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Is Chris Hughes the Coolest Digital Nomad Alive Today?

If you flew to Panama with a lot of debt, a little cash, no experience and nothing but a plan to make money online, would you still play it cool?

A common theme of this podcast is to explore transition. No one gives permission to do this stuff. It takes a leap of faith to make it happen. I love to ask how the most successful people made it happen.

My guest today is Chris Hughes (@whosChrisHughes). We met at KoHub one night. I dive into that story in the podcast.

Lots of people say that building a business is like jumping off a cliff and building an airplane before you hit the ground. For Chris, that plane was a Duck Dynasty Facebook fan page. Duck Dynasty caught him before he hit the dirt. He’s still flying. It’s a crazy story.

“Do the stuff you’re supposed too, before you do the stuff you want too.” – Chris Hughes

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Travel Topics:

  • How Chris almost killed his friend [02:20]
  • Starting a life of travel [02:40]
  • The viral power of Duck Dynasty [03:35]
  • Using a Facebook Fan Page to buy a margarita [06:50]
  • Valet-parking cars for Orlando Magic [10:45]
  • Refusing job opportunities to keep your freedom [14:10]
  • Learning how to make money online [16:05]
  • On completing college for your parents [18:03]
  • Burning your ships and making the leap [22:38]
  • Being smart with your money [23:20]
  • Juggling for video games [25:20]
  • The benefits of Capitalism [29:05]
  • Leaving the surfing haven of Costa Rica [30:35]
  • Building systems for your business [33:30]
  • Making business work on Facebook [35:50]

Chris Hughes Talking Points:

Facebook | WhosChrisHughes

Music Credit:

Take Action:

What was your last important life transition?

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An 11 Month Road Trip Funded by Making Money Online While Traveling

Compliments of Ian Robinson

In 2015 V (Veronica) and I ran an internet business which empowered us to spend the whole year island hopping in the Caribbean and driving across the United States.

During that time we took a boat from the Dominican Republic to Puerto Rico, flew to Miami, drove to New Orleans, New York, Canada, Detroit, Chicago, Yellowstone National Park, British Colombia and down to Reno, Nevada.

V graces the show with her presence today. Unaware this is about to go down, until I shove a microphone in her face, she’s a willing participant. The aim is for her to help me tell this story. We have alot of fun reminiscing. This was the best year of my life and I’m deeply grateful to share this story.

Note: This is an enhanced podcast so while you listen on your iPhone (subscribe to the podcast) you can see images on the screen.

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Cross Country Links Mentioned:

Cross Country Talking Points:

  • Introducing V [0:28]
  • Why Live in Dominican Republic [0:46]
  • Taking a Ferry from the Dominican Republic for Puerto Rico [1:37]
  • On moving to Rincon, Puerto Rico [2:35]
  • How we flew to Miami, bought a car and drove across the USA [4:44]
  • Thoughts on living in New Orleans, Louisiana for a month [7:23]
  • On the drive from New Orleans to New Jersey [11:02]
  • Hanging with the Mennonite Communities in Harrisonburg, Virginia [12:16]
  • Veronica’s mixed experience with Washington DC [15:00]
  • House sitting in beautiful Livingston, New Jersey [17:03]
  • How we lived in Brooklyn for a month with no accommodation expense [18:20]
  • Explaining how we make money to afford this travel lifestyle [20:14]
  • Leaving New York City to drive North – Disaster strikes! [20:45]
  • Driving across the midwest and into the North West United States [24:22]
  • The decision to drive to Canada on the fly [25:58]
  • The buffalo encounter [26:53]
  • RVing around British Columbia, Canada [28:36]
  • Driving from Glacier National Park to Reno, Nevada [30:24]
  • The overall experience of road tripping across the USA as digital nomads [32:02]

Music Credit:

Take Action:

When was your last road trip? Where did you go? How did you fund it?

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Marcus Meurer: Building a Better World for Digital Nomads

Compliments of V D’Rozario

Marcus Meurer and I have businesses that don’t involve location requirements. That empowers us and people like us to live in a new city every 1-3 months. It’s great for individual freedom, but what about community?

Marcus Meurer is the mind behind a lot of companies. He is now focused on the problem of community for the digital nomads. He is one of the founders of DNX, a co-working organization which sets up events, camps and a lot more for all these digital nomads scattered like glitter across the earth.

I met him on the island of Koh Lanta on the Andaman Sea side of Thailand. He was leading DNX Camp at the time and graciously offered a bit of his time to share with us how he is supporting the digital nomad community.

“Getting the first client and getting the first bill paid changed everything for me.” – Marcus Meurer (Tweet It)

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Welcome back to the show everyone.

Some of you may have noticed that Love Affair Travel got knocked out by a team of Chinese, Russian, Myanmarian hackers. It was a nightmare. The good news is, we’re back better than ever. The site loads faster, is more secure and just looks better. We’ve even added forums. My hope is that I can be of assistance to those who are listening to this show.

Just to catch you up, V and I have moved to a small island on the western coast of Thailand in the Andaman sea. It’s called Koh Lanta and we’re not alone here.

There is a large group of Digital Nomads here and one sect of them is the DNX camp headed by Marcus Meurer and his girlfriend.

In this podcast we discuss the nature of the digital nomad community, how it’s growing and what we can do to make the scene more vibrant for those new entrants.

Marcus Meurer Talking Points:

  • Working with other digital nomads
  • Transitioning from the 9-5 into the nomad lifestyle
  • The challenges of building and working with remote teams
  • On removing the barriers that you create when the business needs you to grow
  • What is Freedom Podcasting and what do we do?
  • Exploring loneliness, a significant challenge for digital nomads
  • Co-working and how to create a hub for the modern workforce

Lovely Links:

Twitter  | Facebook | Instagram

“Sometimes you have to NOT make a science out of everything. Get started and get the content out there.” – Marcus Meurer (Tweet It)

Music Credit:

Respond:

How to think about community?

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The Traveling Dutchman: Using Airbnb to Fund Your Travels

He optimized use of his Amsterdam flat by listing it on Airbnb.

He used the income from renting to travel the world.

He also writes a blog about it.

Now he advises others on how to make a living on Airbnb.

Jasper Ribbers has become The Traveling Dutchman.

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“Traveling opens your horizons, you start challenging the things you think are normal & you start questioning things.” – Jasper Ribbers (Tweet It)

Travel Topics:

  • Was traveling a lot and renting out his flat in Amsterdam
  • How he wasn’t making money on it so he couldn’t stay at his flat when he returned
  • How he’d used Airbnb as a traveler so decided to try it as a host
  • Renting his flat on Airbnb makes it financially feasible to live the traveling lifestyle
  • Once his income was covered he started doing what he thought was fun… Blogging and Writing
  • Tourism isn’t the only demand for Airbnb
  • Was a trader in Chicago, en route to settling down, knew it was time to make the dream of travel happen
  • Went on an inspirational vacation by himself to the Philippines, wanted more of those experiences
  • People are investing in properties for sole use with Airbnb
  • Sometimes disruption of an industry can be a good thing

“Not only does Airbnb allow accommodations to be used in a more efficient way, it also connects people.” – Jasper Ribbers (Tweet It)

Lovely Links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook

Music Credits:

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Graham Brown: Learning the Business Lifecycle and Fitting it into Your Traveling Lifestyle

A telecom business made him traditionally successful.

Then Graham started to examine what success really meant.

So the transition from being a CEO to just a guy with a backpack began.

His family slowly scaled down their lives and started traveling the globe.

Now he enjoys Zen-like moments around the world.

Our next guest, Graham Brown.

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“Everybody has a different way of traveling. People need to know there are options, there are different ways of doing it.” – Graham Brown (Tweet It)

Travel Topics:

  • Lived in Japan in the 1990s where he saw the beginnings of the mobile revolution
  • Why Graham scaled down his telecom business to make it more profitable
  • How he learned to be wary of taking on any overhead
  • The importance of the business life cycle
  • Benefits of being detached enough to step back and see what the business needs
  • How he saved money from real estate investments
  • The important part of your finances when traveling: what direction your bank account is going
  • How he wanted to live some place exotic and warm (who doesn’t, really?)
  • His son goes to local school wherever they go, allowing the family to integrate into the local community
  • Books are about starting your own business, making it autonomous, getting rid of material stuff, and being able enjoying the adventure
  • Tips for getting started: Educate yourself, write down your travel goals, be aware that it’s a process
  • How people think traveling is going to get rid of all their problems… It won’t!
  • If you’re a guy with big feet, buy your shoes before you go to Japan
  • How children are far more adapted to this lifestyle than adults

“Children don’t care about making mistakes and they are natural travellers.” – Graham Brown (Tweet It)

Lovely Links:

  • Connect with Graham:

Barefoot Journal | Facebook | Google+

Music Credits:

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Chris Kirkland: Building a Freedom Driven Internet Business and the Hobo CEO

During a vacation in Goa, India, Chris felt like a naughty school boy.

Answering client issues whilst adventuring, he realised he could have it all.

Since then he’s moved to Tokyo, Japan and runs his own business.

In this episode we discuss his business and the things that inspire him.

Welcome Chris Kirkland the Hobo CEO.

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“The threshold of what you’re capable of doing tends to grow a little bit.” – Chris Kirkland (Tweet It)

Travel Topics:

  • A great way to start out your Hobo lifestyle and internet business
  • The cheating feeling one gets from working where ever they desire
  • How it took about 18 months to establish himself as an expat in Tokyo
  • Fond memories of the freelance days vs. the job of the entrepreneur
  • About the headstands, the story of the original inspiration and the philosophical implications
  • On overcoming anxiety in business and day to day life
  • Viewing subtle and subconscious entrepreneurial opportunities after living abroad
  • How to cultivate a network of location independent friends and the social permission to live like this
  • All the other Lovely Stuff

Lovely Links:

ArtWeb | Mr. Kirkland | HoboCEO | Twitter | Facebook

Music Credit:

Take Action:

What’s your internet based business looking like? Have you started it? If not what’s holding you back? If you have, please link it up. It will get you back link and perhaps there will be another member of the community who could use your stuff.

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Niall Doherty: How to Write a World Class Book and Cross the Pacific Ocean on a Cargo Ship

Niall is back on the show.

He’s the first guest to be featured for the second time on the Love Affair Travel podcast (he was Episode 1).

Since our first interview Niall has gone a long way on his journey.

We caught up with him just after his pacific crossing.

He wrote an amazing book and is here to tell us all about it.

Give it up for the avid traveller, Niall Doherty.

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“I’m not sure if I burn more cash or more fuel.” – Niall Doherty  (Tweet It)

Travel Topics:

  • How to decide if a cargo ship pacific crossing is the right decision
  • Strange stories of South Korea
  • About Disrupting the Rabblement
  • How Niall lives a nomadic life
  • The value of tracking expenses and how to do it
  • The emotional challenges of living and moving in India
  • New ways to understand gratitude
  • The challenges of environmental decision making
  • Book recommendations for rational thinkers
  • How to get comfortable with flirting
  • Business strategies for those who don’t live in one place
  • The role of work and success
  • Daily routines and how Niall’s evolve from country to country
  • How to start a blog
  • The future of Disrupting the Rabblement

Lovely Links:

Business | Manliness | Travel

Suggested Books:

Music Credits:

Take Action:

If given the opportunity to travel abroad and earn online, could you have a healthy work ethic and not be distracted by your awesome new lifestyle?

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Tynan: World Travel and Freedom through Minimalism and Good Habits

On a spur of the moment decision.

He decided to leave all of his possessions behind.

He jumped in an RV and started traveling the world.

With no concern about what society may think of him.

He started living his dream.

Welcome, the one and only Tynan.

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“Travel is enriching in ways that are hard to articulate.” – Tynan  (Tweet It)

Travel Topics:

  • Riding on the slowest train in the world
  • Tynan’s love affair with his RV
  • Great ideas to world travel
  • How Tynan only spends money on the things that are important to him
  • Being followed by a drug smuggler!
  • Secrets for finding cheap flights
  • About Tynan’s published books

Lovely Links:

  • SETT – A blogging platform that builds communities
  • Connect with Tynan:

Website | Twitter

Travel Tools:

Music Credit:

Take Action:

Take a moment to think about what you really value in life – are there any ways that you could be spending or saving money in a more meaningful way that would allow you to enjoy yourself more?

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Ilya Brotzky: Tech Startups, Brazil and Moving to New Countries

Following your heart is the path to freedom.

Doing so could take you to all sorts of places.

Perhaps even Brazil…

This guy is doing it.

Here is his story.

Welcome my next guest, Ilya Brotzky.

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“F$#k the BMW, follow your heart.” – Ilya Brotzky (Tweet It)

Travel Topics:

  • Who is Ilya Brotzky?
  • Help in the Philippines (Fundraising Closed)
  • Volunteering in Brazil
  • Florianopolis
  • Rio de Janeiro
  • VALE
  • Mt Kilamanjaro
  • Who is Seth Cochan?
  • Mountains for Moms
  • His involvement with Tech Startups
  • Developing a global mind
  • Traveling to create world peace
  • Why he moved to Brazil… Twice!
  • About his blow up mattress in a favela
  • Advice for moving to a different country

“Everything was a little bit harder, everything was a little bit easier.” – Ilya Brotzky (Tweet It)

Lovely Links:

  • Connect with Ilya Brotzky:

WebSite | Twitter

Music Credit:

Take Action:

Did you enjoy the show? When are you moving to Brazil?

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Jonny Blair: Unstoppable Travel Mindset for Going Wherever You Dream

He has been on the road for 10 years.

He’s gone everywhere and he writes about it.

He can find a job anywhere and his stories are unreal.

If you want to see the world this is the mindset to make it happen.

Say g’day to the travel connoisseur, Jonny Blair.

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“Anyone can do any thing if you want it.” – Jonny Blair (Tweet It)

Travel Topics:

  • How Jonny got started on his 10 year journey
  • How much money he saved
  • How picking apples in Tasmania got Jonny to Antarctica
  • What separates long term travelers from the still
  • On the perils of international travel
  • On the road less traveled
  • The key to a successful travel blog
  • Personality traits of  successful travel bloggers
  • From travel jobs to entrepreneurship
  • How he developed an Unstoppable Travel Mindset
  • Getting to Antarctica
  • How to do the Inca Trail
  • How a Northern Irish man sees world peace and how travel impacts his perspective

Lovely Links:

  • Connect with Jonny:

Website | Twitter | Facebook

Music Credit:

Take Action:

What are your thoughts? Do you have faith that you could go to any country on earth and find a job?