Working Remotely?

I can't tell you much, but will add one tiny tip. Be ready to settle for longer times in places. A year can sound like a long time but it isn't really, when you consider that you have to get a place to live, learn some of the language, and hopefully make some long-term friends. There's nothing wrong with doing short-term stuff sometimes - but a few long-term contracts in places will let you get to know people in a place better.

Frankly, not many people are interested in being real friends with someone who plans to uproot and leave in 3 months. You'll begin to miss "deep" friendship if you don't at least tell people that you are considering settling long-term.

Regarding the job choice, I would recommend that you do NOT choose EFL. I'm sure someone will recommend teaching, but it's a job which does demand a bit of a commitment and it also involves taking an unpaid summer break almost every time you switch contracts. This adds up to a lot of unemployed months.

" I realize now that banging my head against the wall trying to decide on a career path to love was a backward approach for me."

I wouldn't say it was a backward approach at all but it can be very frustrating at times, no question about that. Don't give up on it. Keep an open mind about it and do what you have to do in the meantime. Finding a' career' that you love is more of a journey and a reconciliation with your true self. Its about getting to know yourself on a deeper level, listening to your inner self and noticing the things you do and feel and taking note. You won't always find your path by looking at an A-Z list of careers. There aren't many categories when you really boil things down a bit; Teacher, Healer, Farmer, Environmentalist, Artist/Entertainer, Peacemaker, Engineer, Entrepreneur. Builder etc etc. Sometimes it is wise to forget the word 'career' and focus more on what you delight in or enjoy most in life. It is also useful to look at what frustrates you most in life. It could be a sign in what you would like to work in to make a difference or produce change.

" After piles of internet research I know that there many many people doing just that, in any number of fields. Some come up again and again- Freelance writing editing blogging etc., marketing, web/IT jobs, entrepreneurship, ESL. The list goes on and on. Now, I realize that I am going to need some more education. "

These all sound like temporary kinds of jobs to me especially if your'e on the road in foreign countries. I'm not saying there are not more possibilities these days for the above types jobs but unless your'e willing to gain a lot of experience in something that can sustain your travels while abroad, before you set off, then your chances whilst on the road could be limited. I would imagine unless you are already making a living at home from these types of jobs, then trying to make a living abroad from them wont be any different. Test them at home first.
If you are referring to theses jobs as supplementing your travels for a year or so on top of savings then that's fine. If your'e talking about travelling around the world for the rest of your life, it is not impossible but consider this. I met a guy in Sydney in his mid forties who had left his native Spain and was doing just that for the last 20 years. He was working in a hostel at the time for not much more than food and board. He seemed happy enough but he had no money and only smoked or drunk beer when they were given to him for free by other travellers and he seemed to be constantly looking for unskilled, better paid work. No doubt he was truly living in the moment. Maybe he had become accustomed to this lifestyle but I think you need to be a certain type of person to lead such a lifestyle. Unless you have a special talent or are lucky enough to have found your vocation in life then moving around from place to place is likely to lead to nothing more than low paid unskilled work for the foreseeable future. Cleaning toilets in the Maldives is no different to cleaning toilets in Edinburgh or Moscow after time. Most of the other travellers I've met over the age of 50 are people who don't need to work or are making a trip for a certain amount of time based on their income/savings/investments/sold properties etc.
The ones in their late teens and twenties are doing it for fun and adventure.The ones in their 30's & 40's are doing it to find themselves again, take stock or figure out where it all went wrong. I'm stereo typing here but I think its relevant.

The good news is, its all a journey and an education. In the end we are all responsible for our own journey's.

"the long term goal for me would be to work remotely, moving around the world slowly, spending 3-6 months at a time in places that catch my fancy."

Well I would say you are looking at making another mistake with that idea. It's another short-sighted idea.
You are confusing yourself I think because you say, "I can see what I really want for my life: travel and lots of it." but you are talking about living and working in places. They are NOT one and the same. You either travel or you live and work.

What sounds good doesn't always work out to be good when you are doing it. Believe me, you do not want to spend 30 years moving every 3 months. You will get tired of that real fast for all kinds of reasons. I doubt you will find one poster here on TT who does that or has done so for more than a couple of years. You can find dozens who work remotely and make a living from something that would allow them to to move to another country tomorrow however.

You need to realize that work is work and travel has nothing to do with work. You cannot be 'travelling' and working at the same time. It is physically impossible. When you are working, you are living in a place, not travelling. Moving every 3 months is NOT the same thing as travelling.

There are a great many practicalities to living somewhere. All take time to understand and arrange. Do you have any idea how much time it will take you to get your name registered to pay an electric bill in Greece? How much time in Indonesia? Can you imagine doing this over and over again? Or are you under the impression you can just find a nice little furnished apartment with all utilities included easily in every country you chose to stay in for your 3-6 months? That'll only take you an afternoon in every country you visit, right. Wrong.

So you either want to travel or you want to find a career that allows you to move with your job from TIME TO TIME if you choose to do so. But do not confuse the latter with meeting a need for travel. It will not.

Just in case you come back with the idea that, 'ok, I don't want a career that will let me live in places, I want a job that will fund travel for me. Say 3months work and then 3 months travel for 5 years running or so.' Here is the cut and paste answer for that one.
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The Universal Work to Fund Travel Answer

While many specific questions require a specific answer, a great many of the questions posted here on the TT fall into the category of asked and answered many times. Many of them also fall into the category of common sense. Of course if common sense were indeed ‘common’ (that is,known by most) then the term ‘common sense’ would not need to exist. Your question falls into this category and so the answer is in the following generic answer.

A lot of questions get asked that are answered simply by considering the difference between possible and probable. We’ve all heard the old saw about, ‘you can be anything you want to be.’ A classic answer that by itself just means anything is possible. But it does not allow for what is probable. Just about every 13 year old boy in the world wants to be a sports star but the reality is that very few will ever realize that dream. Why, because it isn’t probable.

Someone without the skills/aptitude/talent/ability/grit that it takes to become a sports star can want it all they want but it ain’t gonna happen. That’s called reality. The same is true in terms of what is discussed here on the TT.

So what about funding travel by working, as discussed here on the TT? Countless posters write that they plan to fund travel by working along the way. Possible but not very probable. Most jobs available to backpackers do not pay enough to do more than perhaps survive on while doing them. That’s fine if you want to spend an extra 2 months somewhere but not if you want to earn enough to fund further travel. Most also require you to spend a considerable amount of time doing them. Which means you are no longer travelling. Common sense.

To earn money to fund travel, most people can earn more in a part-time second job at home than they will ever earn on their travels. Flipping burgers at MickeyD’s at home will allow you to save more money towards your travels than anything you are likely to find on the road.

Now I know people can provide individual examples of someone who successfully found a way to fund their travels while on the road. But go back to possible and probable and the difference between the two. Unless you have some particular skills/aptitude/talent/ability/grit that will set you apart from the crowd, it ain’t gonna happen for you. Brad Pitt or Jennifer Lopez might be able to walk into a bar and walk out with 2 members of the opposite sex in 20 minutes but how likely is it that you could?

So here’s the thing. You need to be honest with yourself about your skills and abilities and realistic about your ideas. Dreams are fine as long as they are dreams. Planning based on a dream is not a good idea.

maenad wrote:
>Frankly, not many people are interested in being real friends with someone who plans to uproot and leave in 3 months.

I think this is really true. After living abroad since 1989, I find I am not really very interested in people who are only temporarily visiting where I am. Nice for a brief casual shallow relationship, surface level chitty chat, but not worth investing much time or energy as they will be gone tomorrow.

Partly it is that they will be gone soon, but also that most of those people never really come to know where they visit on a deeper level. They revel in surface impressions and often think they truly understand the culture and people, but really don't. I think it takes at least a couple years to begin to come to terms with how a place and people really operate. All cultures seem to have a level they reveal to short-term visitors to create a favorable impression and then an underlying level of how things really are (not that it is any less favorable - just perhaps more real).

Travelinstyle46 wrote:
>There are a great many practicalities to living somewhere.

Also very true. For quite some time I moved about every two years. It just wasn't economical to move more frequently. The costs of moving are greater than they seem at first. First is that you just can't take everything with you and when you get to your new place you still need even the most basic of things - sheets for your bed, salt, pepper, a bit of silverware and dishes - and so on and it really adds up unless you want to live like a college kid all your life basically slumming it. That gets tiring very quickly as you get older.

And . . . if you desire a comfortable lifestyle beyond just bumming around - there is the cost of a vehicle (even if just a motorbike), deposits for an apartment, utilities, visa costs and assorted paperwork, and the list can go on and on.

Thank you for the responses!
Okay, Okay guys, I’m hearing you, I am. You are right of course; if I am working I am not traveling. And no, I do not want to scrub toilets and pick fruit or what have you to just get by while I wander.
And your right, as soon as you mention it skipping around in 3-6 jaunts IS impractical. I move about once a year now in my home country, and yeah, it’s a pain and a process.

“You can find dozens who work remotely and make a living from something that would allow them to to move to another country tomorrow however.”

– While I certainly didn’t say it this way, this is really more what I mean. While I would like to save and plan for an extended trip travelling, I also want to build a career that would allow me to move to another country tomorrow. And now that you point out my silliness on the subject, spend an extended amount of time living there. Would this still be travelling? No. But would it still offer some of the wonderful things that come with travel? Learning about a culture, learning languages, meeting new people with a different way of life, providing new areas to explore etc. I think it would. I guess in my mind, while not the actual act of travelling, living abroad would offer many of the things I enjoy about travelling.

“I'm not saying there are not more possibilities these days for the above types jobs but unless you’re willing to gain a lot of experience in something that can sustain your travels while at home from these types of jobs, then trying to make a living abroad from them wont be any different. Test them at home first.”abroad, before you set off, then your chances whilst on the road could be limited. I would imagine unless you are already making a living

-This is what I mean. Any job/or career I would choose to pursue would need the right education or experience, plenty of experience doing it and then plenty of work and research making the job “movable.” I do not expect to decide I am a writer or something tomorrow set off the following Friday and make a living doing it. My question is what kinds of careers and what kind of education make living abroad, with a few periods of travelling possible?

I’m sorry that I’ve frustrated you with my repetitive questions, I can see how annoying it would be. But I have to say it can be frustrating on this end to. I read all kinds of articles and blogs and books about people who design their careers to live and work abroad, moving countries from time to time, and allowing them more actual travel time. And I can’t find many answers or advice on HOW they did it.

I guess I’m asking the wrong questions? Or do I have my ears closed? I hope not, I’m sorry if I do.
Thank you all very much for taking the time to respond! I do appreciate it!

ok, here are some resources for you. Yes you can earn a income and travel at the same time. Not for everyone, but possible.

http://www.corbettbarr.com/10-digital-nomads-to-learn-from

http://www.digitalnomadforum.com/

Also consider getting some practical skills that you can use to support yourself. I knew someone that travelled the world for two years cutting peoples hair to support herself. I have worked in various places as a PADI divemaster.

Just because someone says "you can't", does not mean you shouldn't.

Good luck.

Maybe your best bet would be to just go travelling and find out yourself. Sometimes this is the best way.

I can certainly understand your situation. I have been/going through what you speak about. I wouldn't have answered otherwise. I know you recognise this on some level even though you don't have all the answers to your questions. They wont come over night. Everyone has a different journey.

In my experience, 'travel' is not a profession nor is it likely in the near future to become one. Yes it is wonderful to travel, meet people, enjoy different foods and culture but believe me, even eating in restaurants, drinking different beers and wines, listening to foreign music, living out of a backpack, catching another train/bus/aeroplane, sleeping in different beds and having a glimpse into various cultures soon gets boring and repetitive like everything else if that's all you base your life around. I'm not saying you do.

There are plenty of jobs/professions that could often entail travelling; journalist, writer, comedian, cabin crew, charity worker, human rights activist, professor, diplomat, musician, artist, bricklayer, interpreter, engineer, scientist etc etc etc but not all of the ones requiring most travel may appeal to you. Like someone has already said , travelling and working are usually two different things. Some of the most successful people in their field are successful because they are good at or love what they do. Travel usually comes easy for these people or more frequently than others.
I don't think they set out to base their lives or career's around travel though.It just came naturally as a consequence of their success.

OK, so now you are saying you do not want to travel but rather to find a career that is portable. That is, something you can do while living in another country for several years or more. Whole different ballgame and much more probable.

There are of course countless paths you could take that would make that possible. So really you're back to finding a career/field that interests you because there is no use looking at something that you would hate or get bored doing after a while.

Someone could as Scuba_albany suggests become a scuba instructor but that type of 'career' only works for a while. You get too old, the only way to advance is to open your own business and that of course requires deeper roots. The thing you are trying to avoid long term. So it isn't that simple.

When I was living in Greece for a while I met some French engineers who were working on the installation of a new power plant. They spent 4 years doing the job. Project type work of that kind is common and can take you to all kinds of destinations. But it requires education and real experience to get to that level. It's also hell on relationships. Have you thought about that aspect? It's not easy to find a partner that wants to move with you every couple of years.

Trades like carpenter, plumber, electrician, etc. are quite portable. You may need to get re-certified for the country you go to but that can usually be done. If you look at Immigration websites for countries you will see what skilled trades are in demand. At one point, being a bus driver or hair dresser could get you entry to Canada for example. Nursing is in demand almost everywhere.

Nowadays, a lot of people attempt to develop an online business. If they succeed, they can obviously do that from anywhere and move if they wish. But that then presents the issue of Residence Permits/visas. You can't just decide you would like to live in X. You have to be able to live their legally beyond the normal tourist period. Not always easy to do.

The problem is daoshorizon, there ins't any magic answer and when you write, "And I can’t find many answers or advice on HOW they did it.", it sounds a bit like you are looking for one. I can tell you how I managed to be able to live without working for a living and being able to move whenever I want for as long as I want but it won't do you much good.

I took a different route. I worked in my home country, spent less than I earned, invested the difference wisely and retired in my early 40s. No need to look for a job that is portable. I don't need a job. I've lived in 5 countries in the last 22 years and I travel at least several times a year. But my route requires certain things. You have to earn in the top 10% of earners to be able to invest enough per year to reach the point where your investments will fund your life, in a reasonable amount of time. It's no use if it will take you till you are 70 to reach that goal. Not everyone is able to earn at that level obviously. It requires the skills, education, talent, knowledge or whatever to do so and few are capable of that unfortunately. I made my money in sales. Simple for me, impossible for others. If you were a major league sport player or a tv actor or a brain surgeon, you could probably do what I did. But how likely is that?

Someone like zzark takes what I would call a more conventional approach like being a plumber who moves to Spain. Only zzark teaches English. There are dime a dozen TEFL teachers who earn peanuts and there are TEFL teachers who work at the International School level and are both well paid and can move countries if they wish. They also earn enough to fund a retirement at some point in time which is something you do have to consider. You will see many people on here who are TEFLing in China or wherever but they have no real future in it. Fine for a few years but not as a long term career unless you do what it takes (education, etc.) to get up to the top ranks in that field. They think they are working and travelling. They're doing neither actually.

My point is that there is no 'HOW TO' book on this subject. You have to find your own road. Whatever way you find though, one thing is sure. It won't happen overnight.