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

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?

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)

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?

Mark Manson: Russia, Vulnerability, Purpose and the Long Term Travel Lifestyle

Choosing entrepreneurship is an adventure in itself.

Choosing entrepreneurship and travel is an extra challenge.

Mark Manson did both.

His story involves massive struggle, but the other side of it is hugely rewarding.

Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Mark Manson.

“It’s really hard to start your own business period.” – Mark Manson  (Tweet It)

Travel Topics:

  • The psychological challenges of solo entrepreneurship
  • Seeing down times as opportunities
  • What if I really went for it?
  • Seeing entrepreneurship as a long term investment in ones-self
  • His journey into the Long Term Travel Lifestyle
  • Profiting while traveling in Europe
  • Reaching Escape Velocity
  • What it’s like learning to love living in Russia
  • Why living in new countries shifted his perspective of masculinity and femininity

“It’s really hard to build something online that people feel invested in & are willing to pay for.” – Mark Manson (Tweet It)

Lovely Links:

Website | Facebook | YouTube | Twitter

Music Credit:

Take Action:

If you found this conversation useful, please share it with your friends and family.

How has this interview effected you? Leave a comment below.

Johnny Ward: From a Medical Research Lab Test Subject to a New Rich World Traveler

From a poor family in Ireland to an enterprising business.

With no technical knowledge.

This successful entrepreneur builds teams to grow his own businesses.

All the while enjoying the long term travel lifestyle.

Please welcome, Johnny Ward.

“Being broke is not an issue. There’s always a way.” – Johnny Ward  (Tweet It)

Travel Topics:

  • Money making as a medical research lab test subject
  • How Johnny managed to backpack for 2-3 years on little or no income
  • Why 99% of travellers give up and go back home
  • Johnny’s moment of realisation of how he wanted his life to be
  • How to grow a technical business, without technical skills
  • How to outsourcing works
  • Why being broke is powerful
  • How his passion got him to where he is today…. The New Rich World Traveler

Lovely Links:

  • Connect with Johnny:

Onestep4ward | Twitter | Facebook

Travel Tools:

Music Credits:

Take Action:

Write down a list of skills you can teach.

Now look at what tuition opportunities are in your local neighborhood.

Is this something you could earn a living from abroad?

If not, whats a better idea?

Let us know in the comments below.

Pat Flynn: Letting Go

Image Property of Pat Flynn

Pat Flynn was my most useful teacher. His blog, Smart Passive Income, is perhaps the best resource for anyone seeking to grown an online business these days.

His podcasting course was the backbone for what became my podcast production company. That’s a pretty amazing thing when you think about it.

Pat Flynn lives in San Diego with is family. Some might say that makes him a bit off topic for this show. To me, being location independent doesn’t mean you have to move to a new country every three months. It just means your independent of the need to stay.

Since recording this, Pat Flynn has gone onto even bigger and better things… he’s even traveled a lot. 🙂

This is a big one and an old one. I hope you enjoy this interview with Pat Flynn.

“Life beings at the end of your comfort zone.” – Pat Flynn (Tweet It)

Travel Topics:

  • Learn the concept of Pat’s book Let Go. Why adult elephants can be held captive with small chains.
  • Understand the mentality and tools that Pat uses to create
  • The importance of focusing on work that achieves your goals rather than “busy work”
  • How travel and new environments help Pat to think creatively
  • The benefits of a location independent business
  • Pat gives us a specific plan for building a location independent business
  • He shares a story of failure he hasn’t shared anywhere else

Pat Flynn’s Lovely Links:

Facebook | Twitter | Youtube

Music Credits:

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.

“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!

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