A guide to quitting your 9-5 and travelling the world

Hey, what's going on! Daniel here. Hope you're having an amazing start to your week!

As I type this, it's 7:41pm local time in Mexico City and 69F... Perfect weather!

You see, just about a year ago, I was working in a sales position, making great money - I mean around 6-figures - but waking up every day knowing I had a long 12-14 hours ahead of me was the most draining feeling ever! I dreaded my alarm. But I also knew that it was never going to last. I had a big plan!

I'll save you the time and just cut straight to the chase... Being able to travel, work and earn at the same time came as a result of these 5 steps that I implemented over time. And I'll summarize them below...

1. You have to decide on the kind of life you want

Not everyone wants to travel non-stop. Some people can deal with flexibility, while some will never give up their routine for anything. Some love to sleep in Hostels and AirBnB's while some just love the comfort of their bed. Wherever you fall on the spectrum don't matter, what's important is knowing the type of person you are and what works for you. For me, I love to be in a routine, that's why slow travel works for me, I get to wake up in the same bed for a month or two at a time, have a favorite place to shop, a familiar sight as I go to the local gym.

By travelling slowly, I get to enjoy my routine without giving up my love for travel.

2. Pick up a digital skill

You see, plane tickets and AirBnB's add up pretty fast, and unless you have huge savings, you're not going to last very long on the road 😄. For this reason, you need to have a skill that allows you to work while travelling. I'll give you some examples...

Can you write? Try writing blog posts and get paid for it.

Can you design? Businesses need you! Canva is a great tool, and you don't even need to be an expert.

Are you good with social media? Try approaching a few businesses for work.

Over the last 3 years, I've learned how to help businesses drive visibility to their business using Facebook and Instagram Ads. Now, I can do it from anywhere.

Your key to a sustainable life of travel relies heavily on your skill.

3. Get Paid

Now that you've decided to learn a new skill or monetize an existing one, it's important to make sure you can get paid. You want to want to HOPE and PRAY.

Get a few projects under your belt, cultivate and uplevel your skill to a point where you feel comfortable demanding payment for your service. Some of your first projects may not pay nearly as much as you’d like, but with experience comes the confidence to demand more.

Before you set out make sure you have a safe and secure means of getting paid. PayPal is a good choice. I use it all the time. You can easily create invoices, receive payments and even make payments securely using the platform, and the good thing is, it works anywhere in the world

Also, don’t forget to contact your bank to let them know that you will be travelling, that way, they know to place something called ‘travel notice’ on your account.

​4. Pick a destination

This is the fun part! Before you can take on the title of a digital nomad, you actually need to get out and travel. It doesn’t have to be someone far too away. Wherever you want to go, it’s up to you.

​There are a few factors that come into play, for me, it was a combination of distance, visa and a few other work-related reasons. I needed a place where I could go easily without having to deal with visa and a ton of documentation. I also wanted to be in a timezone where I won’t have to be 10-12 hours ahead or behind my clients. Eventually, this won’t be an issue, but if you’re just getting started, you want to do everything right.

If you have an American passport, for example, you have a ton of options of where you can go visa-free - about 170 countries in total. That’s a LOT!

So, pick a destination, and just go.

Of course, there will be a lot of other factors that you’ll have to deal with as they come while you’re on the road, and trust me, you’ll be fine.

​This isn’t by any means an exhaustive list, but simply a guide to getting started - if you will.

I really hope you find it helpful. And if you do, why don’t you forward it to someone or simply hit the reply button and let me know. I always appreciate good feedback.

​By the way, I have a video version as well, if you prefer videos. And while you watch, don’t forget to subscribe.

Thanks for reading!

Daniel.

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