How I became a digital nomad

Ali Watters inspired me to become a digital nomad. He left a stable software job in London for the unknown adventures of world travel.  He started traveling in 2002 and has been ever since.  He created a website, travelblog.org, for people to journal about their travels. He is a role model for digital nomads. He travels abroad while making money online.

I found his blog in June 2007. At the time, I was developing software in a cold, gray office for a large corporation.  It was my first job out of college, and I realized that this was not how I wanted to live. I thought there must be a better way to earn a living.

When I found his blog through Brazen Careerist, I was curious.  How could someone travel continuously for years? It sounded like a lot of fun. His blog was certainly a fun read. I spent the following nights reading through his travel blog. I lived vicariously through him. I analyzed how and why he did it.  I became obsessed with the idea of traveling abroad and working online.

I resolved to travel abroad sometime in 2009.  I began taking actions in that direction.  I left the big corporation for a small tech startup in July 2007.   I paid off my credit cards and put a dent in my student loans. I started saving for my big trip.  I started telling people that I would travel abroad in 2009. I attracted world travelers into my life.

I tested the waters of world travel in December 2007. I backpacked solo through central Mexico for ten days. It was my first time backpacking and traveling abroad by myself. I flew from my home in Los Angeles to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.  I traveled overland to Mexico City, stopping at Guadalajara, Morelia, and Angangueo along the way.  I successfully made it to Mexico City for my return flight. I learned the logistics of backpacking and became confident in my ability to travel long-term.

I gained a lot of good memories. I partied; I listened to other travelers’ stories; I saw butterflies and birds in harmony with nature; I met a local girl at the Mexico City zoo and spent a romantic day with her. I had fun on that trip, and I solidified my desire to travel abroad.

I focused on personal growth in the first half of 2008. I learned as much as I could about working with passion, personal strengths, personal finance, and the wealthy mindset. I improved my health; I started eating right and exercising daily. I reduced my body fat from 14% to 7% over four months. I stopped hanging out with people who I didn’t resonate with anymore. I met new people who shared my world traveling desire.

I profiled several digital nomads in July and August 2008. I read their entire blogs and e-books, if they had one. I analyzed how they managed to make money online while traveling abroad. I planned to share my findings with aspiring digital nomads; hence, I created teleboho.com.

I plan to begin my journey next year. I’m tenatively looking at March 2009, but I haven’t booked a ticket yet. I will buy a ticket about two months before I leave.  I will go to Southeast Asia for several months. I will start in Thailand and travel in either a clockwise or counter-clockwise direction. I’m excited to start a new chapter of my life.

I, too, will be leaving a stable software job, like Ali Watters did.  I will become self-employed. I will publish websites and earn ad revenue. I will do freelance programming. I will create a software product of my own. I am already making online ad revenue with another site, and I’ll have three years of professional software developing experience by the time I start my trip. So, I am confident in my ability to earn a living by making money online.

I plan to give back to the digital nomad community.  I created teleboho.com to be an educational and networking tool for current and aspiring digital nomads. I’m sure it will be entertaining, too! I will write about how to become a digital nomad, and why someone would want to become one. I will write about the problems that digital nomads face and how to overcome them. I hope that I inspire, educate, and help other digital nomads connect.