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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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Luke Metelerkamp: Global Sustainability, Travel and a Purpose Driven Business

Image Property of Luke Metelerkamp

Luke Metelerkamp and I met on the farthest southern island of New Zealand. It’s called Stewart Island. This is pretty much the farthest point into the middle of nowhere a person can go without doing a trip to the Arctic or Antartica. That’s the kind of guy that Luke is.

We went our separate ways after meeting at a lodge on this remote island. I think he went back to South Africa where he is from. That was when I went to Australia. We exchanged Facebook friendship while chilling at the lodge.

I knew I was headed to Cape Town for the FIFA World Cup and he was certain to be there wrapping up his studies. He said he would take me surfing and I thought that would be great.

If I knew then what I know now, that invitation should have been viewed with a comfortable level of trepidation. Luke likes to surf big waves in frigid Cape Town water during the nastiest parts of the winter. He’s a machine.

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“Travel gets you outside of your comfort zone & open to new ways of thinking & being.” – Luke Metelerkamp  (Tweet It)

Travel Topics:

  • How Luke was inspired by his 5 year journey to start a Purpose Driven Business – An education program
  • On the sustainable practices of the Nepalese and how they inspired Luke to build his program
  • Contrasting the effects of pit mining in India with Nevada and Australia
  • The story of Luke’s treks around far west Nepal
  • Costa Rica: The Environment, Ecology, Surf and Permaculture
  • How to hack a month of snowboarding in Kashmir for about $700

Lovely Links:

Website | Facebook

Music Credit:

Take Action:

What do you think about Luke’s take on sustainability? Could Costa Rica really be the most developed country in the world?

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Wandering Earl: Kidnappings, Entrepreneurship, the Taliban and 14 Years on the Road

Image Property of Wandering Earl

He likes to travel to the least visited places on earth.

His first trip was 14 years ago in South East Asia.

It was only supposed to last for 3 months.

Today he is still on the road going as strong as ever.

He’s a hero in the long term travel space.

Please welcome, Wandering Earl.

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“The overwhelming number of people on this planet are nice, good people.” – Wandering Earl  (Tweet It)

Travel Topics:

  • How a short trip to South East Asia turned into a 14 year travel lifestyle
  • How blogging helped to focus Earl’s travel driven entrepreneurship
  • Why desperation is a useful tool for a travel lifestyle
  • The tools Earl used to build his first business on the road (hint: pens and paper)
  • How to start a language training business in any (non-english speaking) country in the world
  • Earl’s stories of traveling in Pakistan, Yemen and getting blitzed with the Taliban
  • How Earl was kidnapped in Bangladesh
  • We go on a tangent on how to learn to surf in Mexico or Australia
  • All about Romania and how it is the friendliest country in the world
  • Comparing the cost of living in Australia with that of Romania
  • The opportunity for a Working Holiday in Australia for those under 30
  • Advice for those that want to live a permanent travel lifestyle
  • Developing an open minded approach to making money while traveling
  • Independent traveling with the support of small groups
  • All the other Lovely Stuff

Lovely Links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook

Music Credit:

Take Action:

Now it’s your chance! Share this show on twitter.

Everything you need to know about the Australia Working Holiday Visa

Have you ever had a job on a cruise ship?

Do you find interesting ways to maintain your travel lifestyle?

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Jodi Ettenberg: Tales of a Lawyer Turned Slow Traveling Global Adventurer

Image Property of Jodi Ettenberg

Sometimes life requires something more.

One can have an excellent job in a prestigious place.

Yet the call of exotic lands can be too much to bear.

After realizing this Jodi turned that passion into a powerful journey.

She has been on the road for five years and has only just begun…

Please welcome, the founder of Legal Nomads.

The lovely, Jodi Ettenberg.

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“Opportunities come your way and you either go with them or not.” – Jodi Ettenberg  (Tweet It)

Travel Topics:

  • Jodi’s excellent packing guide
  • Explaining her lifestyle of living in SE Asia half the time and USA the rest
  • How Jodi went about leaving a well paid position at a law firm to travel the world
  • The transition between a lawyer turned slow traveling global adventurer
  • How 5 years of travel has led to a career she never expected
  • How to budget for travel on a per year basis
  • The origins of LegalNomads.com
  • How her passion for writing almost accidentally turned into a profession
  • On the importance of authenticity
  • The long term, community driven way to make money online
  • Why providing value is essential to entrepreneurs
  • On the value of sticking to what you care about
  • What captivated her about the Trans Siberian Railway
  • On the joys of being bench-pressed by giant Russian men
  • Her magnificent story of a “non-space view of the overview effect analog”
  • How slow travel works
  • Why Jodi made the decision to stay in Bangkok during the riots of 2010
  • How to question engineers as to the direction they placed their sniper wire
  • Even as a lone female traveler, she feels safer walking around at night than in much of North America
  • We discuss safety on a deeper level than I ever have before
  • How travel safety instincts can develop with time on the road
  • The value of avoiding attention when in a foreign country
  • On the challenge of being sick in a foreign country
  • How having a backup plan to a lifestyle of long term travel is a smart decision
  • On how building a worse case scenario and preparing for it can give you more confidence in your travels
  • Jodi’s entrepreneurial plans for launching food explorations of cities based on colors
  • Her plans to create a travel site to help those travelers with Celiac Disease
  • Advice to those who know they want to travel but are unnerved by taking the first step
  • How Jodi uses Twitter
  • All the other Lovely Stuff

Lovely Links:

LegalNomads | Twitter | Facebook

Travel Tools:

  • Planning a trip? Get Jodi’s preparation guide.

Music Credits:

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Colin Wright: Muggings, Minimalism and the Exile Lifestyle

Image Property of Colin Wright

This handsome devil moves to a new country every year.

His readers decide where he will go next.

After 4 year on the road, he’s started a publishing company.

We talk about muggings, baliwood and making money.

So plug in those ear buds, hit play and get outside for a beautiful walk.

Colin Wright is on the show. Tell the WORLD!

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“I want to have the things that make me truly happy, but nothing more.” – Colin Wright  (Tweet It)

Travel Topics:

  • Despite co-founding a publishing company in Montana, he spends part of his time in Iceland of all places
  • How Colin’s Exile Lifestyle works
  • How he developed the plan for this lifestyle despite having a blank passport and having never left the USA
  • Living in Argentina for four months as his first expedition
  • The unexpected similarity of Romanian and Argentine Spanish
  • On Romanian cost of living, hospitality and internet speed
  • What his financial situation was like before leaving the USA
  • How the tragic state of New Zealand’s internet shattered his business, yet helped him refocus his aspirations on publishing
  • Why publishing is the best vehicle to realize your ideal lifestyle
  • Useful tips on avoiding victimization in impoverished countries
  • Colin’s (surprisingly) heroic story of punching a guy to avoid getting mugged
  • The risks of getting mugged in Christchurch, New Zealand
  • How New Zealand is one of the safest, easiest countries to travel in the world
  • MINIMALISM | from 8 computers and a walk in closet to carry on luggage
  • The value of traveling light
  • Humanism… We’re all human first and everything on top is icing
  • How the fear of the other doesn’t matter as much as the media and politicians make it out to be
  • Why understanding humanism can be a helpful tool on your journey
  • How to enjoy communication despite having neither language or culture in common
  • On the value of sustainability in consumption, economy and travel
  • On being bullied out of the rainforest by howler monkeys
  • A hilarious tale of playing the Cowboy in a Bollywood movie
  • How travel has effected his entrepreneurial work
  • The value of diversifying income streams
  • About his publishing company/start-up incubator he co-founded
  • The philosophical frame work that Colin has build in Act Accordingly
  • That travel is valuable and the sooner you take advantage of it the better

“The most important thing is that you have what you need, as opposed to owning stuff that is excessive.” – Colin Wright (Tweet It)

Lovely Links:

Exile Lifestyle | ColinIsMy.Name | Asymmetrical Press | Twitter

Music Credits:

Take Action:

Did this episode have an effect on you? What are you doing next?

Feel to leave a comment below or share this with your friends.

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Graham Hughes: World Record Holder Talks About Traveling to Every Country Without Flying

Image Property of Graham Hughes

A lot of people talk about being well traveled.

Graham Hughes holds the world record.

He’s conquered traveling to every country without flying.

What is probably the most impressive, he did it without flying.

That’s right folks. No airplanes.

I hope you enjoy this podcast with Graham Hughes.

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“The world isn’t as scary & expensive as a lot of people think. The only person who’s really stopping this is you.” – Graham Hughes (Tweet It)

Travel Topics:

  • How Graham caught the travel bug growing up
  • About the show that inspired the Odyssey Expedition
  • That there is no longer any country in the world that one can’t go to
  • Where to travel if you want to go to Somalia, Iraq, Afghanistan – Stay away from the South!
  • Independence of Somaliland from Somalia and how this affects travelers
  • How his expedition has led to a dramatically more vivid view of the world
  • We discuss the value of travel and how anyone with a US, Australian or European passport can do it
  • How mainstream news “by it’s very nature,” misleads people into thinking the world is a dangerous place
  • How Graham conceived of the idea to travel to every country and where he started
  • How to map out a journey around the world without flying and where the trouble points are
  • CouchSurfing and it’s importance in Graham’s journey
  • Whether or not a woman could travel the world like this
  • His story of traveling from Senegal to The Cape Verde Islands in a leaky canoe with 10 Senegalese fishermen
  • How being locked up in prison in Congo and Senegal were the worst parts of the trip
  • “Be good to strangers because one day you might be the stranger.” – An Old Bedoun Saying
  • How Iran was the most hospitable, friendly country in the world
  • How Graham was able to financially maintain his travels
  • The paradox of expensive public transportation in the western world
  • How to travel the world on a shoestring budget
  • Graham shares magnificent stories of awe:
    • A shuttle launch in Florida, USA
    • A volcanic, electric night storm in Papua New Guinea
    • An Iranian phone call of hospitality
    • Swimming with stingless photosynthesis jellyfish on a Rock Island in Palau
    • A mesmerizing midnight creep to the top of the Great Pyramids of Giza
    • Staging a sit down in the sarcophagus of the Great Pyramids
  • The hardest times in which Graham was closest to giving up on the Odyssey
  • How arriving at his final country he found himself with 4 freshly created nations to visit
  • All about the island nation of Nauru and how it’s an example of the scarcity that we will face if we continue to consume our fossil fuels at the current consumption rate
  • Tips and Tricks for getting aboard cargo ships
  • About the lives and the importance of the Merchant Marine Captain
  • How post September 11, 2001 security situation is making life harder for travelers
  • Why Graham is so passionate about Water Aid and what sets it apart from other aid organizations
  • The story of how his journey came to a successful conclusion in South Sudan on November 26th 2012 after 1,426 days on the road
  • Why the journey isn’t over and if any countries become independent, Graham will have to grab his bag again and hit the road
  • How Graham spends less than 7,000-10,000 pounds per year on long term travel

Lovely Links:

Music Credit:

Travel Tools:

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Niall Doherty: Social Media Blackmail, Circumnavigation, a Wealthy Mindset and a Quantified Life

Image Property of Niall Doherty

Niall is a man with a mission.

He is traveling around the world WITHOUT FLYING!

How is this even possible you ask?

Listen in to find out how possible the impossible really is.

Our first inspirational guest on the Love Affair Travel podcast.

The man, Niall Doherty.

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“Once you’re lucky, twice your good.” – Niall Doherty (Tweet It)

Travel Topics:

  • Niall’s journey so far: Ireland > England > Amsterdam > Around Europe > Romania > Turkey > Iran > Dubai > India > (5 months in) Nepal > India > Thailand
  • How impossible it is to go from India to Sri Lanka without flying
  • The challenge of traveling from India to Thailand without flying; how he solved this problem by “Making them an Offer they couldn’t refuse.” Hint: It involves some social media blackmail.
  • His trials and tribulations whilst seeking a Pakistani visa
  • The finances of a round the world journey in which he was to begin in $3,000 dollars in the bank
  • How Niall’s path to successful entrepreneurship has run in tandem with his global journey
  • Why Niall is focusing on a high level wealthy mindset now
  • How his Bangkok roommates helped him to identify limiting beliefs
  • Tales on hacking free travel and cash to boot
  • How Iran was the PRIME example of an amazingly positive moment in Niall’s journey
  • How to survive in Iran on $100 for 10 days
  • More about the amazing hospitality of the Iranian people
  • Meditations on irrational fears
  • How to cut out the risk of traveling by yourself or with friends
  • Niall’s take on privacy and how he lives his life as if the whole world could be watching
  • How he plans to cross the Pacific Ocean
  • A story of the guy who burned 10,000 pounds in South East Asia
  • Plus, much more…

“You can’t have an adventure if everything goes to plan.” – Niall Doherty (Tweet It)

Lovely Links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube

Music Credits:

Travel Tools:

“You don’t overcome your fears and then go do what it is that you want to do. The way it works is, you go do what you want to do in spite of the fear and then while doing it, you overcome it.” – POWERFUL Niall Doherty!