Life is your Career

Hi again. In an earlier article I had mentioned the path that led me towards what I like to think of as my “awakening”. When I finally realized that most of the things I had been told all my life by family, friends, and society were not fixed truths, but rather subjective ideas that while they worked for many, did not work for me. I awakened to find that a life working for a large business (or indeed any business that wasn’t my own) wasn’t something I had passion for, and that if I wasn’t going to live with passion then what was the point? Thus began my search for lifestyles that fit me and increased my happiness (you can never have too much happiness!)

As part of my awaking I came across a fascinating lifestyle called Perpetual Travelling. This is somewhat similar to backpacking and the wanderings of hippies back in the 60s and 70s but it has several important differences. Let me describe it to you and you’ll get a sense of what its like:

 Your current home is Phuket, Thailand. Living in a small beach front hut you wake up in the morning to walk down to the local market to see what looks good. A little fruit and maybe something new you can’t tell exactly what is but you’ve never tried it before and whats life without a little adventure. Back to the beach to sit in the sun and try out surfing (your finally getting your balance on the board after all these weeks of trying). Hmm… probably should work a bit today. You write a few more pages in your book, or do some a bit of consulting for a travel magazine you linked up with. Its nice when you can make your money in dollars, pounds, and euros and then spent them in Bhat ($0.25 beer? Guess I’ll have another in that case).

 Fast-forward 3 months. Well your tourist visa is just about up. Decision time… do you go across the border for one day to be able to re-enter again as a tourist, or is it time for the next adventure? You always liked Argentine beef… so why not move to Argentina? You pack up your few possessions and hop on a flight for the other side of the world. After all this time you realize how few things you actually need. Its no big deal to find a furnished apartment and how many pairs of shoes do you really need to be carrying around anyways? You’re thinking maybe 2 or 3 months in Argentina… you’ll see how the mood strikes you. That’s enough big decisions for one day - time to go hiking and maybe find another one of those 25 cent beers…

Perpetual travel is an incredibly appealing lifestyle to many people. Often you will hear people working hard talk about doing this when they retire, or even taking a multi-month round the world cruise/trip which is like perpetual travel without all the calories. The idea is simple: You travel to a place as a tourist and stay there for the allowed amount of time (usually 3 or 6 months). After that you move on to the next place you’d like to see. Some people end up getting visas and staying in a place they particularly are drawn to for a year or more, and some move every 60 days. Its all about following your desires of the moment.

But how will I make money? Ahhh the beauty of modern communication. Its now possible to work from anywhere and many careers such as writer, consultant, web designer, teacher, and many others aren’t bound by your location. If you have access to a phone and the Internet then you can make a living. Better still depending on where you plan to travel to you can make money in strong currencies that will stretch very far in countries in Asia, South America, and many other parts of the world.

There are a lot of barriers to being a perpetual traveller for sure (not the least of which is that it’s not a lifestyle that will appeal to everyone). Things like career path, family, and attachment to possessions can be large deterrents for many people. However remember that most of these deterrents are just in your mind. How many of your possessions do you really need? Does your sofa really bring you that much happiness that would couldn’t live without it? You don’t need to be attached to any one company - in fact most people who take the leap into having their own business feel that could never go back to working for someone else. As for raising children while moving around the world, nothing could be better for them. I grew up moving every couple years and lived in 5 different countries by the time I finished school and had amazing experiences that most people would only dream of. Having to move frequently hurts a child no more than staying in one town their whole lives does (just the opposite. Its healthy to have a more complete picture of the world!).

 If travel is something you’re passionate about then you owe to yourself to look into perpetual travel. If nothing else it makes for great reading!