Making Sense Of Cents

Learn how to make extra money, how to save money, how to start a blog, and more.

JOIN OVER 300,000
MONTHLY READERS!
  • HOME
  • BLOG
  • Make Money
    • best online jobs
    • passive income ideas
    • paid online surveys
    • How To Make $100 A Day
    • 80 side job ideas
    • More Extra Income Ideas
  • SAVE MONEY
    • Free Amazon Gift Cards
    • 16 Alternatives To Cable TV
    • best rewards credit cards
    • How I Paid Off My $40,000 Student Loans
    • More Money Tips
  • Categories
    • Income Reports
    • How To Save Money
    • Extra Income Ideas
    • Blogging Tips
    • Career Advice
    • College
    • Pay Off Debt
    • Retirement
    • Self-Employment Tips
    • Travel
  • BLOG COURSES
    • AFFILIATE MARKETING COURSE
    • MAKING SENSE OF SPONSORED POSTS
    • HOW TO START A BLOG
  • Contact
    • About
    • Contact
    • Advertise
    • Recommendations

Are You Interested In Traveling The World And Working At The Same Time?

Last Updated: January 12, 2021 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 61 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

3313 shares
  • Facebook31
  • Twitter
  • Reddit
  • LinkedIn
  • Email

Before I started running my online business full-time, I had a desk job where I received a couple of weeks of vacation a year. Before that, I worked in a position for over five years which gave me no vacation time whatsoever. 

While I realize that not everyone receives vacation time, I knew having limited traveling time was not good enough for me.

Even though I have to work while I’m traveling since I’m location independent, I wouldn’t have it any other way. Being able to work remotely is a dream!

I enjoy traveling, seeing new places, and being able to work at the same time. Being a “digital nomad” isn’t perfect, but it is a lot of fun!

Just in 2015 I have traveled to the states of Nevada, California, Washington, Wyoming, Utah, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, and, of course, the states of Colorado and Missouri. I have been on the road for the majority of the year and I don’t plan on that changing anytime soon.

In fact, I’m currently looking at the beautiful Jackson Lake and the mountains (in Grand Teton National Park) while typing this post.

Many of you seem to be interested in possibly living the location independent lifestyle as well. I know it’s a dream for many, but there are things to think about. Being location independent still means that you have to work and earn money!

Continue reading below if you are interested in learning how to become a digital nomad.

 

Figure out how you will support yourself.

There are many ways to support yourself and travel at the same time. Whatever you decide to do, figuring it out ahead of time is usually a good idea.

You may find an employer who allows you to work from your laptop and phone, you may decide to run your own business, or you may decide to find work as you go.

Related posts:

  • 75+ Ways To Make Extra Money
  • 10 Ways To Make Money Online From The Comfort of Your Home
  • How To Easily Start A Blog For Cheap
  • How We Became Professional House Sitters In Europe & Saved Over $5,000

This leads to my next tip…

 

Have a plan.

Having a plan is a good idea if you want to travel and work at the same time.

Some of the things you will want to think about if you want to learn how to become a digital nomad include:

  • What will you do to earn money?
  • How much will you need to earn in order to survive?
  • Will you need to save money before you leave?
  • How long do you plan on traveling for?
  • What will you do for health insurance?
  • Will you have a home base?
  • How will you receive mail?
  • What will you do for internet?
  • Will you need a visa in order to work?

 

Determine your pace.

There are pros and cons to traveling slowly or quickly.

Traveling slowly is what I prefer as you can usually travel more affordably this way. It’s more affordable because usually transportation costs are what eats up a travel budget. Plus you have more time to enjoy each place that you are visiting since you will not be in a rush to move on to the next city.

Traveling quickly means that you may be able to visit more places. If you are in a time crunch then this may be what you decide to do. If you are able to work remotely, then this may be possible. However, if you are working as you travel in each specific city this may be more difficult since you will have to hold a job for a longer period of time.

 

Backup all of your work.

I highly recommend you keep backups of everything you do if you work primarily from your laptop. You never know if your phone, laptop or camera will experience water damage, be stolen, and so on.

You will save yourself a lot of pain and anger by having backups of all of your work.

 

Work ahead.

Planning and working ahead are both what helps keep me sane. This way if I come across an area with no internet, if I really love an area I’m visiting, or if I am unable to work for some other reason, then I can still have fun and not feel as stressed out.

Trust me, this is key. I’m in Wyoming and the internet so far hasn’t been the greatest. I haven’t been able to work as much as I normally would, but the fact that I have planned and worked ahead has helped me greatly.

Also, I’ve had a lot of you ask what I’m using for internet. I’m using a Verizon MiFi Jetpack.

 

 

Unplug occasionally if you work remotely.

The toughest thing I have a problem with while traveling is unplugging.

Being location independent means that it can sometimes be hard to have a good work-life balance. This is because if you are able to bring your work wherever with you, then it may be hard to separate your work and life.

 

Travel hack.

Since you’ll be traveling a lot, you may want to find a way to save money on your trips. Travel hacking may allow you to travel for cheap or even free in some cases.

Related article: How I’ve Earned $2,500 In Credit Card Rewards In One Year

 

Keep yourself motivated.

Whether you are working for someone else or you’re your own boss, you will need to keep yourself motivated since you won’t have anyone hovering over your shoulder telling you to get work done if you work remotely.

If you’re having a hard time staying motivated and completing work, then you may want to set a designated work schedule for yourself. This may help you stay on track just like if you were going into an office.

 

Enjoy yourself.

In the end, you should enjoy yourself. Traveling all over the world yet only seeing the inside of a hotel room wouldn’t be any fun.

Get out there, work remotely, and see the world!

Would you like to live the location independent lifestyle? What other tips would you give to someone who wants to know how to become a digital nomad?

Related Posts

  • Why I’m Happy I Made The Decision To Leave My High Paying And Secure Job For BloggingWhy I’m Happy I Made The Decision To Leave My High Paying And Secure Job For Blogging
  • How I Made Money Blogging From Home In AprilHow I Made Money Blogging From Home In April
  • How I Made Money Blogging From Home In MarchHow I Made Money Blogging From Home In March
  • 75+ Ways To Make Extra Money75+ Ways To Make Extra Money
  • How I Made Money And Traveled Full-Time In FebruaryHow I Made Money And Traveled Full-Time In February
  • Monthly Income Report Roundup – My Favorite Income BloggersMonthly Income Report Roundup – My Favorite Income Bloggers
3313 shares
  • Facebook31
  • Twitter
  • Reddit
  • LinkedIn
  • Email

61 Comments
Filed Under: Career, Extra Income, Travel Tagged With: Career, Extra Money, Self-employment, Travel

About Michelle Schroeder-Gardner

Michelle is the founder of Making Sense of Cents, a blog about personal finance and traveling. She discusses how her business has evolved in her side income series. She paid off $40,000 in student loans by the age of 24 mainly due to her freelancing side hustles. Click here to learn more about starting a blog!

Comments

  1. diane @smartmoneysimplelife says

    August 10, 2015 at 4:58 am

    When I was in my 20’s I would have sold options on my first born to be able to work and travel like you are. There are so many possibilities now that just weren’t around then. But, responsibilities being what they are, I’ll have to settle for mostly working from home and occasionally working from a cafe with a view of the beach.

    Actually, I would have been in heaven if I could have done just that in my 20’s!

    Have fun, Michelle!

    Reply
    • Michelle Schroeder-Gardner says

      August 10, 2015 at 10:01 am

      Thanks Diane!

      Reply
    • Stockbeard says

      August 10, 2015 at 4:43 pm

      Kind of agree here. I actually did travel in my 20’s, which is how I ended up meeting my wife. But Michelle, your post doesn’t address the toughest challenges of all: Can you be a digital nomad with a family? I have 2 kids, and although your post is very detailed, it doesn’t address my toughest challenge, which is to keep a balanced family life as a digital nomad.

      Reply
      • Michelle Schroeder-Gardner says

        August 10, 2015 at 5:02 pm

        I think you can. I have met a few full-time RVers already and they have young children with them. I’m assuming it’s tough, but they must be doing it because they enjoy it 🙂

        Reply
        • Stockbeard says

          August 10, 2015 at 5:13 pm

          I’d love a guest article on that topic 😉

          Reply
          • Michelle Schroeder-Gardner says

            August 10, 2015 at 6:41 pm

            Haha hopefully someone will volunteer 🙂

            Reply
      • Kristen says

        March 30, 2020 at 5:06 am

        HI! I actually RV full-time with my family of 4! We have two small boys(pre-K and K). We have a 32 ft class A and I roadschool which is a term for homeschooling on the road! It can be hectic sometimes but our whole family loves it so much (we are 1 year into full-timing as of writing this)

        Reply
  2. Chris @ Flipping a Dollar says

    August 10, 2015 at 5:32 am

    I love seeing people who’ve successfully gotten out of the grind! Even though you’re still doing work, its completely different when you are your own boss. More ups and downs but then again, that’s more of what life is! It doesn’t all have to be middle of the road and calm!

    Even if I don’t plan on only working online, I still love looking for ways to push the needl even if its only a little bit!

    Reply
    • Michelle Schroeder-Gardner says

      August 10, 2015 at 10:02 am

      Thanks! Life is great 🙂

      Reply
  3. giulia says

    August 10, 2015 at 5:35 am

    Great post and yes I’d love to travel more but now I’m doing a little bit more than 2 years ago and I am going to have lovely day drips and/or weekend off being always on a budget, but your post is full of real great tip and suggestion thanks!!!

    Reply
    • Michelle Schroeder-Gardner says

      August 10, 2015 at 10:02 am

      Thanks!

      Reply
  4. Jayson @ Monster Piggy Bank says

    August 10, 2015 at 5:51 am

    This is what I am aiming for. It feels like it’s doable. All I need is to prepare for it ahead of time and make my plan work. I wanna see the world!

    Reply
    • Michelle Schroeder-Gardner says

      August 10, 2015 at 10:03 am

      Do it!

      Reply
  5. Stefanie @ The Broke and Beautiful Life says

    August 10, 2015 at 6:36 am

    I’ve been on vacay the last two weeks and it’s nice to know my business is still operating – I don’t know that I could do a trip that was several months though and keep up my work load. I always feel so guilty about working when I’m on the road.

    Reply
    • Michelle Schroeder-Gardner says

      August 10, 2015 at 10:04 am

      My goal right now is to minimize the amount of work I do while increasing my more passive income avenues due to this!

      Reply
  6. Natalie @ Financegirl says

    August 10, 2015 at 7:14 am

    I like where you’re going with your blog, Michelle. It makes perfect sense for you to write about how to create an online business. I’m really looking forward to more of these posts (hopefully there’s more to come 🙂 ).

    Reply
    • Michelle Schroeder-Gardner says

      August 10, 2015 at 10:05 am

      Thanks Natalie! There will be more to come 🙂 I’m thinking I will do a post in this category at least a few times a month. It’s something I love talking about!

      Reply
  7. Holly@ClubThrifty says

    August 10, 2015 at 7:29 am

    We have been location independent since the beginning of this year and I’m loving it so far. Now we just have to plan around the kid’s schedules, but it still makes everything that much better. I no longer have to worry about or save up PTO days, or plan vacations around a bunch of other people! Now we just do what we want.

    Reply
    • Michelle Schroeder-Gardner says

      August 10, 2015 at 10:05 am

      Yes, love it!

      Reply
  8. Heather aka HoJo says

    August 10, 2015 at 7:37 am

    Traveling is great! My goal is to reach all 50 states by the age of 50. I’m getting close! (Close to the states, not that close in age just yet… 😉 Have a wonderful time!

    Reply
    • Michelle Schroeder-Gardner says

      August 10, 2015 at 10:07 am

      Awesome goal!

      Reply
  9. Kate @ Cashville Skyline says

    August 10, 2015 at 7:49 am

    Sounds like you’re having fun, Michelle! I think in the future, most jobs will be location independent. Fortunately, I can do my current job from anywhere and I love working remotely. It’s especially great for visiting friends and family who I wouldn’t otherwise get much time with!

    Reply
    • Michelle Schroeder-Gardner says

      August 10, 2015 at 10:08 am

      Yes, I love being able to spend more time with friends and family!

      Reply
  10. Melissa says

    August 10, 2015 at 8:31 am

    I love this post, Michelle! I think having a base estimate of what you need to make in order to get by is key. That’s one of the things I’m trying to do right now to see when I can become location-independent and do something similar to you!

    As far as making back ups, do you use an external hard drive or the cloud to store your back ups?

    Reply
    • Michelle Schroeder-Gardner says

      August 10, 2015 at 10:10 am

      I actually do both. I am a worrier haha.

      Reply
  11. Virginia says

    August 10, 2015 at 8:49 am

    Oh, man this is exactly why I would love to work online. My sister’s pregnant in England with my first niece or nephew, my parents live across the country from me, and my best friend lives in Hong Kong. Location permanence is killin’ me!

    Reply
    • Michelle Schroeder-Gardner says

      August 10, 2015 at 10:10 am

      What are you working towards to get there?

      Reply
      • Virginia says

        August 11, 2015 at 8:12 am

        Nothing super concrete–yet! My career is non-mobile. I am quitting my current side hustle so that I can have time to work on starting a blog. I’ve done a bit of freelancing in the past and know that if I really hustled I could be a writer. Thanks for sharing such a wealth of information to show how it’s done.

        Reply
        • Michelle Schroeder-Gardner says

          August 11, 2015 at 11:36 am

          Good luck Virginia!

          Reply
  12. Sarah says

    August 10, 2015 at 8:51 am

    I told my husband that when the kids are grown and gone (we still have a LONG way to go) I want to get an R.V. and just drive around the U.S. So you’re living my retirement dream. 🙂

    Reply
    • Michelle Schroeder-Gardner says

      August 10, 2015 at 10:11 am

      Haha do it! We are loving it.

      Reply
  13. Ali @ Anything You Want says

    August 10, 2015 at 9:01 am

    These are great tips! I’m not sure that I could ever be location independent in my current field, but I do like the idea of being able to travel whenever I want and have more flexibility.

    Reply
    • Michelle Schroeder-Gardner says

      August 10, 2015 at 10:11 am

      What do you currently do?

      Reply
      • Ali @ Anything You Want says

        August 10, 2015 at 3:10 pm

        I work in real estate/construction, so it is pretty essential to be where the project is.

        Reply
        • Michelle Schroeder-Gardner says

          August 10, 2015 at 5:00 pm

          Oh makes sense!

          Reply
  14. Thomas @ i need money ASAP! says

    August 10, 2015 at 9:48 am

    Love the location independent lifestyle but with a 1yo its not really practical at the moment. What I’m striving for is more of a financial independence type lifestyle.

    Reply
    • Michelle Schroeder-Gardner says

      August 10, 2015 at 10:12 am

      Yes, that is a great lifestyle as well 🙂

      Reply
  15. Christine Berry says

    August 10, 2015 at 10:31 am

    I love the fact that I can be location independent, but for me personally it got REALLY exhausting traveling and working. I think it’s fine if you’re in a maintenance stage, but if you’re trying to actively grow your business it can be downright exhausting.

    Great tips 🙂 I think the RV is a perfect fusion of both.

    Reply
    • Michelle Schroeder-Gardner says

      August 10, 2015 at 10:49 am

      Thanks Christine! Yes, it can be tiring. Traveling slowly really helps.

      Reply
  16. Tawcan says

    August 10, 2015 at 10:52 am

    Very inspiring and great tips. Being able to work at different location would be a dream for us. That means we’ll be able to enjoy our lives and travel around the world at the same time.

    Reply
    • Michelle Schroeder-Gardner says

      August 10, 2015 at 11:03 am

      Thanks!

      Reply
  17. Andrew@LivingRichCheaply says

    August 10, 2015 at 11:40 am

    It’s great when you can be location independent. It gives you so much more flexibility with your time and where you live. You can live in a lower cost area which is a big savings. You can be flexible with your travel plans and not just take one or two trips a year.

    Reply
    • Michelle Schroeder-Gardner says

      August 10, 2015 at 11:57 am

      I agree!

      Reply
  18. Jesse Gernigin says

    August 10, 2015 at 12:30 pm

    I agree with Stef. It is hard to keep up with writing work when on the road. I’ll go away for a month sometimes to finish up projects or ghostwrite a book and it is a battle to keep to a schedule. I love it and am working on my shortcomings to live and travel more freely!

    Reply
    • Michelle Schroeder-Gardner says

      August 10, 2015 at 1:22 pm

      Yes, it can be hard but I think it’s worth it 🙂

      Reply
  19. Fervent Finance says

    August 10, 2015 at 1:16 pm

    I have actually started thinking about living the RV life after seeing you do it, and ThinkSaveRetire talk about their plans to hit the road in an RV. I think it would be awesome to see Canada and the US in an RV. Also might speed up my FI date 🙂 Keep sharing pictures!

    Reply
    • Michelle Schroeder-Gardner says

      August 10, 2015 at 1:24 pm

      Do it!

      Reply
  20. Abigail @ipickuppennies says

    August 10, 2015 at 3:34 pm

    I work from home, but unfortunately, I can’t travel and work at the same time. To do my work, I need to access customer accounts, so my boss doesn’t want me on general wi-fi. I’d have to buy a data plan for my laptop, which is cost prohibitive.

    At the moment, it’s not an issue because we don’t really have the money/energy to travel. But one day when we have a little more expendable cash, it’ll probably aggravate me.

    Reply
    • Michelle Schroeder-Gardner says

      August 10, 2015 at 5:01 pm

      Yeah I just bought a data plan for my laptop and it is definitely expensive. I wish there were unlimited plans!

      Reply
  21. Jason Butler says

    August 10, 2015 at 9:00 pm

    I want to be location independent badly. I know that’s a few years away for me though. Until that happens I will continue to live vicariously through you Michelle.

    Reply
    • Michelle Schroeder-Gardner says

      August 10, 2015 at 9:56 pm

      You’ll get there 🙂

      Reply
  22. Portia says

    August 10, 2015 at 9:50 pm

    Thanks for those tips. We’re not at that point right now, but I hope we can have more flexibility (especially with our time) in the future.

    Reply
    • Michelle Schroeder-Gardner says

      August 10, 2015 at 9:56 pm

      Welcome!

      Reply
  23. Kim says

    August 10, 2015 at 10:20 pm

    If I ever give up optometry, I would love to be location independent. The idea is very liberating. From being away three weeks recently, I can honestly say that I would have to set a schedule for myself. I had all these plans about how much I would get done, and I did about a tenth of that. I am so glad I had some semi-generic posts already scheduled just in case. The whole working ahead thing is a must.

    I am so excited for you and Wes and how you get to live life on your own terms. Very inspiring.

    Reply
    • Michelle Schroeder-Gardner says

      August 10, 2015 at 11:09 pm

      Yes, working ahead is definitely a must!

      Reply
  24. Kayla @ The Jenny Pincher says

    August 11, 2015 at 10:22 am

    Now that I’m freelancing full-time, I do plan to do a little more travelling and enjoy my “freedom” more. It’s nice that you can still work while you are out of town. I just have to kind of careful about my spending on travel until I’m out of debt.

    Reply
    • Michelle Schroeder-Gardner says

      August 11, 2015 at 11:37 am

      Congrats again of freelancing full-time Kayla!

      Reply
  25. Michelle Schroeder-Gardner says

    August 11, 2015 at 11:36 am

    Thanks! We are loving it 🙂

    Reply
  26. joe says

    August 11, 2015 at 1:27 pm

    That’s awesome! I would love to be a digital nomad for a while. We’re tied down right now due to Mrs. RB40’s job. When she retires, then we’ll try it out. Kid will be in school then, but we could travel and homeschool for a year. Once the kid is out of the house, then it will be wide open. 🙂

    Reply
    • Michelle Schroeder-Gardner says

      August 11, 2015 at 2:56 pm

      Thanks Joe!

      Reply
  27. Amanda says

    September 19, 2015 at 8:14 am

    This post is awesome! I’m a nurse so blogging may not be my ticket to location independence, but I came up with an equivalent! Check out my recent post about it.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Making Sense of Cents welcome page photo
Hello and welcome!
My name is Michelle and I'm the author/owner of Making Sense of Cents. Learning how to save money and make more money changed my life. It allowed me to pay off $40,000 in student loans, start my own business, and I now travel full-time.

As Seen On

as seen on
How To Start A Blog
making sense of affiliate marketing for bloggers
My Monthly Online Income Reports
My Student Loans Are Gone - How I Paid Off $38,000 In Student Loans
How To Prevent Financial Fraud From Happening To You
Buying a House at 20 (How I did it)
How To Make Money Blogging Picture
How To Save 50% Or More Of Your Income Picture
How I Graduated From College In 2.5 Years With 2 Degrees AND Saved $37,500
75+ Ways To Make Extra Money

 

HOME
ABOUT
CONTACT
FREE FB GROUP

PRIVACY POLICY
TERMS OF USE
DISCLAIMER / EARNINGS DISCLAIMER
Copyright © 2011 - 2023. All Rights Reserved.

© 2023 Making Sense of Cents
Design by Lennox Creative Co.