans for the next 3 years? 

 

Lady I don't even know what I am doing the next 3 months! I have tried to plan my life and it just doesn't work but I see myself spending more and more time splitting my life between Toronto and Latin America/other locations. I have no desire to spend another winter in Toronto. But my travel has slowed down quite a bit, I need at least a month in a town now and prefer to rent apartments.

 

Do you think you will ever settle down and stop traveling? 

 

Right now I have settled down quite a bit by getting the apartment. I would never stop traveling but ideally I'd like to spend less than 6 months a year traveling - I can't stay single forever and this lifestyle makes me a terrible girlfriend.

 

Any tips for people on how to travel as long as possible? 

 

The biggest hurdle is funding the lifestyle so finding a way to fund it makes sense - and I would not recommend blogging. I spend at least 40 hours a week blogging, as do other pro bloggers, most people don't realize that. They think we just hang out at a beach and type at our laptops an hour a day - it doesn't work that way. If you have a prior career that you can parlay into freelance work the money is so much easier, I'd start there.

 

My name is Gary Arndt. In 2007 I sold my home with the goal of traveling around the world for a year or two. That has turned into 6 1/2. I also run a popular travel blog called Everything Everywhere which showcases my photography and documents my travels.

 

When did you start traveling and why? 

 

I began traveling full time in March 2007. I always enjoyed traveling and I had a desire to see the world.

 

Why did you start a travel blog? 

 

I had a personal website since 1997, before they were ever called blogs. I started an internet company in 1994, so having a website for my trip seemed like a natural thing to do.

  

How do you fund your travels? Are you working abroad?  

 

The first 3-4 years I traveled I did it all through personal savings. The last 2 years I have done from my blog. Both from income that I've earned and sponsored trips from tourist boards.

 

Is your travel blog making enough money to fund your travels?

 

Yes.

  

What's your plans for the next 3 years?

 

Continue traveling and blogging.

 

Do you think you will ever settle down and stop traveling?

 

I will keep traveling so long as I am able, but I will slow down my pace. I'm planning to stay in a different city for two month stretches in 2014.

  

Any tips for people on how they can travel as long as possible? 

 

The easiest way to do it is to have a skill which you can use to earn money anywhere in the world. It could be working remotely or working in different countries. It could be programming and graphic design or being a SCUBA instructor or tour guide.

 

I was born in Snina, a little town in Eastern Slovakia close to the border with Ukraine. Surprisingly, I am here right now visiting family and friends. It's summer so most of them are on holidays now and weather is good to be outside and just enjoy. It's going to be 3 years since I started blogging and traveling around the world and before that I worked as a stewardess on a plane and studied MA in English and Spanish philology.

 

When did you start traveling and why?

 

I've traveled since I was a kid but only in 2007 after my first big solo trip to Barcelona I realized that without traveling life sucks. I need adventure, I need to explore new cultures, I need to make strangers my best friends ... Traveling opened my eyes and I don't care how big of a cliche it is. It's true. It's all about new experiences.

 

How do you fund your travels? Is your travel blog making enough or do you work abroad?  

 

I never work abroad. All my income comes from my travel blogs. Since March 2011 I haven't had any other job but blogging.

 

What's your plans for the next 3 years?

 

Wow, 3 years? That's such a long time in life of a traveler :D I want to write a book, a few ebooks, do some projects to promote tourism in Slovakia, get some passive income and obviously get amazed by more countries.

 

Do you think you will ever settle down and stop traveling?

 

I can settle down but I will never stop traveling. Traveling completes me and makes my life worth living. Why would I ever stop traveling then? And where would I settle down? I think that or in my home country Slovakia, or Mexico - my favorite country, a small silent beach/island somewhere in Latin America or in the Philippines.

 

Any tips for people on how to travel as long as possible? 

 

First, they have to really want it. They have to be convinced they can make it and they have to enjoy it. Then, there's many different ways of earning money. Blogging, freelancing, ebooks and courses about health or personality problems, working here and there. Remember, the most important thing is you being happy. And most of the time it is not the most expensive material things that will provide your happiness. I also learned I don't need many material things only once I started traveling full time.

 

I'm 31 years old, was born, raised and educated in Ireland. I was working in New Orleans for three years as a web designer, and stalking my favorite basketball team on the side, before taking the leap in 2010 and embarking on my current lifestyle. I'm about two years deep into a four-year trip around the world without flying. I started in Ireland and am currently in Thailand, having made my way through Europe, the Middle East, Nepal and India.

 

When did you start traveling and why?

 

I became a regular vagabond once I quit my job in the US. I was reading about all these hip location independent people and thought it sounded cool. I also considered travel to be loaded with opportunities for growth and learning.

 

How do you fund your travels? Are you working abroad?

 

I work for myself online. Up until last year I was getting by doing freelance web design, and had built that business up pretty well. Then I fell into a nice passive income stream and have been riding that wave for several months. I spend most of my time now working on my fitness, learning about business, meeting with entrepreneurs, and experimenting with a few money-making schemes.

 

Is your travel blog making enough money to fund your travels?

 

I make very little from my blog directly, certainly not enough to live on. I've never made much of an effort to monetize it and I'm not sure if I could. That said, many of my web design clients were coming through my blog. They liked my lifestyle and way of thinking and came to me when they needed a website. So indirectly the blog did help a lot with my finances.

 

What's your plans for the next 3 years?

 

Right now I'm still determined to finish the RTW trip. It should take two more years or so. I still have to get down to Australia, across the Pacific, up through the Americas and across the Atlantic back to Ireland. Along the way I plan to focus a lot more on sharpening my business skills and building some solid businesses, ideally online.

 

Do you think you will ever settle down and stop traveling?

 

I'm not sure yet. I like to travel slow and stay in one place for at least a few months. I don't like jumping around to lots of different cities/countries in a short space of time. I think my long-term ideal would be to have 2-3 home bases around the world, and spend significant time in each of them every year, with a trip some place new thrown in every year for good measure. If I had to pick some places right now that I'd like to spend more time in, Amsterdam, New Orleans and Istanbul would be high on the list.

 

Any tips for people on how they can travel as long as possible?

 

There are many ways to do it, but learning a skill that allows you to work online is what works best for most people. And many such skills can be learned rapidly. I'd also advise people not to just quit their jobs on a whim, thinking they can quickly figure out how to make money online before their savings run dry. Try build something on the side first, see if you can get some real results so you can be confident that you can make ends meet when you do quit. Forget about passive income for at least your first year. Freelancing is a better way to go initially. Make sure you can earn active income first, then move on to passive. Lastly, know that long-term travel is not one big holiday. You'll have many days when you can't go out and explore the cool city you're staying in with all your new hostel friends because you have to stay in and work. Or go broke. On balance I think the work-and-travel lifestyle beats the pants off the traditional 9-to-5 deal, but some days will still suck.

 

My name is Stephanie and I'm a girl who can't sit still! I used to work at a non-profit medical organization at a job that bored me to tears in my hometown of Washington DC. What I really wanted was to be a writer, and now by some miracle I am! I'm currently back in DC planning a wedding, but once that is done I'll be off again to hop around the world.

 

When did you start traveling and why?

 

I first fell in love with traveling while studying abroad in college. It was my first time away from my family, friends and boyfriend and I felt such freedom I couldn't believe it. When you travel alone you learn things about yourself you might never otherwise know - I was quickly addicted. I went on to graduate college, work abroad, come back home and finally to leave again.

 

How do you fund your travels? Are you working abroad?

 

I'm very lucky in that I'm at a point now where my blog and my travel writing support my travel. It's a ton of work (more work than travel most days) but I love being my own boss.

 

Is your travel blog making enough money to fund your travels?

 

Yes and No. I suppose you could call me one of the more "successful" travel bloggers because I do manage to make a living online, but the truth is that more than 50% of my income comes from writing for other companies and not from my own website.

 

What's your plans for the next 3 years?

 

3 years is a looong time to plan for! I'm getting married in September, than traveling to Mexico for what I think will be 6 months or so. After that, assuming all goes as planned, my husband and I want to move to Italy for a couple of years! Fingers crossed.

 

Do you think you will ever settle down and stop traveling?

 

I don't think I will ever stop traveling, but as the years go one the idea of a home base has become more and more appealing. Mike and I really want to spend at least a year living in Bologna, Italy. After that who knows, but I could see living in the US again (although maybe on the West Coast this time).

 

Any tips for people on how they can travel as long as possible?

 

It's super important to be honest, and to be flexible with yourself. You really have no idea what's going to happen to you and you have to be prepared to adjust to reality. When I quit my job I thought I would be gone a year, traveling solo the whole time. Well it didn't work out that way at all: over time I've adjusted to traveling with a partner, to traveling slower (because you can't work and change cities every 3 days), to staying places longer and exploring more deeply, and now perhaps to a sort of serial expat-ism. You can get used to a lot, but you have to know what you want.

 

I'm Yoshke Dimen from Manila, Philippines. I was a full-time online community manager for a telecommunications company and a digital marketing strategist for an IT firm. While working, I made the most out of my business trips and leaves, one weekend at a time. That was how it started. I created the blog The Poor Traveler to document my trips and, thankfully, the blog was noticed by an airline, which hired me to be their location-independent Social Media Consultant. I quit my full-time office-based job eventually and said Hola to eternal weekends.

I also have a personal blog (yoshke.com), which is my venue and channel in expressing myself. I love writing.

 

When did you start traveling and why? 

 

I've always dreamt of traveling but I had never really done anything about it until my grandpa passed away over 5 years ago. He spent his last days with some of my relatives in Palawan. In the middle of mourning, I couldn't help but notice the sheer beauty of the place. While I was there, I promised myself that I would return and enjoy it, really enjoy it. I did after a couple of years and this trip started a series of out-of-town vacations (and business trips), which, as time passed, became longer and more and more frequent. But it wasn't until January 2011 that I quit my full-time job to backpack across the Philippines and Southeast Asia.

  

How do you fund your travels? Are you working abroad?  

 

My funds come from my blogs and my consultancy work. I currently work as a Social Media Consultant for the Southeast Asian arm of an online travel company and as consultant, I am not required to report to the office. It's a location-independent set-up that allows me to work from wherever.  Whatever I earn from my blogs, I save. Gotta think of my future, too. Haha.

 

Is your travel blog making enough money to fund your travels?

 

From travel blogging ONLY, so far, yes. But that's because I have only traveled around East and Southeast Asia and everything here is dirt cheap by Western standards. Whether or not it could carry me around, say, Australia or Europe, remains to be tested. But I doubt it. But if you throw in what I earn from my social media consultancy gig, more likely.

  

What's your plans for the next 3 years?

 

I'm finally going out of Asia in 2014; that's already in the pipeline. I'm just trying to launch a hostel business here in Manila and when it's all up and running, I'm planning on backpacking across Europe, South America, and Australia.

 

Do you think you will ever settle down and stop traveling?

 

Definitely. Right now, I'm beginning a self-imposed long-term travel ban so I could focus on starting a business. I'll be back on the road in 2014. But after I cross out everything from my bucket list and all this is over, I don't see myself settling down in any other place than the Philippines. I love the Philippines and I would devote my time in promoting this country's tourism.

  

Any tips for people on how they can travel as long as possible? 

 

In my case, I had to be a corporate slave first before I was able to own my time. A lot of my friends have asked me whether they should quit their jobs and travel like I do, but I always tell them that FOR NOW, do their jobs well, suck it up, AND THEN dive into it when they have found a way to fund their travels. Of course, just going for it blindly and leaving everything suddenly work for some people. But a little bit of safety net won't hurt. Find a way to earn while traveling - blogging, photography, graphic design, tutoring. You'll be surprised that there are so many opportunities out there, especially online. You just have to look hard and work harder.

 

I'm Yvonne and I'm based Berlin. I grew up in the South of Germany and moved to Berlin over three years ago. Since two years I'm working on my career as a full-time travel blogger, besides this I'm working since over ten years in the TV business. Right now I'm in my apartment in Berlin, planning my next trip, which will start on Monday.

 

When did you start traveling and why? 

 

My first trip ever was with my parents to Austria when I was 4. Well, they kinda forced me to go with them. Since then I'm trying to use every free minute to travel the world as much as I can. In 2010 I quit my 9 to 5 job, moved to Berlin and since then I'm on the road for about 9 out of 12 months every year. Why? I would go crazy if I wouldn't do so.

  

How do you fund your travels? Are you working abroad?  

 

Since this year I can happily say that I do earn my money while travelling. I get many job offers through my blog, I do produce videos for brands, write content for cooperate blogs, give workshops etc for the tourism industry - all things related to travel blogging and social media. Plus I also work as a freelance TV journalist every now and then. And sometimes I also do tours as a guide in Berlin

  

What's your plans for the next 3 years?

 

Right now I have plans till April next year, after that we will see. The most important thing for me is to do stuff that makes me happy, right now travel blogging is the thing which makes me very happy. We will see what life has in store for me for the next years.

 

Do you think you will ever settle down and stop traveling?

 

I do have my base in Berlin and that's the perfect combination for me. I do have a home, where I can sleep in my own bed, take a shower in my own bathroom and just can relax in my pajamas on my beloved sofa when I come home after my trips. And latest after six weeks back home I have to get on the road again. Sometimes it's just for one week, sometimes it's for two months. But in the end Berlin is the place where I belong and I can't imagine any better place to live in this world. Although there are many places I haven't seen yet...

  

Any tips for people on how they can travel as long as possible? 

 

Find out what makes you happy. Try to earn your money with that. If you have enough money to live and do things which makes you happy than you're living a good life. You don't have to focus on making a career. If it makes you happy to mix cocktails, do that. If it makes you happy to illustrate children books, do that. If it makes you happy to sing, do that. If you believe in yourself and make the most of your life you also will be able to fund whatever you want in your life.

 

I am half Italian, half Spanish, and was born in Venezuela and grew up in Italy, United States, and Venezuela. I currently day trade in the stock market and travel around the world. I have just arrived in Toronto from a two week trip through Italy and will be moving to Colombia to live there for 6 to 8 months. Although I have been day trading for nearly 12 years now I did used to work for a bank before I decided to day trade and travel around the world.

 

When did you start traveling and why? 

 

2009 was the year that I started traveling around the world and decided to not come back to the United States (to live). I started to travel around the world because I wanted a life of freedom. To be able to experience new things at a moment's notice and work from anywhere in the world. I have now lived in roughly 12 countries spanning five continents and have visited just over 80 countries.

  

How do you fund your travels? Are you working abroad?  

 

Since I day trade in the stock market that is mainly how I fund my travels around the world. As I also make a living with the travel blog, Wandering Trader, I also received an income from that as well. Since I am also a United States citizen I receive a tax deduction from a job that requires me to live outside of the United States. This also helps since I received upwards of a $90,000 tax deduction every year since I travel around the world for a living. 

 

Is your travel blog making enough money to fund your travels?

 

I would not say that it makes enough money to fund all of my travels but I would say that the income generated from Wandering Trader has increased year over year. The first year that Wandering Trader started making money was 2011 and I plan on turning it into a six figure business by the end of 2014.

  

What's your plans for the next 3 years?

 

When I first started traveling around the world it was for only pleasure. I have started to teach people how to day trade so they can have their own financial freedom so my travels are now based more on my day trading business rather than my travel blog. I recently just got back from a two week trip to Italy where I met a person I have taught how to day trade via The Day Trading Academy that took his entire family to Italy. I plan on opening a day trading center in Medellin, Colombia to teach the locals how to trade based on the strategy that I developed. 

After that project which will take roughly 3 to 8 months I don't have any official plans. My unofficial plans include trying to continue opening centers in Peru, Brazil, Chile, and possibly Turkey.

 

Do you think you will ever settle down and stop traveling?

 

I don't travel like most people and go from hotel to hotel. I typically rent a furnished apartment and live in a location for anywhere between 3 to 6 months. By trying to open these day trading centers I will be doing the same thing in each country I plan on opening a center in. The end goal will be to have a few condos around the world where I can arrive and be comfortable. Definitely do not plan on ending my travels but having more home bases around the world.

  

Any tips for people on how they can travel as long as possible? 

 

I would recommend that people look at the things they need rather than the things they want. Most of the people that decide to live this lifestyle don't have a lot of money. Do you really need a $800 iPad or $200 smart phone? Probably not. Also look into living and traveling through places that are not as expensive. There are still very inexpensive places to live in Asia and also in South America. 

They can be very scary and unnerving to take the plunge and start living your dreams. But I can attest to the fact that it is the best decision that I have ever made. Just do it.

 

After a lovely childhood in Upstate New York and four years spent living my big city dreams in Brooklyn, I finally succumbed to my vagabond fantasies and bought a one way ticket out the country. Two years later, and I'm still at it. I'm currently reporting from a small bungalow on the island of Gili Trawangan in Indonesia.

 

When did you start traveling and why? 

 

I've always had the heart of a wanderer. My family didn't travel much internationally when I was young, though I did manage to con my parents into letting me plan a family vacation to Belize when I was thirteen (my parents used to call me "The Bulldozer" for my, ahem, negotiation skills.) That trip left a major impression on me, and it was only compounded by a high school student exchange in Costa Rica. By the time college rolled around I was bursting with wanderlust and at age 19 set off solo for a summer in Thailand. After that, it was game over. Two weeks after graduation I was on a flight out of the country, and I've lived out of a backpack ever since. 

I am unable to articulate why I wander. I guess this Earth we live on is such an amazing place filled with such fascinating people, it almost seems a waste not to see every corner of it possible. Oh, and I really freaking hate winter. Getting away from it. That is one reason why I travel.

  

How do you fund your travels? Are you working abroad?  

 

I get asked this question a lot, and I tend to answer it the same way - I hustle! I have done it all over the years. When I was saving to travel, I worked up to four jobs at a time while taking a full course load at school -- a paid internship at a graphic design studio, weekends at a clothing boutique, evenings nannying, selling handmade cards and things in my Etsy shop. Once I hit the road I worked as an underwater videographer -- my coolest gig by far. But I also took any opportunity to make a few baht... I worked as a bartender, I handed out flyers, I even babysat for the equivalent of $2 an hour. And throughout my travels I've worked remotely with graphic design clients that I established when I was living in New York. 

About a year and a half into blogging I started to make a teeny bit of money, and it grew steadily from there. Through my blog I've picked up a couple freelance writing, editing, and video content producing gigs that I love and really help me diversify my income.

 

Is your travel blog making enough money to fund your travels?

 

My blogging combined with my freelance multimedia work (writing, designing, videoing), yes. I'm still new and growing and so happily my stats and income are steadily increasing all the time. In the past year I've made between $1,000-3,000 per month every month. And with my relatively cheap travel style and my partnerships with various travel companies, I keep my expenses super low - I get by.

  

What's your plans for the next 3 years?

 

Starting in October I'm heading to South and Central America for six months, which I'm pretty excited about. I hope to spend the next three years alternating between warm sunny summers spend stateside with friends and family and the rest of the year split between globetrotting and living abroad. I can't be on the move all the time, it's too exhausting. Sometimes I need to put my bags down and get into a routine for a couple weeks -- ideally somewhere with decent internet, fresh mangoes and cheap massages.

 

Do you think you will ever settle down and stop traveling?

 

I will never stop traveling. This world is just too big and beautiful for even one lifetime! However I can absolutely see myself burning out on these major multi-month journeys and switching to having a home base and taking shorter trips instead. The hard part will be figuring out a place I love enough to forsake all others.

  

Any tips for people on how they can travel as long as possible? 

 

Finding an online income source definitely helps as you can earn in a country with a strong currency and live in a country with a weak one. It doesn't have to be blogging, either (in fact, unless it's your wild passion I really don't recommend it as a stable career path!) I have friends who work as translators, professional poker players, and graphic designers -- all location independently. But of course there are plenty of careers that can keep you traveling without the aid of a computer. I highly recommend the book "Work Your Way Around the World" - when I was a high school cheerleader living in the suburbs, it really blew my mind right open. 

The other key is minimizing expenses. Let go of the car and apartment back home, and don't pay to keep crap in a storage unit. And yeah, don't buy things. Stuff you buy is stuff you have to carry.

 

Hey! I’m Ryan Gargiulo. I’m a blogger, freelancer, wordpress geek, fitness fanatic, foodie, and world traveler hailing from Bridgewater, Massachusetts. Before I started traveling I was working in IT, servicing small to medium sized businesses on the South Shore of Massachusetts. I'm currently living in Chiang Mai, Thailand and I've been here for five months now. In September I'm headed to Germany, Turkey, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia and a few more countries before flying back to Boston to visit family in November. After that I'm headed to down to Mexico for a few months.

 

When did you start traveling and why? 

 

I started traveling in 2008 after I realized that life was just passing me by. I wasn't taking advantage of this short life that we live. I was working at a company that I didn't enjoy working for and I had just broken off a relationship of two years. It was time for a change.

  

How do you fund your travels? Are you working abroad?  

 

At the moment, I'm funding my travels through freelance gigs. Fortunately, many of the gigs have found me via word of mouth. I do freelance writing, video projects and I partner with companies as a digital influencer/brand ambassador to help promote products and services.

 

Is your travel blog making enough money to fund your travels?

 

Pause The Moment used to bring in a pretty sizeable income via ad revenue but that all changed last year when Google slapped me with a penalty for selling links. Once something like that happens, you start to realize that while ad money can be a great way to keep you on the road, it's really not worth getting crushed by Google after putting years of blood, sweat and tears into your site. Everyone who sells links will get hit eventually, it's just a matter of time. My advice is to stop while you're ahead.

These days Pause The Moment brings in a decent stream of income each month via affiliate links and sponsorship/endorsement deals.

  

What's your plans for the next 3 years?

 

You never know where you're going to be next week nevermind three years down the line. I don't plan that far ahead. I'm LIVING life to the fullest, all day, everyday.

 

Do you think you will ever settle down and stop traveling?

 

I'm not sure. It will really depend on where Pause The Moment (or another project/venture) takes me. These days I'm all about spending time in each place that I visit. Sure, there will be times that I go on whirlwind trips, but I prefer to settle into a destination these days. Slow travel is where it's at.

  

Any tips for people on how they can travel as long as possible? 

 

Of course. First you'll need to figure out what you're most passionate about. Once you've got that down, work on coming up with ideas on how you can monetize your passion. Those who are passionate about things are usually very knowledgeable about them as well. Use your knowledge and your passion as a vehicle to your definition of freedom.

Those who are interested in starting a blog will find my in-depth tutorial titled: "How to Start a Blog in 8 Easy Steps" really handy. The best part about it is that it's FREE!

 

I'm Samuel Jeffery. I grew up in a small town (Gold River) located on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. During my University days at the U of A in Edmonton, I started tutoring ESL to a group of students from Korea and other parts of Asia. It was during this time that I became very interested in potentially living abroad after my degree. When I graduated in 2005, I had my degree rushed to my parents house in Fredericton and within days I was on a plane bound for South Korea; I didn't even bother attending my convocation ceremony. I've been abroad in some capacity ever since. 

 

When did you start traveling and why? 

 

I'm not entirely sure to be honest. I don't come from a family of travelers. I did go on vacations with my parents as a child but it was limited to destinations in Canada and the US. It's possible that because I grew up in a small town that I'm especially curious about the world and what is has to offer. These days, it's a true passion and I'm certainly addicted.

  

How do you fund your travels? Are you working abroad? 

 

Previously, I've funded my backpacking expeditions via the salary I earned as a teacher in South Korea. These days, I've transitioned to earning money online through my main blog, niche websites, freelancing and YouTube. 

 

Is your travel blog making enough money to fund your travels? 

 

Indeed, I'm able to make enough money with my blog and other projects to not only cover the costs of my travels but to put away money into my savings account every month.

  

What's your plans for the next 3 years?

 

I'm probably the most indecisive person on the planet. I do make plans in advance but almost always I'm tinkering with them. Right now my goal is to further expand my passive income levels while traveling around the world. Long gone are the days when I'd be packing up and moving every 2-3 days. Now that I'm a digital nomad, I need to keep a pace which is slower (roughly a week in each destination) or base myself somewhere for several weeks/months in order to keep on top of work.

  

Do you think you will ever settle down and stop traveling?

 

I'm unlikely to ever settle down permanently. If I stopped earning money online as a digital nomad, I'd most likely become a professional trained teacher working in International Schools around the world or join the foreign service.

 

Any tips for people on how they can travel as long as possible? 

 

Where there is a will there is a way. I'm a perfect example of that. I came to Korea in 2005 with only a bit of chump change in my pocket and I've been traveling the world ever since. The key is to be thrifty, frugal, resourceful and open to working abroad in a number of different capacities. If you refine your skill-set as an online entrepreneur, dive instructor, teacher, web designer or learn another useful trade/skill it makes the entire process so much easier.