Sourced from Location Independant and written by Jenn Miller

Image credit: Hamid Najafi

It’s a reverie all of us digital nomads share along with those who aspire to be:

Mornings spent working in a hammock under a palm tree, or dialed in through the omnipresent high-speed internet at the cosmopolitan coffee bar on a tree shaded, cobbled street.

Afternoons spent on cultural diversity, perhaps pursuing a passion for languages or photography, maybe slipping a snide “wish you were here…” postcard in the mail to our old office mates back home.

These images illustrate all the best benefits of location independence – it’s why we live this way – but it’s elusive as hell and anyone who is actually living the dream can tell you that sometimes the postcards lie…

Moving Beyond Stabbing a Pin In a Map

Picking the “next destination” epitomises the upsides and downsides of location independence.

Sipping a latte, comfortable in one location, surfing the internet in search of travel savvy information that goes beyond a guide book and was written by someone who has actually been there and going through the mental check list of potential discomforts as we pull up roots and hop the globe, can be anxiety inducing to say the least…

The brochures are always glossy. The beaches always pristine. The internet is always promised at highest speed. The apartments are always “modern.” There is almost never “truth in advertising.” If you live and work as a digital nomad long enough, disappointment is inevitable.

No matter how much you plan, how carefully you do your homework or how many checklists you make, the dream WILL turn out to be a nightmare, at least once. Nightmares make great stories. Live, learn, laugh it off and move on.

So how do you maximize the dream sequence and minimize the nightmares? Take a test trip

Travel tends to be the biggest wild card (and also one of the most often-cited benefits) of location independence. If you are serious about living and working abroad and you have a real career or business to maintain then nightmare scenarios can be more than inconvenient. In addition, they can be expensive and damaging to your reputation as a professional. A test trip can help prevent all of this.

What Is A Test Trip?

A test trip is not a vacation, it’s a reconnaissance mission. You’ve done your research, found a couple of prospective places to live, checked into visa requirements, internet accessibility, the availability of business centers and you’ve crunched the numbers.

Take your planning to the next level and book a cheap flight to your potential destination:

• Stay in a hostel where there will be internet for quick checks and plenty of opportunity to talk with other travelers and pick the brains of folks who’ve lived there for a while
• Book appointments to see a few of the apartments you’re considering
• Visit the office of the internet provider in person and ask the pertinent questions instead of finding out the hard way that passports must be shown and logged before your “high speed” internet can be turned on and that even then half of the sites you would need are blocked by the theocracy of your country in question
• Identify financial institutions, check out the hospitals and health centers, visit an English language bookstore and ask some questions to check out the expat scene in the area

In short, do your homework in person instead of trusting the “experts” on-line. Four days; a long weekend, that’s all it takes.

You’ll have the fun of seeing a new place, you’ll gather the information you need, you’ll feel much more comfortable with the area when you arrive and, most importantly, you’ll congratulate yourself for avoiding the nightmare when you find it.

What You May Find…

The results of our most recent test trip: an available and adequate apartment, fully furnished for $150 USD a month, an additional $20 USD for internet, which is fast enough to support video Skype conferences to Canada, a reliable laundry service, connections established with other expats in the area, and even a source for the best English roast beef dinner off the island every Sunday night at six.

Then again, we might go for the stone cottage right on the lake with a pool and guest house for $500 USD a month. “Where’s that?” you may ask? One of the less obvious villages surrounding Lago de Atitlan, Guatemala.

from Bizlift Blog by Sterling Okura

Photo by: d’n’c

The freedom to work from anywhere is a wonderful benefit of being an internet-based freelancer.

But what if your significant other has a career that is paper intensive and demands constant face-to-face interactions?

This was my situation when I met my soulmate Rebecca four years ago.

I’d been self-employed for years and was used to traveling and working. Rebecca was an attorney working for a law firm that required frequent in-person meetings and court appearances.

Breaking Free

We’ve taken many trips over the last couple of years and Rebecca has been able to continue her work remotely for weeks at a time. We’d like to share how we were able to break free from the traditional demands of one of the most paper-intensive professions.

With a bit of creativity any couple can find a way to work remotely.

While our techniques for remote work as a lawyer will apply to other occupations, our solution won’t work for every situation. We want to demonstrate that with a bit of creativity any couple can find a way to work remotely.

Here are the steps Rebecca took.

1. If necessary, fire your boss.
2. Simplify through technology.
3. Develop strategic relationships.

After achieving the ability to work remotely, Rebecca developed a 4th step: Little tips & tricks can have a huge impact.

1. Fire your boss

Rebecca left her job to start her own firm.

This step is not necessary in all situations. Tim Ferriss’s Four Hour Work Week offers step-by-step advice on how to convince your boss that you are more productive when not working on-site in the office.

For those of you who don’t want to bother with bosses, going self-employed is a great option.

The right technology should feel like magic.

2. Simplify through technology.

The right technology should feel like magic. It should simplify tasks and make life easier.

We researched law firm management software and went with one called Amicus Attorney. This gave Rebecca a solution for digitally managing all of her client files.

The next step was reducing paperwork. She started off with a small scanner and a sheet feeder, but it frequently jammed. Eventually she upgraded her photocopier lease to include one with a network scanner. Now her paralegals can quickly scan all incoming letters and documents and associate them to the proper file in Amicus.

To work remotely, we needed a VPN (Virtual Private Network) solution that would allow her to access her server from anywhere. We found a solution that was absolutely magical.

Hamachi is an amazing zero-configuration VPN solution. It doesn’t require any hardware or access to routers. We started off using the free version, then eventually went with a commercial version for only $40/year.

After testing and working through any issues of remote access from home, we were able to start traveling and working from other places.

When we first started traveling, we used a tiny travel wireless router to share my Sprint broadband connection. Now Rebecca has her own Sprint broadband device.

3. Strategic Relationships

When Rebecca first went self-employed, it was just her and a secretary. She developed relationships with other sole-practitioners so they could cover for each other in court as needed.

Rebecca was soon able to hire several associate attorneys. Now she has lawyers who can not only cover for her in court, but also meet with existing clients and sign-up new ones.

One of the most valuable employees is Rebecca’s Office Manager. She keeps everything running, manages accounting, and handles initial communications with clients. This allows Rebecca to only deal with critical issues while away from the office.

4. Little tips & tricks can have a huge impact.

Rebecca offers this advice:

While running a law firm remotely, I’ve picked up a few tricks that make working remote much easier.

1. Cord Bag – Having duplicates of all of my power, usb, and sync cables makes life much easier. I keep them in a travel bag and never have to remember to unplug a cord from my office and pack it.It sounds so simple, but it makes traveling much easier.
2. Portable Printer – Lawyers are used to dealing with paper. With my portable travel printer, I’ve been able to print up documents to sign on the spot. This has saved many mediations by having both parties sign before leaving mediation and later changing their minds.Sometimes I find it easier to make global edits to long documents by using pen and paper. My portable printer makes this a breeze while traveling.
3. Quickbooks Online – When I first started my firm, Quickbooks Online was a handy way to keep track of the firm’s finances while traveling. Now my office manager does such a great job of running things, I rarely have to look at it. But it’s always there if I need it.

Rebecca Long Okura
Managing Attorney
www.longokura.com

Rebecca has been running her own law firm for three years now. The steps listed above didn’t happen overnight.

Don’t worry if you are not immediately able to quit your job or hire reliable employees. Start planning things out and take one step at a time. You’ll be amazed at what is possible when you combine desire, planning, and creativity.

Learn More About Remote Working

Anywired -Blogging legend Skellie provides information on working from anywhere. Check out the article on mobile offices.

The Newly Rich – Four Hour Work Week, family style. The author shares his experiences on moving to Mexico with his family for 2 months in this article.

Location Independent Living – Taking remote work to the next level, this blog offers information on how to be truly location independent. I enjoyed the article on marketing your business online.

Do you have any questions or experiences in working remotely that you’d like to share? Please leave a comment below.

This post was sourced from Bizlift Blog and written by Sterling Okura

This is the first of my Freedom Files interviews.. I met Alain Denis while traveling in Florianopolis, Brazil.

One night, Alain and I were chatting over  a few Caipirinhas (a popular Brazilian cocktail) and I became intrigued by the fact that Alain had been traveling for more than three years, consecutively, without ever going back to his homeland. (Canada)

Immediately I knew I wanted to capture this guys story and make it the intro to my new Freedom Files series.. It was very inspiring to meet him and see how excited he still was after three solid years on the road. Be sure to check out his video above and also his photography in the interview below.

Enter Alain and Nate…

Nate: So what is it your doing exactly?

Alain: Riding a suzuki DR 350 enduro motorbike from Canada to South America. Living on the road doing what I love doing, photography and traveling.
From Jasper Alberta to the end of south america – Ushuaia –

Nate: Wow, so you left on a motorcycle from Alberta and road all the way to Ushuaia Argentina…For those who don’t know Ushuaia is at the extreme Southern tip of South America…It’s commonly known as the end of the world. It’s the main launching point for traveling to Antarctica.

Aside from your photography, what do you do to occupy your time while your on the road?

Alain: Well on a motorbike, riding from point A to point B can take some time. So I enjoy the scenery. Some roads can be an adventure on its own.. like route 40 in Patagonia or Bolivia… need to focus and can tired you out!

Nate: How long have you been doing this?

Alain: I left Jasper Alberta sept 27th 2007. I’ve been traveling ever since full time.

Nate: So about three years and counting…That’s amazing! What were some the most memorable times you had during your travels. Where were you? What happened?

Alain: Everyday is an adventure really. So days more. Like in Bolivia when I rode across the Salar to Uyuni. I spent the night on Pescado Island. Normally your not allowed to camp there. But it was pretty cool to be out there alone. For the next  3 days I rode to Chile on very remote roads. One day I saw only one jeep from far away! I had to calculate my gas, food and water. Not a place to break down! The nice thing of a motorbike trip is you don’t have to ride the normal tourist route…

Nate: What were you doing before you left on your trip?

Alain: I ’ve been working as a freelance photographer for the past 10 years. It’s always been a good side income. Before leaving for the trip, I lived in a touristic town – Jasper Alberta. I was driving a taxi, making some pretty good money. Between taxi and photography, I saved funds to get on the road, then continued with only photography income.

Nate: That’s cool, so you basically make money with photography while you travel the world?

Alain: Yes, I live off of my photography income. I sell images to magazines, books, newspapers, agencies. Where ever I can. I also write stories. It’s pretty amazing!

Nate: I agree, that’s got to be the ultimate dream job. How do you market your self and your photography online?

Alain: The marketing is the hard part. Since I don’t really sit in an office but on a motorbike. I don’t spend very much time working on marketing. I have some clients I been working with for a while now. So they help me keep going. My website and blog gets a good amount of views so sometimes it helps with contacts. Like any jobs… harder you work, the more you will make.

Nate: How much money do you really think it takes to live comfortably while traveling around the world?

Alain: From my travel experiences, if you spend an average of $1000 a month. You could live at 12 000 a year pretty good. Also depends on the country you travel in, what you do, if you go out for drinks and dinners, it could easy double. I usually stay away from that so i can enjoy more time on the road then in a bar.  In countries like Peru – Bolivia. I would spend approx 400$ a month! including my gas! I sometimes meet other travelers on motos that spend double what I do. They stay in fancy hostels and eat out all the time. – My average spending is normally between $600 and $800 a month – including gas.

Nate: What initially inspired you to take the leap?

Alain: I always loved traveling, I can’t sit still in one place too long. So traveling gets me going. I get inspired from seeing cultures, landscapes.Countries are fascinating, the more your see, the more you want to see. Traveling is an addiction – a healthy one. The idea of  having a mode of transportation like a motorbike gives you freedom, alive with the environment, the smells, the sounds, the peace and craziness. A great way to be part of the culture.

Nate: I agree, what has your favorite place been so far?

Alain: hmm… thats a hard question! Everywhere!!! but many special places like Thailand, India, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina…. so many. For culture… India… for Paradise living… Thailand.

Nate: What do friends say about your life back home?

Alain: Everyone is pretty psyked, I get lots of great positive feedbacks. Most can’t believe it’s been almost 3 years and still going. Still surviving “living the dream!”It’s a whole different ball game….

Nate: It is a different ballgame that’s for sure. I find many people really don’t understand how incredible life becomes, and the changes in yourself you experience when you make a decision to explore other cultures. What do you think has changed most about you since you left three years ago?

Alain: You learn lots from other people you meet. Learn about new places to visit, new friends, incredible scenery. From traveling I learn to be more patient and appreciate life or things I have. Living on a motorbike, you carry nothing, so you appreciate the little you have. After so long on the road now, living a more simple lifestyle is what I learn.

Nate: What are your plans for the future?

Alain: Find the perfect spot to buy land, build an eco friendly hostel style house. Near surf and climbing. The two best lifestyle combo to keep the body strong and healthy.

Nate: I love it, that’s a perfect dream.

Alain: Could be if it works out

Nate: Any tips for combining work and travel?

Alain: Keep doing what you love doing, be positive and believe that you can do it! Anything can be done if you go for it.

Nate: Good stuff, it’s so much easier than people think. It’s all about a decision and a desire for change. Would you trade it for anything?

Alain: I would NEVER trade anything for the travel experiences I had. I have everything I want right here… Freedom and wheels! – with an engine…

I have been thinking of switching to a Mac for a long time. I have owned at least 10 PCs in my life, and sadly nearly all of them have succumbed to viruses and spy-ware.

This year I  had bought a new Compaq because my Gateway crashed. And not even four months after buying it, my Compaq was running so slow from some virus it had that I finally made the decision to make the switch once and for all.

Initially the biggest thing that was holding me back was learning the new OS (operating system) because at the time I had so many other things going on and the last thing I needed was to take on another learning curve.

What I found however, is that the Mac is much better organized and easier to use than the PCs I owned. If you commit to spend a half a day going through the basic tutorials,  you will probably have a better idea of how to operate you new Mac than you ever did on your PC. That was my experience anyways.

The best thing about having a Mac is that it has made everything I am doing with my travel blog tens times easier. All the media programs like Imovie, Itunes, Iphoto etc… make publishing and keeping track of media files so ridiculously easy. Needless to say, I will never be going back. Check out the video to see how I finalized the transition. I know it’s cheesy. but hey, it gets me traffic!

This is the official Travel Blog of Nate Bunger “Architect of Freedom” The ultimate resource for Lifestyle Design and living the life of a true Digital Nomad. Subscribe for FREE now and receive Nates Travel Journals via email.

Here is a hilarious video on the people outsourcing their jobs to India.

More American Workers Outsourcing Own Jobs Overseas