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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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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

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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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Red Triangle California Surf – Shark Infested Waters

 Sharky Waters

Surfers use a term to describe certain conditions: SHARKY.  I was blown away with the abundance in wildlife – sea lions, otters, seals; it was all so beautiful but I couldn’t help but think that these are all part of the GREAT WHITE SHARK diet.  But hell, it was the first opportunity in my life to get a taste of California waves.  They were peeling off like an aria with no wind.  No wind means glassy, oil slick textured water.  It’s wonderful.

Cayucos, California was my first spot.  My mate and I hit a few spots in the area.  The rock down near Morrow Bay has a great feel on low wind days.  The massive rock provides for a mesmerizing backdrop during lulls.  South of the Rock you jump off the docks of Morrow Bay marina, paddle between all the exotic sailboats and hike across the peninsula for a beautiful low crowd spot.  I got a jellyfish down the neck of my wetsuit but it was real fun.

The Cayucos house dried up and we headed North along Highway 1.  I fell asleep and we woke up near Santa Cruz.  Big Fail!  I slept through some really great spots.  We were now in Santa Cruz and I missed the miles of Big Sur and unoccupied California beaches.  These are the places.  There are epic spots around here.  Dangerous and fun.  Go on a venture down there.  Bring ropes, harnesses and climbing shoes.  Rappel down.  Call me, I’ll join you.  Something awesome can happen down there.

North of Santa Cruz we hit a great spot.  After a short hike from the high way down to the beach we found a right that sits in the pocket of a cliff which protects it from any NE winds.  This spot hits the best as the tide is going out.  Its just north of Santa Cruz, you have to cross a rail line just once you get out of the highway.  The spot is silent from highway traffic or anything else really.

Later on in the week we adventured out to a spot called Point Reyes.  Point Reyes is way out north of San Francisco.  It’s a wonderful little town with a sustainable food and community vibe.  This is the sort of place I must live in once I slow down with all this travel.  The small town vibe is just rich and abundant.

The surf there is cold and sharky.  Im tired now so I must take a break