Interview With Location Independent Traveller Nomadic Samuel

Today’s guest post comes from Sam from Nomadic Samuel, a location independent Canadian who unlike many other nomads out there, didn’t come from a cubicle, but from a university life straight onto the road, where he’s now been for six years. His story is not only inspiring, but an incredibly interesting one (he’s modelled, taught English and worked as a photographer, among other things!) and one that I know you guys will love.

What made you want to live the location independent life instead of following ‘the norm”?

During my last two years of University I tutored English to foreign students on campus.  The majority of my students were Korean and I became close friends with some of them.  The summer before I graduated I decided to take a trip to Korea and Japan because I was strongly considering teaching English overseas in Asia after my degree.  In a nutshell, I had the time of my life while I was there on vacation and I met backpackers from all over the world who had been living a location independent lifestyle for an indefinite period of time.  The stories I heard about their travels and just the kind of attitude they generally had about life really resonated well with me.  I believe it was during this time that the seeds of living an alternate lifestyle were planted in my mind.  Since I’ve graduated university I’ve split nearly six years abroad evenly between working in South Korea and backpacking around the world.  I absolutely love what I’m doing and I have no plans to stop anytime soon.

How do you fund your lifestyle, and what advice would you give to others wanting to be location independent?

I’ve funded my lifestyle almost entirely through my earnings as an ESL teacher in South Korea.  However, I’ve had a few odds jobs come up out of nowhere – such as a modelling in Seoul or earning a bit of money with my photography and writing.  These days I’m beginning to monetize my blog (NomadicSamuel.com) and I’m confident that in the near future I will be able to transition from being an English teacher to a full-time digital nomad earning money entirely from an online based income.

My advice for anybody who is craving a location independent lifestyle would be to make it your number one priority in life.  What I mean by that specifically is getting totally passionate about travelling and living overseas and starting to make some significant steps towards achieving those goals.  Becoming a less materialistic individual and learning to be more frugal are important skills that will allow one to travel overseas regardless of their earnings in whatever current job they have.  If one is seeking to live or travel abroad there are a number of different options to consider.  Aside from teaching, one could potentially work on a cruise ship, volunteer or become employed in a hostel or fruit farm to name just a few of the potential occupations.  Additionally, the opportunities to earn money online are abundant and if one is passionate about travel they could consider starting a travel website with the idea of monetizing it over a period of time.

What are the best and worst things about being location independent?

The most positive aspect of living a location independent lifestyle is the freedom you have to do what you want each and every day.  You can literally decide where you want to be, what you want to be doing and how you want to spend your time.  Obviously there are some constraints, such as needing to fund your travels and putting in hours towards earning money; however, these aspects are very flexible and can be tailored towards your specific goals.  I find the opportunity to experience new cultures, ways of life and stunning scenery and architecture as the true highlights of being abroad.  Moreover, the friends you meet from around the world and relationships you forge are opportunities unique to this kind of lifestyle.

I find the most challenging aspect of being abroad is being away from friends and family back home.  You often don’t get enough time to spend with people you truly miss at times.  I’ve found that my nomadic lifestyle has rubbed off on some of them and I’ve backpacked in Asia with my parents and met up with a few friends who may not have gone abroad had it not been for my subtle nudges I’ve been sending their way over the course of many months/years.

What’s the biggest thing you’ve learnt since being on the road?

I think the biggest thing I’ve learned from being overseas is that I’m in control of my life and that the only goals and expectations I have to live up to are the ones I feel are most important to me as an individual.  Specifically, I feel absolutely no pressure to settle down, buy a house and pursue a lifelong career.  I’ve come to realize that I can travel as long as I want and I have the option of living a conventional lifestyle at any particular point in time.  I feel at ease knowing I’m able to pick and choose the way I want to live my life.

Being overseas and traveling as a frugal backpacker has shifted some of my values in life.  I’ve become far less materialistic and I find my time more valuable than any other resource I could possibly possess.  I feel I’ve become more open minded and willing to accept diverse situations and viewpoints.  I also believe I’ve become more laid-back and easy going.  I feel that travel has had a very positive impact on my life and has made me a more confident person.  I feel I have many more lessons to learn on the road and I’m excited about the endless possibilities.

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